Emerging Book Trends

If you think runners on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange have it rough think again. The book writing and selling and realm is one of the most competitive industries around. Staying abreast of what’s moving off the shelves and what’s getting picked up by publishers can help you increase the likelihood that your own creation won’t become a stalemate.

To learn more about what books are selling and what books aren’t sign-up for the Publisher’s Lunch at publishersmarketplace.com. You’ll receive a weekly recap of the previous week’s top book deals which provides some great insight into what genres are gaining traction. You can use this to focus your own strategy before you put a pen to paper or fingers to a keyboard.

Another break in technology that seems to be gaining momentum is the use of digital autographs. By using a services like Long Pen, authors can virtually sign their books for fans and cut costs associated with travel and touring for book signings. Award-winning author Margaret Atwood has employed and utilized Long Pen with great success. For more information visit Syngraffi.com.

There are many outlets that are beginning to use on demand print options like the Espresso Book Machine (EBM). The equipment allows businesses to print as needed and when requested which is a huge cost saver compared to traditional book publication methods. This technology is available throughout the United States at select libraries and book stores and is anticipated to become more widely available as others integrate EBM into their list of services. A complete list of EBM publishers can be found at ondemandbooks.com.

Access online communities for authors like Redroom and BookTalk and visit the forums to learn more about how other authors and readers are discovering trends and innovative ways to market and publish their books.

Reasons Why Marketing Fails for Authors

If you’re thinking about going the book or author promotion on your own you might want to think about what some of the causes are for ineffective marketing. There are many resources available that will tell you all of the right things to do, but there are only a handful that highlight what not to do. Before you begin launching your strategy take a quick moment to read up on what can potentially hinder your success.

Not Knowing Your Audience & Your Budget

Marketing your book or yourself isn’t a hobby and it’s not something that just ‘add water’ to and then sit back and watch the magic. You need to have an understanding of who your target market is and what type of funding you have available to reach them. If you don’t determine where your audience is it will be difficult to know how to allocate dollars and create a spend forecast with enough longevity to make an impact with them.

Lack of Ambition & Commitment

As mentioned earlier marketing your novel and yourself means that you must be prepared to work and work hard. Many authors and speakers fail to register as a blip on the radar because they aren’t stepping up and building relationships, setting up meetings, scheduling events and initiating the activity necessary to generate interest and awareness about their product.

Inability to Understand The Process

Despite having immediate access to the internet and countless free tools, many folks still struggle with how to utilize them properly. It’s one thing to set-up a Facebook Page for you or your book and it’s an entirely different thing to know how to work the Page to your advantage. There are many different communication tactics, as well as applications that need to be executed with thought and purpose. In doing this, you’ll reap bigger and better rewards by connecting with your audience.

Not everyone has the time or the skills required to build out a strategy and maintain, or adjust, it on a constant basis, not to mention measure its outcomes. It can be an overwhelming process for anyone who’s new to the game. Fortunately, professional resources, like Leili McKinley, can help alleviate the burden and provide you with outstanding results.

Speaking Tips to Promote Your Book

For an author, using email, social media, the web and traditional broadcast outlets are all fantastic ways to get the word out about your book. Beyond the previously mentioned mediums one that is often overlooked is speaking. Perhaps its because most people are intimidated by public speaking, after all, it can be daunting to get up in front of crowd and then start talking about yourself or your brand.

On the other hand, public speaking carries a great deal of clout because it allows people to get a true sense of who’s behind the book and how an author has pulled together concept, characters and plot. If you’re heart palpitates and your skin prickles at the very thought speaking then read on for some tips on overcoming the fear.

Get Prepared

Before you step out in front of a hundred pairs of eyes, give yourself a game plan. Build an outline and break down what you want to say into small chunks. Share a brief introduction on you and your background, talk about other books you’ve published and then give a brief synopsis of your latest endeavor. Focus on a particular aspect of your book and share some hidden nuggets that readers would be intrigued to know. Planning ahead will give you the confidence to speak.

Be The Expert

People want someone who’s genuine so speak from your heart. Take a deep breath and go with your gut. Keep this in mind, your audience is there because they value what you’ve created ad see you as a leader. Be authentic in your delivery and feel confident about your topic and you audience will embrace what you have to say.

Respond To The Audience

Once you begin speaking it will be easy to gauge the mood and energy level of your audience. Spice things up with an anecdotal story, voice inflection and even body language to keep people engaged with you. Standing in one spot and speaking softly in a monotone voice won’t win you any new fans. Be your own cheerleader and inspire your readers.

Make A Sale

As you’re concluding your speaking engagement don’t forget to let your audience know where you’ll be for upcoming book signings and most importantly, let them know that you’ve brought plenty of inventory with you as well. Offer to autograph copies and you’re sure to be a hit.

Squidoo: Social Media Promotion For You & Your Book

Squidoo is an excellent and free way to promote yourself as an author, as well as the books that you’ve written. Create by Seth Godin in 2005, Squidoo is a social community that allows users to build lenses, or single online pages, to showcase a particular subject. Squidoo is like having a one-page website that will share images, links and other details on just about anything that you can think that’s worth promoting. 

Getting started is easy. Sign-up for a free account and you’re off to the races. Squidoo recognizes that the majority of its audience aren’t tech-savvy and a simple content management system has been implemented to walk you through the ‘lens’ set-up process. If you’re new to the community, it might be in your best interest to take a look at other lenses to get a sense on how they’re used and built. This will make it easier to determine how to create our own. 

So, what’s the point of having a Squidoo lens? First, Google loves Squidoo and values it as a highly credible source of content and information. This means that even if your personal website is buried somewhere on page 25 of the Google search engine results pages, you still have an opportunity to nab a piece of the limelight via Squidoo. Most lenses appear in the top 10 of Google searches and that’s a great thing for those of us who are just starting out. 

You can build a Squidoo lens for each one of your books and even for yourself and then link them altogether for a collection of lenses that are all about your body of work and expertise. Pretty snazzy. Many authors feature downloadable ebooks, upcoming book signings, future speaking events and other details about where they’ll be and what they’re doing. You can even use your lens to help drive traffic back to your blog and website. 

There are plenty of Squidoo resources available to help you get things going. The best sources tend to be from the Squidoo lensmasters themselves. Explore and enjoy.

4 Must Read Books To Help You Market Your Own

There are an enormous amount of books available on the book marketing for authors. Just like most products and brands, some are great and some are not so great. The one thing that holds true for all of them is that you can always glean at least a useful tidbit or two from each of them. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with choices these selections will make a great starting point for your collection. 

Plug Your Book! Online Book Marketing for Authors, Book Publicity Through Social Networking, by  Steve Weber.

Because marketing in general has shifted from traditional to technical it’s imperative to understand how to navigate the static online and focus your promotional efforts accordingly. Weber unveils a bundle of excellent tips and strategies that make it easy to learn about syndication, pay per click, social networking and much more. There’s a reason why this book has received stellar reviews, but you’ll have to buy a copy if you want to find out why for yourself. 

1001 Ways To Market Your Books: For Authors And Publishers, by John Kremer.

Kremer is the owner of Open Horizons and editor-at-large of Book Marketing Update newsletter. Using his success as a consultant and publisher of more than 1,000 titles, as well a list of clients who have achieved multi-million dollar book sales, Kremer pulls together a collection of ideas and suggestions to help you market your book. What makes this book unique is that real-life author examples have been used to demonstrate how to successfully apply Kremer’s practices. 

Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual, by Dan Poynter.

Often referred to as the bible on self-publishing, this book is essential to have for any author who is interested in producing a commercially-successful book. In essence, Poynter has compiled a book publishing course that walks the reader through writing, publishing, marketing, promoting and distributing their book. An overview of the industry and publishing techniques are revealed for an in-depth look at what to do and what to avoid. 

Also, The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard Johnson has some great ideas too.

Who are your favorites? Any dog-eared marketing manuals that you can’t live without?

Self Publishing: The Good, The Bad & The Straight-Up

One of the biggest challenges when you’re an author or writer is getting your book published. If you pursue a traditional route and try to land a deal with a literary agent and a publishing house you’ll quickly discover that the idea is much easier than the chances of it actually happening. Fortunately, technology has made it much simpler to produce and distribute a book without having to depend on conventional methods.

The Good

Self-publishing is very appealing because you have complete control over the process from start to finish. You get to decide what to print, when to print and how to print. Plus, you can distribute the final product through a variety of mediums, such as ebooks, audio or print.

Another bonus to self-publishing is that at the end of the process there’s more money in your pocket because you’ve eliminated the bevy of middle men and you also own all rights to your material.

The Bad

Maybe self-publishing isn’t so much ‘bad’ as it is demanding. For instance, all costs need to be paid up front to cover actual production and distribution. Depending on how extensive your public relations campaign is you’ll need to also factor in costs associated with publicity to get the word out and create some buzz about your new publication.

Without the backing of a major literary establishment you’ll be doing a tremendous amount of work to create momentum, including marketing, interviewing, coordinating inventory, managing budget, monitoring reviews and feedback, as well as processing order fulfillment. Be prepared to wear many hats and to get down and dirty if you decide to self-publish.

The Straight-Up

The truth is that it really doesn’t matter what pathway you choose to get your book published. Whether it’s traditional or self-publishing, each has it’s own set of pros and cons. The bottom line is that it takes hard work, patience and resourcefulness. Setting yourself apart from the masses is key to being stand out in front of literary agents and also your audience. Remember that both groups have thousands of choices so it’s important to demonstrate why you’re the best one.

Decide what you want to do and stick with it. Think like a business professional and you’ll be on your way to getting what you need to get your book into the hands of readers.

Turn Your Book Into A Money Making Machine

The vast majority of authors aren’t creating content and experiencing levels of success that transform them into overnight phenomenons with multi-million dollar book deals. For this reason it’s a good idea to consider other avenues that you can use to expand the reach and profitability of your book. Making your book available in other formats and through other outlets can make a positive contribution to your bottom line. Here are some additional ways to transform your book into a bag-o-cash.

Electronic formatting is the way to go if you’re an author. Print is great, but don’t forget to create digital versions and audio version of your book too. People want access to instant information and ebooks and podcasts are the perfect way to fulfill that need. With products like the iPad, Kindle and Nook, you have an opportunity to instantaneously reach thousands of readers and receive a generous royalty rate in the process.

Another way to generate revenue is through merchandise. This might not be a mainstream approach, but that in itself is advantageous to an author. By selling book branded t-shirts to your fans you’ll be pulling in some extra greenbacks and you’ll also turn your readers into your own army of walking marketers. Every time someone wears your shirt out in public they’re becoming a human outdoor board that promotes you and your publication.

One of the most simple way to build your income is through speaking and seminars. If you’re a published author you have something that non-published authors don’t have – experience. Sharing your challenges, successes and tips is a fantastic way to give others a leg up on in the book world. People appreciate honesty and how to from credible resources and by showcasing that you’re a blend of both is a win for you as an author.

A bonus to speaking and coaching is that you can show-off and sell your existing product. Bring copies of your books to sell and autograph. People who know who you are and enjoy your previous work will have no problem shelling out for copy of your latest. They also won’t mind paying for your services to gain insight into learning more about tackling the industry from author’s perspective.

Content Marketing For Authors

When people hear the word ‘content’ as it applies to the web, people immediately think that it pertains only to what’s written. However, that’s not entirely accurate. Content actually encompasses quite few things, such as webinars, podcasts, PowerPoints and other various elements. For authors and writers, all of these various pieces can come together to create a substantial marketing presence.

Authors can use content marketing to develop PDF versions of select chapters from their current work, or even upcoming and in progress pieces, and make them available on their website for fans to download. Using available social media strategies like Twitter, forums and other platforms, authors can promote the availability of new content.

Beyond promoting their current books, authors can also develop content that can be positioned as a resource for other struggling novelists and writers. If you’re an author that has had great success in getting your book published my a major firm you might consider putting together an e-book that passes on your knowledge and experience to other writers. You’ll position yourself as someone who’s willing to help and who has hands-on experience. People value and respect both of these characteristics.

As an author, try to keep your content marketing efforts sincere. In other words, don’t get caught up in sounding too much like someone with a sales pitch. Sincerity will take you much further if you introduce your content as something that you feel could actually benefit others.

When you begin creating your content, think about putting it together in much the same way that you would write a book. Get organized, create a plan and begin assembling. Make your content shareable, show that it value, optimize it with keywords and don’t forget to set-up analytics so that you can track how many people are downloading what you’re giving them.

Authors may find that building good content might take some time, but the end-result is well-worth it.

How Authors and Writers Can Use Twitter

Famous micro-blogging site Twitter is a social networking goldmine. Authors can easily connect with their audience and other key players like media contacts, literary agents and publishers to get the word out on their latest masterpiece. Like any social media tool, authors need to apply some strategy to their Twitter outreach in order to use it effectively.

Find Your Tweeps

Recent stats estimate that nearly 26 million people are using Twitter. Your job as an author is to try an find your niche within the mass. Search for other well-known authors and writers in your genre and follow them. More than likely you’ll begin to build a following of similar individuals who are interested in what you have to share.

Make Your Tweets Relevant

As you’re developing your follower base, make sure to stay on topic when you construct your tweets. Although it may be tempting to give a play-by-play on cooking scrambled eggs for breakfast you’re much better off sticking with book-related tweets. Save the personal aspects for later after you’ve built up a considerable following.

Use Hashtags

Hashtags are a fantastic way to organize and stream your tweets into a searchable category that people can find and read. Consider creating your own personalized hashtag or using some of the more popular ones like #book, #authors or #mysteries. Try not to use them for every single tweet that you send out so that you don’t appear to spammy. Use them sparingly and for tweets that you want to make a bigger impact with.

Twitter Requires Patience

Unless your last name is Kutcher or Spears, you’re not going to end up with millions of followers overnight. Slow and steady wins the race for the rest of us. Take the time to build relationships and engage in conversations with your followers. Tweeting takes time and dedication. If you’re only sending out a single tweet once every month then you’re not likely to see a rapid increase. Participate daily and stay on topic to reap the benefits of Twitter.

If Twitter is new for you, spend some time following others to get a sense of the flow of conversation and interaction. Once you’re ready, get ready for fun and launch your own account.

How To Sell Your Book on Amazon with Booksurge

Self-published authors have some amazing tools and resources available to help them get their books sold and delivered to their reading audience. One of the more recognizable outlets is Amazon.com. As one of the leading book sales sites on the web, Amazon makes it easy for authors to control how their book is printed and sold.

One of the great features of Amazon is that is has a self-publishing company known as BookSurge. Through BookSurge authors can use features like print-on-demand and get organized with inventory management and distribution assistance. What’s really nice about BookSurge is that it offers scalable options to meet the needs of each author. If you want to be guided through the process step-by-step or if you’re looking for a more self-guided approach, BookSurge is the perfect solution.

Here’s a short breakdown on how the process comes together. The first step an author needs to take is to upload their completed manuscript in a PDF format. Don’t forget to include the cover for your book too. Next, you’ll develop your sales page which will feature price, tax and how royalties will be paid.

After you’ve assembled this first stage you’ll want to actually order one of your books so that you can confirm that everything is in order from the time that you add the book to your shopping cart, submit your credit card information and receive the final product. Once you’re satisfied with the outcome you’re ready to authorize distribution.

Head on over to Amazon to build your book’s page. Upload images and try to include reviews, testimonials and other relevant information that will help drive books sales among consumers. It might be a good idea to research how some well-known author have built their Amazon book pages and then borrow and customize your own ideas.

Although this is one method for getting your book printed and loaded onto Amazon, keep in mind that you have many other options to choose from. Self-publishing is as unique as the author and subject of the book itself. Do some research and find out what will best fit your needs before making a final decision.