The Unknown Impact of Our Writing

     

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

I understand my work in publishing often has a bit of mystery. I work hard at each of my published works: magazine or book or online yet it’s rare to get much feedback from readers about the impact of my writing on their lives. 

Some of the feedback for my books will be tucked into the reviews from readers. Other times it will come from a face to face conversation with another professional at a writer’s conference. It is rare to receive it with your submissions to publishers. Giving feedback for improvement is not my task with a submission. As an editor, I’m looking at the author and their submission to see if it is a fit for my publishing company or not. If it is a possibility that we would publish, I work for a publishing house and don’t make the final decision about what gets published and what does not. Yes, my view is considered but it is only one of a number of people involved in the decision process of which books get published and which ones do not. 

At Morgan James Publishing, we receive many submissions and only publish about 200 books. We are considered a medium size New York publishing house with a lengthy and positive reputation in the marketplace. Every publisher has online complaints (whether they are true or not) which stick around forever. If you google the name of a publisher plus the word “complaint” or “scam” and find pages of results, that search turned up a red flag that as an author you should pay attention. 

Recently I received a submission for a possible children’s book for Morgan James. Each year, we only publish about 10 to 15 of these types of books but I’m always looking. I loved the words and illustrations from this writer. As I read her pitch, I was surprised to read: 

“I hope also that you will find it most encouraging to know that I have had a book on my children’s bookshelf for more than 30 years that I read to all of my kids and grandkids and continue to use when I teach children about missions! Guess who wrote it??! Somebody by the name of W. Terry Whalin! 😊 “When I Grow Up.” It’s been a great tool over the years and I’m overjoyed that our daughter is a surgeon and is headed back to East Africa next month to help serve the Lord in a remote area in Uganda. Thank you for sharing your talent with our family so many years ago.”

I was stunned to learn the impact of something I wrote as my first book published in 1992. As a writer, I know the impact of my work is something that will not be known this side of heaven. 

Also I met with another author who recalled our meeting at a long-ago writer’s conference. Then I met with another author who recalled my magazine work that I published during the 80s.  Each of these situations gave me a small glimpse at the impact of my writing. I’ve written this article about the impact of our writing to show how little it happens. How do you respond to this information? 

I want to encourage you with several things:

*Keep growing as a writer

*Keep writing even when rejected

*Keep trying new forms of writing

*Keep meeting new people and making new connections

*Keep listening and looking for opportunities

*Keep on moving forward

As a writer, there is only one person who can stop you: You. Don’t give up the journey. Each of us are on this journey with our writing lives. Many times the work is hard or routine and we have doubts about whether to continue or not. When you face these situations (which will come), keep moving forward. Your steps may be small but continue. Each of us are on the journey and if I can help you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me and ask. My personal email address is in the profile of my X/Twitter account. In general, I’m easy to reach.

Are there other ways to get feedback on your writing? Let me know your stories and ideas in the comments below. 

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week several of my podcast recordings were launched.

I spoke with Dr. Agi Keramidas on live on Personal Development Mastery podcast about 3 publishing myths holding writers back from success and how to fix them at: https://kite.link/pdm478

Bestselling author and podcaster Amberly Lago (@AmberlyLago) and I talked on her podcast about writing, publishing and the power of storytelling at: https://amberlylago.com/46/ 

Sherrie L. Prince and I spoke about Book Marketing Mastery: How Authors Really Succeed on The Play Big Faster Podcast at: https://bit.ly/41yflxQ 

Get to a Writer’s Conference

Throughout my years in publishing, writer’s conferences have been life-changing events to learn, meet new people and find new opportunities. Last week, I added a fourth event to my schedule in Oregon. I’d love to help you at one of these events:

https://terrywhalin.com/speakingschedule/

Tweetable:

As writers, often we don’t know the impact of our writing. This prolific author and editor gives some examples and encouragement for your writing life. Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

A great deal of the publishing process is outside of our control as writers. When I speak with authors, I find many of these authors have unrealistic expectations. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

Why I'm Podcasting (and You Can Too)

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

During a recent visit from my youngest son and his wife, we were talking about podcasts. They listen to these broadcasts all the time and they admitted even listening while at work. Both of them are in the tech industry with intense positions and listening to podcasts is a part of their routine.  

There are an estimated 3.5 million podcasts. As you can imagine, many different types and possibilities. Early on I decided to guest on other people's podcast instead of starting my own podcast. The path of guesting on the podcasts of others looked easier for me than figuring out how to host and produce my own podcast. 

Through the years, I’ve been a guest on podcasts and I used a simple tripod and my iPhone to connect to these events. Then over two months ago, I joined PodMatch, set up my profile and began to pitch then book various podcasts. I’m continuing to pitch new podcasts and book new recordings. While I’ve been with PodMatch, I’ve booked or recorded over 30 podcasts. According to the behind-the-scenes information on PodMatch, I’ve had 3,700 downloades and 1.5M on social media. 

As I look back at my own journey into podcasting, I recalled that a year ago I didn’t even have a webcam on my desktop computer. I purchased a webcam and set it up on a tripod and began using it for my podcast recordings. 

This webcam has a built in microphone. One of the podcast hosts used earphones and listened to the quality of my webcam microphone. He encouraged me to use an external microphone. Several years ago I purchased this external microphone but I had not hooked it up so I could use it each time. I learned to use this external microphone as another step in my podcasting journey. 

Some podcasts will only use the audio recording while others use the video and the audio recording. When the video is used, there are other elements to consider. For example, is your lighting right? What is the background and is it distracting to the viewer? For example, I have a closet door right behind my desk next to my bookcase. This door looks better on camera if the door is closed. Also I make sure the other visuals look tidy and organized whenever I am on camera.

For the lighting issue, I purchased a light which I use each time to help my appearance and I also make a point of turning off any distracting light in my background. Finally I purchased some inexpensive headphones and wear them each time which cuts down on any distractions and extra noise. 

I’m writing about these details because to the viewer, these details matter. You want the viewer to be focused on the conversation you are having with the podcast host and not distracted by some annoying detail in your background.

Connecting with the Right Podcast

How you set up your PodMatch profile is important because you tell about who you are and give some sample questions for the podcast host. I’ve created a list of sample questions related to my book and specifically what I want to talk about and promote during the podcast. I wrote about how I’ve set up my PodMatch profile in this article. I encourage you to follow the link and use the information for your own profile and gameplan.

Create Your Stories and Talking Points

As you are on a podcast or a radio broadcast or have someone interviewing you for a print article, have you thought through the stories you will tell and your talking points? It's an important part of your preparation to be interviewed. Within publishing, we call this media training. For example, if you are going to be on Good Morning America or The Today Show, your segment will only be a few minutes. If you are taking media training, an expert can run through your talking points and that process can take all day to prepare for those few minutes of interview.

During the conversation with the host, if you have your talking points in mind, you can steer the conversation and tell the stories that you planned to tell during the interview. The podcast host is guiding the conversation and keeping an eye on the clock. They will ask you a final question or two then end the broadcast. When it is over, you want to make sure you have included the main points that you wanted to include in the conversation.

Prepare Before the Podcast

Who is interviewing you? What is their focus? How can you take your talking points and make it relevant to this particular podcast? This preparation only takes a few minutes but will help you connect with that podcast host.

Why Do This Preparation?

At the end of the interview, you want the podcast host to love the conversation you had on the broadcast. You want the listeners to take action (for example buy your book) but you also want to have more opportunities in the future for additional podcasts. Part of being a professional is taking the time to prepare and then execute with excellence.

In this article, I’ve included a lot of detail about what I’ve learned through my podcasting. I have more to learn in this area. For you to successfully use podcasting or any other aspect of the publishing business, it takes thoughtful work, planning and execution. The details matter and how you use and apply those details will affect your results. How can you apply this information to your book and your podcasting or interviews? What am I missing from this article? Let me know in the comments below.

Some of My Writing In Other Places:

I continue recording new podcasts but in recent weeks, I’ve had a couple of guest blog post articles.

The Almost an Author website got hacked and was down for a month or so but is now back. Here’s my article about maintain a submission record and follow up: https://bit.ly/3Qn0b82 

For Writers on the Move. I wrote about How to Hire the “Right” Publicist at: https://bit.ly/3EDUdx8  This process is not simple and you must ask the right questions in this process and I explained some of this process in this article.

Finally I published another article published on the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference blog about the Hidden Costs of Publishing at:  https://bit.ly/4hSyjVO

Tweetable:

This prolific author and editor explains why he’s been podcasting (and you can do it too). Learn the details in this article. (ClickToTweet)

Let’s be honest. Publishing is a complex business and much of the process is outside of anything an author can control—no matter how they publish. I I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors realistic expectations  and practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

How to Find the Secret Sauce

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Where is the secret sauce for success as an author? Your definition of success will be different from mine but each of us have a level of success that we are eager to achieve with our writing and our books. I’m constantly wondering if I am using all of the possible actions and steps to achieve consistent book sales and success. I’m actively looking for the secret sauce that will propel my book sales. 

Recently I reached out to one of my colleagues at Morgan James Publishing. Along with her husband, she wrote one of our top-selling books which is quite an accomplishment. Morgan James Publishing has been around over 20 years with over 200 bestselling books and over 6,000 titles and 20 million sold books. With each of the numbers in this last sentence, it is not easy to become one of those bestselling titles but this author has found the way into this elite group of authors.

As we spoke I asked what actions they were taking on a consistent basis to sell books. They were booking and recording podcasts, and during those conversations giving value to the listeners and pointing people to their book.While those steps sound simple, I’ve read this book and it is well-written and targeted to a particular business audience. The cover design is excellent and other elements in the creation of the book (foundational). In other words from the beginning this book was positioned for success and something many authors miss in the creative process.

I asked this colleague what they were doing to promote the book. The purpose of my question was to see if I was missing some secret sauce that would help me generate more sales. She affirmed they were booking and appearing on different podcasts using PodMatch and delivering value to the listeners with each appearance. I didn’t learn anything out of the ordinary that they were doing in this area.

Also during my conversation, I quickly ran through some of what I’m doing to tell people about my 10 Publishing Myths book. I’m booking and filming podcasts using PodMatch. I’m blogging and pointing to the book in my consistent, once a week newsletters. I’m also guest blogging on a regular basis. As I’ve been doing for years, I post on social media 12-15 times a day to promote the book and tell people about the benefits. Like my colleague, I continue to offer value to the reader with each exchange. Behind the scenes on PodMatch, I can see my number of downloads have increased to over 3,000 in the last two months and the social reach to over 1,300 (which is a good indicator that people are listening to these podcasts and getting value).

From my conversation, I did not find a secret sauce and in many ways I doubt such a sauce exists. As authors, each of us are on a journey. We need to take our own responsibility for our passion about our book and perservere with consistency. As I’ve written in these articles in the past, there is no exact formula to become a bestseller. In fact, the exact steps are different for every author and every book. 

For every author, there is always more to do but your consistent actions will pay off in the long run. That's why marketing expert John Kremer’s book, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books is over 700 pages. It will take continued effort and work to find your path so keep on keeping on.

What steps are you taking for telling others about your book and finding success? Let me know in the comments below and I look forward to learning from your efforts.

New Podcasts:

I enjoyed my conversation with Giuliano Grimaudo (@getmypineapple) on the How to Be a Person Podcast at: https://bit.ly/41cuuVp Learn more about publishing at: http://publishingoffer.com

 

Tweetable:

What is the secret sauce that authors need to find success and sell more books? This prolific author and editor describes his own search, then gives his conclusions. Read the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

rewrite Much of the publishing process is outside of the writer’s control. 10 Publishing Myths helps writers have a realistic perspective and take action. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

Why I Love the Word: Next

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

When you partially fill a glass, is this glass half full or half empty? Your perspective is going to make a difference what actions you will take in the future. I tend to take the optimistic view of life and see the glass as half full. Is that your perspective?

Let’s face it. Writers hear the word “no” or “no thank you” often. Or they are ghosted with no response. If you are getting published or want to be published, then you need to be actively pitching. If you want to get published in a magazine, read the guidelines, craft a query letter to that editor and pitch. If you want to get a book published, then write a book proposal (your business plan even if you self-publish) and pitch. If you want to get on radio or podcasts, then you must pitch. Depending on your pitching skills and the person who receives you pitch, you get three possible response: yes, send it or no, not a fit or nothing (ghosted). From my years in publishing and being in some of the top editorial and literary offices in the country, from their questions to me, I know each of these professionals is actively reading their mail and email looking for the next bestseller (whether they respond to you or not). My question in this article is: how will you respond to their response to your pitch.

Rejection is a consistent part of the writing life--and for my life as an editor. The search for the right fit is hard. I pitch podcast hosts using PodMatch and do not get a response (ghosted) or turned down. I pitch authors on publishing with Morgan James and sometimes they do it and sometimes they pass on the opportunity. I’ve learned the hard way through getting rejected over and over that I can’t control the other person’s response. I can only control my side of the pitching process and continue moving forward.

There is a forgotten story about one of the bestselling series of books in the English language: Chicken Soup for the Soul. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were rejected over 160 times in their search for a publisher. They recounted the story of their actions in Mark’s foreword to my Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams book. With each rejection, they could have tucked away their submission and stopped. Instead they looked at each other and said a single word, “Next.” This submission didn’t work and now they are looking for the next opportunity.

 See the hope and action orientation of using that single word: next? I encourage you to adopt this practice as you face rejection in your writing life. 

When you speak or think the word: next, you show:

• your commitment to this project and you will not give up but find the next place for it.
• an affirmation to your belief in the pitch and you will not shove it into a drawer.
• your continued commitment to search for the right fit for your idea and your pitch.
• an affirmation that you believe the world is filled with opportunity and you will continue to lookfor the right one.

As I mentioned earlier, you can’t control the response from any decision maker or gatekeeper or anyone else. You can only control your actions and commitment to continue the journey--in spite of the response.

Now you know why I love and use the word: next. How will you use it in your writing life? Or maybe you use another method to continue moving forward. Let me know in the comments below.

Podcasts:

The Raygacy Show Podcast: I enjoyed speaking with Rayson Choo LIVE about The Publishing Playbook: How to Succeed as an Author at: https://bit.ly/418conm 

Tweetable:

Rejection is a consistent part of our lives as writers. This prolific author and editor tells why he loves the word: Next in this article. (ClickToTweet)

Throughout my years in publishing, I understand many aspects of the publishing process are outside of anything an author can control. As I’ve spoken with many authors, I learned many of them have unrealistic expectations about publishing. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. Get my decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

The Importance and Cost of Consistency

    

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

In my writing life, I have a number of consistent actions that I take which play into my continued presence and impact on my world and readers. In this article, I want to detail some of those actions and the systems I’ve created to execute them. I’m writing about these elements with the hope you will emulate them for your own writing life--but also understand the cost and importance of consistency.

People love someone who is a regular and consistent communicator: newsletter, social media posts, article submissions to guest blogs, and writing on deadlines and processing manuscripts--doing what you say you will do. Yet many people are inconsistent and do not communicate on a regular basis. 

When you start something continue with it For example years ago I decided to post on my social media 12-15 times a day. I’m still carrying out that decision on a consistent basis. Many years ago I decided to use Hootsuite as a scheduling tool then I created a system for the various types of articles I would post. For example, I begin each day with an inspirational quotation along with an image of that person making the quotation. I post every hour throughout the day but have created a pattern of these posts. I gather information from other writers that I read and plug these articles into my pattern. The fact that I’ve made a pattern in my head, helps me to do it quickly and consistently. Also I only spend about 30 minutes a day on this task but it happens like clockwork whether I am in my office (as normal) or on the road and away from my office. This consistent effort to post on social media is important and also has a cost related to the consistent time I spend on it.

Last year I decided to be more consistent with my newsletter once a week and have carried forth on that decision over and over. I’m using the scheduling feature on my newsletter program and formatting each one and faithfully sending it out to my targeted readers. 

These examples are only a few areas where I’m practicing consistency. Other areas would be my work as an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. I process submissions, speak with authors to see if they are a fit for our program, answer emails with their questions, send them contracts then negotiate those contracts. Each detail in the process takes consistent effort and costs time and energy.

In these articles I’ve mentioned working at booking Podcasts and using PodMatch. On a consistent basis I’m pitching new podcasts, getting turned down by some of them but also booking others and then recording others. According to the internal documents on PodMatch, in my two months at this effort, I have reached over 2,750 downloads or new people. I can see from my results that it is beginning to work for me. It is not perfect or where I want to be in this area but I’m continuing to consistently work at this area.

Also I am consistently making new connections with people. Maybe you are using the suggested connections on LinkedIN to connect with others in the publishing world. What steps do you take to reach out to them? Some people have annoying automatic responder messages on LinkedIN which ask me to set up a phone conference and chat with them. I am not interested and I instantly block these people. Instead I suggest you figure out how can you help that person. Can you write something they are looking for? Can you read their new book and write a review, then tell them about your review? Instead of trying to get them on the phone, look for ways to help and serve this new connection. 

Each of these areas involve planning, time commitment, consistency and persistence. If you aren’t achieving what you want in the publishing area, I encourage you to take some new and consistent actions. The opportunities are there but you have to seize the day. If I can do it, you can do it. What steps are you taking to consistently work on your writing. Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

According to this prolific author and editor, your consistency is important but also has a cost. Read this article for the details.  (ClickToTweet)

After speaking with authors for years, I know many authors have a unrealistic ideas about the details of publishing—and these details are important for your book to succeed. 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS is a practical easy reading book to help you. Get my decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of

bonuses. 

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

The Danger of Excuses

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

It’s an easy pitfall for each of us as writers and it is called excuses. All the time I hear these excuses from different writers. If I’m honest (which I try to be in these articles), I use them in my own writing life. Like the image I selected for this article, when you use excuses, you are facing a danger because it hinders or stops your results. The opposite is also true. When you eliminate an excuse, then you can achieve your results. Much of the timing and details is a part of each of our lives as writers. In this article, I want to give some common excuses that I hear and some ideas how to move beyond it for better results. 

I encourage you not to shy away from work because as I heard from entrepreneur Darren Hardy in a statement last year and on a note on my desk, “This is going to suck 95% of the time.” I have a number of tasks related to my life in publishing and often they suck and avoiding them can be an excuse which can hinder my results. 

Here’s some recent excuses that I’ve heard from writers:

I can’t use PodMatch to book podcasts because I don’t listen to podcasts.

I can’t sell my book idea to a traditional publisher because I don’t know editors or literary agents.

I can’t pitch magazine editors because their guidelines require I send them a query letter and I don’t know how to write a query letter.

Agents and editors in their guidelines say they are looking for a book proposal and I don’t know how to write a book proposal.

Many authors will say, “I don’t have the time to write a book” yet each of us have the same amount of time and this excuse does not work for me. I’ve published more than 60 books for traditional publishers and taken  some crazy deadlines to complete this work. 

Other authors will tell me they only want to write books and don’t have the time to market a book or they will say something like “I know nothing about marketing and my publisher will handle this area.” Again this excuse is a publishing myth. Several years ago I had an author leave a Morgan James contract for another publisher because he falsely believed this publisher would do the marketing on his book. If I checked back with this author (which I have not), I would suspect he is disappointed in what happened with his book--yet he did not take his responsibility to market his book and wanted someone else to carry that effort. In my view that excuse is unrealistic no matter how you publish your book.

The list of excuses is endless for each of us. If we buy into the excuse, it can prevent us from change and moving forward.

How do you break through your excuses and reach the results? I know how I face my excuses. I hear the excuse and figure out a way to move forward in spite of those words. Do not let them throw you off from achieving your plans and desires. Take action,

Maybe your excuse is lack of time. Can you eliminate something that is wasting your time such as scrolling on social media or watching television? Whether we are aware of it or not, each of us are making choices about how we spend our time. 

Another way through the excuse is to a system or habit that eliminates the excuse. For example, every book needs a business plan or book proposal. I understand these proposals take a lot of work and effort but they are critical to the success of your book. Learn how to write this document. Pick up my free Ebook version of Book Proposals That Sell, then study and apply this book to what you want to do in the area of book publishing.

Also keep expanding your network and connections. Reach out to others and offer to help them (many different ways are possible here such as reading their latest book and writing a review then telling people about your review). Who you know is as important as what you know. Don’t let your small network be one of your excuses. It takes consistent time and effort to build your network but it can become a valuable resource for you. 

The final action that I encourage you to take with your excuses is to be consistent and persistent. Many people give up because they are inconsistent and impatient. Publishing is a marathon experience and not a sprint. Repeatedly I’ve seen (and experienced) where haste leads to errors and missed opportunities.  The action steps can create another endless list but the point is change is hard for everyone. Decide to change and make a difference.

What excuse are you using and how is it holding back your writing dreams? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Are excuses holding back your writing life from moving forward? This prolific author and editor writes about the danger of excuses and the actions you can take to eliminate excuses and move ahead. (ClickToTweet)

During my years in publishing, I’ve reviewed thousands of submissions and spoken with many authors about their plans and dreams for their book. I’ve found many of these authors have  unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their published book. From my experience, many aspects of the details of publishing are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

How to Write a Kick-A** Amazon Bio to Sell More Books

By Penny Sansevieri (@bookgal) 

Editor’s note: It’s rare in these articles that I have a guest blogger. I’m including this post from marketing expert Penny Sansevieri because of her detailed insight to one of the largest booksellers, Amazon. I highly recommend her book, The Amazon Author Formula. I use it here with her permission. Penny’s topic is an important one. This week I saw a new book on Amazon from a publishing friend which didn’t include any bio much less one like you are encouraged to write in this article. I encourage you to do more than read this article. Apply the information to your own Amazon books.

Authors often don’t spend enough time crafting their bios. Most of them write up a quick “about me” to satisfy the basic requirements and never give it a second thought. I often see authors treat their bio like a resume. Approaching it this way means you’re likely to bore readers, and worse,  risk making yourself look  not only less interesting, but less interested in your own work and how you’re coming across to readers.

Have I hit a nerve? Good!

Unless you tell me that you know with certainty your bio is helping turn more browsers into buyers, I know for a fact I can help you make it better!

Start with an Outline and All Book Tie-ins

Before you begin, create a list or an outline of everything you’ve done related to the book. This can include life experiences, personal motivations, passion projects, research, past work in a related industry, accreditations, lectures and classes you’ve conducted, other books you’ve written, and awards you’ve won. You may want to include some of these elements, but not all of them. The rest of these bullets will help you determine which to include.

But It’s Not Really About You

Remember that while we start out by focusing on you and your achievements, this bio actually isn’t about you. It’s about your readers and knowing what your prospective audience is looking for, what interests them, what catches their attention, and most importantly, what speaks to their needs.

Let’s take a close look at a bio on Amazon by Mark Shaefer. His bio is keenly focused on his expertise as it relates to the book. Having read Mark’s other books and having seen him speak, I can tell you he probably has a lot more he could have added to this, but he kept it short and relevant to the book.

Write in Third Person

When it comes to writing a bio, never use words like “I” and “me,” because a bio written in the first person can make for an awkward read, especially when you’re listing all your accomplishments. There are other options for getting personal, don’t worry!

Show the Reader Your Expertise Without the Ego

When it comes to the credible portion of the bio you are creating or reworking, this may seem tricky. But remember, this is where the importance of your initial work comes in. How long have you been writing? Did you utilize any special techniques or resources in this book?

Check out Pete Ryan’s bio. He’s a first-time author, but he leads this bio with his background as a journalist, which tells the reader he is an experienced writer. Pete is also a marketing guy and has a successful business in SoCal. You’ll notice he doesn’t even mention it, because it won’t matter to his fiction readers, and Pete knows this.

Add Keyword Strings Particular to Amazon

As we’ve explained earlier, keyword strings matter greatly on Amazon. If you’ve already done your keyword string research, work some into your Amazon bio if you can keep it natural.

Don’t cram your bio full of keywords just for the sake of having them there.

Why does this matter? I’ve talked about how Amazon is a search engine. Like a search engine, Amazon will “spider” or “crawl” your book page for keyword strings, so make sure at least one or two of the ones you’ve found are in your bio, but don’t overdo it because you’ll get dinged by readers for being inauthentic.

Get Personal (If Appropriate)

There’s a time and a place to include personal information in your bio. Obviously, it’s essential to a Memoir of course. For self help, your connection to the topic is crucial. But novelists can also get personal in a creative way because your personality says a lot about your brand.

The key is finding the right balance. For example, if you write paranormal fantasy, the fact that you coach your daughter’s softball team may sound endearing, but it doesn’t fit your genre. On the other hand, if you’ve always had a fascination with mythology and history, and it fuels your stories, that’s great insight into who you are.

Be Funny (If Appropriate)

Be like what you wrote about. That means if your book is funny, then be funny. Check out this bio from Karen Alpert. Her book is I Heart My Little A-Holes: A bunch of holy-crap moments no one ever told you about parenting.

Short Is the New Long

The days of bios that rival the length of your book are gone. Keep it short because, while people do care who wrote the book, they don’t care enough to read paragraphs upon paragraphs about you. Save the long bio for your website, the foundation of your infrastructure, and where readers will go when they want to learn even more about you!

Include a Call to Action & How Readers Can Find You

Do you want your readers to take any action besides buying your book? Are you giving something away on your website? Do you want readers to join your exclusive reader group or your newsletter? Then mention these offers in your bio. Don’t forget to add your website address so they can find you.

Customize It & Change It Up

Your life isn’t static, and your bio shouldn’t be either! Is there something going on in the world that ties into your book? Mention it! You should also modify your bio when you win awards, get more mentions, or get some fab new reviews. For example, “The New York Times calls this book ‘groundbreaking…’” is a review quote you could easily add at the end of your bio for a strong finish. An upcoming release or mention of your other work is also another reason to tweak it a bit.

Find reasons to change up your bio! You can do it as often as you want, and don’t forget the algorithms notice and respond when a book page is updated.

If you’re reading this and you’re with a traditional publisher, you may be thinking, “The publisher won’t let me change my bio!” Trust me, you don’t need your publisher to make changes. Just do it on your Amazon Author Central dashboard and—voilà—done and done.

Your bio should be a fluid extension of your author brand, so update it as part of your monthly book marketing plan. This may seem tedious, but it serves another purpose: it gets your eyes on your entire book page, and once you’re there, hopefully, you will be inspired to cast a critical eye on other parts of the page to make updates that could help drive more sales.

Penny Sansevieri is Founder and CEO Author Marketing Experts, Inc., best-selling author and internationally recognized #bookmarketing and #indieauthor media relations expert. Go to Penny’s website to get more marketing insights at:amarketingexpert.com After studying this article what actions are you going to take with your Amazon bio? Let me know in the comments below. 

New Podcasts 

Several times a week (almost daily), I’m booking new podcasts. Here’s a couple from last week:

Maxwell and Dean Rotbart and I spoke on the Monday Morning Radio - Podcast. Watch W. Terry Whalin: Harnessing the Power of Books for Profit and Influence at: https://bit.ly/40bu9Rc

I enjoyed a LIVE conversation about Publishing Myths with Gillian Whitney on the EasyPeasyBooks Podcast at: https://bit.ly/4amtv8a Watch a video clip at: https://bit.ly/40wVQVM

Sue Pats (@suepats) and I spoke about The Truth About Publishing on the Solopreneurs Nubeginning Podcast at: https://bit.ly/40gBwGW 

Tweetable:

Write a remarkable Amazon bio and sell more books. Get the details in this guest article from marketing expert Penny Sansevieri. (ClickToTweet)

Throughout my many years in publishing, I’ve co-authored over a dozen books and reviewed thousands of submissions (no exaggeration). As a part of the process of working with these authors, I speak with them about their dreams and plans. Many of these authors have  unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their published book. Many aspects of the details of publishing are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

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Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA