You Need a Valuable Bonus

    

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Through the years, I’ve purchased a number of products online. Many of them include a bonus or several  bonuses as an incentive to buy the product. From my experience, often these bonus items are disappointing and not useful to me. In this article, I want to emphasize how I took a different path with a bonus and why you need to get this book--and the bonus.

In early 2020, right before the pandemic, I was one of a small group of authors who took a three-day book funnel bootcamp in Boulder, Colorado. At that time I lived in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, but during the bootcamp I stayed in a hotel in Boulder. Before arriving at the event, I filled out a detailed questionnaire or advanced homework to make sure I brought what I needed to the bootcamp.

 At this practical bootcamp, we learned how to create an attractive offer for our book along with adding bonuses to the offer. As a group, we worked long hours to get feedback and refine our offer. 

Throughout the bootcamp there was a great deal of learning to use new tools, short lectures from the leaders then practical application of the instruction to your own book funnel. The book funnel involved signing up and using some behind-the-scenes tools to process the book sale. While I’ve seen several of the participants drop the product they produced, I’m still working and promoting my product. Throughout the process, I gathered a large folder of questions that I answered and tools that I can use when I create my next funnel (which has not happened). 

As I brainstormed my bonuses for the book funnel, I recalled interviewing one of my author friends who has sold thousands of his self-published books to public libraries. There are over 9,000 libraries who have budgets to buy books for their patrons. Online this author located a public list of the contact information for libraries. Taking several hours each day, my friend spent several hours a day calling the library and connecting with the reference librarian on the phone. Then he pitched the benefits of his book with some persuasive bullet points. As he closed his oral presentation, he asked the librarian for the sale and got the information he needed for his invoice. Each day, he would fill out the invoices, package his books and take them to his post office. Throughout my interview, this writer gave me the specifics of what he did to sell thousands of his books to libraries. These details are included in the audio bonus from my book funnel. It is a valuable bonus because any author (no matter how they publish) can use this system to sell their book to libraries.

As you read these details of selling books to libraries, you may be thinking: making all those phone calls and selling my book is a lot of work. From my experience there is no simple way to sell books that does not involve a lot of hard work. To achieve these sales, you will have to step out of your comfort zone, develop an oral presentation about the benefits of your book and sell it to the reference librarian. Your persistent and consistent effort will pay off and sell thousands of books. 

It’s another reason for you to order my 10 Publishing Myths book directly from me for only $10 including the shipping along with over $200 in free bonuses (including this audio about how to sell to libraries). 

Through the years, I’ve written a number of articles about libraries and the importance for authors. Check out these articles: Get Your Book into Libraries or Learn How to Reach the Library Market. I encourage you to follow these links to the article but also to the additional information and lnks in each article. It is not easy or simple for any author but the opportunity and the possibility is there for you--if you do the work.

How do you determine the free bonuses that you offer with your products? Do you brainstorm them with other writers or do it on your own? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

When you create a product, you need a valuable bonus. This prolific author and editor gives an example and the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

My Writing In Other Places:

With these articles, I encourage you to publish your work beyond your blog in other places. Below are two articles which were published in other online locations than this blog. 

Once a month, I guest blog for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference blog. This month I wrote about A Critical Element of Publishing at: https://bit.ly/4lTPV5H

Also once a month I blog for Writers on the Move. This month I wrote about The Hidden Costs of Publishing. Read the details here: https://bit.ly/40ghu05 

In addition, once a month I blog about book proposal creation for Almost An Author. This month I asked, Trying to Get A Literary Agent? here: https://bit.ly/4f8e3Pb

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week another podcast recording launched: 

CJ Johnson (@cj_moneyway) and I spoke about Publishing Success Starts Here: Terry Whalin on the 10 Myths Every Aspiring Author Must Break on The CJ Moneyway Podcast. Listen at: https://bit.ly/4fc2nev 

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.

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

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

Honest Writing Feedback

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

From my experience in publishing, it’s hard to find honest feedback about your writing. If we ask our family about our writing, they love our words and will be reluctant to give their honest feedback. In general, it’s the same with our friends who don't want to hurt our feelings. In this article, I want to give some ideas and resources so you can get honest feedback to make improvement in your writing before you send it out to an editor or a literary agent.

At a writers’ conference, they will often provide a way to get critiques from professionals. Sometimes these sessions are a part of the event and other times you can pay extra for detailed feedback. Because I’ve often been on the giving side of the critique process, I know to give honest feedback is somewhat tricky. The editor or professional wants to be honest yet also encouraging to the conferee who has paid to be at the event.

Occasionally at a conference, you will find an editor to give you the straight story about your book. Years ago I interviewed a couple who started a successful marriage ministry. I’m always fascinated with storytelling. The husband told me about the duality in his public appearance as a leader and pastor yet behind the scenes having a combative relationship with his wife. One day the tension in this couple grew extreme. Their television antenna on their roof needed adjustment. In the rain, this man climbed on his roof and when lightening struck he was shocked into changing his relationship and behavior. I called the article Shocked Into Service and crafted a magazine article and a query letter.

As I pitched this story, I could not find anyone to publish it. I found the story and the marriage ministry worth telling but I could not understand the rejection. At a conference in a one on one meeting with a top magazine journalist, he looked at me and said, “It’s the conflict and duality in this story. Even if true, no one wants to know their pastor is bickering with their wife on the way to church then showing a completely different side of their personality in public. The shocked story is the reason for your rejection.”

I was open to the honest feedback and suddenly I understood my rejection. I took my article and stopped sending it out and trying to find a place to publish it. 

Another place to get honest insight about your writing is through a writer’s critique group. I've been in groups which function well and I’ve been in some others which do not provide this honest feedback. As with a publisher, the writer has to search for the right group. It is a solid option and use the links to find out more details.

Other writers will hire a developmental editor or a writing coach to give this feedback. Another option is to have another writer as an accountability partner where you exchange writing and commit to giving each other honest insight for improvement of your writing. There are many different choices and options. I’ve only scratched the surface of possibilities.

When You Get Honest Feedback

While it is a challenge to find this feedback, the writer has another choice in this process. They can discount the feedback and not make any changes. Or they can lean into the insight and improve their work. Bestselling novelist James Scott Bell recently wrote an excedllent article about Taking Criticism (follow the link to get his teachng and insights). Notice how he reacted to criticism, putting it away for several days before he mustered the courage to read the information and apply it to his writing. It’s a process that I’ve often done when someone criticized my work.

The process of producing excellent storytelling is not easy but a journey that each of us as writers are on. We need the honest feedback and insights to improve our storytelling. What steps do you take to get honest feedback and improvement in your work? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

As a writer, it’s often hard to find honest feedback about your writing. In this article, this prolific author and editor gives some stories and possible options.  (ClickToTweet)

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week another podcast recording launched:

Greg Danielson (@simplisatisfied) and I spoke about Unveiling the Myths of Publishing on the Simply Satisfied Podcast. Listen at: https://bit.ly/3IvErX6    

Publishing is a complex business and much of the process is outside of anything an author can control—no matter how they publish. 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. 

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

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

Missed Learning Opportunities

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As writers, we are surrounded with rich insights from other writers who are in a different place in their writing lives. If we take action, we can learn important insights for our writing. I want to tell you about some of my missed learning opportunities and my plans to make a personal course correction in this area.

First, a confession. One of the benefits from being on the faculty of a large writer’s conference like the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference is the gift of all the recordings from a wide array of workshops and instructors. In 2023. I was a part of this faculty and after the conference, I carefully downloaded and organized all of the audios and handouts. Here’s my confession, during the last two years I have not listened to a single session.

Last month once again, I was on the faculty with the gift of the various recordings. I downloaded and organized all of these audios and handouts. I’m determined to take a different course of action. I’m creating a plan to consistently listen to some of these recordings and apply it to my writing life. In the last few days, I’ve started this listening process. Because I also downloaded all of the handouts, I locate the handout and print it, then as I listen to the workshop I make action notes on this handout. To get started, I’m not starting at the beginning or the end but picking the topics which are interesting or the speakers that are of interest to my writing. Each session is over an hour in length. I’ve pulled the audio to my desktop and at different moments throughout my day, I am listening to part of the workshop. 

Here’s another way to consume these audios. I don’t have to listen to them on my desktop or laptop computer. I’ve learned to send the audio file as an attachment to myself. Then I open that file on my phone and can listen to it on my mobile device which is much more portable than a laptop or desktop computer. I hope each of you are seeing the flexibility and options which open up to hear the recordings on your phone as well as your computer.

Notice how I broke down this huge task of listening to hours or recordings into bite-sized pieces that I can easily accomplish and find value for my writing life. From what I have read and experienced in publishing, I believe there are many others who never use the audios or online courses they have purchased--much less listened to the material then applied it to their writing life. If you want to be the exception, then you have to follow a different course of action.

For example, do you want to write a book over the next few months? No writer sits and writes a full book manuscript. I’ve interviewed many bestselling authors. The bulk of these writers will set a goal of how many words they want to write during a day or during a week. They establish a goal which is reasonable for them and something they can accomplish time after time. Then these writers find the time in their schedule (early in the morning or late at night or during their lunch schedule). They sit at their keyboard, move their fingers and write words. That first draft isn’t perfect and will often need rewriting and revision for it to be published. Getting your first draft down on paper moves it from your head to reality. It does not happen by “thinking” or “dreaming” about writing. It does not happen by reading and studying how-to-write books (even though I’ve written several of these books). You achieve your writing goals little by little and make continual progress toward writing that final page.  

Years ago in August 2020, I wrote an article about how to eat an elephant (follow the link to read it). Do you have a series of these audio recordings on a flash drive or on your computer? Have you listened to them and applied them to your writing life? What steps do you take in this area? Let me know in the comments and I look forward to your insights.

Tweetable:

We are surrounded with opportunities to learn about our writing craft. This prolific writer and editor confesses to his missed learning and specific actions. Read the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week another podcast recording launched:

Jon Clemence and I spoke about Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed on the Content Creators Unite! podcast. Listen at:https://bit.ly/4kyXr44 

I’m currently working for my third publisher as an acquisitions editor. Without exaggeration, I’ve spoken with hundreds of authors about their books and plans. Repeatedly, I find many authors have an unrealistic expectation for what will happen when their book gets published. I know much of the publishing process is outside of anything that an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS, which 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. 

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

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 Your Timing Is Important

    

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

In the publishing world, one of the critical difference maker is timing. I understand that none of us can control timing but in this article I want to encourage you to be aware of timing but also to take additional actions.

I worked as an acquisitions editor at a couple of publishers who often delayed publication board meetings in the summer because of vacations. The different leaders in the publishing house were not available for the meeting--even though it was only once a month. This behind-the-scenes detail can affect how rapidly you get a decision related to your submission. 

Writer’s conferences can also affect timing for your submission. During these conferences you learn more about a publisher or how to craft your proposal or manuscript. When you get home, you want to incorporate these insights and improvements into your proposal. It delays your submission to literary agents and publishers. Or you connect with a literary agent at the conference. This agent likes your book proposal but also notices some missing elements which need to be reworked and incorporated into your submission. This improvement process can delay your submission.

At Morgan James Publishing, our publication board meets every week which steps up the pace of sending contracts to authors. Sometimes the author responds right away and other times there is a great deal of back and forth with that author before they make a decision about the contract offer. Some authors accept the offer and sign while others will choose to go in a different direction. There are many different options and choices in this process.

I’ve met many authors who have spent months looking for a literary agent. After finding an agent, the agent shops the book to many different publishers and does not land a publishing deal with anyone. Hopefully from these different examples, you can see there are many different possible directions and timing is a factor in each one. A great deal of publishing is being at the right time with the right person with the right pitch. It takes continued effort for those details to line up.

What steps can you take to affect timing?

1. Make sure you create an excellent manuscript and book proposal. Every pitch needs the right foundation with excellent stories and interesting writing. It takes work and effort from the writer to create this foundation.

2. Do not get mired in the creation and never submit your work. Some writers get stuck in the proposal and manuscript creation and never submit their work which does not give it a chance to get published and into the world.

3. You are the only person who can give up on your manuscript. Some authors are rejected hundreds of times before their work finds the right publisher. Keep moving forward with your work.

Your consistency and persistence is critical to the process of timing. It’s unpredictable who will read your material and when they will read and process your material. The single element you can control is the submission. If the idea remains in your head and heart and you never send it into the world, it can not be published. 

Each of us as writers before we communicate with an editor or literary agent need to think about where this other person is coming from and their viewpoint. For example, as an editor, I have a lot of submissions to process. This weekend I got an email from one of those authors pitching another novel. She mentioned in her pitch that the unprocessed novel was under consideration with Morgan James Publishing (which was true). That first submission came in months ago and has been stuck in my to do pile (which grows daily). The author’s email spurred me to process that first submission and arrange a time to speak with her and see if this submission is a fit for Morgan James to publish.  This author was wise to work on something else while she was waiting and also to reach out to me again in a gentle and non-accusatory fashion. I include this story so you can learn from the author's example and mirror it in your own writing life.

Also if you don’t get a response, use the gentle follow-up to make sure the submission is received--and do not push or you will get a quick and no response. Editors, literary agents and writers are doing the best they can do within their own limitations of time and energy. If you get the opportunity, give grace and understanding even if you can’t know the details of the other person.

Tired of Doing but Still Doing It

Several of my consistent activities to tell people about my work are tied to a schedule which I set up (in some cases years ago). To be honest, I get tired of doing the work for this pattern--but even if I’m tired of it, I still do it anyway. Why? Because I know that someone has to hear about the benefits of your book over and over. Some people say as many as 20 times before they buy it. These scheduled touches to my readers are a part of my consistent activities and even with little engagement or feedback, I continue on the path. It is a pattern which I encourage you to do as well. Is this hard work easy or simple? No but it is necessary so find a way to do it.

I hope this article has helped you see the importance of timing but also the necessity to continue moving forward with your writing life no matter what else is going on in your life. What have I missed or do you have to add to this article? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Every writer needs to be aware and understand the importance of timing. This prolific author and editor gives encouragement to continue moving forward.  (ClickToTweet)

A great deal of the publishing process is outside of anything that an author can control. Also, often many of these authors have unrealistic expectations about publishing. I wrote  10 PUBLISHING MYTHS as 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