An Important Marketing Tool

This weekend I'm headed to my first conference after my move to California. One of the most important marketing tools to take to conferences are business cards. From attending many conferences, I'm always surprised when an editor or agent only has a few business cards—and they quickly run out during the event. 

Or I will meet with a writer and give them my business card. As I extend the card, I always ask, “Can I get your card?” At every conference, there is a high percentage of first-time attenders. They will say, “No, I don't have a card” or “All I have is for my business.” 

I will pull out my notebook and get their email and phone number for follow-up. Often I suspect, I'm one of the few editors who make this effort. It has repeatedly paid off from my perspective with additional opportunities and connections.

If you are going to a conference or any face-to-face type of event, get some business cards. You can make your own cards with a package of blank cards at some office supply place and a simple Microsoft Word template. There is no need to be without business cards if you are taking some simple preparation steps for the conference.

In preparation for the conference this weekend—and also for my other conferences this fall (see the link for my schedule), I made a new personal business card. Yes I have my Morgan James Publishing Acquisitions Editor business cards and will use them throughout the events. In this article, I'm focused on my own personal business card. 

Because I moved, I needed new business cards. Since I was printing new cards, it gave me the opportunity to think through my information on the card. Yes I changed my office address but what about the other elements on it? Were they the right elements for the audience (the people who will receive them)?

This week I received a new book from a new author. It included her business card. From hard earned experience, I've learned to not throw away the envelope before I look at what is inside the package. Why? The author's business card included her name, phone number and email—but not her address. The only place her mailing address appeared was on the outside package. I suspect it was an oversight on her part. The most difficult thing to proofread is something not on the page.

Here's the front of my new business card:

It includes my business mailing address, my personal email, my website to purchase my latest book and my twitter name. I added www.askterrywhalin.com to this card because I hold regular teleseminars with a different focus at this website. 

Did you notice what is missing? I did not include my phone number but the information is on the contact page of my personal website. I'm not hard to find.

Now look at the back of my card:

My target audience are writers or authors or would-be writers or would-be authors. I'm giving away my free ebook, Straight Talk From the Editor, 18 Keys to a Rejection-Proof Submission. Anyone can get this free ebook, 24 hours a day at www.StraightTalkEditor.com. 

I purchased my cards through Epic Print Solutions. Please check out their site because they can help with any printing need at a reasonable cost.

Finally, think about your own business card. Is it complete? Are you thinking through how the audience will use your card? Does it include something to help others such as a free Ebook? Are you using the card to build your list and connect with others? If not, can you take steps today to begin to put together such an action plan? I recommend you consider my Ebook, The List Building Tycoon or get the Amazon Kindle version of this Ebook. Read it and follow my advice in it.

Your business card is an important market tool for your arsenal. Are you using it?

The Publishing Route For Some

With a glance at my background, you can see that I've always been committed to traditional publishing. It's an ongoing part of my work to continue training authors to successfully craft their book ideas for the biggest possible publisher. It's why I love writers and have been continuing to answer their proposal questions through my new Ecourse, Proposal Secrets and other products like Editor Reveals Book Proposal Secrets and Book Proposals That Sell.

Many authors get frustrated with the slowness of the traditional system. Even after a book is contracted (which takes a lot of time for some projects), the publishers like to have the manuscript in house for a number of months before they "release" the book. The time factor allows the books to be sold into the various distribution channels yet can take months. Increasingly some of these authors are turning to self-publishing. Yet many self-published authors produce materials that flounder in the marketplace because of lack of attention to detail--like a basic foundation of good writing then getting the book edited and carefully proofread. I've seen many self-published books which fall into this category and it's one of the major reasons that brick-and-mortar bookstores don't carry these books (in most cases--and yes there are some rare exceptions). Other authors jump into self-publishing with no background in marketing and no ready-made audience to purchase the self-published books. They wonder how they will ever achieve their dream of holding a printed book in their hand.

In recent days, I've been learning about another publishing route that some people are taking. I read Aaron Shepard's excellent book, Aiming At Amazon. Shepard gives step-by-step instructions to by-pass the traditional route. Using his technique, you can forget about seeing your book in a brick-and-mortar store because he encourages his readers to target the largest online bookstore on the planet, Amazon.com. His book has TWO subtitles: The NEW Business of Self Publishing or A Successful Self Publisher’s System for Profiting from Nonfiction Books with Print On Demand and Book Marketing on Amazon.com. He explains in the book that he is quite intentional about those two subtitles and how they are picked up through the Amazon system.

With the route Shepard advocates the individual forms their own publishing company, writes and produces their own book and prints the book using Lightning Source. Why do you have to become a publisher? Because Lightning Source doesn't deal with individuals but only publishers. If you are concerned about the quality of print on demand from Lightning Source, I would not be concerned because they print quality books. Also the same parent company who owns Lightning Source also owns Ingram Book Group, the biggest wholesaler in the U.S. As Shepard says, "Almost every bookstore in the country, along with many libraries and schools, orders books from Ingram." People can get your book from Ingram. Here's one of the keys from Shepard, “And because Amazon draws book data directly from Ingram's electronic catalog, you are guaranteed that Amazon will automatically list your book. What's more, because Amazon regularly uses Ingram for drop shipping, all Lighting titles are normally listed on Amazon as in stock or available within 24 hours, even if Amazon doesn't have its own copies at the time.”

With Print On Demand, you don't have to order thousands of books to make it cost effective. Instead you order what you need when you need it. Lightning Source is the same company that many traditional publishers and self publishers are using to actually print the books. Effectively you cut out the middleman and produce your own books with this system. To learn more about POD and Lightning Source in particular check out this article in the January 14th issue of Publishers Weekly.

Now there are some cautions: 1) you have to make sure you have excellent writing as a foundation for success. You still have to work hard to shape your idea into something readable and targeted for a specific market. Without this foundation, you can still produce a lousy product. 2) you have to understand that all of the book production elements will be on your shoulders. You have to use an outside editor and proofreader (or at least you should take this step). Also you will either have to learn or outsource the actual book layout, cover and interior design. 3) you will have all of the marketing for your book.

If you have a speaking ministry or an Internet newsletter or another means to reach a particular audience, you may want to consider this publishing route. You will be surprised at the quality of the printed product. You would have trouble picking it out on a shelf of books from any other paperback.

As you can see from what I've written Shepard recommends this POD route for nonfiction books. There is a fiction book which is sweeping across the public with incredible word of mouth sales. Maybe you’ve heard of this book, The Shack by William P. Young. It is a self published novel which is going like wild fire. The book published in May last year and they've spent about $200 on advertising and the rest is word of mouth with thousands of sales. You can check their website to learn more and this podcast with the author.

Last month over the Christmas holiday, I read The Shack and was riveted to the pages. It was one of those novels which I could not quit until I reached the final pages (a rare experience for me with the volume of reading that I've done over the years). You can click this link to see my Amazon review but the book is an unusual reading experience and teaches incredible lessons for the reader. Eugene Peterson author of The Message endorsed the book on the cover saying, "This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his. It's that good!" I agree and could not have said it better. Get a copy of The Shack and see for yourself.