Experiment With Marketing Efforts

Are you experimenting with the marketing of your writing? If your writing isn't getting published or your books aren't selling, are you changing or trying new venues? If not, why not? The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over—yet expecting different results.

Not everything you try with marketing your books will work, but you have to continue trying. Sometimes it takes a while for a book to catch on and sell into the market. It's the same with your online marketing efforts or your work with magazines, you have to experiment and see what takes hold. All too often writers will try something and have meager results, then instantly discount or eliminate a particular area of the market or a book pitch or proposal.

For example, my biography of Billy Graham came out about a year and a half ago—yet I'm still doing radio interviews, promoting it on social media and at events. This Saturday will be the first Colorado Book Festival at the downtown Denver Public Library. Morgan James is one of the co-sponsors of the event and I have been encouraging our local authors to come and promote their books. A number of them are coming. I've created new bookmarks promoting my Billy Graham biography that I will be giving out. In addition, I'm working on some new promotions for early November (around Mr. Graham's birthday on November 7^th  when he turns 98).

As an author, you have to keep promoting and telling people about your book—even long after it releases. You have the greatest passion for your own book and that has to translate into your on-going marketing plans for the book.  If your book has been out and it is not selling, then you need to be looking for new markets or doing more to be telling people about the book. Some books take several years before they catch on in the market. It is one of the realities of publishing and you have my encouragement not to give up on this process of marketing your books.

Last week, I told you about interviewing Rick Frishman, publisher at Morgan James, and one of the leading publicity relations experts. Rick is also the creator of Author 101 University and the 29^th  such event will be held next month in Los Angeles, California (October 20–22). If you act right away, the conference price has been reduced to $197 AND you can bring a friend for FREE. If you use my coupon code TERRYGUEST then you can get an additional $50 off the registration. But to get these discounts, you have to register right away.

For the last several years, I've been interviewing Rick Frishman before Author 101 University. As an experiment, this year I'm interviewing him a second time on Wednesday, September 7th. Rick will be doing more in-depth teaching during the 45–minute session but you can still ask him a question (follow this link). I've also worked with Rick to create a second brand new Ebook, Mistakes: The Top Twenty. Everyone who registers for this event will be able to immediately download this resource. Also if you can't make the event, it will be recorded and everyone who registers will get the replay.

Will we have more people listening on Wednesday night? Will we get more people signed up for Author 101 University from this second effort? Will we help more people learn about how to promote their books and succeed in the publishing world? At this writing, I don't have answers to these questions but I'm certain about this: we will not know if we don't try it.

As an acquisitions editor, I speak with a lot of authors and potential authors. Everyone is looking for the magic bullet to sell their books with the least possible effort.  Yes you have to write an incredible book for the right target market then be telling your target market about the benefits for the reader from your book. There is no single path to creating a bestseller. If there were such a path, then every book would be a bestseller—and that's not the reality of the market place.

What experiments are you making with marketing your book? If you are needing more ideas in this area, one of the best steps I can recommend is planning to attend Author 101 University next month. When you attend, meet as many people as you can (exchange business cards) and then take action on the new ideas you gain from the experience.

In September, once again, I was selected among the top 100 marketers on Twitter. I remained at #56 on this distinguished list. As an author, I'm not just writing and talking about marketing and promotion. Every day I continue to actively work at telling new people about my work (and encourage you to do the same—stressing the benefits in this process).

Tweetable:

Are you experimenting with different marketing efforts? Get new ideas here. (ClickToTweet)

Seven Critical Steps for Every Author

Over 80% of Americans plan to publish a book at some point in their lifetime. Over 4,500 new books are published every day. Yet repeatedly I hear from authors wondering how to sell their books and what steps they should be taking in this process.

Let me tell you right from the start, when it comes to book publishing and in particular selling books, there is no magic formula. If there were such a formula every book would be a bestseller. Yet there are proven essentials that every author can do—and that's what I'm writing about in this article. These steps are not in any particular order but it's important to tackle each of them.

1. Know your target audience (readers). The more information you have about this reader, the better you can focus your efforts to reach them. No matter how much we want it, not everyone will read your book but your target audience will.

2. Be active or visible with your audience. It is different for every author but if you know your target. Where are they? Listening to their radios? Then you need to be on radio programs. On Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn, then you need to become more visible in these places. To help you, I have a free ebook, Platform building Ideas for Every Author.

3. Start and actively use an email list. If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about then I recommend you explore these two links for My List Building Tycoon at: http://bit.ly/t2W1zy or on Kindle: http://amzn.to/wU6Fzb. The essence of it is you create an ebook or audio or something valuable for your audience. Then give that ethical bribe away to your audience in exchange for them giving you their email address. Only you control your email list (not some other platform like Twitter or Facebook). Then you build your list as you use the list to continue to give your audience value. 

4. Take responsibility for your own marketing. Each of us have excuses. We are introverted. We don't like it. We want to just write. We want someone else to do it—why we get a publisher. Listen to yourself and then stop the excuses and take action. Every day when I speak to authors I tell them that they bear 80% of the responsibility for selling their book.. They say, “yes” but then balk at taking action. You will be exceptional if you do take your own responsibility.

5. Get to a writer's conference. Conferences are a key part of my own growth and people I know in publishing. You will learn a great deal and also make friendships with editors and agents. Over the next few months, I'm speaking at different conferences and would love to meet you in person. Follow this link to my schedule. I especially recommend Author 101 University.

6. Have the Right attitude. You should always be growing, trying new things and experimenting to find your path. It is different for each book and each author so you have to be moving forward. Remember you are not selling your book or yourself. Instead you are helping as many people as you can help. In the process, stress the benefits and advantages of your book and how it will help others. Much more attractive to people than “selling” and as an author you will be more comfortable doing it.

7. Create a simple system to become active with your readers. It is different for every author. Maybe your path is blogging or social media or radio interviews. As you speak or write, focus on helping others but also leading them to your products where to spend money to get additional help. An example of this process would be my free teleseminar about book proposals. When you take this teleseminar, I lead you to my Write A Book Proposal membership course. 

Opportunities are around you—but to take advantage of these opportunities, you have to seize them and take action. Don't count on anyone else or you will certainly be disappointed (publisher, bookstore, Amazon—no one). If I can help you, reach out to me. 

Tweetable:
Learn the seven critical steps for every author: (Click to Tweet)

Take Consistent Action to Achieve Your Goals

Are you taking consistent action to meet your writing or marketing or publishing goals?  In the first place, do you have a goal or dream? If so, are you writing down the goal then taking consistent action to achieve it?

Last week I was at Author 101 University in Los Angeles. This life-changing event happens twice a year. Each time I meet new authors and also reconnect with some of my publishing colleagues. Several of these colleagues who are active in the publishing community also want to write books.  As a part of our conversation, I make a point to ask them about the book and see if they are making progress.  Yes, they still want to write the book but have been consumed with other things so their book writing has taken a backseat and hasn't been happening.

I'm empathetic about their situation of trying to write a book in the middle of other business. Then I encourage them to be writing their book in small pieces—even 200 words a day can add up to become a completed book. It will only happen if you take consistent action to achieve this goal.

At the event, I met a new writer who was enthused about building her presence in the market and using different tools like Twitter. She was aware of the frequency of my tweets and that I was providing excellent content on a consistent basis. How did she know? This writer had set her phone to beep every time I sent a tweet. I've written a number of articles in The Writing Life about the different tools and methods I use for my social media. It is not time consuming but to grow a large following, you do have to take consistent action.

Every day I'm adding content to my Twitter feed and always looking for good articles to pass on to others along with my own content. I'm also consistently growing my own followers and social media presence. Whether I'm traveling or at home, I regularly work on these areas. The constant effort pays off and if it doesn't then you stop that action and try something else.

I didn't suddenly have over 150,000 twitter followers. I've been growing it gradually. I didn't instantly write over 550 customer reviews on Amazon or gain 5,000 friends on Goodreads. These milestones took place with consistent action. For this blog, I'm a few articles away from having 1300 different articles. This large volume of content was built through consistent action.

What types of goals or dreams do you have for your writing and publishing life? Do you want to sell more books? If so, then you need to be increasing the number of people that you tell about your book. Make an action plan and then consistently execute that plan so you can achieve your goals. It does not happen overnight but can happen—provided you take action.

You Must Be There To Win

I watch the stories with great interest—the current Power Ball frenzy. The numbers are really high and someone is going to win that prize. Yet you must have a ticket to get into the game—and I've not bought a ticket.

I have an opportunity where you can win but the odds are a lot better than any lottery or powerball. Next Tuesday, September 10th, I will be interviewing the publisher at Morgan James Publishing, Rick Frishman.

Rick has an outstanding background in publishing and has worked with many bestselling authors on their publicity campaigns to promote their books. For the last 12 years, Rick has led Author 101 University twice a year. In March it is held in Los Angeles and in October the event is in Las Vegas. Next month, Author 101 will have another outstanding list of speakers and a wealth of bookselling information.

Next Tuesday you can ask Rick a question and if you are on the call (the action you have to take) you can be one of the winners of a free registration to Author 101. 

Yes during the call, Rick will be giving away several free registrations for the event. You will have to be listening to be one of the winners. 

From my experience of attending a number of Author 101 events, I know it can be life changing. I hope you will be one of the people on the live call listening to Rick, who is a wealth of practical publishing information.

Just for signing up for the Tuesday call, you will receive a free copy of Rick’s new Ebook, Agents and the Publishing Industry. Even if you don’t have a question, register and say “no question” when asked for a question.
You do not want to miss this live teleseminar because you could win a free registration to Author 101 Las Vegas.

Hope to see you on the call.