Small Things Matter

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Last week an online group had a discussion about small or short writing projects. Do they matter and do they lead to longer writing projects? Yes they do and in fact the small things matter. Many forget big doors turn because of little hinges. A small or short writing project can lead to bigger things.  In this article I want to give you some specific examples and ideas for your own writing life.

 

Your relationships with others in the writing community is important. Often who you know as much as what you know or pitch is weighted with importance. For example, people recognize birthdays and anniversaries on Facebook. Do you particpate and say something? If you do it's a way for you to be back in the thoughts of that person. When someone passes, do you say something on Facebook? Do you mail a physical sympathy card? I have a box of these cards and when I see that someone's relative has passed, I will often reach for a card, fill it out and mail it. It doesn't take much time but the gesture is appreciated and remembered.

 

In these articles I've talked about getting your book into libraries and the importance of promoting these books to others so the books get checked out and used. It's a small effort but I have a series of social media posts that I've created to promote my own books to a local writer's group. I don't use them very often but from time to time I post that my books are available at our local library. In my short post, I include a link which goes to the place where they can check out my book and use it. I make this small effort occasionally but it helps others to know about and use my books in the library.

 

Recently I noticed one of my long-term writing friends is speaking at a nearby church. We had not seen each other in decades but I reached out to him and we arranged to meet for coffee. During the time we have known each other, this writer has published about 30 different books. He was telling me about one of his books which consistently sells about 50,000 copies a year. I don't have any idea about the sales of  his other booksl but this one book has consistently earned year after year.  You may have written many books but if you write one like my friend with consistent sales, then that book will be a small portion of your overall books but something huge for you personally.

 

Follow-up Opportunities. Often throughout the day I will think about a social media post or an email to send or a phone call to make.  Everyone is busy and often it takes a gentle follow-up with this person. I use the word gentle because if you push, you can easily hear no response. Are you taking action when these ideas come into your mind? To have the idea in the first place is great, but the people who take action are the ones who get it done.

 

Write Reviews and Articles. The ability to write a short book review or short magazine article is a different skill than writing a longer book project (nonfiction or fiction).  I don't want to get rusty in this skill I've developed over the years. I continue to write book reviews (over 1,100 on Amazon and over 700 on Goodreads). I continue to write articles for magazines and blogs. I encourage you to write these shorter pieces as well.

 

In the world of publishing, there are many other important yet small actions which matter. What small actions are you taking which matter? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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Is Advertising Your Book Worth Trying?

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Some of the bestselling authors use advertising as a solid portion of their strategy to sell books, build their email list and bring traffic to their sites. Yet you have to be wise about how you use these advertising tools. Otherwise you can waste a lot of money with little results. 

One of the authors who is known to succeed at advertising is Mark Dawson. I’ve heard Mark rave about Facebook ads that he has not found anything where he can spend $1 and get $10 in return (sales). Each week he spends thousands of dollars on Facebook ads. This self-published author has sold many books—and teaches other authors how to follow the same path through his online courses. These courses have limited enrollment and are only open a few weeks a year.

 

There are many different places online for authors to advertise—yet which places are the most effective and how do you learn the most effective practices so you succeed in this effort. From my experience in publishing, if you are going to advertise, you need to learn from others who are successful in this effort and follow their guidance so you can have the best possible result. 

I am currently taking Mark Dawson’s course and working through the various lessons. One of the advantages to such a course is you get lifetime access. These advertising platforms are notorious for modifying their systems. Dawson updates his programs and teaching as the systems change—so even with changes, you will remain effective in what you are learning through his courses.

 

Currently Mark Dawson’s course Ads for Authors to advertise on Amazon is open for enrollment. Use this link to check it out. If you read this entry and the course is not active, then sign up for their waiting list and you will be notified when it is open again.

 

To help you learn more about Ads for Authors, Dawson has launched a free mini-course with an Amazon ads expert Janet Margot. Margot is a former Amazon employee and part of the team which established the Amazon ad program. She recorded three short videos which are now available. These videos help you take a look at the program and see if you have done the preparation work necessary to start advertising. In this article, I’m going to include the links to all three of these videos.

 

In the first video of the series - PRODUCT - you’ll learn how first impressions count. Janet considers the factors you need to bear in mind when it comes to the product that you are advertising – your book – and the ways in which you can make your ads more “clicky.” You’ll see how a reader’s first look can convert to sales and what might stop them from clicking buy. And the video is available today. Click to watch it.

 

Part 2 of our series covers just that: how do you find TRAFFIC? We’ll review the internal and external mechanisms to attract pre-qualified customers to your book page. And we’ll learn what you can do to influence the fabled Amazon algorithm and get readers to engage with your author brand.

You can watch the video here

 

 

Part 3 of this series is AD STRATEGIES. We’ll share insight on prioritizing which titles to advertise, the difference between strategy and tactics, timing, and what you need to consider when creating your budget. Learn what questions must be asked and answered in order to build a solid foundation in order for your Amazon Ads strategy to be successful. This year start your ads off on the right foot with a plan that can help unstick your author business. You can watch this video here.

 

I encourage you to watch all three videos then consider taking Mark Dawson's course Ads for Authors and learning the details about advertising your books on different platforms. Get guidance from others who are successful with their advertising then follow their suggestions and see how it works for your books. It's a strategy which others are using successfully with their books and hopefully will work for your books. It will never work if you don't try it—and I encourage you to get some training, then try it with your book.

 

Have you tried advertising for your book? Let me know about your experience in this area in the comments below. 

 

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Free Success Insights from a Bestselling Author

When he was first starting out, Jack Canfield and his credit cards were almost maxed out and 144 publishers had rejected his book Chicken Soup for the Soul.

But he never gave up his dream of being a bestselling author.

Today Jack is arguably the most successful, bestselling non-fiction author of all time.

He has over 500 million books in print and has launched 47 New York Times bestsellers (and even had 7 books simultaneously on the list at one point).

How did Jack get from where he was to where he really wanted to be - and more importantly, how can you use his strategies to make your own books a success?

Find out on a free telephone seminar on Thursday, January 3rd on which Jack will be interviewed by Steve Harrison, who has helped over 12,000 authors promote their books.

Whether your book right now is just a dream, a still-to-be-completed manuscript, or a published reality, this call is for you.

Go here now to register for Thursday's call.

Even if you've heard Jack before, you'll come away with strategies you can use right away. You'll discover: Jack's journey from inner city public school teacher to bestselling author and speaker

* Why becoming a bestseller is no longer about luck - it's about having a plan

* 5 ways writing a book will change your life

* What you should ideally be doing before you start writing your book and trying to get it published

* How Jack responded when his book was initially rejected by 144 publishers as well as his own literary agent, and how you too can find the inspiration to keep going

* Key insights into how the publishing and book marketing game really works

* A simple technique Jack used in writing his book, "The Success Principles," which allowed him to later sell thousands of copies to a single company. Plus, how Jack used the same method to land 50 speaking engagements -- all because of something he did while writing the book.

* A powerful way to overcome any initial discomfort you might feel about putting yourself out there as an author, speaker, book promoter or talk show guest

* How to structure your book so it's the best possible book it can be and people tell their friends about it

* Some of the pros and cons between traditional publishing and self publishing 

* How he sold his first 20,000 copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul BEFORE he even had a publisher
 
* The strategy Jack used to sell 6 million books to one company

* How to take a small part of your book and get a company or organization to pay you big bucks for it. On the call, he'll tell you how this one technique brought him $75,000

* Two keys to turning radio and TV interview into sales
and more!

Go here now to register for Thursday's call with Jack Canfield.

I know you'll learn a lot on the call with Steve and Jack. If you’ve heard his story before, it’s worth hearing again. I’m promoting the free call as a compensated affiliate because I constantly hear from authors. Many of these authors write their books with no guidance from anyone, and end up with thousands of dollars worth of books they can’t sell. 

You need to hear this call so sign up today.