The Importance of Multiple Follow-up

My Billy Graham biography has been released for three and a half years. I'm still working on increasing the number of book reviews. As of this writing, I have 73 Amazon reviews, which are mostly four and five stars from readers. I've had others promise to review the book. I've written these people to follow-up and confirm they received the book (which they have) and are still working on reading and writing their reviews.

With the passing of Billy Graham, my book has garnered attention from the media and I've been able to do a number of interviews. In late March, I was surprised to learn from the founder of Morgan James that my book was trending in the top five books from the publishing house. See this link for the details. When you receive this type of news, some authors would believe they can coast instead of continuing to promote their book—which would be wrong in my view. Instead of coasting, I've been working even harder at my promotion.

As people agreed to write a review, I have kept a list. A couple of times, I've used this list to follow-up with these individuals and stir more of them to write their reviews.  I understand the challenges with writing reviews. Because I've written over 850 Amazon reviews and I have 5,000 friends on Goodreads, several times a day, I'm approached to review books. I answer these emails but the majority of these requests, I turn down because of my limited reading time and I'm already committed to write reviews on other books.

Why should I care about adding new reviews for my Billy Graham book? The book has been in the market several years but there are new things to talk about. On November 1st, the audiobook of Billy Graham released. While I have a number of reviews, few of these reviews relate to the audiobook (like this one). I continue to promote this audiobook and look for people to listen and write an honest review.

Each new review gives me something else to promote and talk about the book. Book promotion activity will stir more book promotion activity.

As the author, I have the greatest passion for my own book. If I've given up, why wouldn't others (like my publisher) give up on the promotion of the book? My advice is to keep going on the promotion of your book—despite the amount of time your book is on the market, how it was published (traditionally or self-published) or when it released.

If you are not happy with your book sales, then it is never too late to change and take action to promote your book. The consistent promotion is an important aspect. If you don't try, it will not fly. Not everything that you attempt will succeed but I applaud your continued efforts.

Are you continuing to promote a book which you published and are in it for the long-term? Tell us your experience in the comments below.

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Why is it necessary to follow-up multiple times? According to this prolific author, it's part of the process. (ClickToTweet)
 

A New Format for My Billy Graham book

From my years in publishing, I understand that readers consume books in different ways. Some people prefer to read a print book. Others have gone electronic and read on their iPad or Kindle or Nook or another electronic type of device. Other readers find reading hard and prefer audiobooks. I encourage you to create your books in all of the different formats so any of these readers can access your book.

I’ve been eager to get my biography of Billy Graham into audiobook format. At first I was going to read it myself but in March I decided that I didn’t have the time or the skill to produce my own book. Morgan James put the book out for audition and normally they get about half a dozen responses. We had 28 people try out for my Graham book. I listened to all these auditions and selected an experienced audiobook person Andrew L. Barnes.

How could I make my audiobook different? For example, Billy Crystal started his audiobook in front of a live audience and other audiobooks included some music between the chapters.

One of the most iconic songs related to Billy Graham is the hymn Just As I Am which is played at crusades when people are coming forward to accept Christ. Billy Graham’s autobiography is called Just As I Am. I searched online and found a version of the song from the Gaithers. I wanted to use a short clip of the instrumental and a short clip of the hymn. Then I had to get permission.

About eight years ago when I worked at Howard Publishing, I met Gloria Gaither and exchanged emails with her. I had not reached out to her in years. I wrote a short email reminding her of when we met and explaining about my audiobook of my Billy Graham project. I asked for permission and within 24 hours they granted it.

Each chapter in my audiobook begins with the chapter name then the music clip. The addition makes the audiobook different and special. Here's the retail sample.

I listened to my audiobook while carefully watching the words. I had to note each error and ended up with eight and a half pages. Andrew fixed the errors and sent another version. I listened again and found four and a half pages of errors. Finally I heard the book a third time and everything was perfect and fixed.

The audiobook version is now available. If you use audible, I encourage you to get copy. If you use Overdrive (like I do), I encourage you to reach out to your library and ask them to purchase and carry the book. After you hear the book, please write an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads. As I’ve written in the past, reviews are important for books.

The timing for the arrival of my audiobook is perfect. Mr. Graham turns 99 on November 7^th. Happy Birthday, Billy Graham. Let’s celebrate another step in the process and the ministry of this new audiobook.

Tell me in the comments below if you listen to audiobooks and if you are actively working to get your books into the different methods that books are consumed.

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Help Me Celebrate a Milestone

Years ago I worked for Billy Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as the Associate Editor at Decision magazine. I learned a great deal from my years with Mr. Graham. After I left I had the opportunity to write a biography about Mr. Graham as a part of the Men of Faith series of books from Bethany House. Yet that book is long out of print (a sad fact that happens in book publishing).

A couple of years ago, I updated my old book and added new stories and brought out a new book, Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist. I built a book website, gathered endorsements and Luis Palau wrote the foreword for my new book. I’ve received great feedback about my book which currently has over 60 reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

For the last six decades, Mr Graham has been on the list of the most admired men in America. He has mostly disappeared from the public eye except for rare occasions. I’m encouraging you to wish Mr. Graham a Happy Birthday and I want to give you some tools and ideas for those wishes. I’ve prepared a series of social media posts and some images that you can use at:

http://BillyGrahamBio.com/HappyBirthday.html

Besides this advanced planning to celebrate Mr. Graham’s birthday. I’ve been working on the audiobook version of my book. You can hear the retail sample of the book here and even use this link to encourage your local library to order the book.

If you hear this sample, you will know that it is not my voice but Andrew L Barnes, an experienced audiobook specialist. As I wrote about recently here, audiobooks continue to explode in the book world and I’m happy to announce my book’s availability in audio.

What is the milestone that I need your help to celebrate? 

November 7^th Mr. Graham turns 99. No one has preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ face to face more than Billy Graham through over 70 years of faithful ministry. In preparation of Mr. Graham’s 99^th birthday, I’ve created a means for you to add to the celebration.

1 1. Use social media like twitter and Facebook to wish Mr. Graham a Happy Birthday.

   2.      Schedule your greetings using a tool like Hootsuite. 

   3.      Social media gets more attention when it includes an image. I’ve created four images of Mr. Graham that you can use with your greetings.

Let’s start a movement of celebration for this milestone birthday. Each of us can wish Mr. Graham a Happy Birthday with our actions. Please pass this information along to your church or small group Bible study. I suspect many people would like to help me mark this celebration.

Tell me what actions you are taking in the comments below.

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Want to Wish Billy Graham a Happy 99th Birthday?Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

 

How To Keep Moving When Stopped

Recently I was driving into downtown Denver for breakfast with a Morgan James author. There are many one-way streets in this section of the city. Suddenly the street where I was going was blocked off and had a detour. Without even a second thought, I turned and followed the detour and soon was back on track heading toward my meeting place. I did not let the detour throw me off from my destination. I did not get put off and quit and return home but found the way forward. My response comes from years of driving experience and understanding that sometimes roads are blocked and you have to locate the way around the roadblock.

Just like driving and finding roadblocks to get around, the writing world often has roadblocks and detours. Maybe you pitch an editor who requested your manuscript and you don't get a response. I've been working with an author who has a children's book and she has been promising to send it to me. It has never come. A few weeks ago when I saw this author in person, she asked me if I had received it. My conversation with her was the first I had known she had even finished it and tried to send it. No, I had not received it. She promised to resend it—and that still has not happened. We depend on things like email when sometimes even email breaks down and doesn't reach the intended editor.

From my years in publishing, I find every step of the process has pitfalls and potential breaks in communication. Editors don't respond to your magazine pitches or a program which you use often isn't working or someone promises to review your book and doesn't follow through. These types of roadblocks happen all the time.

How do you respond to a roadblock? Do you stop and say to yourself, “Guess no one wanted that idea.” “Or “it wasn't meant to be.”  Or do you persevere and look for another way to move around the roadblock?  The writers who succeed (and that measure of success is different for each of us)—find their way around the barriers.

Earlier this year, I wrote about listening to Lauren Graham's memoir, Talking As Fast As I Can. She sat next to best-selling author, James Patterson and ask him, “How do you do it?”

Patterson responded, “Keep going, keep going, keep going.” As writers, each of us get rejected. Our plans get interrupted and changed.  My encouragement is to continue looking and find the path forward. If you are struggling with an area, then create a new habit or new system to help with this area. Your goals and dreams as a writer are important.

The stories of persistent and perseverance in the face of challenges is often a theme in different biographies and how-to books that I've heard recently (check my list of books here). In Robert Greene's Mastery, he told the story of Henry Ford and his early failures and persistence to ultimately form the Ford Motor Corporation.

Admiral William H. McRaven told about his persistence in his Navy seal training in Make Your Bed. Historian David McCullough told about the early failures of Harry S. Truman in Truman. While he had no college education, Truman became the 33^rd  President of the United States. I learned valuable lessons from each of these successful people. Persistence and perseverance is an important quality for every writer.

Tell me in the comments below, what actions you take to continue and move forward with your writing.

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5 Reasons to Read Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoir

I have always loved reading biographies, autobiographies and memoirs. I've written more than 60 books and many of the books fall into one of these categories. Also when I read a book, I often write a short review on Goodreads. If you check this page and look through the covers with books and my reviews, you will see many of these books are biographies, autobiographies or memoirs.

1. The Experiences Are Real

While I enjoy reading a good novel, the stories in biographies or memoirs are not created but based on reality. Recently I’ve been listening to Anjelica Huston read her book, Watch Me. She told about being in a car accident in the 70's where she wasn’t wearing a seat belt (not required then). As a part of this accident, she broke her nose in eight places. That little details stuck because I found it fascinating.


2. Personal Encouragement

Last year my biography of Billy Graham was released. Mr. Graham has preached the Good News about Jesus face to face in front of more peple than anyone on the planet. He is currently 97 years old. Some people may wonder if Billy Graham ever doubted his faith. He had doubts and here's a brief excerpt from my book (pages 59-60):

"Several other series of meetings were held that year, and for the summer of 1949, the team prepared for a crusade in Los Angeles, the largest citywide meetings of its kind to date. At the end of August, before the campaign began, Billy attended the annual College Briefing Conference at Forest Home, becoming the youngest college president to speak at the conference."

"One night after the conference’s evening session, Billy pondered a simple question: Can I really trust the Bible? He decided that if the answer was no, he could not with a clear conscience conduct the campaign in Los Angeles. At thirty years of age, it wasn’t too late to quit the ministry and return to his wife in North Carolina. He wrestled with the answer."

"Unable to sleep, he took a walk in the San Bernardino Mountains. Dropping to his knees in the moonlight, he placed his Bible on a tree stump. The moon didn’t cast enough light for him to read its pages, but there at his makeshift altar, he prayed to God: “There are many things in this book that I don’t understand,” he began. “There are many problems with it for which I have no solution. There are many seeming contradictions, and many areas that do not correlate with modern science.”

"Billy was trying to be honest with God about his deepest thoughts and questions. Finally, he felt the assurance of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “Father, I am going to accept this as your Word—by faith. I’m going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts, and I will believe this to be your inspired Word.” Billy got to his feet and immediately sensed the presence of God and a new source of power within himself. While not every question was answered, he sensed that God was leading him, and he knew that he could depend on the Word.”

I hope you find this story encouraging. It certainly helped me to know Mr. Graham's experience.

3. Discover Memorable Stories

From reading Tom Jones autiobiography, Over the Top and Back, I learned at one point early in his career, he sold vacuum cleaners door to door. Or also in his book, he told an unforgettable story about Elvis Presley and how he carried a six shooter. I would never know these true stories if I did not read these types of books.

4. Gain Insight into the Success of Others

I enjoyed reading Troublemaker by actress Leah Remini about her involvement and escape from Scientolgy. Many people believe a well-known actress like Remini just skyrocketed to her success with shows like King of Queens. But this line in Chapter Seven was revealing and dispels this misconception. "All told, I've been on more than twenty-five eventually cancelled television shows in my career, and have appeared on even more pilots that never made it to air. While I would never complain, I certainly did feel anxiety. This is not an easy business to be in." (page 68 to 69) This quote affirmed to me again that there are no overnight successes.

5. Changes Revered People into Real People

Years ago I wrote a youth biography about Chuck Colson, a much revered person in the Christian market because of his teaching and work in Prisons through Prison Fellowship.
When I interviewed people around Chuck every person wanted to tell me about his practical jokes—something you would not expect on the surface. I built some of those stories into my book. To my knowledge, it is about the only record of this aspect of Chuck’s life and makes him real as well as a hero.

I love reading these types of books. Do you read them or listen to them? What are you learning from these types of books? I look forward to your lessons and comments.

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New Billy Graham Book Is Focused on Heaven

At the age of 96 (soon to be 97), Billy Graham does a lot of thinking about heaven and eternity. The title from WHERE I AM is unusual and comes from John 14:1-3 but also a statement, Mr. Graham proclaimed after his 95th birthday saying, “When I die, tell others that I’ve gone to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—that’s where I am.” 

I purchased a copy of this new book last week when it released in the bookstores and then I read every chapter before I wrote or published anything about it.  Many times I see people writing a review or thoughts about a book which reveals they haven't read the book. It lessens your credibility if you write such things in my view. I always read the books that I review.

All 36 chapters in this well-written book are crafted from different sermons that Mr. Graham has preached about heaven. The chapters start with Genesis and cover the entire scope of the Bible through Revelation. 

I was fascinated with the contents and especially Chapter 24 RIGHTEOUSNESS FOREVER, The Everlasting Foundation (about 1^st  and 2^nd  Corinthians), where Mr. Graham writes in the opening, “Staying youthful was always a goal of mine. Nothing in me was attracted to old things, not even to my wife’s beloved antiques. When I was young, I could not imagine being old. I had an unusual amount of energy, and it followed me into young adulthood. When middle age set in, I dealt with physical weariness, but my mind was always in high gear, and it never took long for my physical stamina to return after a grueling schedule. I fought growing old every way I could, faithfully exercising and pacing myself as I began to feel the grasp of Old Man Time. This was not a transition I welcomed, and at one point I began to dread what I knew was coming.” (Page 177-178) Like the rest of the book, this chapter focused on eternity and that as Christians we will spend eternity in heaven.

I found reading this book fascinating and encourage every Christian to marvel at how the theme of eternity and heaven is woven into the fabric of every book in the Bible. I highly recommend WHERE I AM.

W. Terry Whalin is the author of BILLY GRAHAM, A BIOGRAPHY OF AMERICA’S GREATEST EVANGELIST learn more at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com

You Must Enter To Win

I'm a big fan of Goodreads. According to their website, there are 40 million active members on this site. If you don't know much about Goodreads, I encourage you to take this teleseminar and learn about it. As an author, you need to be there. Also you need to be reviewing books as a reader of books on Goodreads. 

During the last few months, I've initiated two other Goodreads Giveaways.  Today my new Goodreads giveaways were approved. They will run for about two and a half weeks or through the end of July. I hope you will enter and tell your friends to enter. Goodreads are a great way to spread the news about your books.

This time I did three books--two that are new and one that has been around several years.

First here's the giveaway for Billy Graham, A Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist. This book has currently 39 reviews on Amazon and I've received terrific positive feedback from readers about this book. The Goodreads giveaway:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Billy Graham

by W. Terry Whalin

Giveaway ends July 31, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

The second giveaway is for Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, Insider Secrets to Skyrocket Your Success. Like my previous book, this book has received positive feedback from readers. 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams

by W. Terry Whalin

Giveaway ends July 31, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

The majority of giveaways on Goodreads are new books but they do not have to be. The third book for a giveaway is Book Proposals That Sell, which has over 130 Five Star Amazon reviews and some people consider a classic in the publishing community. I've had authors write and say they used this book to get a $25,000 advance. 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Book Proposals That Sell

by W. Terry Whalin

Giveaway ends July 31, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

I hope you will spread the news about the limited time of this giveaway. Like any contest, you must enter to have a chance to win. Goodreads picks the winners and sends me a list of the winners, then I mail them the books and certify to Goodreads that I've sent the books. If you don't send the books or Goodreads receives complaints, then you can be ban from future Goodreads Giveaways. 

If you are a published author (traditional or self-published), I hope you will look into using Goodreads Giveaways for your books.

Alton Gansky Interviews Terry Whalin about Billy Graham

Recently, my friend Alton Gansky interviewed me about my new biography on the life of Billy Graham. I hope you enjoy this short interview. If you can't see the embedded information below, then use this link, which will open a new window in your browser.






Al and I speak together about the remarkable life of Billy Graham. I tell stories about working for Mr. Graham as Associate Editor of Decision magazine and also about what I learned working on this easy-to-read biography, Billy Graham, A Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist. 

 

The Unexpected Discovery of My Book

Last weekend I was in Hershey, Pennsylvania at the Hershey Lodge for a conference called Writer to Writer. It was a terrific event which will be repeated in the fall and I met some new writers. Also I got to hang out with a couple of my long-term friends. Jerry B. Jenkins taught the fiction track and Cecil Murphey taught the nonfiction track of the conference. I had the opportunity to speak at a breakfast to the group and also to teach a couple of workshops.

After the conference was completed, the Hershey Lodge was hosting a regional Christian bookseller conference. On Sunday afternoon, I signed over 125 copies of my Billy Graham biography as a way to introduce the book to these retail stores. The experience was a terrific way to help retailers know about the book and its availability. Also it gave me a chance to tell them about the benefits and distinctions of my biography for their customers. My biography is an easy-to-read 172 pages and in a couple of evenings readers can gain an overview of Mr. Graham's life. I included a number of new stories and the book is completely up-to-date.

If you don't know, I worked for Mr. Graham about 20 years ago as the Associate Editor at Decision, the official publication of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I gathered endorsements and a foreword from Luis Palau for my book. You can see these endorsements and a short book trailer on my website. You can order it different ways from my website—even get an autographed copy if you want.

Depending on the time of year, traveling can be challenging. It's exactly what I found on Monday when I traveled home. I was on the early flight from Harrisburg to Philadelphia. I had an hour and a half to change planes but my flight was delayed for over an hour. Supposedly it was because of weather—some other place than Harrisburg where the sun was shining with a blue sky. I missed my connection from Philadelphia to Denver and the next flight was about 6:30 p.m. Yes, I was stuck all day in the Philadelphia airport. 

Since I had a lot of time on my hands, I wandered into Heritage Books. As I looked around, I discovered copies of my Billy Graham biography:

I asked the shopkeeper if I could sign my books. She called her manager to check and the manager said, “Yes.” I pulled out my pen and autographed all of the copies. Throughout November, December and January, my book has been in 25 different airports besides other bookstores across the country. Here's the list:

Travel delays are a nuisance but I made an unexpected discovery of my book in the Philadelphia airport. Fun.

The Best Teacher

Throughout my time in the publishing community, I've had some unforgettable experiences--good and bad. I've written about a few of them in these entries on The Writing Life, which is one of my consistent themes.

When I've gone through some difficult or challenging experience, after it is over, I have often looked back and said to myself the common saying, "Experience is the best teacher."

In some ways, the saying is true because I've personally experienced it I will take measured steps to avoid going through that experience again. But is experience the best teacher?

Last week, I wrote about a new book, The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective by Andy Andrews. There are many valuable insights in this little book and in this entry I wanted to write about another one.

Jones, the central person in the book, is a noticer. During a difficult time in Andy Andrews' life, Jones makes a special introduction:

"'Do you read?' he asked. As I nodded, he added, 'I'm not asking if you can read, I'm asking if you do.'

'Yes,' I responded, 'Mostly magazines and stuff, but I do.'

'Good enough,' Jones said. 'Read these.'

I looked at what he handed me in the semidarkness. The titles were all names. Winston Churchill. Will Rogers. George Washington Carver. I glanced back up at him. 'History books?'

'No,' he said with a twinkle in his eye, 'adventure stories! Success, failure, romance, intrigue, tragedy, and triumph--and the best part is that every word is true! Remember, young man, experience is not the best teacher. Other people's experiences is the best teacher. By reading about the lives of great people, you can unlock the secrets to what made them great.'" (page 9)

I readily identified with this section of The Noticer. Why? I've always loved biographies and read many of them. I've learned so much from each one of them. It's part of the reason that I've written magazine profiles about more than 150 bestselling authors. In the process of writing those stories, I learn massive amounts of material about their experiences.

To me, it is a partial explanation why I've written numerous biographies such as Billy Graham, Chuck Colson, Luis Palau, John Perkins and many more.

Have you unlocked the secrets to greatness as you read about other people's experiences?

Answer The Obvious Questions

At every stage of the book purchasing process, readers come with some basic questions. Are you answering them? If you have a book proposal or a book manuscript, you are attempting to catch the attention of a literary agent or an editor. Or when the book has been contracted and you are finalizing the text to turn in your manuscript, have you answered the obvious questions of the reader?

Often as writers, we are focused on crafting an excellent story or an excellent nonfiction book. At some point in the process, we need to return to the reader and make sure we've answered the obvious. Steve Weinberg raised this issue in his recent Soapbox column, "Another Eisenhower Biography?" in Publishers Weekly. I know Steve because we are members of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Steve was reviewing a forthcoming biography on President Dwight Eisenhower from Michael Korda. In this 800–page book, Korda praises another biographer of Eisenhower but doesn't tell the reader why he is adding to the literature on the former President.

Weinberg explains the reason for his question, "I'm also assuming the role of consumer advocate. I think of my mother, an avid, 83-year-old reader who is unlikely to consume more than one biography of Abe or Marilyn or John or Jesus, given her philosophy of so little time, so many more books to devour. My mother wants to know why the new one is ostensibly the best choice for her."

Ultimately the reader wants to make the best possible choice for their limited reading time--and it's up to the writer to make sure the convincing answers are somewhere in the text of the book.

When Fox News Called

Yesterday afternoon I answered my telephone and it was someone from the Fox News Channel. It was the first time I'd ever talked with someone from this news organization. I'm familiar with many of their programs from watching the news during my exercise stints on the treadmill.

The reporter was compiling a database of people who personally knew Billy Graham. From my journalism training, I knew the reason for this database. As high profile newsmakers grow older, news organizations around the globe prepare to be able to access appropriate people to comment on these people. This phone call struck me as out of the blue since I worked for Mr. Graham over 13 years ago. Even when I worked for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, I could count on one hand the number of occasions where I either met Mr. Graham or sat in a meeting where he spoke.

As I spoke to this Fox News reporter, I was trying to figure out why they had called me. Five or six years ago, I wrote an unauthorized biography, Billy Graham, which is a part of the Men of Faith series. While the book was unauthorized, it was a close to being an authorized unauthorized biography as you can get. Through my personal connections to BGEA, I checked every word of my manuscript with a long-term, close associate of Mr. Graham who made some key last minute adjustments on my manuscript.

I figure this reporter did a google search and my name came up attached to a Billy Graham biography and they had quickly located my work phone number. It was not difficult to connect the dots of how they made this connection. I discouraged my inclusion on this list of people to call for comment since there are many other people with a much longer personal history with Mr. Graham. And this reporter told me that I could tell her “no comment” when they call me--which is definitely going to be my response. While I care deeply for Mr. Graham and the Graham family, it's not my place to be interviewed at the time of his death. As I spoke on the phone, I could hear the keyboard keys clicking and this reporter was not deterred but included my phone number in the database.

Later in the day I understood the reason for the call. Now this news is scattered across the globe that Mrs. Graham has fallen into a coma. Whenever Mrs. Graham or Mr. Graham die, it will be a major news story. Fox News is getting prepared.

Postscript: I wrote the above material early this morning. Late this afternoon, I heard that Mrs. Graham passed away. Earth's loss is heaven's gain. What a remarkable person.