Too Good to Be True

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Last weekend I got two different email pitches about reviewing my books. I answered each of them and exchanged several emails until I reached the actual pitch from these individuals. At that point, I passed on their offer because it sounded too good to be true. Another way to put it, these offers were a high priced scam for authors.

In this article, I want to give you some of the details then you too can avoid and not fall into an offer which is too good to be true. If you take these offers, you will potentially waste a lot of money and energy. Finally I’m going to show you a better way to get these reviews which is old fashion yet effective.

The Pitch

Each of these emails approached me with a pitch about getting reviews for one of my books. The person writing me intentionally selected one of my books which had zero or only a few reviews. Even though I’ve written a number of articles about the importance of my reviews. A few of the books that I wrote early in my career do not have any or few reviews. In general these are children’s books that I wrote as a work-made-for-hire where I was paid upfront for my writing with no additional earnings. Because they were work-made-for-hire, as an author I had little inventive to encourage reviews (ask others) or do any promotion on these books. 

The person pitching me had no idea of the work-made-for-hire element with these books. The approach was strictly about the lack of reviews. Here’s part of their pitch (both email pitches used similar language):

“Let me say this upfront, I’m not a promoter or marketer. I already work in real estate (houses by day 🏡, books by night 📖). But my love of reading grew into a community of over 2,000 readers who follow along with me.

Here’s what we do: we look for books that deserve more attention, especially those with few reviews, and we simply read them. Afterward, we share our honest thoughts on Amazon or Goodreads. That’s all. No campaigns, no social media, no ads, just genuine reading and feedback.

Think of it like shopping for a shirt. If there are no reviews, people hesitate. Books are the same. Readers want reassurance before taking the leap, and that’s where our group comes in.

I know authors sometimes feel cautious when someone reaches out, but this isn’t promotion. It’s simply readers helping readers discover your story.

Would you like me to introduce Never Too Busy to my reading group and save it a spot on our upcoming list?” 

---

The pitch sounds interesting and like something to explore--so I responded. Her second email to me gave a little more info:

“I want to encourage you with this: many successful authors I’ve come across both new voices and household names didn’t rely on ads or campaigns at first. What moved their books forward was simply readers finding them, reading them, and talking about them. Competitors who understood this principle often pulled ahead, not because their books were better, but because their reviews made them more visible.

I always remind authors:

“A great book without reviews is like a lighthouse with no light—built strong, but unseen by the ships that need it most.”

The small gesture we give readers isn’t about paying for opinions it’s about valuing their time so they can read for fun without pressure. The reviews remain 100% genuine. That’s why this approach works and why authors often see their books finally break through Amazon’s invisible wall.

Even if this doesn’t seem like the right fit today, I’d love to keep the door open for Never Too Busy. Sometimes it only takes 20–30 voices for Amazon to start treating a book differently. And with the heart of your message, I believe it deserves to be discovered by more readers.

Would you be open to me keeping Never Too Busy on my community’s “watch list,” so if you reconsider, we can bring it forward?” 

---

The third email gave the details and huge potential expense:

I noticed Never Too Busy currently has no reviews, which is a good foundation but still leaves so much room for momentum. As I often say: “One review is a whisper, but a collection of reviews becomes a choir that even Amazon can’t ignore.” 🎶

Here’s how my group works: I run a community of 2,000+ readers and reviewers. We don’t pay for reviews. Instead, we tip each reader $15–$20 not for the review itself, but simply as a coffee-and-cinnamon-roll thank-you for taking the time to read. Every reader has their own business and life, so this helps them enjoy the process while reading purely for fun.

Authors I’ve worked with often begin with 20–50 fresh reviews, and that alone can shift how Amazon positions the book in its algorithm. It really depends on how many readers you’d like to start with.

The usual process is simple: you’d send me a PDF of Never Too Busy so I can read it first, then I share it with selected readers in my group. From there, the reviews grow organically, one honest voice at a time.

Would you like me to save a spot for Never Too Busy and get this started?” 

---

I passed on using this pitch. Something about it felt wrong to me--and the large potential expense stood out. If I “tipped”  50 people $20 each, that is a $1,000 expense. Follow this link to learn more details about Amazon reviews and their terms.

The Better Way for Reviews

1. Ask fans and readers to write a review.

2. Use a launch team to gather reviews at the release off your book.

3. Encourage people who have never written a review to use a book review template.

4. Write a page on your website and encourage reviews. Follow this link for a detailed example from one of my books.

These methods take time and effort from the author but do not violate the Amazon terms and do not have a large expense tied to them.

I hope this cautionary tale helps you with your book. If the pitch is too good to be true without additional explanation, then it probably is a lie and something you should avoid. Have you received these types of emails? Or maybe you have another suspicious pitch, then let me know in the comments below. 

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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:

 

On the Accents Podcast, Katerina Stoykova (@Katya_Stoykova) and I spoke about best practices in book promotion and more on WUKY Radio. Listen at: https://bit.ly/3HIizrz

During my decades in publishing, I’ve co-authored over a dozen books and reviewed thousands of submissions (no exaggeration). As a part of the process of working with these authors, I speak with them about their dreams and plans. Many of these authors have  unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their published book. Many aspects of the publishing process are outside of anything an author can control. 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.

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Is It Time for Spring Cleaning?

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

I love the freshness of spring. Baseball season starts. We freshen up our place from the trials of winter and plant flowers for spring along with other activities. The darkness of winter fades and we celebrate the newness of life with new growth and flowers.

As I ask in this article, is it time for spring cleaning? I’ve found that the more I’m organized and block different parts of my schedule, then it increases my productivity and output. As I’ve mentioned in past entries, almost daily books pour into my mailbox. In general, I unpack them and put them on my bookshelf but over the last few weeks the area for this book has filled. As a part of my spring cleaning, I sorted through some books and took a hard look at each one. Do I have the time to read it? I will look at a few pages and see if the writing is going to hold my interest. If “no” is the answer to these questions, then I remove the book from my shelf and get the books ready to go to a good home elsewhere. This book sorting process is a necessity to organize my office several times a year including spring. 

Creating a Pile Doesn’t Work

Like my bookshelves, I do the same evaluation process with the papers on my desk. From my experience, it doesn’t work to take a piece of paper or a stapled article and put it into a pile. Instead I have developed a system to know exactly where I’m keeping that article and why I’m keeping it. 

I admit every author is different in this area. One of the most prolific writers was Ray Bradbury. Recently an article about Bradbury came across my screen with a photo of his office with piles of paperwork. This novelist created a different system for organization which worked for his writing life. My encouragement is for you to create a working system for how you organize your desk, paperwork, books and other tasks so you continue moving forward each day. 

If You Are Stuck in a Rut...

I have a couple of projects which have been stuck on my desk and have not moved--which is a problem if I want them to get published. I’ve been stuck in a rut and proscratating on this work. I suspect you have a pitch or two which is also stuck. Spring cleaning is a great time to plot and take a new course of action. 

First determine what you want to accomplish? Do you want to increase your speaking? Do you want to sell more books? Do you want to publish more magazine articles? To achieve these goals, you have to take action and increase the amount of your pitches. Maybe you want to be on more podcasts or radio shows? These programs can be an effective way to sell more books and don’t require travel or other elements. The key to booking a radio broadcast or a podcast is pitching to the decision maker?  Craft your pitch and even use a pitch template from someone else if you need some ideas. Then get these pitches into the world. 

When you pitch, you will get turned down (rejected). This process happens to all of us including me. As I’ve written in these articles in the past, you are looking for the right fit and this process involves getting a number of rejections before you get acceptance. Learn what you need to do from others, then continually pitch. It sounds simple but takes consistent effort for it to actually happen. 

When You Haven’t Received a Response

Spring is a great time of year to do follow-up work where your pitches went into a black hole without a response. Did the other person receive the pitch? As editors and agents, we lose things and they get stuck in our email and never processed. I encourage you to use the gentle follow-up approach to prod that other person. Many writers are afraid to follow-up then they wonder why nothing is happening. One of the critical steps for every writer is to follow-up. 

Here’s some other ideas and approaches for your spring cleaning:

• Use a current market guide to make new pitches
• Plan to get to a writer’s conference
• Make new connections on LinkedIN 
• Join an online writer’s group and participate

Each of these actions will take effort on your part as a writer but could yield great results. As I’ve written in the past, it will not fly if you don’t try and try on a consistent basis. 

Each of us have the same amount of time or 24 hours. How you use that time will affect your results. Is it time for you to take some spring cleaning actions? Let me know in the comments.

 

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Much of the publishing process is outside of the writer’s control. 10 Publishing Myths helps writers have a realistic perspective and take action. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

A Different Type of Biography

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

I love biographies. As a young reader, I would get stacks of biographies from my library and read each of them, then get some more. Now as an adult, I continue to read biographies and hear biographies on audiobooks.

As editors look at book proposals and pitches, they are looking for different—but not too different. This week I found an example in the book, Life Isn't Everything. Well-known director Mike Nichols resisted writing a memoir or autobiography despite his remarkable life and amazing experiences. Nichols died in 2014 so the memoir opportunity disappeared. Authors Ash Carter and Sam Kashner instead wrote Life Isn't Everything with insights from 150 of his friends.  The result is a book with fascinating stories and full of insights.

Jeffrey Wright gave quote with the title for the book. According to Wright, Life Isn't Everything was an expression that Mike Nichols used often. As he worked on the set of plays and movies, Nichols told stories about himself and the news and other things to guide the actors. His background in the theater helped him in film and television. From the opening pages, this book is constructed with a series of quotations from different people who knew Nichols. The result is a bunch of lessons for anyone in theater or movies or television about the behind the scenes work. The stories are filled with insights.

While I’ve read numerous biographies and written a number  as well, I’ve never seen a book like Life Isn't Everything. In some ways it is like gathering 150 people in a room and recording their thoughts and words about the life of Mike Nichols then piecing those conversations together into a cohesive biography—not how I assume it was actually done. The result is listening to well-known people talk about different aspects of Nichols' life. The insights and stories are an incredible listening experience. I loved listening to Life Isn't Everything and highly recommend it.

While this book was different, it still falls into the biography category. The construction and format is unlike anything I've ever seen (read or heard). It shows me why it was published and why the editor found it engaging to bring it into the market. It's the same sort of unique work we need to do with our own pitches to editors and literary agents.

Have you read (or written) a book which is different yet still in a particular category of book? Tell me about it in the comments below.

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Four Ways to Prepare for a Conference

For many years, I've been attending and teaching at conferences. Many of the articles that I've published and the books that I've written have their beginnings with someone I met at an event. If you have never been to a writers conference, I encourage you to make plans and attend one this year.  It will boost your writing life to a new level and help you on a number of different fronts. A number of the people at each conference have never been to a writers event and it is their first time. If you are holding off going to a conference because you've never been, do it. It will change your life and propel your writing forward.

Editors and agents work with people that they know, like and trust. Yes we get tons of pitches and proposals on email and online and in the mail. But if you have met an editor or agent at an event, maybe even eaten a meal together or sat in one of their classes, the relationship goes to a new level of depth. Many of those relationships begin at conferences.

As an editor, I've been preparing for several events, updating my handouts, critiquing a few manuscripts for people I will meet and gathering my business cards and other materials for the events. I always bring plenty of business cards to handout.  Numerous times at conferences I've asked an editor or an agent for a business card. This person forgot their cards and had two or three and they've already handed them out. I do not want to be one of those types of editors so I make a point to bring enough.

For the person attending the conference, I want to give you several ways to prepare for the conference:

1. Study the conference program ahead of time. Make some initial choices about the classes you will attend. Also notice who is coming from different publications and publishers. Be aware of their names and positions so when you run into them in line or in the dining room, you can begin a conversation with them.

2. Prepare pitches for particular editors and agents. You will see some of the faculty are more relevant to your writing than others. Create a small list of people you want to set appointments or sit at their table during a meal. Because of the weight, editors and agents are some times reluctant to take a full manuscript but they will often take a “one sheet” (where you summarize your idea on a single piece of paper with your contact information—including email and phone). I always like to see as much as someone wants to show me. I will often take full proposals or manuscripts home with me (if available). Or some authors bring their material on a flash drive to give to editors and agents.

3. Create and bring business cards. Even if you have never been to a conference, create a business card with your name, email and phone number. Also I like to include a mailing address so I can see the time zone where you live. Also if you have a current photo, include it on the card. Bring plenty of cards and hand them out generously throughout the event. In my view, it is always best to trade cards. You give the editor one of your cards and you get one of their cards.

4. Bring an attitude of learning and listening and taking action. Throughout the conference, you will learn new things, write them down in a little notebook. Ideas and requests should go on a separate page that you can cross off as you handle them when you return home. As a writer, you have invested a lot of time and money to attend these events. One of the best ways to get your value from the event is to follow-up and send the requested materials. If you take these actions, you will make a positive impression on the agents and editors that you meet at conferences.

Some people wonder how my writing has been published in more than 50 magazines and I've written more than 60 books. There are many reasons but one of the main ones is my follow-through. If someone asks me for an article or a proposal, I send it to them after I return home. You'd be surprised at the lack of follow through from others at the event.

Are there other keys to prepare for a conference? Tell me in the comments below.  

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Updated One of My Popular Free Ebooks

Do you ever return to an old Ebook and update it? Over ten years ago, I wrote Straight Talk From the Editor, 18 Keys to a Rejection-Proof Submission. It has been one of my most popular free Ebooks. It is also one of the entry points where someone signs up for my email list.

I've worked at three publishing houses as an acquisitions editor plus for several years I had my own literary agency (now closed). I've read thousands of submissions and worked with many authors to contract and publish their books. Also I've published over 60 books for traditional publishers. From this vantage point, I wrote Straight Talk From the Editor.

Whether a writer is brand new and trying to get published for the first time or someone has been in the market for years, every type of writer can gain insights from this Ebook. I detail things not to do and actions to take which will rejection-proof your submission. Each story and detail are packed with practical insights from my experience. Each chapter ends with a summary and action steps for the reader.

Originally I wrote this Ebook for the Amazon Short program (which was stopped years ago). Amazon had the book exclusively for a period of time then it went to a nonexclusive relationship. Recently this Ebook wasn't working and I got that little technical glitch worked out so it does work.

I pulled up the Ebook on my screen. I had not revised this Ebook in four years. Some of the details needed revision and I had some new resources to add to the Ebook. In other places, links in the Ebook did not work and needed to be fixed. The book needed an update—something we can easily do in this electronic world. Admittedly it took a little editing and writing time to revise it. Then I had to do some technical work to upload the revised Ebook. Finally I tested these changes to make sure the replacement Ebook was in the
right place and everything in the book works.

I use this Ebook in a variety of places including on my blog on the Writing Life. Also this Ebook is on the back of my personal business card which I use at events and conferences. Often I am with other writers so an Ebook from an editor is an appropriate gift to others. Also this Ebook is one of the few links in my personal email signature (another way I let people know about it and encourage them to get it).

If you haven't read this Ebook, I encourage you to subscribe. You will have access to the Ebook right away.  Or maybe you read this material years ago as a subscriber and want the latest version, then subscribe again for access.

I wrote Straight Talk From the Editor (and have updated it) because I want you to succeed as a writer. Editors and agents receive hundreds of pitches, proposals and submissions. If they respond, they send a generic rejection letter which gives no idea why it was not accepted. From my experience, writers struggle to get real insights about why their pitch didn't hit the mark and get published. My Ebook is focused on providing information which is not easily accessed from my experience in the publishing world. Even at a writer's conference where you are face to face with the literary agent or editor, it is hard to get this information. I love conferences but editors and agents know the attendees have invested a lot to get to this event and the purpose is to encourage and train rather than give the hard truth. In Straight Talk, I've attempted to be transparent and balanced to help writers succeed with their submissions. Admittedly it is tricky to achieve.

Do you update your Ebooks from time to time? Let me know in the comments below.

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Be Knocking on Doors to Find Opportunity

In the publishing community, I've discovered a basic principle: If you want something to happen, you have to be knocking on doors to find that opportunity. For example, as an acquisitions editor, I've found some of my best projects meeting with authors face to face at a writers' conference. I understand the value of this personal contact with writers. 

While I've been speaking at different events for many years, the invitations to speak at these events does not happen organically (without any action on my part). From my experience, the directors of conferences are pitched many times from many more qualified people than they could possibly use at an event.

What is the difference maker so one editor is picked to be invited and another is not? I believe it is a combination of things—a personal relationship with the director or decision maker at these events but also knocking on the doors in a gentle way but letting them know of your availability and willingness to speak at their event. In the last few days, I've pulled out some resources on my bookshelf that list forthcoming conferences, then I've sent emails to these leaders. In a few cases where I know the people but haven't been to their event in several years, I've picked up the phone and called them. Will my actions pay off? I know many will fall flat and never garner a response.  I'm a realist with my expectations—yet I also know that some of them will succeed and garner an invitation to their event—maybe not this year but next year.

While I've been writing about getting speaking opportunities, the actions for a writer are exactly the same if you are looking for writing opportunities. What types of writing opportunities are you looking for? In recent days, I've been working on some book proposals and writing projects. Yes I've written a number of books over the years but most of my efforts have been in my work as an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. I've been knocking on some doors of opportunities with agents and editors to find some writing projects. Like my knocking on doors for speaking opportunities, many of my emails and calls have not been returned and feel like they are going into a black hole. Yet I persist and continue to pitch and look for new opportunities. 

Why? From my experience, I know some of these pitches will actually turn into writing assignments and future work.

Here's several actions for every writer:

1. Learn how to write an excellent book proposal. Get my free book proposal checklist or my Book Proposals That Sell or take my Write A Book Proposal course. It will take effort but it will pay off in getting more attention from literary agents and book publishers.

2.Learn how to write an attention-getting query letter. Every writer can learn this important skill of writing a one page pitch letter. It will be a valuable lesson for writing for magazines or getting the attention of literary agents or editors.

3. Continually work at fostering and strengthening your relationships with others in the community. Help them in any way that you can—and you never know where that help will lead to future opportunities.

In general, the world of publishing is busy with lots of activity, emails, manuscripts, proposals and pitches. If you wait passively for someone to reach out to you, then most likely little will happen. Instead I encourage you to be proactive in your approach and be knocking on different doors to find the right opportunity. I believe these opportunities are out there—but you have to be knocking to find them.

Tweetable:

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Easy Children’s Books

Last week at a writer’s conference, I met with writer after writer in back to back 15 minute sessions. It amounts to an editor’s marathon when you have six or seven appointments in a row. After three or four of them it is a bit of a challenge to listen to these new ideas. Yet these appointments or pitches is the main reason that I attend these conferences. I'm actively looking for new writing talent. The prepared author is always easy to spot. They have their manuscripts ready—some of them have even brought the material on flash drives. Several authors submitted their manuscripts via email right after our session.

A number of the authors I met were writing children's books.  Several of these writers came from a teaching background and showed a passion for their manuscript and work. I'm a former instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature and have published more than a dozen children's book. I understand these feelings. Reading a pile of picture books, some writers have the impression that it's easy to write these children's books. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It's not easy to get a children's book published. I've been reading a new memoir from Robert L. Bernstein called Speaking Freely. Bernstein was president of Random House for 25 years. One of the best-selling children's authors was Ted Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss. As Bernstein writes, "There are more than 220 million copies of his books now in print--but he was not an instant success. And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was rejected by twenty-seven houses before an old Darthmouth friend who worked at Vanguard Press got it published there." (page 60). 

As a child, I loved Mulberry Street and it was my favorite children's book--and to think it almost didn't get published without the persistence of the author. Every author has to find their place to be published. In particular children's authors need to study and understand the marketplace. The marketplace is specialized into different age categories. For example if you are writing a children's picture book, then you need to understand whether your book is 24 pages, 32 pages or 48 pages (the standard lengths).  As the book grows in length, your book will need more illustrations so the preference is for 24 page books.

Your number of words are limited and each word has to be carefully selected. Also you don't have the ability to write on all 24 pages because each book has a title page and a copyright page. The prepared children's writer is encouraged to create a dummy or sample layout of the book. When you do this process, you will begin to see how your book will layout and it will help you rework the book into the proper format and length.

I met with one children's book writer last week who thought she had a picture book but from the length fo the story, it was an early reader book (which has more words and less illustrations). As a writer, the more work you do on refining your manuscript into the proper length and format, the more interest you will generate from editors in your work. Then your pitch sessions or appointments with the editors will be more productive and have more potential.

If you are writing children's books, I encourage you to study the market for your type of manuscript. Also create a book proposal for your children's book. Because children's books are short, the writer often comes with the complete manuscript. Writing a book proposal will help you pinpoint the distinctions of your book, the market for your book, and also the competition for your book. A book proposal will help your submission  stand out with an editor from the other writers. It will help you make a lasting and positive impression. 

My Book Proposals That Sell has never been so inexpensive and comes with a series of bonuses and extras. Whether you get the book or not, I encourage you to step up your preparation before you head to a writer's conference or email your pitch to an editor. It will help you succeed and get published.

Whether you are writing children's books or adult books or fiction or nonfiction, you need to give the best possible pitch to an editor or agent so you capture their attention.

Tweetable:

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Make Plans for Next Year

This weekend marks my second in a row where I'm home. Why is that different? I recently completed going to six conferences in a seven-week stretch. I met some fabulous writers and had the opportunity to teach and help other writers. It was intense but in a good way.

With a month and a half, left in this year, I've turned my attention to my speaking schedule for next year. If you follow this link, you will see some events are already on my calendar. There are only a few conferences at the time I'm writing this material. I expect it to grow in the coming weeks because I'm actively working at adding events to my schedule.

In recent months, I've moved to a new location and now I'm working with a New York based publisher—yet living in California. I've written friends who run conferences where I've spoken in the past but I'm also exploring new conferences and opportunities. 

In a word, I'm proactively asking the conference director to consider me for their 2013 or 2014 faculty. I wrote some friends who lead a large conference. They responded their conference was set for 2013 and they would think about me for 2014. I wrote back and asked when I should send a reminder for 2014–-and they told me the time period for next year. So I would not forget to send them a message next year, I set a reminder which will sound on my computer some time next year and send this conference director a reminder.

For some conferences, I'm approaching their director as a cold call (someone that I do not know). I'm introducing myself, pitching my position as an acquisitions editor with Morgan James, sending my short bio and list of possible speaking topics and workshops. I do not know if I will hear from them or not—but I'm asking for their consideration—and I'm expecting that some of this asking will result in scheduling more conferences in 2013 and 2014. I'm not passively waiting for it to happen.

What are you planning or dreaming about for the year ahead? Some writers would like to get their book published next year or get published in some magazine. What active steps are you taking to accomplish these plans?

Some writers would like to meet a particular editor or agent in the year ahead. Are you making plans to cross paths with that person in the year ahead? Publishing is a relational business and who you know is important and who you can reach out and touch is a key part of succeeding with your plans and dreams. It does not happen in isolation or without taking active steps.

One of my friends has completed a novel that he would like to see in print. Yet he's not reached out to a single editor or literary agent. The manuscript remains in his computer and will stay there until he takes active steps to get it into the marketplace. The writing and story has to be excellent—and this excellence is foundational—yet the writer must take action and enter the marketplace. 

Some of those pitches will be completely cold—as I've been doing to line up some speaking for 2013 and 2014. Other pitches will be where the author has a connection (however slight) to that editor. 

Maybe you are planning to attend a particular conference in 2013. That is excellent. Are you watching the conference website to see which editors and agents will be attending that conference? Then are you targeting those editors with material that they need or are searching for? I always enjoy my meeting with writers who have done some initial research about my publishing house. For those conversations, they instantly plunge to a deeper level than someone who has no idea what types of books we publish.

What are your plans for the year ahead? Are you actively working at seeing those plans come to reality? Take some steps today to move forward. 

As you knock on the doors, you will be surprised at the opportunities which open to you.