The Price Tag of Innovation

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

In these entries on The Writing Life, I talk about different aspects of the world of publishing. In about a week, I begin to teach a continuing class at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. This event is one of the largest in the country with over 600 people last year. It’s been my honor to teach at this event a number of times. Like other aspects of publishing that I’ve mentioned, to be considered on their faculty, I have to pitch what I will teach. To give myself the best opportunity to be selected, I intentionally pitch something different than I’ve taught in the past. 

Months ago I pitched teaching a continuing session (Making Books Is Easy but Selling Books Is Hard. Unlock the Mystery: How Do Authors Sell Books?). I created a brief paragraph about each session. My personal challenge is that when I teach, I pour a great deal of time and effort into my handouts and the information which I will be giving to my class. 

Because of the size of this conference and the other classes, I never know ahead of time how many people will be at my session. Some years I have taught a full class with someone in every seat. Other years I have had two or three people (yes that number is correct). Other times I have had a dozen people in my class. I always prepare as though I will have an overflow crowd--whether that happens or not.

My challenge is finding the time to prepare for these new sessions. My handouts for the sessions are due ahead of time. Instead of printing a bunch of handouts which are not used, all of the handout information will be stored in a password protected area (just for people who have paid for the conference) to access and use. Unlike some of the other instructors, I do not use a powerpoint or an online slide deck. Through my years of attending these conferences, I  been in the audience where the instructor spends the bulk of the hour trying to get their computer to work or some other glitch prevents the audience from receiving the information. Instead when I teach, I focus on producing handouts with a lot of information (way more data than I can teach during the time period) and put it online for the participants to use when they return back to their homes.

On top of this continuing class responsibility, I’ve been invited to give one of the keynote talks to the entire conference. It’s another opportunity that I do not take lightly. I've worked and reworked my stories and what I will be saying during this time. I’ve prepared a special business sized card which I’m carrying to the event and plan to give to each person at the end of my talk. They can put this card on their computer or bathroom mirror or some other place where they will be reminded of my different key points. 

I learn a great deal as I prepare to teach and it helps me crystalize some of the actions that I take on a regular basis for my own books. Also I’m intentionally telling stories of my various experiences in publishing combined with some how-to steps for every listener. I can’t make any listener take action for their own writing life. All I can do is give them the various resources and point to where they can go on their own journey.

What do you want to accomplish? Write a specific goal and give yourself a deadline for that goal. What will it take for you to complete it? How can you break the tasks into short bursts that you can mark off and move forward? It will be your persistence and consistency that will eventually get it done. 

As authors, each of us are on this journey to find our readers, sell our books and help others. I called this article, The Price Tag of Innovation. There is definitely a cost and investment for every speaker or teacher at these events. It costs time and energy away from my office and other responsibilities. It costs time and energy away from my family. Yet from my experience of attending writer’s conferences for many years, I know the teaching to the right person can be life-changing. From my experience, the price tag of innovation is worth it.

What price tag are you paying for innovation? Maybe it’s an investment in a writer’s conference or taking an online course or maybe you are getting up an hour earlier each day to crank out some pages on your current manuscript. It could be dozens of things that need to be accomplished to reach more readers with your words. Let me know in the comments below.

My Writing In Other Places:

With these articles, I encourage you to publish your work beyond your blog in other places. Below are a couple of locations where my work has been recently published.

Each month I write an article about book proposal creation for Almost an Author. This site recently was hacked and went down but is now back up. I encourage writers to Build and Maintain Editor Relationships at: https://bit.ly/4jRmRKK 

Each month I guest blog for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference blog. In this article, I encourage authors saying: You Can Reach Your Writing Goals at: https://bit.ly/4j3uUTC

Tweetable:

According to this prolific author and editor, there is a price tag for innovation. Are you aware of this cost and how to move forward with your writing? Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

During my decades in publishing, I’ve heard the unrealistic expectations of writers. The reality is 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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Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

Authors Must Prime the Pump

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

When I begin a new nasal spray for my allergies, I have to spray a couple of times to prime the pump. Then it will work properly. For this article, I’m adding an image of an old-fashion pump. For this pump to give water, you have to pump it a number of times. Through taking action, you bring the water up from the well until it runs out of the pump. 

Authors have to prime the pump to sell their books and in this article I want to give you some ideas and details about actions in this process.

Someone must hear about your book dozens of times before they purchase it. The author is the person with the greatest passion for their topic--and it is up to you to drive this exposure or prime the pump--with social media, stressing the benefits of your book, telling stories, sending emails, writing magazine articles, shooting videos, going on podcasts and radio shows and many more actions--hopefully you get the idea.

Recently David Hancock, the founder of Morgan James Publishing, and I were talking about the presale process. He said at 13 months bestselling author Dave Ramsey will begin talking with his audience about a forthcoming book and the content of it. He will tell his readers that he is writing the book and a bit of what it will contain.  When Ramsey talks about this forthcoming book, he is peaking the interest of his readers and priming the pump for them to prepare to purchase it. 

In other articles on The Writing Life, I’ve mentioned that I’m a Daniel Silva fan of his writing. Each year, Silva writes a single novel which is released in July. Almost a year ahead, he will announce the title in his newsletter then a few months later, he will show the book cover. A few months later he will announce the book is ready to be pre-ordered. His next newsletter will announce that readers can order a signed copy of this forthcoming book. How does he sign these books? His publisher sends him a page of the book and Silva signs these pages then returns them to the publisher. They are bound into signed copies. It’s called a book tip-in and is used to drive pre-sales for the forthcoming novel. 

I ordered my copy of A Death in Cornwall on April 3rd and the book will not release until July 9th. Whether you order your book from your favorite independent bookstore or an online bookstore like Target, no copies of the book will ship until the release day. I’ve already ordered my signed copy. 

According to David Hancock, “The best time to begin marketing and telling people about your book is the moment you decide to write it or today--which ever day comes first.” As David told me, there are three reasons bookstore buyers purchase a book. First, you’ve compared your book to other books on your topic or category. Because other readers have bought X number of that book, the bookstore will order your book for their customers. The second reason for bookstores to order your book is you are the right person, talking about the right topic at the right time. Yes, there were a number of rights in that last sentence but you can sell books if they line up. The final reason is that you as the author are consistently talking to your reader about this topic. That consistent effort pays off with a steady stream of book sales in the bookstore. 

Every Author Must Cross Two Bridges

As David Hancock recently told me, every author with their book needs to cross two bridges. The first bridge is:

1. The Authority Bridge. The public must perceive you as the right person talking about the content of your book. You show you are an authority through consistently talking about the topic of your book. Also you bring the audience along on your publishing journey as you write the book, look for a publisher, get rejected, keep trying and eventually get accepted. 

2. The Permission Bridge. Most authors don’t build this bridge. Instead the hold their content close to themselves then begin to share it when their book comes out. If you have built the permission bridge you have shared your content and expertise on the topic and earned the right to ask your readers permission to buy your book. You’ve not only created a book but created associated products such as a reader’s guide with study questions or a journal or have launched an online course associated with it. What else can you build in addition to your book? Can you create a keynote speech tied to your content which you give to various groups and settings? As David Hancock said, readers beget readers. 

As you build the authority bridge and the permission bridge, then you begin to build the community or tribe who love your content and your work. As Jay Conrad Levinson, the creator of Guerrilla Marketing in the 80s often said, he made $35,000 on his book but $10 million because of it and the related products from it. 

During my conversation with David Hancock, he also gave me the top four best practices to sell books:

1. Word of Mouth. People talk about the books they are reading. How did the book change them? Give them access to your content and they will talk about you and your book.

2. Consistent Email. It sounds old fashion but here's the truth. Not everyone has a Facebook page but everyone has an email address. David suggested sending one email a month and this regular communication on your topic will build your audience.

3. Podcasts. There are millions of podcasts and they need authors who can speak with authority and passion about their topic. Learn how to pitch and get on these podcasts

4. Social Media. Many writers will groan at this final one because in general there is a lot of noise on social media. David advises you to be consistent, be a real person and it takes patience. 

In this blog post, I want to give you an unedited recording of my interview with David Hancock which is about 35 minutes. This recording will provide more details than this article. Follow this link and download the audio to your computer and save it. There are three vertical dots on the right side of the recording. Click the top dot of the three on the right and it will let you download the audio then listen to it. 

What steps are you taking on a consistent basis to prime the pump with your audience? What am I missing? Let me know in the comments.

 

Tweetable:

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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 Author Strategy

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Some publishing experts estimate 1,000 new books are published every day. This estimate includes the self-published books and it can be overwhelming when you consider the volume of print material which is entering the world. 

How can an author standout, be different and sell books? In this article, I want to give some strategy ideas and action steps. Upfront, I will tell you each of these methods are not quick and easy. They require effort and work to sell books. 

As you read and study the path of other authors, you need to understand success leaves traces. If you study the details of the success of others, you can discover the path for your own success and sales of your book. First, you have to gather some basics. What type of book are you writing? In general the techniques and path for a children’s book will be different from a novel from a nonfiction self-help book. Each of these types will often follow a different strategy and path to sell their books.

Several years ago I interviewed an author friend who self-published a nonfiction book. In the creation process, he created a book which was well-written with an attractive cover. He crafted the back cover copy and made sure there was a publishing logo on the spine and the barcode on the back was perfect. This friend paid attention to the details as he self-published and produced a book which when placed along side any other book would be accepted. Many people self-publish but they slip on these production details. 

This author targeted book sales to libraries. The American Library Association says there are over 123,000 libraries in the United States. He located a list of these libraries with the phone numbers. For several hours every day, he called the libraries, introduced himself and had a brief pitch for his book. He got the librarian interested in his book, got their name and with their consent, mailed a book with an invoice. It took hours of work and the development of a plan and execution of that plan, but he sold thousands of books in this process.  If you want more of the details, I have this interview in the extra products when you purchase my 10 Publishing Myths book. This strategy to sell books worked for this author and you could learn from his success.

I follow the teaching and stories from book marketing expert John Kremer, author of 1001 Ways to MarketYour Book. Recently he made a bold claim encouraging authors to make up to $150,000 before your book is published! The strategy of pre-sales is one every author can learn about and practice.

If you have published or plan to publish a children’s book, then look at the information and actions in this section from John Kremer. As with the other strategies in this article, you can learn and then implement the practices for your books. 

Have you heard of bestselling novelist Terry McMillan who has several movies including Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. As John Kremer said, “Her first novel was published by a large New York publisher, but they didn’t do much with it. This was in 1987. They sent out press releases. They sent out some review copies. But Terry was a first-time novelist, so media didn’t care. Nothing much happened.” How did Terry turn around this experience? John gives the details in the Rule of 3,000. McMillan handwrote personal letters to 3,000 bookstores. It was a huge commitment of time and energy but it got attention and paid off. Few authors would make this sort of effort but it launched a bestselling novelist. Maybe you want to follow this path for your book.

John wrote some additional details saying, “The response was so great that she ended up doing a 39-city book tour. Her efforts gained her plenty of rave reviews for her book as well as two reprintings in six weeks. That’s a major success for a first-time novelist. Her publisher got behind her once they saw that the book was selling, and it was worth reprinting again and again. The key point to this story is not who Terry sent letters to, but how many letters she sent. It’s a numbers game, and what happens with most authors, even though I’ve told them this story many times, is that they ignore this crucial advice. Write a lot of emails.”

One of my Morgan James Publishing authors published a personal story with a tie to the pro-life issue. She mailed 1,000 copies of her book to Crisis Pregnancy Centers around the United States. The effort was a financial and time investment in her book. One of the keys for her success will be the strategy behind it. Did she offer bulk sales to these places and how is she following up on the mailing? Each of these strategies have different details which are important for them to succeed. 

My encouragement is for you to learn about these different author strategies for selling and marketing your book. Try some of them and see if they work for you. If they work, then do it some more. If not, then press on to another one. There is not one path to success but many paths and as an author you have to select the one for you. If there was a single path, every book would be a bestseller. Instead we know some books have dismal sales and others succeed. 

My encouragement is to try a different author strategy to sell your book and keep doing it over and over until you find success. Is there another strategy that you have used to successfully sell books? Let me know in the comments.

 

Tweetable:

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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.

Practice Age-Old Wisdom

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

During this time of year, activities tend to slow down--less activity on the publishing front and phone calls are not returned, etc. I use this time to read some books and complete some online courses. While I’ve been in publishing for years, I have a great deal to learn and more improvements to make in my own storytelling and writing life. 

Many authors are looking for the magic bullet to propel their books on the bestseller list. These people are often chasing the latest shiny marketing tool or social media network. If you are listening to such information, you can easily find yourself pulled in many different directions. I understand why publishers are looking for authors with a presence on the internet and social media connections. They want authors who will use these different methods over and over to tell their readers about their work. From my view, social media is all about repeat exposure. Someone has to hear about your book at least ten or twelve times, before they will purchase your book. You tell them about your book in different ways such as through a radio broadcast or a podcast or a magazine article or ???. If you want to see or need an example, just follow my Twitter feed or LinkedIN feed and you will see how I talk about my books using diverse methods on a consistent basis. 

As I listen to training programs and learn, there is a repeated emphasis on returning to the basics--email. Why is a vital and effectively used email list much better than the shiny new platform? The simple fact is that as an author, you control your email list as far as the frequency of use and your efforts to grow and expand your list of readers. I don’t control the spaces which are commonly referred to as “rented platforms.” 

For any of these social media platforms like Facebook, X or Twitter, LinkedIN and many others, if I violate (even unintentionally), my account can be cancelled or suspended. These rules that are violated are often buried in the settings and almost impossible to appeal or get reinstated because the restoration process is outside of what the author can control. You’ve spent untold hours building a group of readers on Facebook then one day your account is suspended. Or your level of response and visibility radically drops because the site has changed their algorithm (which few people understand and almost no one can do anything about). 

Your own email list is what you can control, build and repeatedly use. Do you have an email list and are you effectively using it? Several years ago I created a simple and inexpensive ebook on this topic called List Building Tycoon. If you haven’t seen it, I encourage you to follow the link or click the small image and check it out. 

I’ve not been using my own email list with the greatest effect. Particularly in the new year, I plan to increase my use of my email list and have some specific actions that I’ve relearned from these courses that I’ve been watching. Each of us have to learn these skills then put them into practice. It’s an action step which I encourage every author to do in the days ahead. There are reasons the age-old wisdom works. 

Our life as a writer is a journey. Which age-old wise practices are you not putting into practice?   Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

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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 their own actions--no matter who publishes the book. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

Publishing Takes A Team

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

 

On the surface, it is often not clear but sucessful publishing takes a team. The work of a writer is a solitary task where you understand your target audience (reader) and craft your words into a manuscript for various publications. As I've mentioned in the pages of these entries, your relationships with others is a critical part of this process.  I understand many writers have chosen to self-publish which is definitely a choice but in this article I want to give several examples of why you need a team.

 

The team can get your book reviewed in respected journals. For many years, I've read the monthly Cox Report from Midwest Book Review. On their site, they have submission guidelines and I've sent a few of my books to them but (like every review outlet), they receive thousands of books and only pick a few to review. Months ago, Morgan James Publishing submitted my Book Proposals That Sell (The Revised Edition) to Midwest Book Review. Getting the book to the right person is a critical part of this process. Jim Cox selected my book to review. As I read the Cox Report, I grateful for the team and that my book was reviewed. You can read the full review here but here's the section that stood out to me: “Critique: Simply stated, if you only have time to read one 'how to' guide to getting published, whether it be traditional publishing or self-publishing, "Book Proposals That Sell: 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success" is that one DIY instructional book. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, it can help the aspiring writer to avoid costly and time consuming mistakes with respect to getting published and having that published book brought to the attention of its intended readership.”

 

To get such a review was a feat of the team effort, but using this review on an on-going effort for the book is also important. I continue to use the review from time to time in my social media feed and other places plus I used some of the words to create a unique image. You can use these tools as well and get lifetime access if you follow this link. I use this tool several times a week so it has become an important part of my regular work.

 

As I've mentioned in these articles, thousands of books are published every day. Many books never appear inside a brick and mortar bookstore and are only sold online. As someone who has been in publishing for years, you want your book in many different places—brick and mortar as well as online. You have to be with the right publisher to get your book inside a bookstore. Several years ago, I was going through the Philadelphia airport and missed my connection. I spent the bulk of that day inside the airport waiting for my next flight. Out of sheer boredom, I went into the airport bookstore to look around and found my Billy Graham biography. Notice this picture from inside the airport bookstore. Over the years, I've seen numerous Morgan James Publishing books inside the bookstore. You have to be working with the right publisher for this placement to happen.

 

Over the last ten years, I've brought numerous authors and books to Morgan James Publishing (follow this link and my contact information is on the bottom of the second page—email and direct phone). If I can help you, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'm always looking for the right authors and books.

 

I hope through these examples, you understand publishing is a team effort and you need to be with the right team. How have you seen publishing takes a team? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

Publishing takes a team. In this article, prolific author and editor tells a couple of stories and gives specific ideas. Here are the details. (ClickToTweet)

Does your fiction or nonfiction have a business plan? Every type of book needs a proposal—even if you self-publish. Get this resource.

Check out this article:

Each month I write an original article for the BRMCWC blog. Writer, What Is Your Side Hustle? I hope it gives you some new ideas for your own writing life. 

Learning Curve and Offer

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Last week I launched a book funnel promotion for my 10 Publishing Myths book. I've been working on this funnel for weeks. In late February I attended a three day intense book funnel boot camp. There was a great deal of homework before we attended the boot camp plus each day was long hours of instruction with assignments in the evening. In this process, I'm using many new tools and programs—including my email program.

Part of this training included a sequence of emails to tell people about your book. I carefully worked on this sequence, rewriting it for my book and other details. Got it loaded and checked in my new program. I was preparing to launch it. Then I goofed. Instead of sending four separate emails spaced out over days, I sent all four emails at the same time (whoops). So much for gently leading people and reminding them about my new book. With this error, I messed up the process.

My good news is the sequence of emails worked. I'm selling books (the goal) and even though not perfect, working on retooling other things behind the scenes. I'd love for you to check out my new offer. You get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 and the shipping is FREE. As an additional bonus, you get over $200 in FREE bonuses when you buy my book. Just follow this link to learn more.

Why did I build this book funnel? I've watched other authors be successful with such a program. You sell books in this process. Some of our most successful authors at Morgan James Publishing are using this method and selling books month after month. These books are not just something the author sells but their book funnel is also driving bookstore sales (online and brick and mortar book sales). These authors have some of the top selling books from the publishing house—year after year.

Will it work for my book? I don't know but I'm trying. Each author has a learning curve and challenges in this process. I do and my encouragement to you today is to keep going. Keep trying new techniques to see if they will work for you. If they do, great. If not, then try something else. As you take action, you will move yourself way beyond the authors who do little or nothing.

In summary, if you are an author, here's the basic principles that I am doing:

* Watch and see what is successful for other authors

* Adapt that success for your own book and try it

* For every such change, there is a learning curve and mistakes

* Be forgiving of others and also with yourself, and then keep going forward.

What sort of learning curve are you experiencing? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable: 

How are you handling the learning curve as an author? Check out this article and unique offer from prolific editor and author. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Endorsements Sell Books

As a long-time reader, I have purchased a number of books because of an endorsement on the front or back cove or just inside the book. These brief words from someone with name recognition help you sell books. Sometimes these endorsements are called blurbs.

From my years in publishing, the process of getting these endorsements is often a bit mysterious to writers.
Without the author taking action during the production process, endorsements don’t happen. Many books are published without endorsements but if your book doesn’t have endorsements, you are missing this sales tool.

You have to ask people to endorse your book. One of the keys in this process is to understand these high profile people are busy and do not assume they will read your book before they send their endorsement.

What To Ask and What To Send

--Write a clear short subject line in email: like Easy Blurb Request. These people get a lot of emails and you want to make it clear from the beginning how your request is different and easy for them to handle.

--Attach the cover and the edited manuscript (probably not in layout at this point). Don’t assume they will read the manuscript but you want them to be able to read it and see the  designed cover.

--Write a brief email with only a few sentences. Give them a deadline and offer to write a “draft endorsement” if they don’t have the time to write one themselves. As I’ve done this process, I’m always surprised at who will ask for a draft endorsement. You have no idea of their schedule and  whether they are home or traveling or in some intense deadline. You want to make it easy so they agree to do it.

--Ask how they want to be identified. Some of the possible options are bestselling author, editor at ___ or president of ____ or any other way. You will get a variety of answers but want to identify your endorsers as they want to be named. Many of us have different roles in different places.

--Use their website contact form or social media to reach them. Some of these high profile people are hard to reach but you want to ask more people than you will actually need. When I did this process recently, some long-time friends did not respond. Others sent emails and said no for various reasons. 

If you can, you want to gather several pages of these endorsements. Some will be broken into phrases and used on the inside but also on the front or back cover.

For a couple of examples of endorsements, I encourage you to look at the sample of my Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams (follow this link). Notice the variety and different types of endorsements in these pages. You can do the same with your book. Also look in detail at the story of Jacqueline Marcell who self-published her book about elder care and had many high profile endorsements. She details her process and some of her resources in this article (follow this link).

After the book is in Print

When you have books in hand (often before the official release date), send a signed print copy to the endorser with your note of appreciation. This person helped you and your gratitude is an important step in the process.

It does take effort to get these endorsements but they pay off in increased book sales. Also online sites will often put the endorsements in the editorial dection of the book—i.e. before any customer reviews for the book—which is another opportunity for you as the author to influence and encourage the book sale.

Some writers wonder about the integrity of this process. The endorser didn’t read the book cover to  cover before adding their name to this process. Even though I understand how this process works, I still buy books because of a particular endorsement on a book.

My encouragement is for you to put the effort into this process during the book production and it will pay off for you.

How do you gather endorsements for  your book? Have I missed anything? If so, let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Endorsements sell books. Learn the specifics of how to gather them here. (ClickToTweet)

 

Serve Libraries With Your Books - Time Sensitive

If you follow the publishing news, you are aware the physical bookstores are shrinking. This year over 240 Family Christian bookstores closed their doors.  One of the wide open areas for authors is the public library.

Libraries have:

• People who love authors and books
• Budgets to buy books
• Hold events for authors to sell books
• And much more

Yet how to you sell your book to these librarians who are buying books? In the last week, I have purchased the Real Fast Library Marketing program and I’ve been working through the various lessons. I’m about to begin actively selling my Billy Graham book to libraries using this system. I marked this post as Time Sensitive because the two-hour webinar and discounted program will only be available for a limited time (as shown through the countdown timer on the site). Use this link to watch the webinar.

Whether your book is brand new or has been out a couple of years (like my biography, Billy Graham) you can actively use this library program. It is not a quick fix and will take work. Every author can use this system and the training for their book. I encourage you to check it out.

Also, I have one more request. Two years ago I wrote a biography of Billy Graham. The book has been well-received and has over 50 reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. You can learn more about the book at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Also I’m working on the audiobook which will soon be released.

Using the Real Fast Library Marketing program, I’ve learned how to create this single page about my Billy Graham book:  http://terrylinks.com/BGLibrary


Can you please:

1. Look at the document and print it. http://terrylinks.com/BGLibrary
2. Take it to your local librarian and ask them to consider buying the book.

The Bible says in James 4:2, “You have not because you ask not.” I’m asking for you to touch your library and ask them to order my book. Thank you in advance for your help.

Whether you have published traditionally or self-published your book, you have the greatest passion for your book. This two–hour webinar about marketing to libraries is only available for a few more days. Also use the link and scroll down to the middle of the page. You will find a 24-page FREE PDF about libraries to learn about this market. As you can see, I’m learning a lot from the course and recommend it.

Throughout this program on a repeated basis, one of the keys to successful selling into libraries is the attitude of the author.  Authors need to serve the librarians and prepare materials to show they are actively marketing their books and encouraging people to go to libraries. It is the attitude of service to libraries which will catch the attention of librarians.

What are you doing to get your books into libraries? Let me know in the comments below.

Note: Normally I only post once a week but this week I'm making an exception because of the time sensitive webinar.    


Tweetable:

Learn to Serve Libraries with Your Books. Details are here.  (ClickToTweet)
 

Shocking News For Authors

The Book Business Is A Business First

Before I began working inside a book publishing house, I had written more than 50 nonfiction books, ranging from children's to adult books. I have never self-published a book and always worked through traditional publishers. 


However, I was unaware of the financial production numbers for nonfiction books and I found it shocking--and something critical for potential authors to understand. The author never sees these figures for their books as the publisher doesn't reveal them throughout the contract negotiation process. A publisher will produce these financial calculations as simply a part of good business practices. As an author, understanding this helped me see publishing as a business. Authors have huge amounts of time and emotional investment in their words. When I saw these production numbers, I understood that the publisher, not the author, has the largest out-of-pocket cash investment in a book.

Inside the publisher, the editor will gather a sales projection about how many copies the sales department believes they can sell of your title the first year. That sales figure will be used to calculate the production costs of ink, paper and binding for various amounts of printing (5,000, 10,000 or 15,000 copies). As the initial print number is raised, the cost per book decreases. 

You may ask, So why not print a large volume each time? The answer is, if the publisher prints a large number of copies, then he has to store those copies in their warehouse (read cost and expense), plus make sure they actually sell those copies within a year's time frame. The cost of tying up financial resources in storing and warehousing books that aren't selling is large. Also the federal government taxes publishers on each copy in storage. These tax rules have forced publishers to think long and hard about how many copies of each book to print.

Inside my former publisher, we calculated the overall printing details of the book (paperback with general publishing look or hardcover with jacket) and the number of books to print before offering a book contract. In short, publishers pour a great deal of work into their books and financial projections before they call you and offer a nonfiction book contract. Understanding this process helps you see some of the reasons it takes such a long time for an author to receive a publishing contract.

Often the publisher returns to an author with whom they have already published a book. If the publisher takes a second or third book from the same author, they are investing in that author's career and trying to build that author's audience and market. If the author's books are selling well, then the publisher will be eager for another project. Each week, publishers monitor sales numbers on their books to see if particular authors merit another book contract.

Many writers focus only on the creative aspects of writing a book and getting it published, but the executives inside a publishing house are business people who want to sell books and turn a profit at the end of the day. It's a delicate balance between creating the best possible product and assuring that each product has the best opportunity to sell into the market and reach the target audience.

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Three Ways to Get Your Book into Libraries

By Elaine Wilkes, PhD

Libraries are one of the most overlooked yet lucrative markets to sell your books and eBooks!

While traveling, I stopped at a few local libraries. They all purchased my three-year-old book.

I received checks within two weeks, and those books that will never get returned. Later I discovered that my book was checked out. So fun!

I took my mom, a senior citizen with her first self-published children’s book, around to the local libraries. She sold eleven books. Off to a great start!

It amazes me that we hear so much about getting your book on Kindle, but not much about getting books into over 120,000 US libraries.

It could be because people think it’s hard to get their book into libraries. And it is.

That is if you don’t know how the libraries work. It’s like going to Vegas and not knowing the rules of gambling. You may get lucky, but chances are you’ll lose your money and it’ll be a bad experience.

Here are a few tips get started in learning the library system:

1. Email them. Here’s what librarian buyers like to see in emails. Include:

• Your book’s ISBN
• How they can buy it. Do you have a distributor, or do they buy from you?
• Their price.
• Do you have any reviews? It’s helpful to have that.
• List size and page count. If it’s an oversized book, they need to know that.

Here are general points they want for your emails:

• Keep your emails brief.
• Have white space in between SHORT paragraphs. Long paragraphs with no white space look too overwhelming to read, and in the trash they go.
• Edit your email so it’s concise and to the point, but still friendly. As Mark Twain supposedly said, “If I had more time, I would have written less.”
• Personalize your email. Find something about their city, library, or anything that seems like you’re writing a personal email to them.

2. Do virtual library speech, or even a virtual video tour. Now you can speak to library groups all over the country—virtually without leaving your home!

Virtual library video meetings are the latest thing, and a HUGE opportunity for you.

For example, in the suburbs of Chicago, three libraries simultaneously used an interactive webinar to virtually host Adriana Trigiani, the author of The Shoemaker’s Wife.

Here’s how it worked.  Adriana and the three libraries were hooked up with their own Webcams. Each library was able to see and hear all four Webcams on one big screen at the same time. Adriana, via her Webcam from her office in her laundry room in New York, was able to interact with all three libraries at once.

Adriana did an interactive virtual meeting with library patrons in a different state without leaving her home. How cool is that!

What’s the cost for all this amazing technology?

It’s free!

The library used the GoToMeeting.com free 30-day trial. Up to six Webcams can be streamed at once.

There are numerous other free and easy to use options such as Google Hangouts and Skype.

Authors have shared how the libraries have given them good PR by promoting their library events for them. This promotion proved so popular that three libraries had a waiting list.

Libraries are starting to have virtual meetings with out of town authors allowing local people to communicate with the author who is onscreen. The author can see hear, and speak to them, but can’t shake their hands.

3. Looks matter! They do take self-published books now, but they want those books to look just like the big time publisher books. If the cover or layout looks unprofessional, chances are they won’t buy it.

Proofread your book many times. If a librarian buyer sees typos, or bad grammar—that’s a deal breaker.

Libraries now have eBooks too! (Checking out eBooks from your computer saves you money, and no more late fees, since there’s nothing to return.)

In summary, it’s a terrific time to get your books and eBooks into libraries.

Learn many more secrets on why librarians choose books—including self-published books and eBooks with this one-of-a-kind library course. It includes:

• Audio interviews with librarian buyers on why they buy and don’t buy books
• A 100+ page eBook
• Author interviews on ways they got their books into libraries

Whether you're a published OR self-published, watch your books fly ON the shelves.

This easy, comprehensive course that contains everything you need to know is now on sale.

“Check out” this course now before this awesome sale is “overdue.” Here's the link:

http://bit.ly/17zYLrm

Elaine Wilkes, PhD, is a published and self-published author. Her award winning book, Nature's Secret Messages, was awarded Publishers Weekly rare star recommendation. Her latest book, 101 Awesome Things to Do for Someone Who's Sick, is now on an introductory sale. Finally, cool stuff to help someone who's sick! http://www.101AwesomeThings.com