Make the Right Writing Connection

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As book authors, the emails blast into our mailbox. Throughout my day I receive many of these email pitches. They write me about books that I wrote years ago and are often out of print. Other emails are for books where I was the co-author. With additional emails, they pitch me to promote a book which I wrote as a work-made-for-hire (no ongoing royalties). The authors of these emails claim to be editors or literary agents or bestselling authors or publicists or ??? How do you sort through it and figure out which ones are real and which ones are simply artificial intelligence bots?

It isn’t easy to know sometimes. Last week, a long-term friend called me about an email he had received from an editor and known publisher. The email appeared legit and talked about the editor’s interest in a book which he had published years ago and was now out of print. I encouraged him to research then use caution in his response. 

Recently I received an email asking for an interview from a Texas radio station regarding my Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. This book is my only self-published book and when it was created I worked hard to have every element in a traditional book through the endorsements, design, publisher logo and even included cartoons in every other chapter. Now the revised edition is a Morgan James Publishing book and available in bookstores everywhere. Follow this link to see a sample.

Because of my greater emotional attachment to this book, when I read the email, it looked legitimate. When I searched, I located the sender on LinkedIn. Her profile raised some questions for me because it had no photo. Normally if the person is real and using LinkedIn, the individual will include an actual photo. On a different website about the radio station, I located a photo of the sender and decided to answer. I exchanged several emails with this person and on the second or third one when we agreed on a time to speak. She explained about a $100 administrative fee (red flag). 

Through the years dozens of radio stations have interviewed me about my books. None of them have charged an administrative fee. It’s the same in the podcast area where I’ve been on over 80 podcasts with no charge. I emailed the Texas radio interview and cancelled our interview. I learned the hard way not to respond to these questionable pitches--and I encourage you not to do so either.

Some Basics about these emails

1. You do not pay for a podcast interview or radio broadcast or media introduction. Nor do you need to pay for an introduction to a community of readers.

2. Use your common sense and ask yourself some questions. Why is this person reaching out to you about this book? Do they include a real website link and even a phone number with their email? Consider their agenda and whether it is a common pitch.

3. Type the person’s name into a search engine and see what you learn before responding.

4. Type the person’s name into LinkedIn. I found the person in Texas without a photo. I requested to connect with this person and did not receive any response (another red flag). I have thousands of LinkedIn connections and have used this site for years. 

Some Typical Ways to Connect

1. Meet the person at a writers conference and exchange business cards. This personal connection will evaporate these fake email pitches. As an editor and former literary agent, I frequently email, call and sometimes text with authors I’ve met at an event. 

2. Ask someone else who knows this editor or agent or media person to introduce you. I’ve hired publicists and marketing experts to help me and introduce me to other professionals. These connections are developed through years of hard work and straightforward connections. 

Each of us need connections with others but it needs to be the right writing connection. What other steps am I missing in this article? What experiences have you had with these email pitches? I look forward to reading your comments.

Tweetable:

In a world with fake emails and bots, writers need to make the right connection for their writing. This prolific author and editor tells his stories and gives simple actions to make true connections.  (ClickToTweet)

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week two more new podcast recordings launched:

Dominic and I spoke about 10 Publishing Myths Every Author Needs to Know on Hidden Secrets in Books Podcast. Listen at: https://bit.ly/4h4X4Qp

Book coach and author Natasha Tynes (@NatashaTynes) and I spoke about “Nobody is coming to save your book” on the Read and Write with Natasha Podcast at: https://tinyurl.com/yba53yw7 

A key part of the writing life is a word I don’t really like but do: the discipline of consistently writing. A blog is an important part of this process for me. Many authors have an unrealistic idea about the details of publishing. 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS is a practical easy reading book to help you. Get my decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses.

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,800 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

Why Every Author Needs a Newsletter

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

I can “hear” the reader’s objections to the title for this article saying things like I’m an author and I don’t have or need a newsletter. Yesterday I spoke with an author and she said that she didn’t need a newsletter or know what she would say in one. From working with authors, I often hear these objections. One of my authors who was publishing his third book with Morgan James Publishing, told me outright he hadn’t created an author newsletter. 

Other authors decide they can’t devote the time to write and send a newsletter. Others object they have nothing to say to their readers. I understand these objections and like any aspect of the work, there are challenges for authors. In this article, I’m going to help you to see the importance of having this direct connection to your readers.

Let’s think about how you use email. I read my email on my desktop computer but I also read it on my phone. I look at the subject line and decide if I’m going to open and read the email. I would assume my email practices are similar to others.

Email is a direct connection to your readers--provided they open and read it. That’s why your newsletter program will typically measure and display the open rates. I understand not everyone reads their email. This week one author was telling me about another friend who had declared to a class that he had over 700 unopened emails. I add this story to show the importance of creating an enticing subject line for your newsletter. While I don’t answer every email and I get a lot of it. I do open or process my email all the time--early and late in the day.

For over 17 years, I have been writing and sending newsletters. I knew my target reader but here’s been my personal issue: consistency. I was sending about once a month which is infrequent and readers forget they subscribed to your newsletter. About a year ago, my newsletter program and my shopping cart went out of business. With a large personal effort, I moved my newsletter to convertkit.com which has changed to kit.com.  

For over a year (in fact currently for over 100 weeks), I have been sending a short email with publishing insights each week to my subscribers. If you aren’t on this list, use this link to subscribe. When you do, you will receive a free 87-page Ebook. Each author has to determine the frequency of their newsletter such as daily, five days a week, once a week, twice a month or once a month. After you determine your newsletter schedule, it is important to deliver consistently on your schedule. 

Every author has to select a newsletter program to use. Some people use MailChimp while others use constant contact or AWeber or something else. Each one has different functions and costs involved. On Right-Writing.com, I have a series of additional articles about newsletters.

Everyone begins their newsletter with a small list of subscribers. Then you grow email list using lead magnets. In 2019, I wrote a detailed article about lead magnets with specific examples. Follow this link to see this information.

Unlike social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc, email is your direct connection to your readers. To follow the rules of email, each newsletter gives the reader a simple way to unsubscribe. Each week, I have people who unsubscribe and that’s fine with me. I want people to receive my publishing insights who want to receive them. It’s that simple. 

An email newsletter is your direct connection to your audience. Through my acquisitions work at Morgan James Publishing, authors will raise objections to building a newsletter. From my perspective, this newsletter is one of the best and most important tools for every author.

Do you have a newsletter? Are you using it consistently? What steps are you taking to build your subscribers? I look forward to reading your comments. Don’t forget to join the conversation. 

Tweetable:

For every author, one of the most important tools is their newsletter. Get the detailed reasons and actions from this prolific author and editor.  (ClickToTweet)

My Writing In Other Places:

With these articles, I encourage you to publish your work beyond your blog in other places. Below are three articles which were published in other online locations than this blog. While it's been a couple of months since I highlighted this section, I have continued to write each month on each of these websites. Find your opportunities to get your work into some other websites through guest blogging.

What’s Behind A Successful Book? In this article, I give some detailed examples about what it takes to create a successful book. It is not writing another book. Read it at:  https://bit.ly/4wPDCf5

Each month at Almost An Author, I write about some aspect of book proposal creation (an important skill for every writer). In this article I detail How To Catch Attention. Read it at: https://bit.ly/4h06JaO 

Each month, I guest blog on Writers on the Move. This month I wrote about how the gatekeepers (editors and literary agents) are looking for authors who will market their books. In Beef Up Your Proposal Marketing Section, I detail how to add this information into your pitch and also explain why it is important. https://bit.ly/4wvbJJ3 

Currently I’m working with my third publisher as an acquisitions editor. During these years, I’ve spoken with many authors about their expectations, dreams and desires for their books. I find many unrealistic expectations. 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. 

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,800 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

When Overwhelmed or Feeling Behind

 

           

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As a writer, I often feel overwhelmed with the work. Or I feel like I’m behind with much yet to be done. These feelings are completely normal.  If we are honest, each of us live in a big world with many opportunities. For example, there are books that we need to write and books we can write for others as a co-author or ghostwriter. There are many online and print publications where we can publish our stories--provided we read their guidelines and pitch the editor. With the explosion of podcasts, there are many of those opportunities to pitch, book and record. When you consider the possibilties, it’s easy to stare at it all and wonder which one to tackle next?

At Morgan James Publishing, each year we receive over 5,000 submissions and only publish about 150 carefully-selected books. Our system and how we work with authors is different from other publishers and not right for every author. For the last 14 years, I’ve spent many hours talking with authors and exploring the details to see if it is the right fit for a particular author and a particular book. I understand there are many publishing options. For my editorial work, there are always more emails to answer and submissions to process. At any given time, I have a large volume of emails that I’ve not answered.

As I think about my work as a writer, there is always more to be done. There are always more books to read and write about including writing book reviews. As writers, we are surrounded with interesting stories from others and experiences of our own to capture. I’ve discovered I always have more follow-up emails to send and phone calls to make.

How to handle these overwhelming and behind feelings? First, acknowledge the reality of your feelings and that each of us have these concerns. Then break large tasks into smaller ones. Every writer works on their book manuscript in small pieces. We write one sentence and one paragraph and one story at a time. 

You may not have much time to pour into your writing project. Can you devote half an hour or fifteen minutes? Whether you find this time early in the day or late at night. Keep moving forward on it. If you write ___ words a day (fill in the blank with a specific number ) then eventually you will complete the manuscript for a book or a magazine article or a blog post or a query letter. Each of us have a different volume or number of words that we will write during a day.

As I emphasized in 10 Publishing Myths, many of the details of publishing are outside of anything that we can control. Also take 100% responsibility for your own success and continue moving ahead on your effort to reach new readers.

Also I encourage you to continually make new connections and renew your efforts the old ones. For example, on my computer and my phone, I keep track of birthdays and anniversaries. Each year, I reach out to them with a personalized message and this event gives me a fresh connection with these friends. In addition, throughout my day when they come to mind, I reach out to some of them at random. I don’t have any agenda other than getting an update and asking a simple question. I encourage you to take these sorts of actions as well. 

With my work, I spend a lot of time sitting and not moving. One of the ways I get a change of pace is to exercise or to walk. I fit this activity into my life several times a week. It helps my mindset and physical situation.;

I change up my daily routine and activities. I continue to try new ways of reaching readers and my audience. If you  need some ideas in this area, I encourage you to get a copy of marketing authority John Kremer’s 1001 Ways to Market Your Book. With over 700 pages, you can always find a new area to explore with your book.

The final way I would give you to ease the feelings of being behind or overwhelmed is to consider who is in charge of your life and decisions. Each of us only have one life. Many years ago, I learned this hymn Only One Life. The lyrics:

“Only one life to offer - Jesus, my Lord and King;

Only on tongue to praise Thee And of Thy mercy sing (forever);

Only one heart’s devotion - Savior, O may it be

Consecrated alone to Thy matchless glory,

Yielded fully to Thee.

Only this hour is mine, Lord - May it be used for Thee;

May ev’ry passing moment Count for eternity (my Saviour);

Souls all about are dying, Dying in sin and shame;

Help me bring them the message of Calv’ry’s redemption

In Thy glorious name.

Only one life to offer - Take it, dear Lord, I pray;

Nothing from Thee withholding, Thy will I now obey (my Jesus);

Thou who hast freely given Thine all in all for me,

Claim this life for Thine own, to be used, my Saviour,

Ev’ry moment for Thee.”

---

Whenever I am overwhelmed or feeling behind, I recall these words because I only have one life--and you only have one life. Make it count with your writing life.

What actions do you take when you feel behind or overwhelmed? Let me know in the comments and I look forward to reading them.

Tweetable:

As a writer, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or behind. This prolific author and editor admits to these feelings then encourages a number of simple actions in this article.  (ClickToTweet)

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week two more new podcast recordings launched:

Book coach and author Natasha Tynes (@NatashaTynes) and I spoke about publishing myths that cost authors money on the Read and Write with Natasha Podcast at:https://bit.ly/469G31c Watch on YouTube at: https://bit.ly/3SoI9a9 or Apple Podcast: https://bit.ly/3UcaEsf

Fortune and I spoke about 10 Publishing Myths: What Every Author Needs to Know on The Honest Mic Podcast. Listen at: https://bit.ly/4wJUELN

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. 

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,800 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

Seasons in Your Writing Life

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Our lives as writers have different seasons. In the beginning, we are like sponges and soak insight and knowledge, tools and techniques from others through conferences and books and conversations. Experimentation is a huge part of that process and trying to find the right fit for your writing. It doesn’t matter your physical age. You may have had another career and want to enter the publishing world. To get there you have to learn and understand the process and the system Who are the gatekeepers? How can you form a relationship and get their attention? 

As a writer, I’ve been a beginner at a number of different periods in my life. I studied journalism at Indiana Unversity, a top school. I worked on the student newspaper and did a summer internship at an Indiana daily newspaper. In each case I was a beginner with volumes of learning. Then I left my writing for about ten years and went into linguistics. When I returned to my writing, I relearned tools like query letter, book proposal creation and which publications took which types of articles. I joined a critique group. I attended writers conferences to meet editors and agents as well as learn from them. The conversations at meals and late at night were an important element in this process.

During my intermediate session, I began to serve on the staff of a magazine and write articles for other publications. Then in 1992, my first book was published called When I Grow Up, I Can Go Anywhere for Jesus. Beyond my writing for publication, for my day job, I became a magazine editor with additional learning and skill development.

As I bcame an advanced writer, I began teaching at conferences across the US and Canada. It was another season of relationship building and learning while writing books and articles for publications. In addition, my online presence was growing during this season of my writing life.

Finally at some unspecified point, I became a professional writer. Finally we move into the later years which is where I am now. I’m unsure how many more books I will write. I don’t travel to many conferences to speak. My daily schedule is full working with Morgan James Publishing authors around the world on their books. I’m grateful for many other opportunities.

Throughout the different seasons of a writing life, it is rarely mentioned my regular life continues with events like sickness, challenges at home with relationships, financial struggles and a host of other interruptions. In the middle of these unexpected interruptions, the writing life continues. Sometimes I wrote early in the morning. Other times I wrote on the seat of an airplane or used a hotel desk or in a library. The consistency of meeting deadlines is the hallmark of a professional writer (no matter which season). 

During the various seasons of your writing life, here’s some of the elements which continue:

--make and maintain connections with other professionals. It’s why I have over 19,700 LinkedIn connections. If we are not connected on LinkedIn, send me an invitation and let’s do it.

--continue learning and trying new skills 

--remain curious to read how-to books and apply them to your writing life

--continue writing and trying new marketing avenues for your work. This steady drumbeat and part of your life is significant and influential.

--despite the lack of response to my pitches, and rejection, failures (yes, it happens to me all the time), be committed to continue and not quit the journey.

Where are you in the seasons of your writing life? What elements continue no matter which season? Let me know in the comments below and I look forward to reading them.

Tweetable:

The life of a writer has different seasons according to this prolific author and editor. In this article, he explores the different stages and highlights the constant elements.  (ClickToTweet)

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week another new podcast recording launched:

Andy (@BehindTheCamPod) and I spoke about 10 Publishing Myths - Growing Your Audience As An Author on the Behind the Camera Podcast. Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/4qc5Hf1 Watch on YouTube: https://bit.ly/45eqHrV or Apple Podcast: https://bit.ly/45icJ8o

Currently I’m working with my third publisher as an acquisitions editor. During these years, I’ve spoken with many authors about their expectations, dreams and desires for their books. I find many unrealistic expectations. 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. 

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,800 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

Are You Looking for Magic?

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

From my experience in book publishing and working with authors, most of them are looking for magic. They may or may not call it magic but they are searching for an instant way to sell books--without doing anything for that sales process to happen. If that were possible, it would be magic.

Authors want to write and it’s important to learn the storytelling skills then craft a book for the marketplace. This foundation is important. Join a critique group and get feedback on your book. Hire an outside editor to help you shape the book. Gather endorsements and work with the right publisher to launch your book into the world. Each of these steps take effort and are important to the foundation of your book. 

Then boom, your book enters the world. How is it selling for you? Are you happy with those results? Most authors are not. Instead of complaining or moaning about how much you dislike marketing, I want to give you a different course of action in this article. I hope you will keep reading and take it to heart.

First, you need a little reality check. Publishing experts say between 6,000 and 11,000 new books are published every day. That’s a lot of competition for your book. With a different mindset and action plan, you can sell your book. Someone has to hear about the benefits of your book a dozen or two dozen times before they purchase your book. You can touch your reader in many different ways but here’s the critical part: as the author you have to do it. Sure you can hire others but at the end of the day you have to take your 100% responsibility for your actions.

I’ve spoken and worked with hundreds of authors. Here’s a couple of recent examples. Last spring, an author came with a new book manuscript and wanted it published in June. In his contract he asked for bonus clauses if it reached the bestseller list and had an intriguing marketing plan. I applaud the pitches but how did the author take action? When this book  released to the bookstores, it had zero pre-sales (which tells me the author didn’t work at presales). On release day, this book sold less than 100 copies and mostly through a large online retailer. This situation can be changed but the author has to take steady and continued action.

Also last week I spoke with a second author about his lackluster sales. He told me he was marketing his book once a quarter. How can you reach readers and remind them of your book with limited actions? It simply does not move the sales needle with good reason.

I’m convinced authors with successful book sales leave traces about how they achieved these sales. Other authors can follow these traces for their book but they have to take persistent and consistent action. Also they have to experiment and try different options. 

In April 2016, I wrote about the success of Chicken Soup for the Soul and how the authors achieved it. Follow this link to read the entire article. Here’s a key paragraph with a valuable link:

“Often I read about someone who is an “overnight” success. They have suddenly skyrocketed on to the national front through a book or a YouTube video or a media outlet. Yet if you carefully examine the life of that “overnight” success you will learn (as I have) the person has been faithfully in the trenches and taking action. Many people tout the best-selling success of Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.  Throughout the first year of this series, each author followed the “Rule of Five.” It is a stellar example for each of us.” 

If you want to be the exception and sell more books, it can begin at any time--even with an older book which isn’t selling. As the author you take consistent and persistent action. If you need ideas and action steps, get John Kremer’s 1001 Ways to Market and Sell Your Book which is over 700 pages. Try different methods and ideas--which means taking consistent action.

The process isn’t magic but involves something author resist: hard work. I may want to be a professional athlete but I’ve never invested the hours and days into learning that craft. Any of us can learn the craft of writing and marketing. What actions are you going to take from reading this article? Let me know in the comments below and then keep moving forward.

Tweetable:

While authors might not label it, many are looking for magic to sell their books. This bestselling author gives the simple truth for success: consistent hard work. Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

Throughout my many years 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 details of publishing 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.

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,800 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

Become a Bestselling Author

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

What does it take to become a bestselling author? There is no simple formula to follow. If a step-by-step process existed, every book would become a bestseller--which does not happen. Instead there are simple practices and experiments each author has to make in this process of learning how to tell others about your book.

Let me begin with a bit of a reality check about book publishing. Some publishing experts estimate there are over 11,000 new books published every day. This number includes the self-publishing titles but that amounts to a lot of print material pouring into our world. Depending on how you publish, your publisher may or may not do much to market and sell your book. 

As the author, you have the greatest passion and interest in selling books. You may not like marketing. Some authors say they hate it. Those feelings are valid. I encourage you to push beyond those concerns and actively work to tell others about your book. Someone has to hear about your book at least a dozen times before they decide to purchase the book. There are many ways to tell others about your book. Pick one or two, then use that method to stress the benefits or reasons readers should get and read your book.

The repeated process of telling readers about your book can become boring. Don't let it and instead change it up and use different methods, tools and systems for this process. On a regular basis I read that social media does not sell books. You want to become active on social media for the exposure to the benefits of your book to readers in a steady stream of information. It’s the reason publishers and literary agents are interested in your social media numbers. They use this information to evaluate your actions and exposure in the marketplace.

The foundation of every good book is the storytelling and the writing. As writers, we have to find the right topic then produce an excellent manuscript. Work with freelance editors and others to shape your story into the right foundation. Then select a way to publish your book which will make it easily available to your readers. Broad distribution is another critical element in this process. When your book is going to release, gather a team of friends to read the book and write a series of honest reviews to be published in multiple online places. This season when your book is new is also an opportunity to book radio and podcast interviews about you and your book. 

How do you break through the noise of the marketplace and get attention for your book and message? From my experience, it comes from consistent and persistent author action.  

Recently a prospective Morgan James Publishing author asked me about the sales of my book, Billy Graham, A Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist. I’ll admit I do not watch my sales numbers on Amazon or Nielsen BookScan or the publisher author portal. My book on Mr. Graham released November 4, 2014 and I went to Amazon Author Central which lets every author look at the sales numbers for the last two years. I discovered my book has sold over 10,000 copies during this period. Here’s the evidence:

In 2014, the original version of my biography was out of print. I’m one of the few living biographers of Mr. Graham and he was in poor health. Through Morgan James Publishing, I updated and revised my old book with new stories from interviews. Also I gathered a foreword and endorsements then checked every word of the final content with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association--even though I worked outside of the organization. When the book launched, I hired an outside publicist who scheduled over 50 radio interviews. After these interviews, I collected the recordings and stored them on my own website where they are continually available. You can learn more about my biography in the online press room I built for this book.

How did my book become a bestselling book and continues to sell long after the release? Every day since the book released, I’ve been telling others about the benefits of my book in various words and images. Also I worked with my colleagues at Morgan James to create the audiobook version. Follow this link to hear a sample of the audiobook. My persistence and consistency continue to get readers interested and learn about the life of Billy Graham. 

If you have a book that isn’t selling in the marketplace, it is not too late. The reader doesn’t care about your publisher or the release date. Instead if you tell them about it, they will be attracted to your story and the benefits for them from your book. I encourage you to take persistent and consistent action. It doesn’t happen overnight but can happen if you work at telling others.

What insights are you seeing for your book in this article? Which actions are you going to take for your writing and your book? Let me know in the comments. I’m eager to learn from you.

Tweetable:

How can you become a bestselling author? While there is no formula, this prolific author and editor gives authors the actions and specifics.  (ClickToTweet)

During my decades in publishing, I’ve spoken with hundreds of writers 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.

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,800 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

My Treasured Bookshelf

 

       

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

In my office above my desk, I have two shelves of autographed books. The majority of my days are spent working at my desktop with my fingers on the keyboard. My treasured bookshelf is a simple glance upward. With only one or two exceptions,  I’ve personally met each of these authors. At my request, they have signed these books. During my decades in publishing, I’ve had the opportunity to interview and meet some remarkable authors. Many of these authors I interviewed them for a magazine article. Through the years I’ve interviewed over 150 bestselling authors about their books and how they practice their writing craft. During many of these interviews, I asked the author to sign their book and brought them home to my bookcase. Each one of these signed books stir my memories of those circumstances and provide inspiration to my continued work.

For this article, I’ve selected three of these authors to tell about their books. Then I will give you some ideas of how you can create your own treasured bookshelf.

The first is a colorful hardcover My First Bible by Ken Taylor. I interviewed Dr. Taylor who at that time was the chairman of Tyndale House Publishers. He had a much celebrated career including being the translator of the Living Bible. My First Bible was a new release and we were surrounded with new books on the floor of the Christian Bookseller Convention. I asked him, “Dr. Taylor, don’t you feel the competition for your book with all these other books targeted to the exact same audience?”

With a knowing smile, he said, “No, Terry, I’m not concerned about the competition. If it’s a book based on the Bible and parents are reading it to their child, that’s all that matters.”  Dr. Taylor gave me a wise perspective about bookselling.

Another treasured book on my shelf is The Professor and the Madman. It’s an unusual story about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary which is the largest dictionary in the English language. I met the author Simon Winchester during a meeting of the American Society of Journalists and Authors in New York City. I’m always fascinated about how Winchester found this story in a footnote of a book he was reading. The Professor and The Madman became a New York Times bestseller. I encourage you to follow this link to see the details I wrote about this book a couple of years ago. Winchester’s story gives me hope that any of us could hear such a story and write a bestseller. 

I want to highlight The Success Principles from Jack Canfield as my third book from my treasured bookshelf. During several different conferences, I’ve had the opportunity to hear Jack speak. In 2007, Mark Victor Hansen invited me to come to Mega Book Marketing University. I was a literary agent and took pitches throughout the event. At that point in my life, I had written about 50 books for traditional publishers but they were not selling. In fact, I was getting negative royalty statements which means the books received an advance but were not earning beyond that advance. It was during that workhop I understood how little I was doing to tell people about my books. I heard the first success principle which I continue to follow to this day: I will take 100% responsibility for my own success. It changed my actions and turned around my bookselling results. In fact, several years ago I blogged about that effort in this article.  

These stories are only a few examples of the treasured books on my shelf. Here's a current photo:

Each book on these shelves holds importance and memories for me. Do you have a collection of signed books? Because these signed books are special to me, I understand when I sign a book for someone else, I’m creating a keepsake for that person. Each time, I make a point to write the date, the person’s name and a few words just for them along with my signature. It makes that book personal for that person.

From time to time, when I meet a new doctor or someone, I will bring a copy of my Billy Graham, A Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist. I will offer it to the person and if they want it, I will quickly sign it to them. A couple of weeks ago, I gave one to a new doctor and he told me, “This is my first signed book.” It was fun for me to hear that information about the special nature of a signed book.

Do you have a special place on your bookshelves for signed books? How do you sign books as an author? I look forward to your comments.

Tweetable:

When an author signs a book, it can become a treasured possession. This prolific author and editor tells about his treasured bookshelf. Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

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