Archive for marketing tips
Marketing Self-Published Novels
Posted by: | CommentsThis is a handout from a lecture I gave today, March 10th, 2012, for 3Penny Publishing in Victoria, BC.
Getting Down To Business for Writers Workshop
Having your own business takes discipline, stamina, and a computer!
For today’s purpose, I’m going to focus mainly on using the computer as the rest is pretty basic, easy to look up, and you’ve no doubt heard it all before ie., the accounting and keeping track of every expenses & your car use etc.
Marketing a Self-Published Novel
– Non-Fiction has some differences and are often easier to write and sell. ie., can manipulate sales easier to get high rankings from Amazon.com*
First Steps(in brief)
1 or 2. Experience the Surrey Int. Writer’s Conference (SIWC.ca) held each
October in Surrey, BC.
Publishers/editors/agents are present to advise you 1-on-1. You hobnob with successful authors such as Diana Gabaldon, Jack Whyte and published authors of all types/genres. Some of these authors/publishers/agents give workshops which are ongoing for 2-3 days … a packed weekend of learning and sharing with other writers and wannabees.
Note: If you’re hoping to find a professional publisher – you will probably need an agent and they are difficult to find. There are lists (online) and books to read but the easiest way may be to talk to authors who write books similar to yours, Or read the Acknowledgements in a recently published book for the name of their agent. Lots of info on the web. Be aware … it may drown you. At this workshop, we were told that there are so few Canadian Agents they are too busy already … and very little opportunity for first-time authors!
1 or 2. Write the book!! This may be obvious but why waste precious time on questions beforehand. It could take you a year or more and everything changes too quickly in this industry.
3. Research how to publish but don’t commit to anything too early! Your choices are: (a) POD (Caution: they charge via ‘packages.’ Do your research.’), (b) Indie or Self Publish with print books (like we did), or (c) Start with an eBook (there’s no guarantee of how a print book will do).
One of many great info websites/blogs: http://allindiepublishing.com/
4. Do I need a ISBN/CIP? Yes, they’re needed for bookstores and libraries and free in Canada. They’re easy to get, so IMO cover all your bases from square one! http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/publishers/index-e.html/
5. Bookstores – (a) Local independent stores may/may not carry self-published books. May depend on subject matter, space availability, subject matter, your popularity from current marketing. (40% comm. is usual). They may list your book online. Talk to them before you finish writing. * invaluable for info: Check out format of books like yours (font, pitch, spacing, title pages) and copy it; the clerk may be an author and will gladly share info with you. *Realize that bookstores have expensive real estate and they must feel your book will be worth having to monopolize this space.
(b) Chainstores (local or online) – Chapters/Indigo, Amazon.com, big boxstores (Walmart) etc. take a larger commission (@ 55-65% commission and you probably need a distributor as well (for an additional 15% or so).
(c) On-line bookstores – some have their own publishing arm ie., Amazon. Research. Ask around.
6. Join a Canadian/USA/International Indie-publishing association. Some are co-ops. Fees apply.
Watch Rebecca Kennel’s 2010 lecture from an earlier 3 Penny Publishing Workshop. It’s excellent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvcEMuWwNbc&list=UU90woABSqDsHGN7HkzaNFXA&index=3&feature=plcp
Marketing – Local
Now is the time to start work on a Business Plan and Budget for marketing expenses.
Tips: http://www.wordclay.com/Resources/MarketYourBook.aspx
- Book Clubs – offer to lecture and/or give a discount. Libraries may buy 10 books.
- Join a Writer’s Group(s) – they offer critique – tap into their knowledge and support.
- Libraries – Talk to them about carrying your books and give a lecture.
- Lecture to service clubs ie., Rotary, Lions Non-fiction? Local college, Rec. Centre.
- School Lectures – It’s more difficult to get into schools now depending on how much you charge. Here’s a sample but keep in mind Professional authors get grants! http://www.cwill.bc.ca/pages/teachers_booking_info
- Farmer’s and outdoor Markets – books allowed, we were possibly the first to do this in many areas (’99).
Table fees range from $20/day for outdoor, ‘Farmer’s markets’ also have membership fees. Sidney Thurs. Night Market ($45) Don’t be fooled – many come to merely browse, walk dogs & enjoy the ambiance!
- Craft Shows – rarity not to allow books.
Outdoor ie., local parks during band concerts/special events. ($25 and up) Works better if your book is small when combined with another event ie., car show, agricultural/trade show; Indoor @ Christmas etc. (usually $100/day and up) - Specialty stores – ie., Butchart’s for garden-related, gift stores, etc. Best for Non-Fiction
Marketing – Internet
1. Get your own website – check out different service providers prices, ask friends for advice. We use www.hostutopia.com with great success – not expensive @ $5.95/mo. The cost is if you have to hire someone. Consider a WordPress Blog – so popular now and a lot easier than the regular format. www.wordpress.com more options than www.blogspot.com We also have: www.bestsellingbooks.ca
2. Sell your book through your website using Paypal or Clickbank etc. We use Paypal and they now have a shipping component direct from customer’s order – no more waiting in line at the Post Office.
3. Make an eBook: eBooks are hugely popular now and ours are available in all formats. We use www.Amazon.com (Kindle format) and www.Smashwords.com
Smashwords supplies ALL the formats necessary for ALL readers for FREE. This gets you on Kobo, Sony, iPad, Kindle, iPod, etc. It can be tricky or simple and using MSWord works the best. Images can also be tricky. Smashwords has promotions and coupons for discounting books to friends/media or promotion.
Our Kindle sales have almost disappeared since they started their KDP* program for authors. Kindle also have a bit more complicated payout system (+ less commission) for Canadians but this is improving slowly. * Presently, they are giving away tons of ebooks under the KDP program. Goodreads.com has a long thread on their author’s experiences @ http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/760122-any-authors-in-the-kdp-select-program?page=1 (a must read – scroll down for most recent). I am now considering trying this program for one or two books.
4. Smartphones: Generate your own website/Facebook/Twitter barcode @ http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ post it on your website, on your book info handout, your poster etc. Any Smartphone can read it with the ‘Qr Barcode’ App. Open the App and it will use your camera App … you merely hold your phone close to the barcode as if you’re taking a photo of it. Once it’s a photo it will ask you to open the website or whatever. Great for seminars/workshops/trade shows etc.
More useful links:
http://joycesandilands.com/category/marketing/ My blog has many different articles.
http://www.go-publish-yourself.com
http://www.askwhy.co.uk/books/aspiringroot.htm
http://www.parapublishing.com (Dan Poynter) Page to add your own link.
http://www.spannet.org
http://www.canauthors.org
http://voices.yahoo.com/tips-market-self-published-novel-locally-2889491.html?cat=3
Ebooks are here to stay!
Posted by: | CommentsNow halfway through our 2011 Christmas Craft Show season, I can safely say that ebooks are here to stay … I actually love them myself and who would have thought!!
We are getting so many requests as to whether our books are available on ebooks (they haven’t had time to read our info sheet yet) or they have noticed it and comment that they will definitely be buying them on Kindle, Kobo, Sony, iPad or their Smartphone. So many options now. I’ve also been able to adjust Robert’s thinking that this is a good thing … except for one thing – we have lots of books in the basement to sell so we’re a long way from switching totally to technology!
With so many books and so many readers that live at a distance from us in the Pacific Northwest in British Columbia, this is definitely the way to go. From our sales reports and the cheques coming in, I know how popular eReaders are first hand. If we can get readers to purchase many books instead of just one (due to their meeting us at a local market then not purchasing again due to high shipping costs), we can only be winners.
A fantastic bonus of ebooks is the ability to make the print larger … far easier on the eyes than using a magnifying glass for those with vision issues. I demonstrate my Kobo’s varying font sizes at the shows and people are amazed. I think we should be selling ereaders too!!
The other bonus for us is that our books will be available to an international audience even when we can no longer sell our paper books at markets. Of course, we’ re hoping this day is a long time in the futu
re, but what do we know!
So please pass the word to all your ebook reading friends who love good historical novels, and we thank you 
Selling your Books to Schools and Libraries – Part 2
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Using Skype to sell more Books
Still another great MARKETING TIP … this one from Barbara Terchel, author of Class Act: Sell More Books Through School and Library Author Appearances (see my last post Part 1).
It appears that I have been so busy on whatever I am busy with that I have missed some of the great ways technology is helping authors sell their books today.
Barbara was interviewed regarding how she uses Skype to talk to schools assisted by her special dog, Frankie. It has cut her costs and increased her availability to such an extent that she has used Skype over 300 times for this type of visit. She gives you a detailed step-by-step description of everything you need to do and know, including setting up your studio in your home/office.
Listen to this fabulous presentation for yourself here on Blog Talk Radio.
Some interesting and useful websites they discussed.
http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/
http://authorsspeaking.com
http://slide.com
http://teachertube.com
Selling your book to Schools and Libraries – Part 1
Posted by: | CommentsI almost took too long deciding to get one of these books but managed to get two instead. I have a feeling I will be thanking these two authors for not cutting off sales of their joint book sale on October 15 as they had planned. I’ve had a rather busy week and almost missed buying these at a $13 saving. They are pdf files thus sent to you immediately … NO shipping costs. Great deal!
If you hurry,
you might be lucky too! Barbara’s website is: joyfulpaws.com/promote/sell-more-books/
The books are:
Class Act: Sell More Books Through School and Library Appearance (117 pgs.) by Barbara Techel
Marketing Your Book to Libraries, An Insiders Guide for Authors (153 pgs.) by Nancy Humphries
I loved this quote so borrowed it from her website. It could be most appropriate if reading these books makes our books successful!
“When you sell a man a book you don’t sell him just 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue – you sell him a whole new life.” – Christopher Morley
Part 3: Can a self-published author (of fiction) succeed?
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Yes, we made mistakes …
I have only just begun this new blog format on my own website which has been around for many years. I seem to feel a need to share with you my 13+ years worth of experiences, yes, including our mistakes! If this introduces more people to our books in the process then I am doing a good job. The bonus for readers (and us) it that with our books in ebook format, they are now more readily and cheaply available.
I have never joined author’s groups, although I have attended a few. Time has always seemed unavailable and they weren’t really my bag. People wanted to know what we had done to be so successful and although we did talk to groups in the early days, we found it took too much of our time. Besides, my husband was the only author in those early days, even though I had been a ‘writer’ since a teenager. I preferred to work alone and became the home-office workhorse. I end up sitting here day and night filling my time with ‘work’ of one sort or another and love it! A publisher’s life is filled with many things especially when they wear ALL the hats in the company!! So now, through this blog, I am trying to give back more than I have been able to in past years. Now, I trust you will pick up something useful …
Our 1st mistake was the title of our first book. Lizzie: Lethal Innocence … we didn’t think of all the connotations … who would have known so many people would think it was about Lizzie Borden. People make snap judgements without even thinking. It says on the cover the book is set in England and most people know Lizzie Borden lived in the USA. This made us realize we had to ‘talk up’ our books like crazy if we were to get the correct info out there. We even considered changing the title before the next printing but the cover and title were already well known and we still felt it was a good title! Lizzie was ‘lethal’ because she was so smart, as they would find out soon enough, and she was ‘innocence’ because she was so young.
Yes, the word ‘lethal’ compounded this misconception and made people think the book was about violence. How wrong they were and we knew we had to try to explain it quickly to people or we wouldn’t sell many more books beyond the first 500. It worked … but it was very time consuming being at markets, taking Robert away from his writing and me away from editing and office work. So after a few seasons we got into a rhythm and simply made it work for us.
Our 2nd mistake was getting too confident and ordering too many copies!!! Sales were going along so great in those first years that we ordered another print run in 2004. The second and third books, Lizzie’s Secret Angels and Streets of Hope, were doing well and I was editing the fourth and final book.
The problem began when we started writing about local history and readers now had a choice. Now the majority of readers were opting for the Victoria Chronicles’ book, Bound by Loyalty, instead of Lizzie. We still have many boxes of the first three books in our basement. I didn’t order as many for book four, thankfully. Lizzie sales have actually been picking up again in 2011/11 as readers discover how much they like Robert’s style.
Check out our Book SPECIALS Page and get the whole set of 4 Lizzie books for the price of 3!! You could also do what many people are now doing … order the ebooks. At least we do get a commission although it is somewhat smaller than with the paper copy. However, they are more desirous to order all 4 books once they have started the series!
So be very careful how many copies you order if you are doing POD (Print on Demand) or ordering large runs from a traditional printer (Friesens) like we did.
As self or indie publishing becomes even more popular due to ebooks, everyone seems to want to or is told they should ‘write a book’ so the competition has grown fierce. We continue as in the past with no plan to now stop in the near future. We now tell people of our exciting new option of ebooks at Amazon.kindle, Kobo.com, Sony.com, Smashwords.com (all formats) etc. If you want to help us out … especially if you are NOT a USA citizen, we actually get double the commission if Kindle books are purchased through Smashwords! Thanks.
We’re hoping Kindle will make some changes to their format (so other ereaders (kobos, ipods, ipads etc.) can ‘read’ kindle ebooks) and also to their payment standards for international authors, in the near future.
My First Blog (12-2006)
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s difficult to be able to explain to people why I work so hard and often. Loving one’s job is perhaps more appropriate a reason today than it was eight years ago. In 1998 when I edited and published book #1, Lizzie: Lethal Innocence I had already been working in our family business for almost 20 years. Those who have never worked for themselves really have no idea what it’s all about. It’s not that it pays a lot, the hours are exorbitant, and talking back to the boss could be construed as going senile and affect not only your business life but your personal relationship as well . . . but it sure has it’s rewards.
I tried everything from marriage to motherhood, secretarial to real estate, secretary in a funeral home to looking after people in homecare and each was merely a training ground for what
was ahead in 1998. Now, I can proudly say I have learned my lessons well. Oh, don’t misunderstand, there were a lot of mistakes made and money needlessly spent, but if you listen to any motivational speakers such as Tony Robbins, they will tell you that you HAVE to MAKE MISTAKES in able to learn the lessons of life. You just have to hope these mistakes are not very financially or psychologically costly.
Back in 2006 when I originally wrote this I actually was just starting my first book blog. I had already had a genealogy blog for awhile. It was Christmas Day and after cooking the usual turkey dinner, and later relaxing with Robert, I couldn’t wait to read some more of Andy Wibbels book , Blogwild: A Guide for Small Business Blogging.
I was getting really excited about marketing our books in this manner. Although our sales were already extraordinary by self-published standards of the day, we felt we could do better which is always a good attitude to have. As any successful business person knows, you can always increase sales of your product. You just need to figure out how to go about it … and do it!
Marketing Tips for the Frugal Self-Publisher
Posted by: | CommentsOriginally posted on our company website which is now a blog.
The role of a writer/author in this 21st century is one of hard work and fabulous rewards–not necessarily monetary rewards unless you are exceedingly fortunate, but your life will change as you attend meetings, readings, conferences etc., and meet hundreds, perhaps thousands of people who are in awe of you for even completing a book. Of course, you will also meet those who laugh with scorn (perhaps thinking why you bother because they don’t even read and can’t understand) or envy (believing you are now rich!). But trust me, your journey will be fascinating and anything but dull, for if you face the challenge squarely, it will enrich your life and also that of your readers … and best of all, they will tell you about it!
1. Decide what YOU can do to market your own book and do it well. No matter how you choose to market your book, you have to do something … so you might as well do a good job of it. You will have a major investment in this book through time, and eventually, money. Don’t allow your book to stagnate on a shelf/ a website or in your basement.
2. Learn the “3 Foot” Rule – talk to everyone who comes within 3 feet of you. Always carry a book, bookmark, business card or info. sheet. If they don’t buy a book, don’t be disappointed, you will be surprised how else they might help you. Don’t expect anything. Be yourself.
3. Buy, or at the very least, read a few well-known marketing books … visit your local library or download an ebook copy to always have with you! I’m a huge fan of ebooks (2011) and all our books are available in all formats at Smashwords.com Here are a few of the classics to start you off:
Marketing Without Megabucks by Shel Horowitz www.frugalfun.com
How To Promote Your Book by Dan Poynter www.PARApublishing.com
The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Marilyn and Tom Ross www.about-books.com
4. On the internet, you’ll be deluged by thousands of sites with marketing tips. A small selection are on our links page found to the right (in category list). Facebook has many groups and joining Twitter has been known to be a great way to get free promotion, just don’t overdo it or your friends will untweet you
5. Join a ‘useful’ Internet Email List (Yahoo group, etc) and subscribe to topical newsletters but be careful not to get sucked into their own marketing endeavours to sell you the BEST marketing plan ever!! Most of what they sell can be found free if you search the web.
6. Networking with local groups is a great way to advertise for little money but membership fees need to be assessed first. Make sure the group is suitable to your needs.
7. Trade books with other willing self-published authors.
A good way to pick up gifts and get your books out there.
Now get out there yourself, write, plan and then, if you decide ‘to go for it’, market that book you’ve dreamed about.
Good luck and all the best.
