Kelly Schuknecht

Kelly Speaks, Marketing Your Self-Published Book

Using Twitter as a Marketing Tool for Self-Publishing Authors

Have you ever wondered whether Twitter could be an effective book marketing tool? I often encourage self-publishing authors to use social media to market their books, and recently came across a really great story I wanted to share.

As I was monitoring the views on the Outskirts Press blog a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that in one day the blog’s Twitter referrals (viewers that came to our blog after clicking on a link from Twitter) went up by 40 percent! Yes, 40 percent!

How did this happen? Simple. Glenn Skinner, one of our Best Book of the Year Award Finalists, had tweeted about the contest that day in an effort to get more votes for his book. Glenn (@KeyaQuests) currently has over 2,800 followers on Twitter, so his one tweet brought in so many more viewers that the referral rate went up by 40%. Wow!

By building a strong social media platform, you can create similar results. Whether you are promoting your author website, blog, or book, you can drive website traffic and increase book sales by using Twitter. The key is to build a network of followers who are read your posts and visit the links you share. While keywords can get you some traffic through search engines, social media is the key to increasing website traffic.

If you are new to social media, you may want to consider a self-publishing company that offers help with social media marketing. For instance, Outskirts Press offers an Author Platform Set-up Through Social Media Option which helps authors harness the power of social media to market their book.

I’d love to know, how has social media helped you connect with your readers?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.

Kelly Speaks

BookExpo America 2012 – Recap

BookExpo America (BEA) 2012 took place June 5-7 at the Javits Center in New York City. BEA is the largest annual book trade fair in the United States. The event features major publishers from the US and abroad. Attendees are typically authors, librarians, and book purchasers. This year’s event featured several new events, including Digital Networking Cocktail Hours, streaming of favorite BEA events, and a refreshed BEA Education Program. A few highlights from the event this year included the following:

A panel called “Beyond the Hunger Games: Young Adult Book Marketing and Strategies” — This panel discussed the importance of social media and relationship building between readers and authors. This is advice that all authors should understand.
An African-American Literary Marketplace Place panel — This event discussed the challenges facing the African-American market and offered advice to those who wish to better serve this audience.
“The Golden Age of Self-Publishing” — BEA highlighted the boom in digital books and self-publishing. The information shared throughout the event gave authors and others in the industry hope that the publishing industry is not dying.

If you missed BEA 2012 (or just really loved the event), you can stream live events by clicking this link or visiting http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/. Next year’s event will be held June 4-6, 2013 at the Javitz Center in NYC. For more information, please visit http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/.

Kelly Speaks

Self-Publishing Statistics – Trends in E-book Consumerism

Since November 2009, Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading, a survey conducted by Book Industry Study Group’s (BISG), has been tracking the habits and preferences of book consumers who have acquired an e-book or a dedicated e-reading device within the past 18 months. The report shows important information for authors and publishers. Not only do the findings squash the pessimistic rumors that the publishing industry is dying, but the report also gives authors and publishers a glimpse at the future of publishing. Here is an overview of some of the most interesting and hopeful statistics.

Readers’ preference for designated e-readers has dropped from 72% to 58%, while readers’ preference for multi-functional tablets has increased from 13% to 24%.
The Apple iPad was not the preferred tablet; instead, readers choose non-Apple devices, such as those offered by Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
More than 62% of survey respondents reported an increase in dollars spent on e-books.
More than 72% of survey respondents reported an increase in the number of e-books they are purchasing.

The movement from e-readers to tablets is important for authors and publishers to be aware of because it offers insight to what readers want. As multi-functional tablet devices become more popular, authors and publishers will be expected to produce a richer, more interactive e-book experience. In addition, the increase in e-book sales is great news for authors and publishers. It shows that there is a demand for great writing and that publishing, though in a new format, is still alive. If you are considering self-publishing a book, be sure to consider offering both a print and electronic version of your book. This will ensure that you appeal to both e-book and print consumers.

Choosing a Publisher, Kelly Speaks

Top 5 Customer Service Characteristics of High Quality Self-Publishing Companies

As an author, when you choose POD publishing, you get to make all of the decisions during the publishing process. While this is perfect for authors who like to have all of the control over their finished product, it also means that you may have some questions along the way and need some guidance. A high quality self-publishing company will offer excellent customer service, and that is what every author should expect.

Here are five characteristics to look for when evaluating a company’s customer service:

Professionalism — How do the company and employees present themselves. Do they communicate professionally (in person or on the phone and via email)?
Cheerfulness — Have you ever been to a store where it was clear the person helping you wanted to be anywhere BUT there helping you? When a person doesn’t enjoy what they do, it’s obvious (and sad). Attitudes are contagious and good customer service agents know how to spread cheer.
Knowledge — Do they know the product information? Can they provide you with the information you need? If they can’t answer your question right away, can they find out and get back to you or point you in the right direction?
Active Listening — It is important that the customer service agent listens to your individual needs. Active listening involves asking the appropriate questions in order to fully understand your requests or concerns. Do you feel like you are being heard?
Responsiveness — Do they reply to your emails and/or return your calls quickly? It’s not reasonable to expect everyone to have the answer to every question, but if they aren’t able to answer your question right away, are they able to look into it and get back to you in a reasonable amount of time? Do they provide you with frequent updates on the status of your project?

These are the characteristics every author should look for when choosing a self-publishing company.

Best of luck with your self-publishing endeavors, and may all of your customer service experiences exceed your expectations! 🙂

Kelly Speaks, Publishing Trends

The Rise of POD Publishing

In 2010, traditional print publishing grew a mere 5%, up from 4% in 2009, but non-traditional publishing, such as print on demand (POD) and self-publishing, grew a whopping 169%, according to a Bowker report. The report estimates that non-traditional publishing will continue to grow in the future.

POD publishing first surpassed traditional publishing in 2008. Since then, POD publishers have been able to produce eight times the output of traditional publishers. This is great news for aspiring authors! It means that there are vast opportunities to write, publish, and sell quality books.

Most writers are overwhelmed with constant rejection from agents and editors or fear that their books will never be seen in print because of the difficult world of publishing. This doesn’t have to be the case. POD is a great option for many writers, and there are no agents or editors telling you your book isn’t good enough. If you believe in your book, you can see it in print.

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