Wendy Speaks

2 Things that Can REALLY Crush Your Book

If your sales figures are low many times it can be due to faulty or inconsistent marketing. Sometimes you just can’t get the word out to your audience. People are ready to read your book, but they have to know it exists. Ideally, you hire a book marketing consultant or try to “go it alone” and hope that book sales are the result of your efforts.

What happens when you’ve come up with the perfect book promotion strategy but no one is buying the book? Many times you just need to change gears. Maybe the activities you have invested your time into aren’t really reaching your target market. You have to figure out where your target market is “hanging out”, go there, and mingle with them. But, that’s not the purpose of today’s post. Today, we are aiming to reveal the two biggest book crushers. If you feel like you’ve tried everything to get people to purchase your book to no avail, you may need to re-evaluate your book and make sure that you’re not committing either of the following critical errors:

  • A boring cover. Books really are judged by their cover. It’s a cliché we use very often here. However, we can’t stress the importance of that statement enough. A professionally-designed book cover can make you stand heads and shoulders above other books on the market (all other things being equal). A boring (read: template) book cover could mean that your book won’t be seen. In a sea filled with many fishes, you have to stand out. If you don’t, no worm for you!
  • Lack of editing. Have you ever read a book that is filled with errors? Doesn’t it make it much harder to not only read the book but also take the author seriously? That book = your book if you choose not to hire an editor.

Either or both of these can kill your book very early in the game.

What other “book crushers” can you think of?

ABOUT WENDY STETINA:
Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction, or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.
Book Marketing, Kelly Speaks

5 Ways to Promote Your Book in April

Today’s post is by book marketing industry expert, Kelly Schuknecht.

Book marketing is an ongoing effort.  Here are five ways to promote your book in April:

  1. April is National Poetry Month.  If you have published a book of poetry, this is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of National Poetry Month events.  Visit Poetry.org to find a full list of Poetry Month events.
  2. April 2nd is International Children’s Book Day.  If you are a Children’s book author, call your local library and elementary school(s).  Volunteer to read your book during storytime.
  3. Speaking of libraries, National Library Week is April 10-16.  Contact your local library, offer to donate a free copy of your book.
  4. The London Book Fair takes place April 11-13.  If you have not already made arrangements for your book to be represented this year, consider this opportunity for next year.
  5. April 22nd is Earth Day. If your book is about environment issues (or even if it’s not), contact your local schools and environmental agencies and ask about Earth Day events you can get involved with.  Even if you are not directly promoting your book, you will be doing something to help the environment and networking with individuals who have similar interests.

DISCUSSION: How are you planning to promote YOUR book this month?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT:
Kelly Schuknecht works as the Director of Author Support for 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.
Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week: Burned: A Tragic Mystery by J.A. Nevling

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if they don’t know about it? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us let the community know about a great book. So, without further adieu, here’s this week’s book review:

Burned: A Tragic Mystery book cover

Burned: A Tragic Mystery

J.A. Nevling

Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc.

ISBN 9781432724436

Reviewed by: Betty Gelean for Review the Book

“Being burned is a very tragic event, especially when it is a baby who is badly burned, even through the efforts to keep this to a minimum by her father who is also burned. A tragedy which could so easily happen through a brain focusing on the wrong thing at the wrong time. An overtired brain, a stressed brain, or in this case, a distracted brain.

The big game is on TV and Jim, the father, is baby-sitting his nine month old daughter, Anna, who is currently sleeping, to give his wife, Sharon, some time out with her friend Katie. When he hears Anna fussing, he does all the right things, cleaning her, changing her, and putting her bottle on to warm. What he doesn’t realize is going to change all their lives in the next several minutes. A gas explosion is going to set the house on fire, not a small fire but a raging fire. Jim’s efforts to get the baby out of her crib are next to impossible. The crib is burning and as he tries to bring her out avoiding the worst of the flames surrounding her, she falls through the side of the fiery crib. He does the right thing to try to protect her, stumbles outside and passes out.

When Sharon arrives at the hospital she learns both that her husband will survive, but Anna has been so badly burned it will mean a long recovery at best, but they don’t know at this point if she will survive. Though the doctor does not want Sharon to see her at this time, she absolutely insists, and this action will clinch the effects that soon will engulf the whole family. Sharon will soon turn her back on her husband and they will be separated. The stage is now set for the mystery part of the book.

J.A. Nevling certainly knows how to write emotion. He also knows how to write a sequence of awful proportions in a way that the reader knows what is going on, but is not horrified to the extent that he/she will find the book so upsetting it will be impossible to read further. The reader instead will stay focused on the story as it unfolds and will have trouble putting it down. This book is meant to be read. It will be emotional by its nature, but there is so much more than the fire and its results. Once Sharon has moved away, Anna is going through her various treatments, and Jim is dealing with his feelings of guilt, remorse, and the loss of Sharon, the mystery portion of the book begins to unfold.

Sharon has found a small apartment and a good job at Prescott Industries, a new life she can not quite separate from the old. When a marriage is based on real love, it doesn’t separate easily. Yet soon it becomes apparent that a transition has happened in Sharon’s personality. She can’t understand it, she often sleeps too much and feels strangely different. She seems to lose time, her ability to focus has changed, and she has some memory lapses. When she is run off the road as a car rams her from behind, she begins to feel someone is out to kill her. The detectives she talks to have some doubts but decide they should look into it. This is a real mystery, and there are several suspects, but the ending is shocking, and at the same time satisfying. This book is a definite adventure in reading. It speaks to the fallibility of people, love in its truest form, runs the gamut of several emotions, and is well worth the read. I enjoyed the book, which seems strange in light of the difficulties involved, but that is how well-written it is.”

DISCUSSION: Are you trying to obtain book reviews as part of your overall book promotion strategy?

Book Promotion Strategy, Uncategorized, Weekly Wednesday Podcast

Weekly Wednesday Podcast: Book Video Marketing Essentials/Contest Winner Announced

Today’s topic is: Book Video Marketing Essentials.
A couple of weeks ago, we talked about how to use book video marketing as part of your book promotion strategy. Today, I’m covering what you need in your video a bit more in-depth. You need all of the following:
  • Title
  • Author name
  • Image of book cover
  • Image of author
  • Price (not if it could put buyers off)
  • Availability (Amazon? B&N? Website?)
  • Call to action (put at the end so that it’s the last thing on their mind)
  • Additional creative images/video (trailer)
  • Synopsis (trailer – get your audience interested)
Also, the winner for our “Boost Our Blog Facebook Contest” was chosen. Here’s more about the winning author and her book:

The Veiled Mirror by Christine Frost

Book Title: The Veiled Mirror: The Story of Prince Vlad Dracula’s Lost Love

Author: Christine Frost

Publisher: CreateSpace

Date of Publication: October 22, 2010

 

BUY HERE

Book Design, Wendy Speaks

3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Let Your Publisher Format Your Book

Your book’s format is important to its overall success. It’s so important that authors often outsource their book’s design to get the best possible results. While there are some authors who are skilled in graphic design, many authors are mainly talented in their own area of expertise — writing.

Authors that decide to publish their book using a self-publishing company, such as Outskirts Press, typically choose to allow the publisher to format their book for them. However, there are some authors who opt to either format the book themselves or hire a graphic designer. If you’re using a self-publishing company, you should not let them format your book if:

  • You don’t mind a poorly-designed book. The best writers can also be the most amateur book designers. If you aren’t experienced in graphic design, you should have someone else do this for you.
  • You want to pay more money — on top of your publishing package cost. In most cases, your publishing package has the fees for book design already built into the cost. Publishers typically don’t reduce the cost of your package even if you submit a “print-ready” manuscript. On top of that, graphic designers are in demand and charge premium fees. This can add a hefty amount to your publishing costs.
  • You want to have “more control” over your book’s formatting. One of the biggest benefits of self-publishing is maintaining creative control over your book. The importance of this benefit cannot be overlooked. So, while this may initially seem like a good reason to design your own book, you can achieve the same result by allowing your publisher to design it for you.

Did you let your publisher design your book for you?

ABOUT WENDY STETINA:
Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction, or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.