Book Marketing – Page 12 – Self Publishing Advisor

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week: A Chronicle of Endylmyr by: Charles Hall

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to get exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if they don’t know about it? Paired with other book marketing efforts, 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:

A Chronicle of Endylmyr: The Witches of Endylmyr

Charles Hall

Outskirts Press (2010)

ISBN 9781432750282

Reviewed by: Tracey Rock for Reader Views (2/11)

A Chronicle of Endylmyr: The Witches of Endylmyr tells the story of The Eastern Khan who sets out to possess all known magical relics so that he may control the entire world. He already has obtained some of these artifacts, but knows that he must possess them all for the magic to work completely. So, he sends his most powerful legions to various communities, including Endylmyr to find them – killing anyone or anything that gets in their way. Those under attack soon form an alliance as they begin to realize that they do, in fact, have some of the artifacts that possess magic. Former mercenary Gylfalin, along with his cousin Pendaran – who has a magical falcon for a companion, form the allies of various parts of the world to battle against Khan. They know that hope for victory lies with magic that no one really knows how to use. As Khan’s legions move closer in on them, Angmere, a wizard historian, finds a clue in an ancient tome that foretells the tale of three witches that could be the key to their victory and defeat of Khan. One of the scholar’s daughters, Gwynyr, unites with two other women in their group, Hellwydd and Hilst, to form the trio described by Angmere’s scribe as the Endylmyr witches, in a last attempt to save their people.

A Chronicle of Endylmyr: The Witches of Endylmyr is a very interesting story and has a great premise. I felt the book was a bit long and it started to lose my interest in places – mostly because the book starts out strong and then in the middle it is a bit drawn out, but then it picks up towards the end. For those who enjoy fantasy novels, this one will be a good. The characters are well formed and there is plenty of action. The magical aspect of the storyline is intriguing and not over the top. Before you know it, you will feel transformed to Endylmyr and a part of the story.

Self-Publishing, Uncategorized

Bookstores Are In Trouble and What this Means to Your Self-Publishing Marketing Plan

Borders is headed toward Chapter 11 Bankruptcy THIS MONTH.

Barnes&Noble has laid off several employees — including someone very important to self-publishing authors — the Small Press Director, Marcella Smith.

Whether this comes as a shock to you or it’s old news, traditional bookstores are in a bit of trouble right now. With the rising popularity of online book buying and affordability of e-readers, buyers are “turning their backs” on the big players in the bookstore game. As a self-publishing author, this is important for you to know as you will want to know whether to include brick and mortar bookstores in your marketing plan.

I’ve talked to several authors who were initially under the impression that once their book publishes, it is automatically available in traditional bookstores. That is not at all the case. If I’m speaking with an author who wants to explore the possibility of getting their book onto the shelves of their local bookstore, I typically advise that that the following “guidelines” must be met in order to have a chance of success with that goal:

You must set your pricing with an offline-friendly trade discount. This is usually between 50-55%.
Your book must be fully-returnable. The “insurance” plan for this can cost you $500+ per year.
You must have an on-target marketing plan with an already proven sales system.

The reality of it is, many self-publishing authors books never make it onto the shelves of a traditional bookstore. Trying to reach this goal can cost you a great deal of money (less royalty and yearly cost) and time (you may have to re-submit your book multiple times to be considered).

What can you do if you aren’t able to meet the receiving bookstore’s rigid requirements? Well, the good news is – not all is lost. You can still be very successful at online sales. Plus, with both Borders and Barnes&Noble falling upon hard times, there are much better ways to use your marketing skills and/or dollars — including planning things like a Virtual Book Tour or Global Book Tour (to name a few).

Book Marketing

Your Publicity Goody-bag from Self-publishing Advice

The most powerful marketing tool for most self-published authors is themselves. Here are some cool media resources used by publicity professionals to help garner publicity for your self-published book without shelling out tons of money to actually have a publicist do it for you.

HARO (Help a Reporter Out): Tap into the largest source repository in the world with over 80,000 mainstreet and expert sources who will respond directly to your query on your terms. No more flipping through your rolodex; searching out-of-date databases, or being bothered by unsolicited sources with off-topic pitches. Submit your query and let HARO deliver the perfect sources right to your inbox.

All-in-One Media Directory: There is a print version and a CD version available. If you want up-to-date media contacts, this is it, all in one place:www.gebbiepress.com

Cision’s Media Directories: These directories are available for specialized outlets and channels and include in-depth profiles on reporters, editors, and columnists. Some of these reports aren’t cheap, but they are the same top-of-the-line reports used by many libraries: http://us.cision.com/

The Gale Databases: Here you will find thousands of listings for radio and television and cable companies. All the relevant data is here including there addresses, phone number, and email addresses: www.gale.com

Bulldog Reporter: National PR Pitch Books media directories include contact information for up to 43,000 journalists:www.bulldogreporter.com

Newspaper Directory: A useful online resource for local, daily, and weekly newspapers: www.bizmove.com

Book Marketing, Self-Publishing

Bestselling Author and the BIG Move to Self-Publishing

Ten years after the success of his debut novel, bestselling author of “Kidnapped,” AJ Davidson, has made the switch to independent self-publishing. With the availability of full-service publishing options on the rise and the high profile moves of established authors to independent publishing, AJ discusses the increasing appeal of this new model for traditionally published authors.

Q: What was the deciding factor for moving to independent publishing?

A: Initially I wasn’t entirely sure if Indie publishing was right for me. The deciding factor was how traditional publishers seem to be narrowing the range of their lists with each passing year. I recently compared 1970s best sellers with the 2010 best sellers and was staggered to realize how many of the chart-topping writers of yesteryear are still there four decades later. Kudos to the authors for consistency, but the dearth of new names is a sad indictment for the publishing world. The smaller presses are more adventurous, but more often than not the marketing will be left to the author, and if that’s the case, then Indie publishing is the way to go.

Q: Now that you manage the marketing independently as well as the publishing, do you find it difficult to switch back and forth between writing and marketing?

A: I have found the change in my writing to be a dramatic one. In the past I was the only one I had to please with a piece of prose. Now I’m much more aware of the readers’ attitudes. As I write I find that I ask myself constantly how the readers would react. This transformation is due largely to the immediacy of Indie publishing. With a traditionally published book there can be years between writing and publication. Your agent might suggest minor changes. It may then take time for the manuscript to be accepted. The publishers will nominate a slot, often a year or more in the future. Libel lawyers may have to cast an eye over it. Copy and proof editors will refine the work. Artwork will be done. By the time the book hit the shops, the writer will have moved on, often immersed in another project. I often felt a sense of detachment from a book by the time it was published.

Q: The list of well-known authors that are moving toward Independent publishing structures continues to grow. Do you think this is opening up possibilities for less established authors or monopolizing what was formerly their only option?

A: I’m optimistic about the future of Indie publishing and would buy shares in Smashwords faster than in Barnes & Noble. The fate of the traditional bookstore will be down to specialization. I doubt if they can continue being all things to all people. We already see some very successful stores concentrating in one or two genres. This genre specialization will develop, and no doubt the giants of the retail industry have a trick or two yet. I expect some form of stratification will enter Indie book publishing.

Perhaps a division between the one book author and the multiple author. Certainly we have seen a rise in the popularity of book series in the last decade and readers do enjoy embarking on journeys with writers they admire. It is anyone’s guess where will this leave the authors of a single text. Bad news for the Harper Lees and Margaret Mitchells.

Q: You give your work away for free. Can you explain your strategy on this?

A: Giving away the occasional free book is an established marketing tool. The first Walter Mosley book I read was a magazine freebie, and I became a huge fan. It’s a great way of increasing consumer awareness. I have had readers read my free e-books, then go buy the paperback. I still have the Mosley book, but I also bought another edition of it.

Q: How relevant is your success with traditional publishing to your reputation as an independent author?

A: Being a traditionally published author who switched to Indie does lend a degree of credibility. But reputations do not sell books. Positive word of mouth is the magic key to high number book sales and the only thing that will generate that is a damned good story. Admittedly the snowball rolling down a hill effect will be faster for a moderately well known author. It would be nice to be still amongst the best sellers in forty years time.

From the Huffington Post, October 29th 2010

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