In a post I wrote a few weeks back, I mentioned that I used a short cut of sorts when promoting my books. I also mentioned that marketing was a necessity to authors, especially those who self-publish. My “short-cut” came in the form of a Christian Bookclub who emails its’ members to let them know of new releases.
Marina Woods is the owner and force behind the GoodGirlBookClubOnline. She’s the person I turn to when I want to market my books. GGBC was started when Marina grew tired of reading books that compromised her beliefs. She reasoned that there were others out there like her, so she put the wheels in motion and has now amassed several thousand names of people who like to read the kind of books I write.
I spoke to Marina about what it takes to run GGBC and she was kind enough to answer a few questions. I’ve summarized my conversation with her below. Hopefully, her insight and time in the PR industry will help you in your future endeavors.
As well as promoting products on GGBC, Marina also takes on new clients/authors and pitches them to media outlets. She negotiates deals between those clients and the outlets based on what the client needs or is even budgetary concerns. She states that often times, she will offer an exclusive if the outlet is willing to offer her client a feature story. When she buys ads for her clients she looks at the media outlets ‘rate cards then after assessing her clients’ budget, she tries to negotiate a deal. She contacts an outlet letting them know of her ‘serious interest’ and proposes an offer within her clients’ budget that she hopes the outlet will accept. It’s at that point that the outlet will tell Marina what they can or cannot do for her and the client. She tries to negotiate with them, attempting to get the best rate for her client with a deal the outlet will accept. She notes that she has had to walk away from a deal when neither party could come to an acceptable agreement.
Finally, she stated that thorough research, kindness and fairness go a long way in negotiating deals. Whether you hire someone to do this for you or you begin, marketing and negotiating for yourself, the advice Marina gives here, should help you in reaching your goals.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Rich Writer, Poor Writer
I was recently re-reading Rich Dad Poor Dad and the main point of the book, to me at least, is to have money work for you instead of you working for money. Since we’ve touched on self-publishing over the last few posts, I’ve decided to do a quick step-by-step guide. After the initial time investment of writing your work, you can sit back and let the money roll in (assuming people want to buy your work)
1. Complete your work and get it reviewed, if not by a paid editor, then by family or friends or a social networking group.
2. Pick a service. (We’ll use Amazon for this post)
3. Answer all the questions to set up your account and desired royalty options.
4. Price your work appropriately. ($2.99 and lower is best -See previous post)
5. Upload your work to the Kindle Direct Publishing website.
6. Publicize, network and market, market, market!
It’s been a little over a year since I self published my first book and the second book was just finished. I’m just now getting to the point where I’m receiving a monthly royalty check and I believe writing another book helped with the increase in sales. It’s still not a lot of money yet but the potential for growth is unlimited. With no overhead costs, I’m in the position to have money work for me. As seen in the last post, there are many authors who’ve established a large platform and are earning more than $1,000.00 per month. There are also several authors who currently earn more than $10,000.00 per month from self-publishing. With no publisher taking money off the top, these writers have set up a great future for themselves.
So the choice is up to you. Are you ready to take the leap and use the skills you have to help secure your financial future?
I say come on in, the water’s fine
Take care until next time.
1. Complete your work and get it reviewed, if not by a paid editor, then by family or friends or a social networking group.
2. Pick a service. (We’ll use Amazon for this post)
3. Answer all the questions to set up your account and desired royalty options.
4. Price your work appropriately. ($2.99 and lower is best -See previous post)
5. Upload your work to the Kindle Direct Publishing website.
6. Publicize, network and market, market, market!
It’s been a little over a year since I self published my first book and the second book was just finished. I’m just now getting to the point where I’m receiving a monthly royalty check and I believe writing another book helped with the increase in sales. It’s still not a lot of money yet but the potential for growth is unlimited. With no overhead costs, I’m in the position to have money work for me. As seen in the last post, there are many authors who’ve established a large platform and are earning more than $1,000.00 per month. There are also several authors who currently earn more than $10,000.00 per month from self-publishing. With no publisher taking money off the top, these writers have set up a great future for themselves.
So the choice is up to you. Are you ready to take the leap and use the skills you have to help secure your financial future?
I say come on in, the water’s fine
Take care until next time.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Writers, You Should Be Concerned About The Bottom Line
Writers, You Should Be Concerned About The Bottom Line
Sorry for the long holiday break but I’m back and in case anyone is confused about the title of this blog, I’m talking about money. I’ll be talking about self-publishing in this blog. I may be a little biased because I am a self-publisher but there are others that agree with me. (See http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/)
If nothing else, trust the numbers. The big publishers only give an author approximately 17.5% for every book sold while Amazon and Barnes & Noble (B&N) offer 70% and 65% respectively for every e-book sold. You will also have a much longer wait between the time you submit the book to your publisher and when the book comes out to the market than with a service like Amazon or B&N. That is time you could be earning money. Uploading to both sites is free so you will have no overhead costs or advances to pay back.
I don’t want to make it sound like selling a lot of e-books is a walk in the park because it’s not. What you’ll be missing if you decide to self publish is a great editor. You can hire your own like I did but please get someone to objectively review your book. You’ll also be missing the marketing experience of a big publisher. You’ll have to do all your own advertising and marketing if you get into self-publishing. A warning to the creative types, if you enjoyed writing your book, you probably won’t enjoy the promotion side as much.
So what’s a creative writer to do? Easy. Don’t re-invent the wheel, just hop on someone else’s wheel. You’ll most likely have to pay for a ride on that wheel but trust me when I tell you it’s still easier than starting from scratch. I would try established bloggers or book clubs. I myself went to a company that had already compiled the names of thousands of women in my target demographic. The company charges a fee to send out an ad or “e-blast” for your book to a specified number of readers but those are readers are potential buyers which equal potential sales. It may cost you a little money but consider it an investment. Facebook is another cost-effective way to advertise. You set the budget upfront so there are no surprises to deal with. Whatever you do, just get out there. Someone wants to hear what you’ve got to say.
That’s it for now.
Take care!
Audrey
Sorry for the long holiday break but I’m back and in case anyone is confused about the title of this blog, I’m talking about money. I’ll be talking about self-publishing in this blog. I may be a little biased because I am a self-publisher but there are others that agree with me. (See http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/)
If nothing else, trust the numbers. The big publishers only give an author approximately 17.5% for every book sold while Amazon and Barnes & Noble (B&N) offer 70% and 65% respectively for every e-book sold. You will also have a much longer wait between the time you submit the book to your publisher and when the book comes out to the market than with a service like Amazon or B&N. That is time you could be earning money. Uploading to both sites is free so you will have no overhead costs or advances to pay back.
I don’t want to make it sound like selling a lot of e-books is a walk in the park because it’s not. What you’ll be missing if you decide to self publish is a great editor. You can hire your own like I did but please get someone to objectively review your book. You’ll also be missing the marketing experience of a big publisher. You’ll have to do all your own advertising and marketing if you get into self-publishing. A warning to the creative types, if you enjoyed writing your book, you probably won’t enjoy the promotion side as much.
So what’s a creative writer to do? Easy. Don’t re-invent the wheel, just hop on someone else’s wheel. You’ll most likely have to pay for a ride on that wheel but trust me when I tell you it’s still easier than starting from scratch. I would try established bloggers or book clubs. I myself went to a company that had already compiled the names of thousands of women in my target demographic. The company charges a fee to send out an ad or “e-blast” for your book to a specified number of readers but those are readers are potential buyers which equal potential sales. It may cost you a little money but consider it an investment. Facebook is another cost-effective way to advertise. You set the budget upfront so there are no surprises to deal with. Whatever you do, just get out there. Someone wants to hear what you’ve got to say.
That’s it for now.
Take care!
Audrey
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Hey Writers, Find Your Voice and Use It
Twenty something years ago, Madonna said we’re living in a material world and while that is still true, we can now add digital to the list. We live in a digital world and it would behoove you to take advantage of it. Since you have digital tools available to you and mostly for free, why not use them.
In this day and age reputations are made or broken with digital tools. Consider the following; Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse in the world but maintains a consistent and vocal online presence. BP’s reputation was nearly destroyed because of the gulf oil spill but they put the final nail in their own coffin by not addressing the issue with the public via social networking sites. Check out the links below for more information.
http://blip.tv/file/3866406
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2010/07/5-digital-pr-lessons-from-bps-oil-spillresponse193.html
Right now I bet you’re wondering what’s the method to get your voice out there. The simple answer is just pick one. I’ll touch on three in this post. We touched on making your own video last week. That is a great way to get you voice out there. Along with voicing an opinion, it allows you to connect with an audience. If you want to let others know what you’re doing (or writing) you have to let others know your out there. Check out the link below from best selling author John Irving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TbTCDHKRY
Another way to get your voice out there is to record it. BlogTalkRadio .com allows any and everyone with something to say a chance to say it. If you need to build a platform, this is a relatively easy way. And what’s even better, you can invite guests to help you get your point (s) across. You can write a script or do it freestyle. Just do it. Check out the link below from writerslifechats on blogtalkradio.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/writerslifechats
Last but not least, we have the old stand-bys social networking sites. Get connected with people who are doing what you do. You have a plethora of sites to choose from. Since we’re talking about writing, I’ve picked one for you to check out.
http://tribes.tribe.net/writersanonymous
In this day and age reputations are made or broken with digital tools. Consider the following; Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse in the world but maintains a consistent and vocal online presence. BP’s reputation was nearly destroyed because of the gulf oil spill but they put the final nail in their own coffin by not addressing the issue with the public via social networking sites. Check out the links below for more information.
http://blip.tv/file/3866406
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2010/07/5-digital-pr-lessons-from-bps-oil-spillresponse193.html
Right now I bet you’re wondering what’s the method to get your voice out there. The simple answer is just pick one. I’ll touch on three in this post. We touched on making your own video last week. That is a great way to get you voice out there. Along with voicing an opinion, it allows you to connect with an audience. If you want to let others know what you’re doing (or writing) you have to let others know your out there. Check out the link below from best selling author John Irving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TbTCDHKRY
Another way to get your voice out there is to record it. BlogTalkRadio .com allows any and everyone with something to say a chance to say it. If you need to build a platform, this is a relatively easy way. And what’s even better, you can invite guests to help you get your point (s) across. You can write a script or do it freestyle. Just do it. Check out the link below from writerslifechats on blogtalkradio.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/writerslifechats
Last but not least, we have the old stand-bys social networking sites. Get connected with people who are doing what you do. You have a plethora of sites to choose from. Since we’re talking about writing, I’ve picked one for you to check out.
http://tribes.tribe.net/writersanonymous
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Hey Writers, a Picture Really is Worth 1,000 words
Since I’m not sure what kind of writing you’re doing, I’ll address two types. Let’s start with the novelist. As we stated last week, if you don’t have a website, you should get one as soon as possible. Almost everyone uses the web now days. So, on your website, I would suggest you put at least one type of video, preferably two. The first should be a video about you. It will help your readers know a little more about you and feel like they have something in common with you. You can record yourself for about 2 or 3 minutes talking about your life, what led you to writing, etc. It should feel personal and intimate. Invite the reader into your world and let them seem how you think. Post the video on YouTube and add a link to your site is space/bandwidth is a concern. The second video should be a video book trailer. At this point, I want you to do what I say and not I what I did (Mine isn’t done yet) but I will post my trailer soon. The trailer should whet the readers’ appetites and give them a taste of what is to come. Even if you can’t afford to do a real video trailer (With hired actors, lighting crew, etc) try to put together something for your readers. If you do it well, it can only help you. Even non-fiction writers can get in on this. A short string of interviews with real people addressing the issues in your book would look great on your site and might go further if the interviewees have read and mention your book.
The video below has no talking actors but great graphics and stirs an interest in the reader to pick up the book.
A Video Book Trailer
Next, I’ll address script writers. The same principles work for you but better. If you are trying to sell a screenplay or a film you should put together a short teaser to show people what they have to look forward to. It is very likely that whoever ends up buying your script won’t use any of your filmed ideas, but you’ve at least given them something to work with. For independent filmmakers, a short film placed on a website like YouTube or another site where your target audience frequently visits would be a great tool to entice viewers to see your movie. I found the trailer below on YouTube where it’s been seen by over 10,000 people. A trailer or short film is a great way to build buzz about your next project.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
So You Want To Be Writer In Hollywood ?
Breaking into the movie business has obvious perks but how do you do it? There are several schools of thought but I’ll touch on three here. Let’s call the first way, “The Front Door”. This is how it’s always been done. You (prospective screenwriter) write a script, try to land an agent based on that script and wait for your agent to shop your script and secure a deal for you. Most would agree that way hardly works anymore but it could so stay open. The next way is what I like to call “The Back Door” and this way is very popular. In fact, there is a whole industry built around it. It’s even become so popular that well known screenwriters hold classes on how to do it. You take the back door when you skip the agent and try to secure a deal by yourself. The Hollywood Creative Directory, or some tool like it is an absolute necessity if you decide to use this method. This book lists every major studio, network executive and production company known to man. The idea here is to send out your script to everyone in the book that may have the slightest interest in it. You also have to close your eyes and jump up and down while clicking your heels three times when you do this method but hey it works for some people. I call the last method “The Garage Door”. This last method is the most time-consuming because it requires you to actually produce a film instead of just a script. The good news is that people in Hollywood tend to be visual creatures so having something they can actually sit down and watch is a bonus for you. But here’s the reality check, you actually have to find someone to watch it. I call it “the garage door” because you are technically “in the house.” If you’ve created a film, you can call yourself a filmmaker but you’re still outside the main stream. I can hear all of you asking which door should I try? In my humble opinion if this is something you really want to do, you should try them all. You never know which one might open up. So your next question is “how do I do it?” First, if you’re not already, get educated. There are plenty of places where you can buy books or DVDs that will teach you what you need to know. The Writer’s Store and Film School Online are just two of them. Second, establish an online presence. If you don’t have accounts with Twitter and Facebook already, set them up and then network, network, network! Follow (on Twitter) or friend (on Facebook) people who are doing what you want to do. Take plenty of notes and follow advice when it’s given. This will put you a big step ahead of the pack. Also, set up your own website or blog and let people know what your doing. People love to follow a journey. The important thing is to get your name out there and build a platform. If you have a product, advertise it. You can buy ad space almost anywhere but try to focus on a specific group. For example, if you’re writing romantic comedies, you probably don’t need to advertise on sites that the Hell’s Angel’s frequent. Find your people and stay attached to them. Lastly, be committed enough to stick with it. If you’re really meant to break into “the business” you will, just give yourself time. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Check out the links below then go forth and conquer!
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