Book Marketing

Audiobooks Sell: Production and Marketing

The audiobook market is one of the fastest-growing segments of the publishing industry. According to the Audio Publishers Association, it grew an estimated 24.5% from 2017 to 2018. This included self-published authors and small publishers who access numerous marketing actions and opportunities to create and an awareness and enhance sales. And think of the millions of people who drive to and from work each day many listen to audiobooks. They are just one audience since people can listen anywhere, anytime. Following are the major elements involved in producing and marketing an audiobook.

Production

Recording

The recording of your book is the first step in the process. Either the author or a talent will need to be well spoken, easy to understand, and appealing to listen to. Once the talent has been selected, the recording sessions can begin and recording time will depend on the length of the book. Usually estimated by word count, for example, a 60,000- to 70,000-word book should take about ten hours.

Post-Production/File Creation

Once the recording is complete, the file should be carefully reviewed to make sure all flubs, misreads, etc. are cleaned up. Music, pauses, and other needed elements should be inserted in the proper places for an entertaining final product.

Once the product is completed, files are created in the proper formats for the author’s website, Audible, Hoopla, and other audiobook sellers. The files are delivered and uploaded as needed for each site. Tests should be made to make sure the files are being downloaded correctly and meet both yours and the seller’s requirements.

Distribution

Audiobooks can be distributed and sold on Amazon, Audible, Apple, Google, Chirp, Hoopla, etc. Your publisher should be able to help you list it on Amazon. There are companies like Findawayvoices.com that can help with development, and there are companies like librofm.com, an independent audiobook retailer, that can help with distribution. Be sure to compare pricing. If you’re published through Kindle, they should be able to help you list your audiobook on Amazon.

Marketing

With the recording done and the files uploaded, it’s time to market the book to drive sales. This includes creating strong, appealing messaging concepts with opportunities for ongoing visibility for your audiobook.

First and foremost, audio-specific marketing materials, graphics, and posts for audiobooks need to be created. A simple and quick example would be to have a book rendering with headphones bracketing the cover. This is an easy way to catch the attention of audiobook listeners, letting them know that this book is available in audio format and is being marketed directly to them.

Following are some additional strategies for promoting an audiobook for preorder and sales:

Launch. Develop and distribute a press release announcement. Send to your contacts and post on your social media and also on your personal website.

Your Website. The file will be uploaded to your website where people can download samples and also purchase your book. Adding an e-commerce element to your site is simple and can be set up to handle credit card transactions with the funds from the sales being delivered directly to a bank account of your choice. You have the price set and run various promotions, including contests to generate sales. In addition, this will be a good way to sell printed copies of all your titles. Or, of course, you can work with a distribution company such as Findawayvoices.com.

Social Media. An audiobook should be promoted across all social media channels. Samples should be available for download with direct links to your or other sites for purchase. Consider running contests for free copies of the audiobook.

Newsletter. Announce the preorder via your newsletter or blog if you have one and on your social media pages. Many of these groups are genre-specific (like Aural Fixation and Audio Loves on Facebook for the romance genre). Authors can do a search for groups or pages that focus on audiobooks in your genre.

Bloggers. Approach audio-centric bloggers (e.g., AudioGals), genre-specific bloggers, and review podcasts. Offer an Advance Listener Copy (ALC) or ask about partnering on a giveaway for an ALC to one of their subscribers/listeners.

Podcasts. Review podcasts also tend to have promotional spots/opportunities for advertisers, where authors pay a fee to share a sneak peek of their audiobook on the podcast. Data suggests podcast listeners are also audiobook listeners. There are a number of podcasters listed on Google who feature interviews with authors.

Facebook Live. Leading up to the release or even after the audiobook is out, ask your narrators if they’d be willing to do a Facebook Live video with you. Prepare questions ahead of time for your narrator and share short snippets of the book live. Make sure you post the link to your audiobook in all social media and special event posts. You can also do Facebook posts and boosts to vast and specific audiences.

Boost Retailer Pages. Post screenshots of your audiobook available on retailers, and tag that retailer in your post/social media announcement. Some retailers might even share your post to their audience, especially if you consistently share their purchase links (even library distributors, like Hoopla and OverDrive!).

Affiliate Links. Always remember to use affiliate links on your website, directing all traffic (social media, podcasts, bloggers, newsletter, etc.) through your affiliate links.

Discount the Audiobook and Promote It on Chirp (owned by Bookbub). This is another marketing option to consider. The ability to control the price of an audiobook on retailers is an extremely valuable marketing tool. If you distribute through Findaway Voices (to Chirp, Apple Books, Google Play, Authors Direct, Audiobooks.com, Hoopla for libraries, etc.) then you can have full control over the price of your audiobooks on those retailers. Ultimately, you’ll have the ability to offer discounts and sales on your terms and your schedule rather than having the price (or discount) dictated to you.

Audiobooks are a huge market and an opportunity to significantly increase awareness of your books and you as an author, while potentially increasing your income. Costs vary. Comparison shop or ask for a referral.

Marcia Rosen (aka M. Glenda Rosen) is the author of 10 books including the Dying To Be Beautiful Mystery Series, The Gourmet Gangster: Mysteries and Menus (which she wrote with her son Jory Rosen and was a 2021 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards winner) and The Senior Sleuths. She is also the author of The Woman’s Business Therapist and award winning My Memoir Workbook. For 25 years, Marcia was owner of a successful national marketing and public relations agency and also facilitated numerous writing programs. She continues to work with aspiring author clients, providing manuscript reviews and advising them on book development and marketing, as well as writing articles, appearing on author blogs, and presenting writing programs on Zoom and in person. Marcia was co-presenter of “About Being an Author” for The National Steinbeck Center. She is a member of Sisters in Crime Albuquerque (2022 vice president), Southwest Writers, Women Writing the West, Central Coast Writers, New Mexico Book Association, Public Safety Writer’s Association, and National Association of Independent Writers and Editors — for which Marcia is also a current board member.

How Do You Sell More Books?

Thursday, July Post a comment

Let’s take this question from the 30,000-foot view for now and ask the bigger question, how does anyone sell more of anything? It comes from a conversation expressing a need and finding a solution. Whether your need is to have your battery replaced in your car or the need to buy a gallon of milk, you identify the pain point and offer the solution. Not everyone will have the same need, so not everyone will be interested in your book. The key is knowing your target audience and reaching them on an emotional level.

Let’s use the car battery as an example. There are probably dozens of mechanics in your area that can replace your car battery, just as there are probably many books available on the topic or genre that you’ve written about. Garage A has an ad that pops up online that has bullet points about them like *satisfaction guaranteed, *cheapest rates in town, and *award-winning service. None of which address your specific needs. This is salesy business-focused marketing. While they may be true, they are not making an emotional connection to your needs. You can probably get that same service at a number of garages. However, Garage B has a video ad that pops up that says when you have car trouble, they know every hour you can’t drive can mean that you can’t get to work, you can’t pick up your kids from school, and it basically has you held hostage! This is the difference between traditional book marketing like trailers and ads and relationship video marketing.

Let’s face it, no one is going to sell your book better than you, the author! Whether it’s a short TikTok or IG Reelsvideo of you popping on and sharing your thoughts, or a longer YouTube interview video, you begin to build a relationship with your followers. If you consider that 93% of communication is non-verbal, it really makes sense that people seeing your expressions and hearing your voice will make them connect with you on an emotional level. You want them to see themselves in your story. There’s no greater win than when your followers think “you feel that way, I feel that way too,” or “oh, I’m going through that, too.” You want to find common ground and meet them where they are. It’s so important to shift your thinking from being author-focused to others-focused. Why will they care? What’s that common ground we have? You’re overweight? Hey, I’m overweight too. Do you suffer from depression? Hey, I do too. Let’s sit down as friends and chat about it.

As a radio personality for 30 years, I’ve received hundreds of books from authors asking to be interviewed on my shows. They almost always send me copies of their books and randomly placed author one-sheets in the pages. Those one-sheets are always author-focused in my experience. They tell me how many books they’ve written, drop important names of people they’ve been interviewed by, and I’ve even seen how many grandchildren they have! I could never understand why they would share things like this with me, as they had none of the qualities I was looking for in order for them to gain access to my audience. I wanted to know how well they speak? Why will my audience care what they have to say and will my audience feel a connection to their book content? Video can answer all these questions and more for big stage requests like radio, TV, podcast, and speaking opportunities. You’re essentially asking to borrow their audience, and a video link embedded on your one-sheet or press kit is a great way to set yourself apart from other author requests.

That same video can be used for your “small stage” opportunities as well, to demonstrate that you can make that emotional connection. Think about using it on social media, chat rooms, your website, newsletters, email blasts, and your Amazon author page! The key to selling books really is finding common ground and meeting people on a personal level. And in my experience, nothing can do that better than video. It really is an author’s marketing secret weapon!

Suzanne Lynn Cheesman has been in radio for the last 25 years, in New Jersey, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, and Florida as well as having hosted her own nationally syndicated show. She now runs a digital media company that helps authors sell more books and build their brand with video and radio interviews. She currently hosts the Triangle Spotlight radio show on WQBQ 1410-AM, a Central Florida radio station that has a coverage area of half a million people. On this show, you can hear authors from around the country and around the world share their heart behind the writing of their books.

Podcast Marketing for Authors

Saturday, January Post a comment

How do you reach your potential market? Especially now with limited opportunities for in-person events at bookstores and many writers’ conferences cancelled. As a marketing/public relations professional and agency founder, I know authors are like other businesses and authors should create a presence and consistent message by implementing various marketing strategies.

Let’s face it. It ain’t easy writing a book.

First, you write the book with, hopefully, a plausible idea.

Then, there are the rewrites, edits, more rewrites, more edits, and, much of the time, some level of concern about deadlines, publishers, distribution to bookstores, and—fingers crossed—sales.

Then what?

Wait? I don’t think so. Not the best idea. Having owned a marketing/public relations firm for many years, I know that good marketing campaigns work.

As an author I agree that, oftentimes, writing the book is the easiest part; it’s what comes next that involves anticipation, hope, and serious effort to get the word out about our words.

There is a truth to our ambition: most authors have a story to tell, created from life experiences or imagination. Our love of words and how they’re put together allows us to create the magic of a book. Our own book.

So . . . how do you reach your potential audience? There are many good ways, some not so good, and some that are just scams. Beware of the scams! Ask seasoned writers what they recommend and what to stay away from. You’ll save time and money.

I have found that book-signing events, some online promotions, publishing articles, blogging, and guest spots on blogs are good options. All of these give you visibility and establish your potential reader’s awareness of you and your books. As an agency founder myself, I know authors need a strong voice promoting their work, for both visibility and relevance.

One fairly new and valuable book marketing approach: podcasts.

Millions of people are listening to podcasts. Online surveys have revealed over 70 million Americans listen to podcasts each month on tablets, smartphones, home computers, and other listening devices. Online statistics assert that “beyond any doubt, podcasts are a potential goldmine for promoting your book(s).”

The following are my tips on booking an appearance as a podcast guest:

Be prepared.
Know what podcast is best for you.
Connect with podcast hosts.
Pitch the host or booker. Tell why you believe their audience will find your books, and you as a guest, entertaining.
Ask the host what is expected of guests.

The following are my tips on being a successful podcast guest:

Be prepared.
Provide the host with information about you and your book prior to the podcast. (You want the host to create audience interest when introducing you.)
Be able to discuss why you wrote the book, along with
- what motivated, inspired, and interested you in the story or subject
- what type of research you did
- your writing process
- your top three favorite authors and why.
Sound enthusiastic and excited about being on the podcast.
Never say anything negative about other authors or publishers.
Tell listeners where they can purchase your book.
And be sure to thank the person interviewing you! You may want another visit for your next book.

Marcia Rosen (aka M. Glenda Rosen) is the author of 10 books including The Senior Sleuths, the Dying To Be Beautiful Mystery Series, and her latest offering (which she wrote with her son Jory Rosen and was a 2021 New Mexico–Arizona Book Awards winner), The Gourmet Gangster: Mysteries and Menus. She is also the author of The Woman’s Business Therapist and award winning My Memoir Workbook. For 25 years, Marcia was owner of a successful national marketing and public relations agency and also facilitated numerous writing programs. She continues to work with aspiring author clients, providing manuscript reviews and advising them on book development and marketing, as well as writing articles, appearing on author blogs, and presenting writing programs on Zoom and in person. Marcia was co-presenter of “About Being an Author” for The National Steinbeck Center. She is a member of Sisters in Crime Albuquerque (2022 vice president), Southwest Writers, Women Writing the West, Central Coast Writers, New Mexico Book Association, Public Safety Writer’s Association, and National Association of Independent Writers and Editors—for which Marcia is also a current board member.

The Mad Marketing Strategy

Wednesday, July Post a comment

I’m an expert. I have six books under my writerly belt and can throw my marketing girth out there for all to see and admire. Why can I say this? Because I received my first royalty check—that I promptly spent on socks at Walmart—which is why I am starting a new marketing endeavor aimed at those illustrious folks who proudly call themselves Midlist Authors. It’s called MAD: Midlist Author Dictators.

Here’s how MAD works. We midlisters have tried every conceivable marketing method known to computer-huggers everywhere:

We’ve shouted on Shoutlife.
We’ve given and received ridiculous gifts on Facebook (hugs, gardens, little cyber-bits of foof).
We’ve blogged ’til the cows came home, and then we took movies of the cows and hoped to start a viral revolution on YouTube.
We dusted off our amateur movie skills and made B-level book trailers.
We’ve spoken to book clubs, fielding questions about that pesky scene (that we don’t remember writing) on page 154.
We’ve paid handsomely for a website whose visitors consist of our grandmothers, four stalkers, and ourselves (which counts for most of our hits).
We’ve paid printing companies mucho bucks for business cards, bookmarks, t-shirts, auto decals, and mugs. (And we’ve cleared out a closet and a garage to hold these items.)
We’ve spoken to groups large (12) and small (1) and solicited email addresses for our gem of a monthly newsletter—only to have our subscribers rebel by unsubscribing and vowing to never read any of our books.
We’ve twittered away entire days, telling our seven followers the intricacies of our days, how much we’re writing, what we had for breakfast, and what exactly the dog ate to make him throw up those colors.
We’ve given away free books to people in Nigeria in exchange for $540,000. (Well, a book and also all our account information).
We paid handsomely for a professional picture only to discover the picture actually looks like us. (We opt for a picture taken in high school when sags and wrinkles didn’t exist.)

So we’ve worked hard, we midlisters. And what has all this toil brought us? Nothing. So we’re starting a revolution. We are now MAD! (Midlist Author Dictators, in case you forgot the acronym.) Here’s how the MAD program works:

We read books about dictators (benevolent and not so benevolent) and figure out what made them tick. We take notes. We puff ourselves up. We practice on our dog, trying to make him do new tricks. Once we’ve perfected that, we go to the next step.
We take what we’ve learned and create an empire where we are our own dictators, forcing the general populace to buy every one of our books. This includes backlists and the books we bought for 25 cents from our publisher because they were destined for the fiery furnaces of destruction.
We rule benevolently (hopefully . . . There is that thing about absolute power corrupting absolutely.) And then we retire in the Cayman Islands off all those meaty royalty checks. (But we have to hire someone to decipher them because, for the life of us dictators, we can’t figure those puppies out!)

So there you have it. A new marketing method for a new generation! Midlist authors unite! Get MAD! Dust off your dormant dictator and have at it! Your very future depends on it. If you can’t sell books the old fashioned way, you may as well dictate. And if you fail? I hear Walmart is hiring greeters—their own micro-version of crowd-control-cart-distribution monarchy.

Mary E. DeMuth helps people to turn their trials into triumphs. She mentors new authors through the publishing process and has written two tutorials on book proposals (one for fiction and another for nonfiction). An expert in Pioneer Parenting, Mary enables Christian parents to navigate our changing culture when their families were not good faith examples to follow. Her parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (Harvest House, 2007), Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook, 2006), and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House, 2005). Mary also inspires people to face their trials through her real-to-life novels, including Watching the Tree Limbs (nominated for a Christy Award) and Wishing on Dandelions (NavPress, 2006). A pioneer parent herself, Mary and her husband, Patrick, reside in Texas with their three children. They recently returned from breaking new spiritual ground in Southern France, where they planted a church.

Platform and the Force

Sunday, July Post a comment

I have all the answers you seek, young Padawan. (Advanced apologies for those of you who don’t like Star Wars.)

Platform:

Speak to as many people as you can (The clone wars come to mind. . . . Millions is preferable.)

Your website has to have the firepower of the Death Star.

As wise as Yoda your blog posts must be, but also as pretty as Princess Leia (and all the storm troopers must secretly read it. Your blog hits should hover around one million.)

Your books should wield as much power and elegance as a light saber, and they should have enough strength to thwart the forces of evil. (This is hard to put a number on, though.)

Create your own hologram, which says, “Help me Obiwan Oprah. You’re my only hope . . . for book sales.”

Your fan site on Facebook should include every species: ewoks, wookies, jedis, icky darth spikey people, naboo, Jar Jar Binks, and every creature represented by the bar scene in the original movie. Let’s just hope Harrison Ford is your fan too. That will help.

Platform is greatly improved when you dress the part. Although for me, it would be hard to be Daisy from my next novel, because she’s a missing girl.

And lest you think I’ve lost my midi-chlorians, you can salve all your platform woes as you watch this brilliant piece of cinematography:

Mary Skywalker, Platform Jedi of the First Order

Marketing Madness

Thursday, July Post a comment

Marketing Schmarketing! It’s the portion of my writing life that I estimate will take a little bit of time, when in reality, it takes quite a bit.

When my friends were raising support, they heard an interesting illustration. “Raising support is like hunting for the 30 or so pieces of gravel that have been painted red on the backside. Your job? Start at the beginning of a gravel driveway, and start turning over rocks until you find them all.”

That feels like marketing to me. Or at least it did.

Last summer, God provided a surprising way for me to hire a marketing mentor to help me sift through my marketing efforts. It’s been enlightening. Instead of turning over thousands of rocks, he’s helping me locate the red rocks strategically, thus saving me time. And a little sanity.

Here are some things he’s helped me do:

Develop two brands: Turning Trials to Triumph, and Build the Christian Family You Never Had (ripped from the headlines of my second book). This covers fiction and nonfiction. The second one is conducive to speaking, which I am working on beefing up.
Encourage me to do a redesign on my website.
Help me develop two new products to sell on my site. One: a fifty-page tutorial on writing nonfiction book proposals, including two annotated sample proposals. Two: 150 conversation starters you can use around your table with your kids.
Help me strategize places I can send articles to for free, in order to generate buzz.
Encourage me to send out a snail mail newsletter to potential speaking venues. I’m working on my second newsletter, slated to go out to 350 people around the United States.
Inspire me to add to my email database. I added another email newsletter, Inside Renewal. This one’s about going deep with Jesus, and so far the feedback has been great.
Help me form strategic alliances with ministries who might need my books. (Missions organizations in Europe for Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture, Counseling entities for my novels, and several moms ministries for my conversation starters).

For speaking:

He’s helped me hone the way I speak, offering a painful, but helpful critique on one of my speeches. I’m a much better speaker now and hope to have a high-quality recording of my speaking soon to give to potential speaking gigs. In the meantime, I have a snippet of my Family Life interview on my site.
He’s coached me on effective radio techniques, including learning the beauty of sound bites, and tying in my topic to a giveaway on my website.
He’s reminded me to put my book cover and contact information on any free article I send out.
He’s showed me the importance of selling my books on my website. Before my new site was up, I created a Paypal page on my blog to sell Authentic Parenting while the blog tour was going on. This gave us tangible numbers on the success of the tour, whereas, if we had relied on Amazon rankings, we wouldn’t really know how many books we sold as a result of the tour.

Probably the most important thing he did was help me come up with value statements; in other words, what kind of value do I bring to my listeners and readers. Here are a few to help you wrap your mind around what I mean. (And, hey, this took me a month to get my mind around it. Not easy at all.) I help people so fully heal from tragedy that others would never know the trauma had occurred. I help parents create a haven in their home so their kids are wildly enthusiastic about coming home every day. I help people approach God in such a way that they know His reality and His direct dealings every single day.

So I’m more strategic about my gravel turning these days. All this stuff has taken me months to accomplish, and I still feel like a neophyte. Two cool things happened in the midst of all this:

As I discovered what God had made me to do, and the life message He had given me, revival blew through my heart. I never thought I’d find more of Jesus in the midst of marketing. Wow.
Even though I’m working hard at finding those red rocks, I see God’s sovereign hand often in the way He finds rocks for me. I may be strategic now, but He is the Great Helper when it comes to marketing. Speaking gigs only He could orchestrate have fallen into my lap. Writing opportunities, too. I have found that trying to market myself on my own would be a futile, silly endeavor. Oh how I need Jesus! And even in all of my strategies and His sovereignty, I rest in the fact that He holds my career and ministry in His hands.

This is a long post, I know. But my prayer is that something inside it will be a help to you as you market yourself or your books and articles.

Giving Away Free Copies, Tribes, and Sovereignty

Thursday, July Post a comment

On Sunday, I listened to some amazing podcasts about the music industry and how it had to morph and change in light of Napster and the digital sharing age.

I tend to gravitate toward the idea of tribes, of creating a unique community. That takes time, but what happens is that you gain fans gathered around a cause, folks who are zealous to promote your books for you. To me, it typifies this verse: “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27:2).

Giving things away free, in light of creating a tribe, then, makes sense. You are offering a bit of yourself, your heart, for a potential tribe member.

Another strategy to consider is this: the kingdom of God. I love what Randy Alcorn says. He gives away his books as God leads. He keeps several with him when he travels, giving books away to clerks, hotel employees, cab drivers, and housekeepers. He sees it as his way of expanding God’s message to a hurting world.

Being mindful of all that, I’ve navigated “free” by praying, asking God to situationally guide me as I give away books. Sometimes He says not to do it. Sometimes He prompts me to give sacrificially. I am learning to let the pieces rest in His sovereign hands.

Aside: My novel Daisy Chain was offered free on the Kindle store last month. The result is hard to measure, though I have seen a spike in actual book sales. The negative is that folks who get the book for free aren’t thinking as they read it that it will have a Christian worldview, so I got some pretty awful and mean-spirited reviews out of the deal. But on the whole, I think the experiment did give me exposure to a wider audience as I’ve had correspondence with new fans.

In this marketing world, I tend to think in terms of one little decision at a time, and that those little decisions, though they take forever, add up to something bigger over time. The key is to continue to be faithful in little things, not to get discouraged, hold everything loosely, and rest in God’s sovereignty.

25 Ways to Promote and Stay Sane

Saturday, July Post a comment

Traveling, promotion, and marketing always take far more time than you think it will. When I had three books released in one year (which made for a hectic prior year in terms of writing), I got very, very tired doing all that promotion (and I did it from France for the most part). But in some ways it was beneficial to be in another country because when I did travel, I got a lot done at one time.

My family is a priority for me, so I try to stagger my time away from them.

But the best thing you can do now is strategize. Believe me, the marketing/publicity machine will take you by surprise. Having a plan in place beforehand will greatly benefit you.

Here are 25 tips:

Decide how many out-of-state visits you’ll do in a year, then stick to it.
Winnow out non-paying jobs (speaking-wise) to maximize time.
Try to cluster your speaking events.
If you’re going somewhere anyway, query local churches, radio stations, and bookstores to book several venues.
Consider using part of your advance to hire a publicity person. A good publicist is worth his/her weight in gold (or these days, gas!). They do all the hard work for you — finding media outlets, scheduling appearances and interviews, and garnering reviews and articles. Although I know I COULD do these things, I simply don’t have the time to do them. I do have time for interviews of course, but all the behind-the-scenes stuff overwhelms me.
Consider hiring a personal assistant part time (5–10 hours a week) to help you with marketing and publicity.
Have an accountability prayer team who keeps you honest about the time you’re spending away from your family.
Each publicity/media opportunity that comes your way, pray that the Lord would use your words to touch many. Don’t think of it as a time to perform or do shameless promotion of your book, but as a chance to further the Kingdom of God.
Enlist the help of your spouse and kids to do promotion (sending out books, database entry, etc.) so they feel ownership in what you do.
Ask your family for permission if you take a far-away opportunity to speak.
In the initial stages of your speaking career (if you have one), you’ll usually say yes a lot to low-paying, far-away venues. But as you improve and charge higher fees, really consider the cost–benefit analysis of your time. I can write a sellable article or two in the time it would take me to speak. So I’m more careful of my time, and speak less (more strategically).
Consider paying for a housecleaner (same rationale as above . . . I can write enough to pay a housekeeper several times over in the time it would take to clean my house). This frees me up to do more writing or promotion.
When your book releases, try to create a window of time where you can solely concentrate on its promotion. It’s hard to do but will be rewarding. That one-month launch window closes quickly.
Organize your calendar well. Be sure you place family obligations, bills to pay, medical appointments, EVERYTHING, on one master calendar. Otherwise, you may book yourself on a day your child is in a school play.
Ask the Lord to give order to your days.
Observe the Sabbath. If you go-go-go, you’ll quickly burn out. Take a day out of the week to rejuvenate.
Remember the tyranny of the urgent. Instead, create goals for your career, including marketing and publicity, and stick to those when the urgent things come up.
And yet, be interruptible.
Consider giving some of your time away as a sacrifice. I write and speak for free on occasion, when I sense the Lord leading me to do so.
Keep a marketing idea file on your desktop. When you find a great idea, copy and paste it there. When your next book comes out, you’ll have a whole arsenal of ideas to promote it.
Remember the power of the web. Right now is the best time if you don’t have a book out to concentrate on creating a strong web presence. Write a monthly newsletter and begin to amass subscribers. Create a blog that gets read.
Keep a list of all your media contacts in a database. When a book comes out, you can send an e-blast to those entities, letting them know you’ve got a new title out.
Network now. Make friends with media professionals, publishers, and people in the industry.
Consider introducing yourself whenever you’re in a bookstore as an author or potential author.
If you are building a speaking career, let your circle of friends and family know. Sometimes the coolest speaking opportunities come through relational connections like this. Your network can also help you connect with pertinent media and marketing people.

Why Book Titles Matter

Tuesday, April Post a comment

Today more than ever, the title of a book (and its cover) can have a bigger effect on the success of a book (or a brand) than almost anything else. In some cases, savvy publishers do little more than give an existing book a new title/subtitle with an improved book cover to give a book a sales boost.

A bestseller starts with a good title!

Your title should:

Be easy to remember (1–2-word titles work best!).
Have an immediate effect; think about the titles that stopped you (or made you click).
Appeal to your target reader (in your niche, the more specific, the better).
Have a good subtitle that reveals what the book is about in as few words as possible.

How many books have you picked up simply because of a title that grabbed your attention?

Spend some time on publisher websites and see which titles grab your attention.

How do you get a good review? Put your book in the hands of the right reader. How do you get a bad review? Put your book in the hands of the wrong reader.

An accurate and descriptive subtitle will help get your book in the hands of the right reader.

Examples and ideas…

Fiction

The Orphan Collector: A Heroic Novel of Survival During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
The Secrets We Keep: A Gripping Emotional Page Turner
The Storm: A Story Inspired by Reincarnation in the Golden Era of Film and Music
Into the Darkest Day: An Emotional and Totally Gripping WW2 Historical Novel
The Pursuit of the Pankera: A Parallel Novel About Parallel Universes

Non-Fiction

The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store
The Good Karma Diet: Eat Gently, Feel Amazing, Age in Slow Motion
Out Earn: How to Earn More than Your Parents!
Earn the A. Get to College. Get well paid.
The ABCs to getting A’s: The Proven Path to Better Grades with the Power Learning System
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts
You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future
The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life
Goddesses Never Age: The Secret Prescription for Radiance, Vitality, and Well-Being
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
Tears to Triumph: The Spiritual Journey from Suffering to Enlightenment
Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World
Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer to Near Death to True Healing
Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems and 5 Surprising Steps to Cure It
Dealing with People You Can’t Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst
What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
GUTS ’N GUNSHIPS: What it was Really Like to Fly Combat Helicopters in Vietnam

A trend I have seen—like it or not—is piggy backing on the success of an existing title that already has captured people’s attention and getting that word of mouth we all need. It may also help your book show up in Amazon search results better (although Amazon works hard to penalize authors who are gaming the system).

I first noticed it when someone published 50 Shades of Kale. Dozens of authors jumped on the The Fine Art of Not Giving a F*#K bandwagon. And now I’m seeing it with The Life Changing Magic…. Consumers are click happy, and it’s sad to say that many of the sales these authors are getting might be the result of mistaken identity.

Authorpreneur Brian Schwartz is the creator of the award-winning 50 Interviews series. More than 500 authors have trusted Brian and his team to publish their work. The mission of Brian’s practice is “to bridge the gap between self-publishers and traditional publishing by applying the proven strategies and techniques of successful independent publishers.” To meet this objective, Brian launched AuthorDock in 2016 to provide authors an all-in-one secure portfolio management tool to manage deadlines, extended teams, and critical resources. Brian is also the developer of PubWriter, a click-to-publish publishing platform used by authors to create their own web hubs for publishing, promotion, and sales.

Build an Audience with Substack

Friday, October Post a comment

What keeps me excited about publishing after 10+ years?

One word: Technology.

Publishing is changing faster than most industries and I often refer to it as being in a ‘hyper’ state of change. Despite all this change, there are still two paths for an author to choose from to get their work in front of readers:

Door 1: Find an agent and land a publisher
Door 2: Self-publish

If an author is fortunate enough to convince an agent they have the talent, and that agent has the ear of the right publisher, they might get published.

For many of us, door 2 is the only option. If we don’t self-publish, our work will never be read. Either way, the path to getting published is rarely a straight line.

I want to share another option to getting your words in front of readers that is still largely untapped. By untapped, I mean it’s not yet over saturated which means you can be a bigger fish in a smaller pond.

Regardless of the door you choose, your success will largely depend on your ability to reach an audience. It’s why many authors don’t see success until much later in their career. Building an audience takes time!

What’s the new option? It’s called Substack. There’s no cost to the author and the company only makes money when you make money.

Substack offers a new way to build an audience. The technical requirements are about as minimal as they can make them. You don’t need a website. You don’t need an email list. You just need good writing and the discipline to post regularly and share your work. Once you do create your own domain on the site, add a link to your URL in your email footers.

I’d suggest you first check out some of the other authors on the home page and then start your own Substack newsletter. Here’s mine.

Grab your Substack subdomain before someone else does!

Why do I like Substack?

They put writers first.
They follow the KISS rule.
No advertisements!

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Marketing

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