At Feathered Quill, we offer "Author Interviews" as one of our services. We email questions specific to the book being reviewed to the author, who returns his/her answers to us. Simple. There is no time limit on returning answers, so why do so many authors fail to read/edit their responses???!!!
When the interview is returned to me, I always read it before posting. I will correct typos but it is not my job (nor is it allowed, IMO) to correct language. I recently had an interview returned that was so full of typos that it seemed to take me forever to correct before posting. Unfortunately, the answers were also full of statements that just didn't make sense. In essence, the author was "un-selling" (is that a word?) himself. Please, please, please! Remember that, like every other marketing opportunity, the author interview is a chance to sell you/your book. Re-read your answers, edit, and have a friend take a quick look too. A second pair of eyes can do wonders for catching errors.
Friday, February 5, 2010
BEA - Why You Should Go!
Book Expo America - THE tradeshow for the book industry. Held in NYC, it's the place to be in late May. You'll learn a lot and have a ton of fun. Here's information on the show, provided by BEA.
STATISTICS
BEA is North America’s largest gathering of book trade professionals, typically attracting between 20,000 – 30,000 people.
Book industry professionals who attend BEA include: booksellers (independent, specialty, and chain); book distributors; marketing and publicity professionals; editors, agents; scouts. BEA is also attended by assorted film and TV professionals and is covered widely by the media for the attention it brings to upcoming books as well as for the notable authors it attracts to the event itself.
The show occupies approximately 175,000 – 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, not including conference sessions, autographing or the Rights Center.
Approximately 1000 authors participate in BEA.
There are over 1500 exhibitors at BEA.
There are approximately 75 educational conference sessions offered at BEA.
HISTORY
In 1902 Mark Twain was the guest speaker for the first official gathering of the American Booksellers Association (ABA) Convention. It was held at New York’s Herald Square Hotel and 60 people attended. The ABA Convention is now called BookExpo America (BEA) and instead of being held in a hotel it is being held this year at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City and instead of playing host to 60 people, it is playing host to approximately 25,000 industry professionals.
BEA has evolved to become a global event, attracting an international audience, where a range of book industry business may be conducted. First and foremost, however, BEA is known as a preeminent venue for launching books and creating buzz about current and new titles which are just hitting the marketplace. With all forms of social media interaction taking place throughout the course of the 3-day convention, and with more than 1500 members of the media in attendance, including wire services, national TV and radio outlets, newspapers, magazines, and lit bloggers, BEA serves not only as a gathering to learn about new books, but it also provides content which serves the media through a wide range of programming including Keynotes, Author Breakfasts, ongoing Author Stage presentations, and a full educational program.
While BEA has adapted to changes in media and communication, it has never strayed far from its root tradition of being a place where authors gather to meet the people who publish, sell and market their books. Public figures who have participated in the convention include Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Presidents Truman and Eisenhower. In 1982 President Jimmy Carter made his first appearance at the convention and five years ago (’04) President Bill Clinton spoke to BEA’s audience. From James Baldwin to Walter Cronkite; Eudora Welty to Tom Wolfe; Isabel Allende to Colin Powell; Ray Charles to Stephen Colbert; the list of past and present authors who have entertained booksellers include some of the greatest – and most disparate – voices of the modern age.
STATISTICS
BEA is North America’s largest gathering of book trade professionals, typically attracting between 20,000 – 30,000 people.
Book industry professionals who attend BEA include: booksellers (independent, specialty, and chain); book distributors; marketing and publicity professionals; editors, agents; scouts. BEA is also attended by assorted film and TV professionals and is covered widely by the media for the attention it brings to upcoming books as well as for the notable authors it attracts to the event itself.
The show occupies approximately 175,000 – 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, not including conference sessions, autographing or the Rights Center.
Approximately 1000 authors participate in BEA.
There are over 1500 exhibitors at BEA.
There are approximately 75 educational conference sessions offered at BEA.
HISTORY
In 1902 Mark Twain was the guest speaker for the first official gathering of the American Booksellers Association (ABA) Convention. It was held at New York’s Herald Square Hotel and 60 people attended. The ABA Convention is now called BookExpo America (BEA) and instead of being held in a hotel it is being held this year at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City and instead of playing host to 60 people, it is playing host to approximately 25,000 industry professionals.
BEA has evolved to become a global event, attracting an international audience, where a range of book industry business may be conducted. First and foremost, however, BEA is known as a preeminent venue for launching books and creating buzz about current and new titles which are just hitting the marketplace. With all forms of social media interaction taking place throughout the course of the 3-day convention, and with more than 1500 members of the media in attendance, including wire services, national TV and radio outlets, newspapers, magazines, and lit bloggers, BEA serves not only as a gathering to learn about new books, but it also provides content which serves the media through a wide range of programming including Keynotes, Author Breakfasts, ongoing Author Stage presentations, and a full educational program.
While BEA has adapted to changes in media and communication, it has never strayed far from its root tradition of being a place where authors gather to meet the people who publish, sell and market their books. Public figures who have participated in the convention include Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Presidents Truman and Eisenhower. In 1982 President Jimmy Carter made his first appearance at the convention and five years ago (’04) President Bill Clinton spoke to BEA’s audience. From James Baldwin to Walter Cronkite; Eudora Welty to Tom Wolfe; Isabel Allende to Colin Powell; Ray Charles to Stephen Colbert; the list of past and present authors who have entertained booksellers include some of the greatest – and most disparate – voices of the modern age.
James Patterson, Inc.
James Patterson has really built an empire, not just around his books, but his name. Interesting article in the NY Times about how he/his publisher work to promote both. Click here.
Win A Book!
Feathered Quill Book Reviews is pleased to offer our readers the chance to win a FREE book. Once a month, we will award a brand new book to one lucky reader. Simply submit your email address here and you will be entered into our monthly contest. Note: We NEVER sell our email addresses and in fact, delete them all after each contest.
February - This month's book is a SIGNED copy of Dogs Don't Brush Their Teeth! by Diane deGroat and Shelley Rotner. Read the review here.
February - This month's book is a SIGNED copy of Dogs Don't Brush Their Teeth! by Diane deGroat and Shelley Rotner. Read the review here.
TV Interviews
Reprinted with permission from The Economical Guide to Self-Publishing by Linda Radke. Please visit Five Star Publications for more information.
Hi, Mom, I’m on TV!
Let’s say that you made the connection. A producer wants you to come on and talk about your area of expertise. You aren’t bumped or canceled from the show. You figure that you’ll mark the day on your calendar, show up, answer a few questions, walk away, and viewers at home will respond to what you say. It sounds simple enough, but it’s not quite that easy.
You Look Mahhhhvelous!
What does being a good guest mean? If all goes well, being a good guest means that you’ll be someone who will be called again. You’ll be someone who is recommended to other producers by the person who booked you. And many times, being a good guest means that you were able to get your point through to the viewer. Before you appear for your interview, you should prepare some objectives for yourself that are clear. This way you’ll have some guidelines to say everything you want to say. (Many times you won’t end up
covering it all, but it’s good to have a game plan.) On many shows, the producer will call you up a couple of days (or sometimes a couple of weeks) before the interview to confirm everything with you and may also do what’s called a pre-interview. In this pre-interview, the producer will prepare you by asking questions that will be similar to the host’s questions. This isn’t always done, but if it is done, two reasons for doing it are: 1) The producer can get a better idea of how you will respond on television, and 2) it will give you
an idea of what will happen during the segment. Often, however, a pre-interview is in the form of a casual conversation between you and the producer. Don’t worry if you’re not given a pre-interview (and don’t
subsequently bother the producer for one). You’ll be informed before the show of how the segment will go and what will be expected from you. The best preparation you can do is by yourself. If you need to, go back over all of your press information. This will help highlight the important points in the interview. You definitely don’t want to be labeled as a needy guest. One of the biggest pitfalls is becoming an overeager or needy guest. You could end up shooting yourself in the foot. If this is your first time being interviewed, great. Don’t think that just because you’ve been booked on the show that your new friend, the producer, can speak to you constantly about every worry and concern. If you have questions, jot them down and try to ask them all at once. High-maintenance guests are the first ones who find themselves cut on a busy day or end up getting their air time shortened. Be confident. You got this far, so you’ll be fine.
Here are a few other things you should keep in mind to ensure that this interview won’t be your last. If you follow these tips, you’ll ensure a successful appearance and will increase your chances of being called to appear again. You will, at the very least, have a good tape of your fine interview that you can show to future producers.
• Be on time to the studio.
• Match your style of clothing to the style of the show.
• Look well-groomed.
• Be a high-energy guest.
• Act friendly and cooperate with the host(s).
• Elaborate fully—don’t give one-word responses.
• Use short anecdotes to illustrate ideas.
Hi, Mom, I’m on TV!
Let’s say that you made the connection. A producer wants you to come on and talk about your area of expertise. You aren’t bumped or canceled from the show. You figure that you’ll mark the day on your calendar, show up, answer a few questions, walk away, and viewers at home will respond to what you say. It sounds simple enough, but it’s not quite that easy.
You Look Mahhhhvelous!
What does being a good guest mean? If all goes well, being a good guest means that you’ll be someone who will be called again. You’ll be someone who is recommended to other producers by the person who booked you. And many times, being a good guest means that you were able to get your point through to the viewer. Before you appear for your interview, you should prepare some objectives for yourself that are clear. This way you’ll have some guidelines to say everything you want to say. (Many times you won’t end up
covering it all, but it’s good to have a game plan.) On many shows, the producer will call you up a couple of days (or sometimes a couple of weeks) before the interview to confirm everything with you and may also do what’s called a pre-interview. In this pre-interview, the producer will prepare you by asking questions that will be similar to the host’s questions. This isn’t always done, but if it is done, two reasons for doing it are: 1) The producer can get a better idea of how you will respond on television, and 2) it will give you
an idea of what will happen during the segment. Often, however, a pre-interview is in the form of a casual conversation between you and the producer. Don’t worry if you’re not given a pre-interview (and don’t
subsequently bother the producer for one). You’ll be informed before the show of how the segment will go and what will be expected from you. The best preparation you can do is by yourself. If you need to, go back over all of your press information. This will help highlight the important points in the interview. You definitely don’t want to be labeled as a needy guest. One of the biggest pitfalls is becoming an overeager or needy guest. You could end up shooting yourself in the foot. If this is your first time being interviewed, great. Don’t think that just because you’ve been booked on the show that your new friend, the producer, can speak to you constantly about every worry and concern. If you have questions, jot them down and try to ask them all at once. High-maintenance guests are the first ones who find themselves cut on a busy day or end up getting their air time shortened. Be confident. You got this far, so you’ll be fine.
Here are a few other things you should keep in mind to ensure that this interview won’t be your last. If you follow these tips, you’ll ensure a successful appearance and will increase your chances of being called to appear again. You will, at the very least, have a good tape of your fine interview that you can show to future producers.
• Be on time to the studio.
• Match your style of clothing to the style of the show.
• Look well-groomed.
• Be a high-energy guest.
• Act friendly and cooperate with the host(s).
• Elaborate fully—don’t give one-word responses.
• Use short anecdotes to illustrate ideas.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Amazon vs. Macmillan
Have you heard about the fight going on between Amazon and Macmillan publishers? It's all over the net. Here's an article from Publishers Weekly on the, um, spat.
Reprinted with permission of Publishers Weekly.
Authors Guild Calls Macmillan Fight "Necessary"
By Jim Milliot
The Authors Guild is the latest industry organization to come to the support of Macmillan in its battle with Amazon over e-book terms. In a note posted on its site this morning, the Guild called the fight with Amazon “a necessary one,” with the stakes high for Macmillan authors. The Guild commended Macmillan for its “bold move” and said that if the publisher does prevail “the economics of authorship in the digital age are likely to improve considerably.” The Guild, while firmly supporting Macmillan, made clear it wasn’t giving the publisher a blank check in terms of the digital future, saying there may be some rough patches ahead before authors get what they deserve in the digital publishing age. While the Guild didn’t spell out what tough patches might lie ahead, it was most likely referring to higher royalty rates, something that agents mentioned yesterday as an issue that needs to be addressed soon.
The Guild’s post was also notable for its criticism of Amazon, which it said “has a well-earned reputation for playing hardball.” The Guild called the removal of buy buttons “a harsh tactic,” by which Amazon uses its dominance of online bookselling to punish publishers who fail to fall in line with Amazon's business plans. “Collateral damage in these scuffles,” the Guild added “are authors and readers. Authors lose their access to millions of readers who shop at Amazon; readers find some of their favorite authors' works unavailable. Generally, the ending is not a good one for the publisher or its authors.” as more industry revenue is diverted to Amazon. “This isn't good for those who care about books. Without a healthy ecosystem in publishing, one in which authors and publishers are fairly compensated for their work, the quality and variety of books available to readers will inevitably suffer,” the Guild said.
Reprinted with permission of Publishers Weekly.
Authors Guild Calls Macmillan Fight "Necessary"
By Jim Milliot
The Authors Guild is the latest industry organization to come to the support of Macmillan in its battle with Amazon over e-book terms. In a note posted on its site this morning, the Guild called the fight with Amazon “a necessary one,” with the stakes high for Macmillan authors. The Guild commended Macmillan for its “bold move” and said that if the publisher does prevail “the economics of authorship in the digital age are likely to improve considerably.” The Guild, while firmly supporting Macmillan, made clear it wasn’t giving the publisher a blank check in terms of the digital future, saying there may be some rough patches ahead before authors get what they deserve in the digital publishing age. While the Guild didn’t spell out what tough patches might lie ahead, it was most likely referring to higher royalty rates, something that agents mentioned yesterday as an issue that needs to be addressed soon.
The Guild’s post was also notable for its criticism of Amazon, which it said “has a well-earned reputation for playing hardball.” The Guild called the removal of buy buttons “a harsh tactic,” by which Amazon uses its dominance of online bookselling to punish publishers who fail to fall in line with Amazon's business plans. “Collateral damage in these scuffles,” the Guild added “are authors and readers. Authors lose their access to millions of readers who shop at Amazon; readers find some of their favorite authors' works unavailable. Generally, the ending is not a good one for the publisher or its authors.” as more industry revenue is diverted to Amazon. “This isn't good for those who care about books. Without a healthy ecosystem in publishing, one in which authors and publishers are fairly compensated for their work, the quality and variety of books available to readers will inevitably suffer,” the Guild said.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Using the Internet to Market Yourself
Using the Internet to Market Yourself
[This is a guest post by Stacey Cavanagh, who works in Online Marketing for Tecmark: SEO Liverpool and Manchester]
The Internet Revolution has completely changed the way we do, well, almost everything! It’s changed how we shop, socialise, conduct business and collaborate amongst a host of other things too. But how can you use the web to promote yourself and your work?
Social Networking Sites
Facebook, Twitter, Plurk, MySpace, Bebo... and that’s just scratching the surface. I’m not suggesting by any means that you need to set up an account and become a complete addict to them all! However, having a presence on one or two (my personal recommendations are Facebook and Twitter) is a great way to network. It makes you easy to find by people looking for the type of thing you do and it enables you to share parts of your work or an insight into it with potentially millions! These websites have burst into popularity at a phenomenal rate. Create a presence for yourself there. In terms of marketing your writing, release excerpts and teasers through these sites to generate interest.
Blogging
If there’s one thing a writer will have little trouble doing, it’s blogging! Blogs are available completely free of charge through wordpress.com and blogger.com, if you do not want to register and host a domain yourself. Set up a blog and keep it up to date. You needn’t post every single day, but post at least weekly if you can. How you approach a blog will depend on exactly what you want to market through it. But the most successful blogs have a personal touch. By all means, market your work through excepts, insight and up to the minute news, but don’t forget to let a bit of your personality shine through. It often helps to post a photo on your blog and a brief bio to add a little bit more of a human touch.
Guest Blogging and Commenting
As if you weren’t busy enough with your own blog, I’m now suggesting posting for other people! Yes, guest posting is a great way for you to gain exposure to someone else’s audience, many of whom might not otherwise have come across you. Contact bloggers in a similar niche and ask if they’d take a post from you. Many of them will be happy to and will often offer a link to your site or blog in exchange. This is also a great means of networking.
As for blog commenting, well again, that’s about networking. The blogosphere is incredibly powerful. Millions of bloggers, millions more readers! It enables you to find someone or something of interest in your niche quickly and easily. And the most successful blogs are established within their niche, network with other bloggers in a similar area and are known for doing so. Blogs are fundamentally discussion platforms. So respond to blog posts by other people with a comment and get actively involved in the blogosphere in this way. It will eventually drive traffic to your site, increase your followers and make you more known within the niche.
SEO
This is often more fundamentally important from a commercial viewpoint, for businesses. But SEO can work for individuals marketing their own work or freelancers too. SEO, for anyone not aware, is search engine optimisation and is the process of making your own blog or website visible within the search engines for the search terms relating to you. 73% of people in the UK start any internet related research or shopping with a search engine. If you are a freelance writer and someone types in ‘Freelance writing services,’ into Google, for example, you would hope they would find you. But the vast majority of people will never venture beyond the first page of the Google results after a search. So unless you rank highly for the related search terms, those people are unlikely to find you through search engines. SEO is the process of optimising a website for its related keywords in order to achieve higher search engine rankings for those words.
Forums
Forums are, like blogs, a discussion platform. Only there is much more of a level playing field for an open discussion since it isn’t only the one blogger who can set the topic. Anyone can decide on a topic! Participating in conversations in forums relating to your area is a great way to network and gain contacts. It has a lot of traffic driving potential for your website too.
These are just a few ways in which you can market yourself and your material online. The key thing to remember when networking online, however, is the human touch. Be personable. Photos and bios make a huge difference. It lets people get to know you. A big downside to the internet is the element of facelessness. Letting people see and read a bit about you for themselves goes a long way to rectifying that as best as possible in a digital environment.
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