4 Tips to Help Authors Sell More Books

Want to Attract More Readers? – Publishing Sales Coach Offers Helpful Insight
By mid-2014, self-published authors began taking home the bulk of all ebook author earnings generated on Amazon.com. Meanwhile, authors published by all of the Big Five publishers—Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster—combined slipped into second place, according to the January 2015 Author Earnings Report. As a direct result, more and more authors are in the driver’s seat when it comes to the sales and marketing of their books.

“I’ve received several emails via LinkedIn over the years from newly self-published authors who were promoting their books, trying to convince me to buy them. If you’re one of these authors, I genuinely applaud you for taking that important step toward self-promotion,” says Staflund, founder and publisher at Polished Publishing Group (PPG), www.polishedpublishinggroup.com. “Unfortunately, 99 percent of the contacts you emailed never purchased your book because your message was flawed in one or, perhaps, all of the following ways.”

WIIFM: What’s In It for Me?
This is what all our customers are asking themselves, whether consciously or unconsciously, whenever they consider making a purchase: what’s in it for me? All salespeople need to be aware of the WIIFM acronym and be sure they’re answering that question in all of their marketing materials, in a clear and concise manner that speaks to customers in their language. 
Being “clear” means telling them what’s in it for them in a manner that addresses their needs directly. Will your book increase their joy? If yes, how? Will your book decrease their pain? If yes, how?
Being “concise” means telling them what’s in it for them in as few words as possible. We live in an “instant soup” society filled with customers that want quick and easy solutions to their problems. Your materials are best received when someone makes up their own mind to review them—not when they've been interrupted by a long, drawn out, unsolicited email on LinkedIn or elsewhere. 
And “speaking to them in their language” means communicating what’s in it for them in a manner that they will understand and appreciate most. Two of the marketing languages you may choose from are price-based marketing and value-based marketing.
TOMA: Top of Mind Awareness
Your target market is a fluid and ever-changing stream of old and new customers. You need to stay in front of them so that, when they’re ready to buy whatever type of book it is you’re selling, they’ll recall your book ahead of all the others. In the world of advertising and marketing, this is known as creating top of mind awareness.
Some of the traditional ways that businesses create top of mind awareness are to place regular ads on television, radio, and billboards, or in print media outlets such as magazines and newspapers. Repetition is the key to success in any advertising campaign, and this can get pretty expensive in these traditional arenas. We’re talking hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars per month to run enough ads to achieve top of mind awareness with the general public, depending on how large a trading area you’re trying to reach. Luckily, authors have a virtually free online alternative known as blogging that utilizes the power of keywords to draw people in from anywhere in the world that has Internet access. And, authors also have the benefit of free social media websites to super-charge those blogging campaigns.
An Attractive, Accessible Storefront
All your blogging and social media marketing efforts will be profitless unless you’re using those vehicles to consistently redirect people to the webpage where they can buy your book. Make it quick and easy for them to find the place to buy your book once they’ve read that compelling blog post or viewed that interesting tweet on Twitter. Make the page so attractive that they will want the book even more.
Convenient, User-friendly Purchase Options
Some people are more comfortable with online shopping than others. Where one customer may want to pay for a purchase using PayPal, another will prefer to pay via their favourite credit card. Some still prefer an old-fashioned “pay by cheque or money order” option. The more purchase options you can provide, the more convenient and user-friendly your online storefront will appear. It’s the equivalent of casting a much wider net to catch a greater variety of fish.

About Kim Staflund

As the founder and publisher at Polished Publishing Group (PPG), www.polishedpublishinggroup.com, Kim Staflund works with businesses and individuals around the world to produce professional quality audiobooks, ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers using a supported self-publishing business model. As a bestselling author and sales coach, she shows authors how to sell their books using all the effective traditional and online tricks of the trade. Staflund has a substantial sales and sales management history combined with over 20 years of book publishing experience within the traditional and new publishing markets.

Book Review - A Pony for Christmas

A Pony for Christmas: A Montana Holiday Novella

By: Bev Pettersen
Illustrated By: Kim Killion
Publisher: Westerhall Books
Publication Date: November 2014
ISBN: 978-1-987835-00-7
Reviewed By: Kristi Benedict
Review Date: June 9, 2015

From the very first day of each year until December rolls around again there are children everywhere wishing for something special to come from Santa on Christmas morning. In a town in Montana all the children are counting down the days until that exciting morning. For a little six-year-old girl named Suzy Jenkins the only thing she wants this Christmas is something she has asked for the last couple years, a pony of her own. All year she has been reading up and getting everything ready for her new pony including saving a few carrots as treats. She has also made sure to write a perfect letter to Santa and give it to her teacher at school so it can be mailed to the North Pole, because everyone knows that mailing a letter is the best way to tell Santa exactly what you want.

In addition to sending a letter Suzy has also made sure to be extra nice this year with everything she does. She even shared her candy cane with a lonely man named Carl, and she did not tattle on the boys who had bullied her as she thought that Santa probably would not like tattling. Unfortunately, Suzy’s mom does not seem as excited about the idea of a pony as Suzy does, for every time Suzy mentions it her mother says something such as “a pony costs too much to feed,” or “we can’t handle taking care of a pony right now.” Since Suzy sees that getting a pony is upsetting to her mom she decides not to mention it anymore but she does keep asking Santa to make her wish come true. She can feel that this will be the year that some true magic happens and she will find a pony just for her in the barn on Christmas morning.

This was a wonderfully sweet and refreshing read and even though it was not a long book I did enjoy the story. There were a couple Christmases when I was a little girl where I remember wishing with all my might that Santa would bring me a horse so it was easy for me to relate to the thoughts the character of Suzy was having. Thinking about a beautiful pony or horse with flowing mane and tail waiting for you in a barn is something quite magical and Bev Pettersen captures this feeling perfectly as she brings to life a heartwarming story. That innocence of childhood is something that, while it lasts for just a short time, is a memory to be cherished. This book could definitely be enjoyed by any age group and especially young children starting to read early-reader chapter books.

Quill says: A heartwarming story that brings together the wonderful innocence of children and the magic of the Christmas season.

For more information on A Pony for Christmas: A Montana Holiday Novella, please visit the author's website at: www.bevpettersen.com

Book Review - The Tulip Resistance

The Tulip Resistance

By: Lynne Leatham Allen
Publisher: Bonneville Books
Publishing Date: May 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4621-1696-6
Reviewed by: Mary Lignor
Review Date: June 9, 2015

The Tulip Resistance begins in 1940 in the Dutch countryside before the German Army rolled into or over Holland and shows that life in the country was peaceful. It also, however, shows how easy it was when the Germans finally took the country using much violence to keep the people at bay so they could take over. The main character, Marieka Coevorden, is a local girl who has her chores to do in the morning, milking the cow, picking up eggs and making deliveries in the neighborhood. Her family, consisting of Mom, Dad and brother Bastiaan live, as you’ve probably guessed, on a farm.

There have been many, many books written about Hitler’s armies in WWII but one set in Holland is intriguing. Much of the story was told about the children and the differences in their lives before and after the German occupation of their homeland. At first the kids are playing and teasing each other and then, practically the next day, the livestock of the townspeople (chickens and pigs) are being taken from them by the army, a curfew is enforced, there is rationing of food and people are being attacked in the streets, especially Jewish people, and they have to run from their homes.

The resistance is formed and many people chose to help others even though they might be killed if caught. But everything comes to a halt for Marieka when she comes upon a wounded German soldier who is trying to defect and needs her help. She knows that if the man is caught with her she will be killed along with him and more than likely, her family will also be killed.

Quill says: This is a fine story of a young girl who, by helping the resistance, could be putting her whole family at risk. The extremely different storyline is definitely worth a read.

Book Review - This Land is Your Land

This Land is Your Land

By: Catherine Morrison
Illustrated by: Cathy Morrison
Publisher: Arbordale Publishing
Publication Date: May 2015
ISBN: 978-1628555660
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: June 2015

A beautiful mountain range loomed in the background of the family campground. A boy and his mother sat on a log, discussing the natural world around them. He held a pair of binoculars, ready and waiting to take a closer look, while his mother pointed at something in the distance. What would they be able to see that would tell them about landforms they found on their map? "Earth has landforms everywhere: / special places people share. / Nature makes an awesome scene ... / up high, down low, and in between."

Their map would tell them all about the jagged seacoast where the land nestled up next to the sea. It's a wonderful place where a little girl and a dog can run in the sand while sandpipers search for food in the incoming waves. They could learn about snowcapped mountains and their snowy peaks. Brrrrrr! If you take a close look at the map you can easily see that hills and plateaus have much different shapes than a mountain. The map inset shows four states in the Colorado Plateau, but just what is a plateau?

"A plateau stretches miles long. / Its rocky structure makes it strong. / The land is raised and flat on top. / Desert plateaus can't grow a top." Around the world they can travel, exploring the different geological features it has to offer. A physical map can tell us all kinds of things about our Earth's landforms and geological features. Do you know what an archipelago is and how one is formed? Perhaps you've seen a depiction of the Hawaiian island chain. You learn all about how this chain was formed and much more in this fascinating book!

This is a great geo adventure that will help young students learn about the Earth's landforms and geological features. This story in rhyme is an animated overview of our world as seen from both the eyes of children and adults enjoying its features. Each two-page spread has an inset that shows some aspect of the area being explored or discussed via the rhyme. For example, when discussing the hill where wilderness are seen sliding, we see a physical map in the inset. In the back matter are activities that include additional landform information, a matching activity, map skills information, and questions. In addition to the four pages of activities, there are free complementary activities on the publisher's website. This is an excellent read and discuss book for students in the homeschool or classroom setting.

Accelerated Reader: 2.7
Flesch-Kincaid: 2.0
Lexile: 580L
Fountas and Pinnell: N

Quill says: This is a great geo adventure that will help young students learn about the Earth's landforms and geological features!

Book Review - Achoo! Why Pollen Counts

Achoo! Why Pollen Counts

By: Shennen Bersani
Publisher: Arbordale Publishing
Publication Date: May 2015
ISBN: 978-1628555592
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: June 2015

Baby Bear's eyes looked swollen and itchy and he came out of his den. Rub, rub, rub! Even his little nose ran and his eyes watered from all the pollen in the air. "Achoo! Achoo!" The pollen was everywhere and "a coat of yellow dust covered the forest outside his home." Baby Bear rolled in the clover with his toes up in the air, but that yucky yellow pollen stuck to his coat. Even Valerie Vole began to sneeze when she came out of her burrow. "Achoo! Achoo!" what to do?

Rubbing up against tree bark was a great way to get rid of some of that yucky pollen. "It's messy. It's itchy, " Baby Bear exclaimed. "It makers me--ah, ah, a-choo--sneeze!" He wasn't crazy about pollen at all, but his mother cuddled him and began to tell him just how useful it was. Many of the forest plants and animals needed it to survive. Some would eat it while insects like bees pollinated plants as they moved from plant to plant. Bzzzzzz! Not all of the pollen out there would make Baby Bear sneeze and feel yucky.

Momma Bear told him about how Sandy Spiderling caught pollen in his web to eat it and how Zoe Zebra Butterfly used her long proboscis to get herself a "tasty meal." Baby Bear was very interested in those honeybees and Honey Bee told him all about pollen collection, beebread, and nectar. "Achoo! Achoo!" There were certainly a lot of things to learn about pollen and why the creatures of the fields and forest need it. Did you know that even wolves can use pollen? If not, you'll learn all about it in this book!

This is a fun book that will teach young children about pollen and why we need it. Of course many children who are allergic to some forms of pollen might not find it useful, but they will adore Baby Bear. He sneezes here and there throughout this highly informative book, one that makes it easy for children to understand the pollination process. The artwork is fun, vibrant and the picture book format makes it easy for even the most reluctant reader to learn some very interesting facts. In addition to the four pages of activities, there are free complementary activities on the publisher's website. This is an excellent read and discuss book for students in the homeschool or classroom setting.

Accelerated Reader: 3.3
Flesch-Kincaid: 3.2
Lexile: 670L
Fountas and Pinnell: N

Quill says: This is a fun, fascinating book about the pollination process that's perfect for instructional purposes in the homeschool or classroom setting!

Book Review - Fibonacci Zoo

Fibonacci Zoo

By: Tom Robinson
Illustrated by: Christina Wald
Publisher: Arbordale Publishing
Publication Date: May 2015
ISBN: 978-1628555622
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: June 2015

Notebook and pencil in hand, Eli was ready to pass through the gates of the Fibonacci Zoo. It was no ordinary zoo and he had to look carefully and discover just what was different about it. The first thing Eli and his father spotted was a lone alligator. Hmmmm, not anything unusual about that and Eli recorded his finding in his notebook. The little notebook soon read "1 alligator" and "1 bison." Just what was so special about this zoo anyway?

Eli's teacher said that the Fibonacci Zoo "was different from most zoos," but even though his list began to grow there was only one unusual thing about it. The unusual thing was the fact that there weren't a lot of animals. Eli continued to observe and write: "2 camels," "3 dolphins," "5 elephants," and "8 flamingos." All of a sudden he began to see a pattern and exclaimed "if I take any two numbers in order and then add them up, I get the next number." Hmmmm, next up were the gorillas.
Eli began to work through his pattern, trying to visualize and work through the formula. His father smiled, knowing that Eli had found out the secret to the Fibonacci Zoo. "See?" He began to explain to his father. "1 + 1 = 2. 1 + 2 = 3. 2 + 3 = 5. And 3 + 5 = 8." They rounded the corner, checking out the gorillas and marking the number in his notebook. He began to count them to see if his hypothesis was correct. Can you finish the formula and come to the same conclusion Eli had? Just how many gorillas would they see?

This is an excellent book to introduce young students to numbers and patterns. The visual imagery presented in this book will make it easy for students to understand and grasp Fibonacci sequencing. Simply introducing mathematical concepts sans a way for children to visualize them can be a daunting task for many. In addition to Eli's notebook there are small sidebars with the equations and sequence (2 + 3 = 5 and 1 1 2 3 5). The artwork is very vibrant and appealing, drawing one's eye to the animals. In the back of the book there are four pages of activities as well as free complementary activities on the publisher's website.

Accelerated Reader: 3.0
Flesch-Kinncaid: 4.4
Lexile: 510l
Fountas and Pinnell: M

Quill says: This is an excellent book to introduce numbers and patterns to children in the homeschool or classroom setting!

Book Review - Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory: The Kami Files

By: M. Evonne Dobson
Publisher: The Poisoned Pencil
Publication Date: February 2015
ISBN: 978-1-92934-5083
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: June 2015

In the first installment of her young adult mystery series, M. Evonne Dobson delivers a great plot and entertaining read in Chaos Theory.

High school senior Kami is your not-so-typical school-ager. Sure, she is capable of drama queen moments, but it’s her senior year and the success of her Chaos Theory science project is the only separation between her landing acceptance into a mediocre college or MIT, the one she covets. She’s spent countless hours cramming inconsequential stuff into her locker. She is detailed to a fault logging analyses into her diary to support her theory of its significance: scribbled notes on a napkin, battered show and music programs—insignificant but not insignificant...each small item might trigger a huge change for someone in the future.

BFF Sandy is Kami’s constant. Granted, she may have fleeting thoughts of Kami’s borderline craziness at times, but she’s her best friend nonetheless. When dark and hunky Daniel shows up on the scene, little did either girl know they were about to jump feet first into the investigation of his sister Julia’s suicide...or was it suicide? Between countless trips to the barn, skate parks with more than sketchy patronage and a whole lot of who done it along the way, Kami and her entourage are going to get to the truth no matter the consequences.

M. Evonne Dobson knows her young adult audience and knows it well. The essence of writing to this particular audience is no different than that of a children’s audience. Credibility is an absolute must. There is no cheeky dialogue among her high school peers. Rather, there is grounded drama when drama demands a presence. There is tension when sticky situations present themselves—i.e. hormonal confusion when boy meets girl; girl meets boy and the tantamount moment when boy and girl go in for that kiss—a kiss that is more than a peck on the cheek. There is a balance between the conflict of the ‘them and us’ theory when an adolescent is faced with the ridiculous notion that a parent knows better than he or she ever will. Her dialogue is crisp and her ability to set up a scene by showing her audience versus telling is spot on. In true mystery fashion, Dobson teases her audience with just enough information to will them to turn the next page. Sometimes it’s a give; other times it is an 'aha moment.' This is the perfect formula to keep a young mind engage. I applaud Ms. Dobson for writing a solid mystery that certainly appeals to her intended young adult audience. I look forward to the next in this series. Well done Ms. Dobson!

Quill says: Chaos Theory is a solid read and a good example of the passion a gaggle of kids possess toward never giving up until they are satisfied the truth has been exposed.