Happy Hanukkah!
Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!!!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Taking a Break
We're taking a short break to enjoy the holidays - we'll be back in early January to share more great author interviews, book reviews, and news from the publishing world. Stay tuned! Meanwhile....
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Total Beginners Guide To Selling Books Online
Guest post by Isabella Woods of Wiki-Bee.com
Got a pen? Of course you have. Take this down in your Moleskine notebook, and commit it to memory. These strategies are free, and can be done from the comfort of your own home. In your pajamas if you like (on the Internet, no one knows you’re not dressed.) And believe me, some of this stuff you will be doing in bed, in the supermarket, on your nights out. Because you want to sell your book all over the world, don’t you? There’s a time difference to consider.
In the immortal words of the teacher from Fame "Fame costs. And right here’s where you start paying. In sweat.” So true. But you’ve written a book, so you’re no stranger to hard work. In some ways, that was the easy bit. You now need to sell it, which isn’t easy at all. But it’s not impossible, and some people have a huge amount of success selling this way, and as Darcie Chan showed, end up getting more revenue through private sales than via a publisher. Even well-known published authors do a great deal of their own selling these days, so don’t think there is anything lowly about hitting the keyboard like this. You may not have queues forming for a book signing yet, but then not many authors do, on the whole. A great number of them are hoofing round literary events, tweeting and showcasing and writing articles to get their latest book sold. You are in good company. You’re an author too, you just can’t boast an advance. But you may end up the winner in the long run. Read on.
You need to start spreading the word online, and no-one else is going to do it for you. Here are six things a total beginner can do today to get up and running.
Get a Facebook Fan Page
This is essential. There are 520 million people on Facebook, and that’s a lot of potential customers. Regard it as your free personal shop front. From here you can link through to your blog, your website, and your Twitter Account. You can see statistics about who is visiting your page, and target them more effectively as a result. You can build up a fan-base, and appear miraculously in the timeline of Foyles, or Simon & Schuster saying something authoritative, witty and pertinent. It can get you noticed there, and tweak another contributor’s interest. Top Facebook tips:
This is a great way to get your book noticed on the Internet. Some people take a while to get the hang of how it works, but once you ‘get it’ you’ll be hooked. Here’s how it works: just imagine a great big conversation going on out in cyberspace, which you can be part of. It’s a big party, which you have to mingle at. You can listen to others interesting conversations, try and join their conversations, or repeat what they’ve said if you think your readers will be interested in it. If that sounds a bit tricky to start with, just have your own conversation, and wait for people to hear you say ‘dragons’, or ‘romantic fiction’ or whatever your book is about, and wander over to listen. You have 146 characters to use for each tweet. It’s like Haiku. Some people are brilliant at it, and you can’t resist following the link the tweet because of how they’ve expressed themselves. You’re a writer, have fun with words! Top Twitter Tips:
Obviously, that’s very basic. You can be far more creative with your tweets, but it gives you the idea of how to use a hashtag correctly.
A Blog is just a simple way of making your own website for nothing. If you are very broke it’s a great way to start. If you have a gmail account, you can just sign right up. Think of a title, chose a template and start telling the world about your amazing book. Keep posting articles, extracts, interviews and pictures. Look around to see who is blogging on the same subject. As if you can do a guest post (an article of about 500-700 words) to promote your book. Or ask if they would like to review it. If you want some income you can choose to put advertisements on the blog, or you can leave it pristine and clear. The choice is yours.
Communication is the Key to Sales
The sky is the limit with online marketing. Never stop trying to create a buzz about your book. You have to be the pushy parent, even if it is not in your nature. Be friendly, thank people for ‘following’ or buying your book, be generous with your time. Always answer questions. Get people to like you and what you say.
Sign up for any site that will allow you a free profile, update your Google profile with your book cover, keep your Amazon page professional, write to journalists and ask for a review…anything. Just keep working at it, and one day…who knows. There might be queues outside a bookshop somewhere for you.
If that doesn’t happen though, don’t be disheartened. It’s a fantastic achievement to have written a book and sold even a few. Be proud of yourself. Be proud of your book and never stop writing.
Got a pen? Of course you have. Take this down in your Moleskine notebook, and commit it to memory. These strategies are free, and can be done from the comfort of your own home. In your pajamas if you like (on the Internet, no one knows you’re not dressed.) And believe me, some of this stuff you will be doing in bed, in the supermarket, on your nights out. Because you want to sell your book all over the world, don’t you? There’s a time difference to consider.
In the immortal words of the teacher from Fame "Fame costs. And right here’s where you start paying. In sweat.” So true. But you’ve written a book, so you’re no stranger to hard work. In some ways, that was the easy bit. You now need to sell it, which isn’t easy at all. But it’s not impossible, and some people have a huge amount of success selling this way, and as Darcie Chan showed, end up getting more revenue through private sales than via a publisher. Even well-known published authors do a great deal of their own selling these days, so don’t think there is anything lowly about hitting the keyboard like this. You may not have queues forming for a book signing yet, but then not many authors do, on the whole. A great number of them are hoofing round literary events, tweeting and showcasing and writing articles to get their latest book sold. You are in good company. You’re an author too, you just can’t boast an advance. But you may end up the winner in the long run. Read on.
You need to start spreading the word online, and no-one else is going to do it for you. Here are six things a total beginner can do today to get up and running.
Get a Facebook Fan Page
This is essential. There are 520 million people on Facebook, and that’s a lot of potential customers. Regard it as your free personal shop front. From here you can link through to your blog, your website, and your Twitter Account. You can see statistics about who is visiting your page, and target them more effectively as a result. You can build up a fan-base, and appear miraculously in the timeline of Foyles, or Simon & Schuster saying something authoritative, witty and pertinent. It can get you noticed there, and tweak another contributor’s interest. Top Facebook tips:
- Make your book jacket your avatar picture.
- You will need to get 25 people to click on ‘Like’ to make it an official ‘Fan Page’ with its own webpage address, so get friends and family to start you off.
- Update your page regularly with new content, but not so often that people get irritated with seeing you in their timeline.
- Post interesting things on your Facebook page that your ‘fans’ might like. Read the papers and post the things you find relevant and interesting. The chances are they will too.
This is a great way to get your book noticed on the Internet. Some people take a while to get the hang of how it works, but once you ‘get it’ you’ll be hooked. Here’s how it works: just imagine a great big conversation going on out in cyberspace, which you can be part of. It’s a big party, which you have to mingle at. You can listen to others interesting conversations, try and join their conversations, or repeat what they’ve said if you think your readers will be interested in it. If that sounds a bit tricky to start with, just have your own conversation, and wait for people to hear you say ‘dragons’, or ‘romantic fiction’ or whatever your book is about, and wander over to listen. You have 146 characters to use for each tweet. It’s like Haiku. Some people are brilliant at it, and you can’t resist following the link the tweet because of how they’ve expressed themselves. You’re a writer, have fun with words! Top Twitter Tips:
- Subjects are flagged up to others by means of a # - hashtag. So if you want everyone who is interested in spy novels to see you, make sure you use a hashtag in front of your subject. For example, you might start off by tweeting something basic like:
Obviously, that’s very basic. You can be far more creative with your tweets, but it gives you the idea of how to use a hashtag correctly.
- ‘Follow’ people whose conversation you think might be useful or interesting to listen to. If you have written a spy novel follow Bond fans, (search ‘Bond’) or your favorite bestselling spy novelists. They might say something you think your readers will find interesting, which you could repeat (‘retweet’) or they might – if you are very lucky – ‘retweet’ you! If they do that, and they are very famous with lots of followers, then it could be the break you need. All their followers will read your comment, and that could be thousands of people. You can see why celebrities get badgered to retweet things. It’s not cool to ask, just just have to hope, and engage and you may get lucky.
- Eventually you will get your own following of readers. You can post links to articles, reviews of your book, or go for the hard sell. It is up to you. Look at how others in your genre market themselves, see who they ‘follow’, and copy.
A Blog is just a simple way of making your own website for nothing. If you are very broke it’s a great way to start. If you have a gmail account, you can just sign right up. Think of a title, chose a template and start telling the world about your amazing book. Keep posting articles, extracts, interviews and pictures. Look around to see who is blogging on the same subject. As if you can do a guest post (an article of about 500-700 words) to promote your book. Or ask if they would like to review it. If you want some income you can choose to put advertisements on the blog, or you can leave it pristine and clear. The choice is yours.
Communication is the Key to Sales
The sky is the limit with online marketing. Never stop trying to create a buzz about your book. You have to be the pushy parent, even if it is not in your nature. Be friendly, thank people for ‘following’ or buying your book, be generous with your time. Always answer questions. Get people to like you and what you say.
Sign up for any site that will allow you a free profile, update your Google profile with your book cover, keep your Amazon page professional, write to journalists and ask for a review…anything. Just keep working at it, and one day…who knows. There might be queues outside a bookshop somewhere for you.
If that doesn’t happen though, don’t be disheartened. It’s a fantastic achievement to have written a book and sold even a few. Be proud of yourself. Be proud of your book and never stop writing.
Monday, December 19, 2011
The Amazon Workaround
I've been suggesting to friends / self-publishers recently that they not put all their dependence on Amazon for sales. While that's where many customers want to shop, not all shop there. Look for diverse markets. Here's a great article from Publisher's Weekly on the topic.
The best way to blunt the e-tailer’s clout is to support a diverse marketplace
Fear that Amazon will come to dominate the bookselling market is nothing new in the publishing industry. But last week, as booksellers continued to decry the company’s price check app (which could be used to access prices on booksellers’ sideline items, like toys and DVDs) and as information about Amazon’s aggressive demands to publishers regarding co-op and retail discounts surfaced (PW Daily, “Is Amazon Pushing Publishers to Brink on Terms, Co-op?” Dec. 15), some insiders began suggesting that the time had come to actively explore ways to lessen publishers’ dependence on the e-tailer. With this in mind, PW asked a number of people in the industry what the best course of action would be. The consensus was that developing and supporting initiatives that would create a more level the playing field would be the best approach to ensure a diverse marketplace.
Read the rest of the article here.
The best way to blunt the e-tailer’s clout is to support a diverse marketplace
Fear that Amazon will come to dominate the bookselling market is nothing new in the publishing industry. But last week, as booksellers continued to decry the company’s price check app (which could be used to access prices on booksellers’ sideline items, like toys and DVDs) and as information about Amazon’s aggressive demands to publishers regarding co-op and retail discounts surfaced (PW Daily, “Is Amazon Pushing Publishers to Brink on Terms, Co-op?” Dec. 15), some insiders began suggesting that the time had come to actively explore ways to lessen publishers’ dependence on the e-tailer. With this in mind, PW asked a number of people in the industry what the best course of action would be. The consensus was that developing and supporting initiatives that would create a more level the playing field would be the best approach to ensure a diverse marketplace.
Read the rest of the article here.
Monday Morning Introductions
Here's a sample of the books that came in for review this week. Check them out and then stop by our review site, Feathered Quill Book Reviews, in a few weeks to check out the reviews.
Letters to Zerky: A Father's Legacy to a Lost Son . . . and a Road Trip Around the World by Bill Raney Both a memoir and a memorial, these collected letters and diary entries recount one family’s adventurous journey in 1967 attempting to drive around the world in a VW bus. Not intended as a book at the time of the writing, the intimate and poignant story details the family’s travels through Europe, the Middle East, and into Asia, challenging preconceptions about different cultures and illuminating how one-year-old Zerky had a magical effect on everyone they met along the way. The book features maps and pictures of the trek yet is more than just a travelogue; Zerky and his mother died shortly after the trip and this narrative serves as tribute to their lives.
Letters to Zerky: DVD
The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun, learns that her favorite cousin has been condemned by Henry VIII to be burned at the stake. Defying the sacred rule of enclosure, Joanna leaves the priory to stand at her cousin’s side. Arrested for interfering with the king’s justice, Joanna, along with her father, is sent to the Tower of London. The ruthless Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, takes terrifying steps to force Joanna to agree to spy for him: to save her father’s life she must find an ancient relic—a crown so powerful, it may hold the ability to end the Reformation. Accompanied by two monks, Joanna returns home to Dartford Priory and searches in secret for this long-lost piece of history worn by the Saxon King Athelstan in 937 during the historic battle that first united Britain.
Almost a Senior by Brenda Faye Collie This a fast moving story with great characters about a girl who is a Junior in a fictitious Harlem High School. The book tells the reader what Loresha must do once she is elected president of the student body.
It's a Big World, Little Pig by Kristi Yamaguchi Poppy, the adorable, persistent, dreaming-big pig, has a new adventure in store for her: the World Games ice-skating championship in Paris! Poppy is nervous about meeting so many new people, in a new place. But, ever courageous and supported by her family (Emma, too!), Poppy embarks upon this exciting adventure head-on! Poppy begins to realize that although these animals look different, act different, and are from different places, they are all the same at heart. We all smile in the same language!
Peep in the Deep: A Sea Creature Counting Book by Richard Miller Smith Beneath was a peaceful, quiet place when barely a peep gave way to something in the deep. Your child will love learning their numbers with this bright, and colorful book. Watch the ever growing number of sea creatures chase their former group across the pages 'til the last but not least! Each spread displays each group and number in a large, easy-to-read typeface.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Readers Returning to Book Stores???
E-Books, Shmee-Books: Readers Return to the Stores
By JULIE BOSMAN
Facing economic gloom and competition from cheap e-readers, brick-and-mortar booksellers entered this holiday season with the humblest of expectations. For the rest of this NYTimes article on shoppers' trends this Christmas season, follow the link.The Future of Publishing
By Jon Bard
I recently had a very enlightening discussion with Jane Friedman, a University of Cincinnati professor and author of The Future of Publishing: Enigma Variations. Jane’s the former Publisher of Writer’s Digest and author of Beginning Writer’s Answer Book. And with more than 135,000 Twitter followers, she’s among the most influential thought leaders in publishing today. To Read the rest of this article, go to the Children's Book Insider website.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Opportunity Knocks for the Independent Bookstore
Borders Closing, Community-Building and"Shop Local" Movement Give a Boost
First there were the bookstore chains, then Amazon, then digital books, all seeming to threaten the very existence of the brick-and-mortar bookstore. Yet, in the wake of the recent closing of the Borders bookstore chain, a new surge of independent booksellers is rising, seemingly against all odds.
Just before Thanksgiving, Paz & Associates, a bookstore training & consulting group, helped open Mitzi's Main Street Books, an independent bookstore in Rapid City, South Dakota. The owner, Ray Hillenbrand, opened the store as part of a new Main Street Square, which was developed to rejuvenate the area and make it more of a destination. "The opening of Mitzi's bookstore shows how entrepreneurs and developers now regard an indie bookstore as a 'must have' in rebuilding their town centers," Donna Paz Kaufman observed. "Consumer surveys consistently show that locally-owned independent bookstores are one of the most desirable businesses," she continued.
 |
| The Staff at Mitzi's |
"It's not just the closing of Borders that is fueling the resurgence of independent bookstores," says Oren Teicher, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, "but a more complex array of factors including the growing national acceptance of the "shop local" movement; an extraordinary level of innovative and creative entrepreneurship; a sophisticated use of social networking; easier access to Small Business Administration loans; a willingness to adapt to changing retail trends including selling both print and digital books online; and, most importantly, continuing to be an unmatched source of credible information about books and authors."
"We are a gathering place for the community," says Kiona Gross, who left a job at CNN to open The Curious Cup, a children's bookstore in the seaside town of Carpinteria, California. Gross organized a 'shop local' day in her store on November 26, part of the American Express Small Business Saturday campaign that successfully highlighted the general public's awareness of the importance of local merchants across the country. "We strive to be community-centered. We sell tickets for the local theater, we hold chamber luncheons, and meditation classes. We are all about the community."
"Not a day passes that someone doesn't come in to say how happy they are that we're here, says Janet Geddis of the Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia which opened in September. "Loud cheers, applause, and even a teary-eyed thank you show how much people in Athens have embraced Avid Bookshop and have led us to a stronger start than I'd ever imagined," Geddis added.
Nikki Furrer, a former lawyer, opened Pudd'nhead Books in Webster Groves, MO in 2008. It was named the 2010 Riverfront Times Best Indie Bookstore in St. Louis and the 2010 St. Louis Magazine A-List and "Most Amusing Bookstore" in the St. Louis area. Furrer, a believer in indies and shopping locally, was also instrumental in developing the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance. "My family has all started businesses themselves, so I knew that opening a bookstore was going to be a lot of work for not a lot of money, and it would be that way for years. But I also knew that the work would be worth it. The rewards are feeling like my work makes a real difference, watching kids and adults alike grow into readers."
"What indie booksellers can do that gives them a competitive edge over any online retailer or big-box store is to create a comfortable atmosphere that is inviting and facilitates interaction and events that contribute to the life of the community," suggests Ted Baylis, owner of the leading bookcase manufacturer, Franklin Fixtures. "Add to this an online presence, social networking, and the ability to sell everything, including competitively priced e-books on their websites, and you really have a winning combination. The future is Clicks & Bricks, to have the deep resources that come with an online sales capability plus the ability to create both virtual communities and physical gathering places that are local in nature and where store staff, customers and special guests can share their knowledge and experiences."
"With inventory that is hand-picked to suit the needs of its local customers and events that bring the community together, a locally-owned bookstore can provide a special sense of place." says Donna Paz Kaufman, of Paz & Associates, who runs a five-day bookselling school for booksellers in training. "Now is an excellent time to open an independent bookstore. The demise of Borders has created both demand and opportunity for an all-new variation of an old-fashioned independent bookstore -- small, cozy places with a sense of community and neighborhood that creates local connections."
Photo credits: Donna Paz Kaufman
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