Tag: marketing

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Guest Posts

Marketing Your Book on a Budget 2013: A Review By Paula Hrbacek

Marketing Your Book on a Budget 2013, by Kathryn Jones

Pages: 46

Reading level:  General

Genre: Non-iction

Content Rating: General

Publisher: Idea Creations Press; 2013 edition (March 15, 2013)

ASIN: B0094XV6MA

Format: ebook (also available in paperback)

A quick guide for indie authors, Four Stars, 5-29-13

I received a copy of “Marketing Your Book on a Budget 2013” as a free Kindle download when I responded to a discussion posted on Linked In.  The author, Kathryn Jones, is a published author who shares some of the avenues she has found for marketing a fiction book.

It is a good start for someone who doesn’t have a clue about what to do about marketing a book.  Many self-published authors jump into the fire not realizing just how much promotion they will have to do in order to make their book successful.  This booklet is a quick overview of some of the things they need to consider and do, such as set up a web site, engage in social media, and have promotional materials available.

Each chapter lists a few of the resources the author has found for promoting her book.  It lists a few blogs and web sites that will run promotional copy.  But it is not an exhaustive list, nor does it include every avenue possible.  It talks about requesting reviews and how to write a cover letter, but it didn’t mention press releases and how to write one.  It mentioned post cards, but not business cards, bookmarks or magnets.  It didn’t say what companies will print these items inexpensively, or how to make your own on a computer.  It listed web sites that promote fiction, but not nonfiction.

The book ends with information about a publishing company and the services they offer.  That means that this book is a promotional item, just like the free pens and coffee cups you get at the bank.  So, if you have the chance to get a copy for free, take it.

I was given a Kindle version, but would have liked a paper copy better.  If it had blank pages where I could add my own resources, then it might become a useful tool that I could turn to every time I publish a book.  I turned to taking notes, and wrote down a full page of web sites to check out.  But, format is in the eyes of the beholder, and ease of use depends on how many computer skills you have.  It is available in paperback, so that choice needs to be made at the time it is ordered. Amazon, Kindle.

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Paula Hrbacek is the author of five books including: Stars Shine After Dark, a sweet Christian romance, available in paperback, Kindle and Nook, and Day Camp in Hawaii, a complete program guide for summer camp or summer school, available in paperback, Nook and Kindle.  For more information see http://paulahrbacek.weebly.com or her author page at https://www.amazon.com/author/paulahrbacek. She also writes two columns for The Examiner, a free online newspaper; Children’s Arts and Crafts, and Book Reviews.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Author Insights

Author Insights 09: I have so much to say.

authorinsightThis is very unexpected, but here I go…Usually when I post an Author Insights, I have a specific topic I want to discuss or an issue I want to address. Today’s post is a bit rare. You see, I’m actually going to talk about myself for just a little while. I don’t like talking about myself, my work for sure, but not me. It just so happens that I have a few things I want to share.

1. Today the kind folks at WordPress were nice enough to inform me that I’ve received 500 likes on my blog. This may seem like small potatoes to some of you, but to me it’s a big deal. For so long I’ve wanted to interact with the blogging community, but couldn’t quite seem to find my place. Then I did a complete overhaul on my blog. I stopped trying to do all the popular things everyone else was doing, because it worked for them, and started doing what works for me. I’m so glad I did. I’ve made so many new fans and friends. Thank you all.

companion guide

2. I recently received my first consumer review for my ebook, 40 Days and Nights of Eternal Curse. Again, that may seem small to some of you, but to know that at least one person has read it and appreciates it, means so much to me. It really is a cool, fun, little read. A new edition of this book is now available; see notice below.

3. It’s getting closer and closer the end of voting for The Author Show’s “50 Great Writers You Should be Reading” contest and I’m a little nervous. My world will not be shattered if I’m not one of the finalists who makes it into the publication, but how cool would it be I if did make it. I’m doing everything I can to keep from thinking about it constantly.

4. I’m really excited about trying to independently release my short story collection and novella in time for the holiday season. I just hope I can work it out. I’m really excited to give everyone a chance to see some of the other ideas I have rolling around in my head. Unexplained and The Legend of the Boy, should be nice little reads for those who are interested.

5. I’m excited about the possibilities for self-promotion that keep presenting themselves. I spend so much time promoting others that I sometimes forget to promote myself.  I guess it’s just easier for me to shine the light on others, but I feel as though I’ve made some good connections that I won’t be too shy to open up to, sometime in the near future.

 

6. I’m still trying to get a grip on social media. I have twitter and use it, but I just don’t feel comfortable there. I love spending time on my blogs and I’m trying to engage better on Facebook, though I know most people have had it with FB. I’m not giving up on it just yet. I’m trying to start up some conversations and interaction on my page, but we’ll see how it goes.

Cover

7. Lastly, I have a birthday coming up very soon. I’m actually excited this year to not be doing a whole lot for my birthday, other than baking cup cakes for my friends. I know it sounds weird, but I like to bake and like seeing people smile after eating one of my cup cakes…I’m pretty content right now. I’m excited about things that are happening with my book, Eternal Curse, and life could be so much worse than it is now, so I’m grateful and blessed to be where I am. A new edition of this book is now available.

If you found this post to be a bit boring, don’t worry it’s not likely to appear again for at least six to twelve months. If you enjoyed this, check out my FB page. I’ll be making an effort to post more updates there to keep anyone who wants to know, in the loop.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Guest Posts

How to Avoid the Slush Pile by Stefan Vucak

First of all, what is as slush pile? Well, in the golden days of publishing, it used to be a large waste bin next to the submission editor’s desk where he would dump your book. Today, it’s likely to be the delete button on his e-mail Inbox. Either way, it’s bad news.

You have written your masterpiece and you are all fired up to mail it to every agent and publisher in the world, traditional or e-book. If you are self-publishing, you needn’t bother reading further.

Someone told me a long time ago that writing the book is the easy part. I spent a better part of six to nine months writing the damned thing. How can it be the easy part? All right, let’s look at your book using a very simple checklist.

  • Is it finished? Amazing how many writers approach an agent or publisher with a half-baked potato.
  • Is the book properly formatted? An agent or publisher may have specific requirements. Before submitting, it is prudent to make yourself aware of what they are.
  • Is the internal layout correct? This means, do your chapters start on a new page using Word’s page break function? Do you have tabs, extra spaces at end of a last sentence in a paragraph, manually centered headings, not spell checked? Starting a paragraph using the Tab key?
  • Has the book been thoroughly edited? Lots can be said about what ‘thoroughly’ means, but I think you get the idea.

If your Page One has any of these tripwire items, you can guess what will happen. Editors and agents get dozens of submissions a day. Even if your book is the next Gone with the Wind, if you haven’t presented it correctly – slush pile.

Having been diligent and done everything right, you’re still not ready to send the thing off. You have just done the easy part. Okay, so what’s the hard part? Making the submission, of course. What’s so hard about that? Churn out a letter and post the damned thing. Time for another checklist.

  • Do you have a polished submission letter that will sweep that agent or editor off his feet?
  • Does the submission letter contain the agent or editor’s correct name? Not much good if all it says ‘To whom it may concern’, or ‘Dear Sir’. It tells the person you haven’t bothered to research the agency or publisher.
  • Have you written a short and long blurb for your book? You’ll need this with your submission letter or e-mail.
  • Is your book synopsis done? This is where many writers suffer agonies of withdrawal symptoms. They can write a Gone with the Wind, but they cannot write a two-page synopsis even if their life depended on it.

The above items will be the first thing an agent or editor sees. If you cannot get past the submission letter – the slush pile. Let’s leave the submission letter and talk about the book blurb. You must write a paragraph, boiling your book down to about 100 words or so, that tells somebody what the book is about, injecting drama, suspense, tears, a shootout – whatever is the theme. Think about making a sauce. Your pot has all the necessary ingredients and is half full of water. To make the sauce, you boil the mess until only a gooey residue is left on the bottom. That’s your book blurb…

To see the rest of this article and learn more about Stefan Vucak, please visit the ECS blog.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords