Think Outside the Bookstore

9.5 out of every 10 authors want to know how they can get their books into the national distribution of chain bookstores like Barnes and Nobel and Borders. Although this is a great ambition, it is proven to be the least effective means of succesful bookselling.

Overlooking the fact that the average independent author does not have the inventory to advance a national distribution, the market advantage is obliterated. Of the millions of books being sold by these chains, what advantage will an unknown author have to highlight his/her book spine from the bookshelf?

Instead, a better approach to the bookstore option is seeking out specialty stores that cater to your audience. If you've written a romantic novel with a sports setting, why not solicit sporting good stores to carry your book. Or a how-to book on cooking, solicit local bakeries or deli. Reject conventional book-selling norms. Think outside the bookstore.

Happy Selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

What's In It For Me?

Remember WIFM? : WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME? Readers don't care about your childhood ambition to write a book. Readers don't care about your life story, and readers don't care if you're giving all of your book proceeds to charity. Readers care about 1 thing: "What's in it for me?".

When someone asks you what your book is about, they are really asking, "What's in your book that will benefit me?" So when discussing your book, reject the urge to give a 30 second book report. Reject the urge to tell people your life story. Instead, open the potential readers eyes to how your book fixes their problems or brings value to their lives. Even if you're a fiction writer, your book provides entertainment. ...

Oh yeah, you have 30 seconds to keep their attention. Work on your elevator speech. 

Happy selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

The Rule of 5

Some people believe there is a secret combination to publishing success. In this short and sweet blog I want to assure you that success is not a mystical dimension, but simply a measurable destination that all people can reach.

If success was 100 feet away, how long would it take you to reach it? Well, that depends on how many steps you want to take. If you decide to walk 1 foot per day,  it will take you 100 days. The more steps you take the quicker you'll reach success.

Using the Rule of 5, you choose your steps toward progress.  Do a minimum of five maketing activities five days a week. It's that simple:

Send 5 review copies
Send 5 press releases to 5 radio stations, 5 television stations,  5 newspapers, 5 magazines, 5 blogers
Call 5 potential speaking opportunities
Research 5 conferences
Work social media for 5 hours
Find 5 strangers to tell about your book..

If you do the work,  the results will come.

Happy selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

Six Keys to Marketable Books

Six Keys to Marketable Books

Choose wisely your approach to writing your book and make sure your book does the following or can in some way do the following:

1. Has a topic that is relevant to the majority of people: Your book can't focus on issues or topics that people of today are not dealing with. Your passion for old fashion typewriters will NOT make a good book because no one uses typewriters anymore. When considering your book topic, research how the topic is impacting the world around you. 

2. Solves a problem: People have problems that they want solved, point blank. The more resourceful your book is, the more marketable it will be. As I stated before, remember the "what's in it for me?" factor.

3. Ties to a major National event or activity: A book connected to a major local, national, or world event or activity is guaranteed to have readers. Strike while the iron is hot. Your book may be only remotely connected to a National event, but that's not a problem. You can still connect the dots and utilize that connection to your advantage.

4. Ties in with news stories both local and national: Find every connection you can with your topic and what's going on in the world. As events happen, let everyone know that your book addresses that topic. It may only be one paragraph in the book, but that one paragraph opens the door to promote your book to a broader audience seeking more insight into that issue. 

5. Raises controversial questions and makes bold statements: Why are radio personalities like Rush Limbaugh so popular? It is because they make statements that people find to be shocking and offensive. Like it or not, controversy gets more attention than peacefulness, and in the world of selling books, attention is everything.

6. Ties in with celebrities and/or high profile individuals: The mere mention of a celebrity draws immediate attention from that celebrities fan base. Those individuals who want to know every bit of information about that celebrity will gravitate to your product to discover its relation.

 

This blog is an abbreviated excerpt from The Author's Success Manual.

 

If you have any questions you'd like addressed, feel free to add me to your group and send me an email.

Happy selling!

www.TrueVinePublishing.org

 

 

Join a Tribe!

So you've put your book on the market and now you're wandering from person to person, door to door, bookstore to bookstore trying to find individuals who want your product. Or, maybe you're hoping those Facebook posts and tweets will draw in readers. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're on a dead end road.

No man is an island unto himself. If you are going to be successful in bookselling, you need to get connected with a community or a "tribe". A tribe is a group of people who share your beliefs and ambitions. People who will promote your product because it promulgates their overall message. For example, if your book is about overcoming drug abuse, you will find a great tribe of supporters in AA or local Community Development programs and church groups.

You have to get connected with a greater community of people. Social media and networking websites have made this an easy process.

• www.Meetup.com is a great site for finding groups of people meeting for any reason
• LinkedIn is great for finding industry groups

Find your tribe!

Happy Selling
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

 

Writing a Book is NOT the Goal ??

I have a secret to tell you... Come closer.... shhhhhh.... Your book is NOT the money maker.

Your book is merely the introduction-- or in more ideal circumstances-- an accessory to your real money maker which is your "platform." 

Your platform is your message or service that elevates you above the norm. The person who writes a book about their experience as an abused child misses the point if they stop at the book writing phase. The book is the introduction of the writer -- but introduces the writer as what? It should be to introduce the writer as an authority on the problems of and solutions to child abuse. Once introduced, that writer should seek speaking engagements, regular guest appearances on talk shows and radio shows, regular contributing writing jobs for newspapers.

Some seek those options as marketing tools, but they are not. Once you introduce yourself to the world as an author, then you have opened the door. NOW, you find your place in this new world of AUTHORities.

Your book is a key to a bigger door that leads to your platform. You can sell one book for $10. Or you can use that book to get speaking engagements that pay $15,000 for 1 hour of talking and sharing your expertise.

For more info on building your platform research Michael Hyatt

Happy Selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

Preorder your copy of The Author's Success Manual
@ http://truevinepublishing.org/Book_Store.html

Build Your ABS Muscle

Book selling is about consistency. The average consumer must hear or see a message an average of three times before they act on it. So you must build your ABS: Always Be Selling muscle. Never stop promoting your book and your platform.

Patricia Fry of the Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network (S.P.A.W.N) wrote in an article "25 Ways to Promote Your Work, Whether You're an Artist, Author, or Small Publisher" that writers should adopt the mindset to:

• Talk about your book everywhere you go
• Hand out brochures with excerpts
• Always have copies on hand
• Schedule dedicated time to promoting your book
• Try at least one new promotional activity each month.

If you are in the process of becoming an author, or if you are currently an author, you have become a business, and success requires full-time commitment. If you have a job, that means you now have two full-time jobs.

Michael Hyatt, NYT Bestselling author of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, and Jack Canfield co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul acknowledge that the time requirements of promoting a best-selling book is hard work. Hyatt conducted over 1,000 radio interviews in 1 year, not to mention talks, television, book signings, blogging, vlogging... the list goes on.

Robert Kiyosaki, Bestselling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad said it was easier to run his China Gold mine and South American Silver mine than to be successful at selling books.

Is this to discourage you. No! Not at all. The thing all of these people have in common is that they ARE SUCCESSFUL at selling books and you can be too. However, it is to remind you that this is a full-time commitment.

Five ways to always build your ABS muscle:

1. Paraphernalia - Get jackets, shirts, hats, pens, note pads with your book cover and contact information
2. Car Magnets- You never know who's watching you. Every person who crosses your path is a potential book sale. Because of my car magnet, I sold a book to a worker in the Sonic drive thru.
3. Social Media Branding- Is your book cover on your Facebook profile picture or banner? Why not? If not, do you have an author fan page?
4. Website- This should be a no-brainer, but in our global society and the digital highway, your website is a global billboard.
5. Author Business Cards or book stubs- A professional business card is a great way to pass the word about your book. "Book Stubs" are small square cards with basic contact information, cover image and a Qr Barcode to scan with a smartphone that will direct people to your website or bookstore.

Happy selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

Author's Success Manual coming October 2013

Freebies!

Freebies!

Looking to sell more books? Have you ever considered giving some away? Although it seems counter productive, giving free copies of your book to the RIGHT people is often the best thing you can do.

Jack Canfield, Co-Author of the  Chicken Soup for the Soul Series and Guinness Book of Records holder for having 7 books simultaneously on the NYT Bestseller List discusses the steps he took to become a New York Times Bestseller in his book the Success Principles (Highly Recommended! !).

One of the game changing strategies was to get a list of celebrities and send out free copies. As a result, you may remember  a reference to Chicken Soup for the Soul in an episode of Friends, one of the most popular shows in modern history. 

Can you imagine having your book referred to in a positive way on Scandle?!! How massive do you think the response would be? Find out who the door openers are who may find value in your book and give them a copy.

Now you all know I like to keep balance. Let it be known that Jack gave out free books on a regular basis for 2 years before the floodgates opened. So that means money, persistence,  and overcoming doubt. But if you keep pushing,  you will reach the goal.

Happy selling!

www.TrueVinePublishing.org 

Plan Your Publishing Road Trip

Have you ever taken a road trip? Outside of some kind of accident or car malfunction, there is no doubt that you will reach the destination if you planned properly for the trip. Let's review the steps.

1. You had a purpose and a benefit for going on your destination.
2. You chose to pursue the destination.
3. You decided where you wanted to go.
4. You mapped out the way to get there.
5. You took action and drove to the location.

As an author, there is no doubt that you can succeed, but the problem is most authors don't plan for the trip. When the goal, purpose, decision, mapping and action has been made, you can't fail. Don't confuse what I'm saying with immediate success.

Like the road trip you must:

1. Be clear on your purpose and what you want to get out of the endeavor. Do you want  riches and fame? (there's nothing wrong with that.  Just be clear about it so that you can get the proper map for the destination.) Do you want to enlighten people about a specific issue and could care less about making money? Don't compare your book to anyone else. Just be clear on your purpose.

2. Make the decision to give it your all--time, effort, and money. No turning back. Becoming an author is becoming a business. The author unwilling to invest in their business is the author destined to fail..

3. Where do you want to go with your book? Who do you want to buy your book? Where do you want to sell your books? How many books do you want to sell every week, every month, every year? Be clear on where you're taking this project whether to the masses or to a niche group. Being a successful author is not measured by becoming a New York Times best selling author. It's determined by reaching the people you set out to reach.

4. Map out how you plan to get to your destination. Does your road lead through at least one major book conference per month, a networking event every week, a public speaking opportunity every day, a workshop, radio interviews or television talk shows? Map out your marketing plan. Give yourself a daily, weekly, and yearly assignment.

5. Take action. All of the rest means nothing unless you take action. Don't worry about being perfect because you'll learn as you go. It has been my experience that the doors of opportunity have motion sensors. THEY WON'T OPEN UNTIL YOU MOVE TOWARD THEM!

Happy Selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org

Don't Stop Screaming, but Scream at the Right People.

 

When it  comes to marketing, we live in what Michael Hyatt calls a "noisy world." The average consumer is presented with 3500 advertisements per.... DAY! That's 24,500 per week; 98,000 per month. To handle this deluge of information, the brain dumps all unimportant, inconsequential, and non urgent information in the trash.  So your mass tweet, Facebook post, or even radio interview is about as effective as a business card posted on a light pole on the interstate.

 

But don't stop screaming! Just scream to the right people. Define and target your core audience. To be sure, your core audience is NOT people who could use your book. Your core audience is a person who needs, no desperately needs your book. A person who will hear or read your advertisement and take immediate action.

 

If your book is on finance, your core audience is the person who is on the verge of bankruptcy. So when they hear the value statements of your book, "My book will teach you how to regain control of your finances and enjoy your life" that person will be more likely to take action.

 

Don't stop screaming, just scream at the right people. Take the time to figure out who that core audience is.

 

Happy selling!
www.TrueVinePublishing.org