K. Elliott's Blog, page 3

Your Whack Book Cover Will Destroy Your Sales

You may write a masterpiece novel. But if your cover is whack, you'll destroy your sales. I'll say it again, your whack book cover will destroy your sales.

The old saying is true. People do judge books by their covers. For that matter, they give you very little time to impress them. So if you're going to get their attention you have to stand out from all the other titles in your genre. How do I that? I make sure my covers look stand out from the rest. I don't imitate what's popular. That's just a bad idea, especially if you're doing e-books.

If you think about it, this concept works the same for any product. If I'm in the mustard business and my mustard is world-class, will shoppers notice? If it's packaged in a plain yellow bottle, the answer is no. In the case of my mustard a plain yellow bottle would make it appear to be just like other ordinary mustard and destroy my sales.

What if, instead, my mustard bottle was black with bright yellow lettering? Don't you think it would stand out then? If you saw that bottle among all the other mustard brands, would you do a double take?

When designing your book cover the same principles apply. Remember the book will be merchandised beside other titles of your genre, just the way mustard is in the condiment section. Just because you have to be with all the other mustard, doesn't mean you have paint your book cover yellow. I suggest that you resist this temptation and put in the work it takes to stand out. Again, that's what leads to sales.

You only get a split second to impress your readers, so here are some things to consider make them do a double take and look closer:

Colors should be bright and contrasting.
Images and fonts should relate to your story and be large enough to view, even if seen as a part of thumbnail on book sites like Amazon.
Look around at the other cover art in your genre. Cull out any common design trends and then avoid using them like they're the plague. Remember – black mustard bottle, yellow letters.

The point is that you should spend more than your money to make sure you have the right cover. It's also going to take time. But time wisely spent doing the research allows you the needed insight you to create covers that earn you double takes. In our business, you have earn double takes to earn sales. Whack covers make your books appear ordinary and typical. Good stories rarely live. them down. That's why whack covers destroy your sales.

Your Older Titles + New Covers = Sales

Here's another tip for covers. Are you an established self-publisher with old books that are out of print? If so, why not dust them off and resell them as e-books. I'm telling you, an old book with a new cover sells almost like a new book. Sure you earned double takes with the old cover. But not everyone was enticed back then. A fresh perspective may catch their attention the second time around, leading to more sales. It's also a good way to introduce yourself to a newer generation of readers who came of age since you first published. It's all about giving readers and fresh look at your work.

You may write a masterpiece novel. But if your cover is whack, you'll destroy your sales. I'll say it again, your whack book cover will destroy your sales.

The old saying is true. People do judge books by their covers. For that matter, they give you very little time to impress them. So if you're going to get their attention you have to stand out from all the other titles in your genre. How do I that? I make sure my covers look stand out from the rest. I don't imitate what's popular. That's just a bad idea, especially if you're doing e-books.

If you think about it, this concept works the same for any product. If I'm in the mustard business and my mustard is world class, will shoppers notice? If it's packaged in a plain yellow bottle, the answer is no. In the case of my mustard a, plain yellow bottle would make it a commodity and destroy my sales.

What if, instead, my mustard bottle was black with bright yellow lettering? Don't you think it would stand out then? If saw that bottle among all the other mustard brands, would you do a double take?

When designing your book cover the same principles apply. Remember the book will be merchandised beside other titles of your genre, just the way mustard is in the condiment section. Just because you have to be with all the other mustards doesn't mean you have paint your book cover yellow. I suggest that you resist this temptation and put in the work it takes to stand out. Again, that's what leads to sales.

Again you only get a split second to impress your readers, so here are some things to consider make them do a double take and look closer:

· Colors should be bright and contrasting.

· Images and fonts should relate to your story and be large enough to view, even if seen as a part of thumbnail on book sites like Amazon.

· Look around at the other cover art in your genre. Cull out any common design trends and then avoid using them like they're the plague. Remember – black mustard bottle, yellow letters.

The point is that you should spend more than your money to make sure you have the right cover. It's also going to take time. But time wisely spent doing the research allows you the needed insight you to create covers that earn you double takes. In our business, you have earn double takes to earn sales. Whack covers make your books appear ordinary and typical. Good stories rarely lives them down. That's why whack covers destroy your sales.

Your Older Titles + New Covers = Sales

Here's another tip for covers. Are you an established self-publisher with old books that are out of print? If so, why not dust them off a resell them as e-books. I'm telling you, an old book with a new cover sells almost like a new book. Sure you earned double takes with the old cover. But not everyone was enticed back then. A fresh perspective may catch their attention the second time around, leading to more sales.

Many new readers have come of age since I first published. A lot of that new group might want to buy it if only the cover art could attract them. That's why I've changed mine recently and launched them as e-books. The entry cost was low and I've made money. Maybe you should consider doing the same. A new cover may be just what you need in order to stand out to a generation of new readers.

The Good Publishing Deal Is Dead

The idea of ever landing a good publishing deal is dead. A publishing company may believe they still have an important role to play in getting your book out there, but moving forward I believe the truth is going to become more and more apparent to all authors, that means you too, that 1.) with the onset of e-books, self-publishing is now a very low-cost vs high yield business model that just about any small business person can duplicate. 2.) With the internet as their retail bookstore shelf, a prolific writer can self-publish multiple titles while bypassing the heavy-handed up e-book royalty takes publishers charge and just about all of the money for themselves.

Here's why good publishing deals are dead. Kind of like how the recording industry didn't prepare for the mp3, or how the print news industry didn't prepare for the blogosphere, publishing houses opted out of innovation and decided to cling for dear life to the dead tree book  business model, ignoring both how customers want to buy and how you as an author desire to be compensated.

The trending is there. As I wrote in Amazon's Numbers Don't Lie, Amazon now sells more e-books than they sell print titles, and the e-book sales continue to rise. This tells me that the way customers want their books delivered is changing radically. Seriously if trends like these continue, how long do you think the current print publishing business model can sustain itself?

Another reason why the Good Publishing Deal is DEAD is because it leaves the you, the author, waiting longer for a lesser monetary stake for no reason at all! Here's why. If you sign with a publishing company and finish your book by April 2011, even though you start selling e-books right away, they're going to hold off so as not to preempt the print launch scheduled for months later. So get this! You've worked hard to write the perfect book! The result is a book that can earn you money right now! But, because your publisher is hooked on selling print, you're left waiting months to start earning royalties! The kicker to me is that if you had self-published, you wouldn't have to wait to start making money. If not for a contract,  a signed author is equally capable of uploading books to Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Kobo as a paid worker for a publishing. They are equally as capable of hiring good editor and graphic artists. So why have a contract that actually costs you royalties at all?

Yes the Good Publishing Deal is Dead because you're losing out on royalties. Here's how, though publishers know there's little overhead, though they know more people are purchasing e-books than print, the often mark them up much higher than needed to cover overhead simply to make the cost of print editions look more attractive to buyers. Again, there's very little overhead in e-book production and distribution. It also convenient for your readers. Unlike ordering a printed book and having to wait for it come in the mail, e-book delivery is instant. An Amazon customer can take out a credit card, buy a title, and start reading right away. Are you seeing the light yet?

If not, that's okay. This is a relatively new business model. Here's what you need to know. In this model the cost of entry to self-publish is next to nothing yet the demand for e-books is higher than ever and growing. So, believe it or not, a self-published author now has potential make bigger profits from an e-book they sell at a lower price point than a signed author does selling their print and e-book titles. I'll say it again, the Good Publishing Deal is Dead!

The reason for this is simple. In the same way it affected delivery of music, journalism and even Hollywood films, the internet has created a delivery system for books that circumvents traditional channels severely diminishing the incentive for authors to ever need a publishing. The publishing company has failed to adapt and are making deals that help to prolong against the obvious: that you can do it yourself now.

So don't believe the hype. Let that dead dog lie. Then write your stories, get them formatted properly as e-books and start getting paid the royalties you truly deserve right now!

Why A Lot of Self-Published Authors Are Broke

A lot of writers don't make money because they don't understand business. Let me make that clear first and foremost. If you're not making money and you're publishing books, you have a hobby and not a business. Secondly, the publishing industry is not set up for a self published author to succeed. I'm going to say it once more loud and clear. The publishing industry is set up for the self publishing author to fail.  Why do I say this?  You see, the way you make money in business is having a positive cash flow and you do this by having low or no inventory while receiving cash for your goods/books/services. The way the publishing industry works is very archaic. Let's say you get distribution and the distributor calls or faxes an order to you for 1000 books. Exciting, right? Well I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't be, and here's the reason. Those thousand books do not translate into sales.  All that orders means is that a distributor thinks they have a good chance of selling those books and they expect you to give them ninety days to attempt to do so. Let's say the retail price of your book is $15.00 USD. The distributor commands 60%, leaving you with six dollars per book. Now multiply that by one thousand and the distributor owes you six thousand dollars and that's if they sell your book at all.

The Break Down

That's right. If you choose to use a distributor, you're going to loan them in books what might amount to $6000(Wholesale price) while giving them ninety days to sell them. Guess who pays to ship the books? You guessed it. You will. So be sure to deduct that from your profits.

Finally three months later, you've invoiced the distributor. Now they're supposed to send you a check for six thousand dollars, right? Well guess what! Before they send you a check, they're going to send you RETURNS.  RETURNS are books that didn't sell. You could receive half or most of those books back, and not because you're book isn't a good book. It could have just been a case where the distributor decided to keep your inventory in their warehouse, never to touch a retail shelf.

Meanwhile, despite the 90-day wait and the returns, you have bills to pay and your creditors don't give a damn if the distributor hasn't paid you. A lot of authors don't realize what I'm telling you until it's too late. I believe it's best for the sake of cash flow to go for the quick sale outside of distribution channels. Sell in the beauty salon. Sell on your job. Sell books at parties and nightclubs. Basically sell anywhere cash can be generated right now. Or just do like me and sell mostly electronic books and don't tie your money up inventory at all. Don't worry about whether your Mom's best friend can find your book at Barnes and Nobles. Instead go for the quick sale and keep your bank account out of the red. Even if Mom's best friend sees your book in Barnes and Noble, that doesn't mean the store is doing anything to sell that book.

The reason why a lot of self-published authors are broke is that they fall for the distribution hoax when getting started. It may seem like I've just said, "distribution is bad?" By no means is that my point. What I am saying is that distribution channels are not likely to be effective unless you've created a real demand for your book first. Remember the goal here is to be well-fed and not famous!!!!

Simple Marketing Strategy For Authors: Write Well & Be Likable



As a self-publishing author there are two things that, if done well, will almost guarantee your success: Tell a good story and be likable. Yes, it's that simple.

It's not about having a flashy cover, although having good cover art is very important. It's not about making throwing a book release party. Although, a good promotional strategy will give you opportunities to genuinely engage your fans in a likable manner.

The point is a good cover, a necessary as it is, will only sustain your sales so far without a good story inside. A party will only work as a way to promote your book if people already like you.

What this means is that, as an author, you have two product lines to manage, your books and yourself.

Your Books

You've taken the time to write daily and now you have a manuscript ready to print. Not so fast. Before you go to press, you may want to consider one vital marketing cost. That's hiring a good editor. Yes, I believe hiring an editor is a marketing cost.

There is much to consider in telling your story.  Is your timeline of events consistent or are they impossibly off? Does your plot flow well or is it a mixed bag, leading to nowhere?

Marketing has become being remarkable. A good editor will help your review your manuscript to ensure that there are no inconsistencies blocking your story from being a good story, well-told.

You The Author

As an author, it's not enough to simply write good stories. People to tend to buy more from those they like. Are you generous to your fans? What about you are giving away so that your fans may like you? I let people read all my books for free via my Scribd profile.

The result for me is that people see me as generous and helpful. Not only do I interact with fans at book signings and on social sites like Twitter, and Facebook, I help satisfy their desire to read good fiction at no cost to them. Because I've been generous with my titles, I have built a base of fans who know and like my writing style. Believe it or not this has led to better sales because readers of my free titles are now primed to enjoy my new releases that are for sale.

A genuinely well-written book that's self-published by a genuinely likeable person: Now that's almost always an unbeatable combination.

Writing An Author Bio

As an author, I never underestimate the power of trust. I can be the world's greatest story teller but without my readers behind me it doesn't matter. I go on book tours because of this. I spend time interacting with people on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.  I've also shared my story via a personal biography.

Just like a good book description sells your story, a good bio helps to sell you. It lets people know a bit more about your background, your priorities, and what happening in your life right now. These things are important because allowing your fans to know this type of information invites trust.

Putting together a good bio is pretty easy to do. Below are some things to consider when writing yours.

Briefly Identify yourself in a quick, hard-hitting statement. What types of books do you write? If you do other kinds work along with being and author, include that here.  The important thing is that you quickly make identify yourself. People, even the most avid of readers, have short attention spans. So keep this in mind.

Be sure to share your background. Since this bio is selling you as an author be sure to share the details demonstrate why you chose that direction in the first place. Also tell what's going in your life right now. Are you married? Do you have children? What influenced you to become an author? What were your adversities? Sharing such personal aspects is difficult for some people to do, but doing will actually help you to be more relatable to your readers.

Include your accomplishments. If you've won awards or earned best-seller status, write about it. If you're recognized for your involvement in the community, share this as well. What all this demonstrates is that you're a credible, talented author whose stories are worth buying.

By doing these steps, you will create a bio that properly introduces you, helps you to better relate to your fans, and presents you as someone with recognizable accomplishments. All of these elements combined lead to trust.

The Case For Twitter For Authors

Merriam-Webster defines publicity as an act or device designed to attract public interest; specifically : information with news value issued as a means of gaining public attention or support.

This is important to remember when using Twitter to promote your books because publicity done well is a soft sell. As you may know by now, the soft sell is actually pretty hard. Yes , the ideas relationship building and sharing useful information are simple in concept. But the daily routines of meeting new people, following up, and compiling useful information all take time and effort to consistently do.

As an author though, the opportunities on Twitter abound for you to easily succeed. Very easily, you are able to reach out and communicate with all sort of people who would be interest to know you, if only they knew just how cool and useful you are.

Here are some ways you can use Twitter.

Involve your Fans:

When you're in the process of writing your book, you can seek direct feedback from your fans. I often ask topical questions about relationships, race relations and other random news. I do it to be entertaining and engaging to the people who follow me and buy my books. What I get is valuable insight in to what ideas strike chords with my readers, ideas that I can then use when writing.

Share Your Life

Again remembering this is a soft sell, you can always keep your followers updated with the latest information about. If your latest book gets a good review, tweet about it with a link to that review. If your appearing as a guest on radio talk show, share that. If you get married, have a baby, have an insight about a current event then share, share share.

What Not to Do

In a soft sell environment, it's important to remember that Twitter is not an advertisement tool so don't treat it as such. That means it's never good to auto-tweet "Buy my new Book" every hour. Remember people search Twitter to find people with relevant information. Instead, why not pose a question that relates to a theme in your book and start a conversation.

As easy as it is to do, don't contact to publishers asking them to read your manuscript. Instead, why not follow their tweets and engage them in a relevant fashion. For example, if you learn from her tweets that a publisher you follow has a passion for banana bread, maybe you can share a link to an interesting recipe.

These indirect approaches are what effective Twitter use is all about. If done well, you will be publicized as an author who connects fans not only with relevant information, but also with all the great literary works you've written.

The End-Around Book Signing: More Profit, Right Now!

When I published my first book back in 2003, it was a total print release and I did it all basically by hitting the streets on tour to book signings and promote my book. Sometime I set up the signings in advance and others I improvised along  the way.

I firmly believe that ebooks are the future. But that doesn't mean there's no marketing for print works. But more and more independent bookstores continue to close, meaning less of them to collaborate with when you're out on the road. That only leaves the big box bookstores like Borders and Barnes & Noble. Both of which expect you to sell your books and get paid via their inventory distribution systems. Both will certainly pay you. But both will take much longer to get you your money and it will certainly be less than when you work with an Indy bookstore owner. The good news is that if you're willing to be creative, it doesn't have to be this way.

Here is something I've done in the past so that I can avoid the invoicing and payment process of the big box book stores that could work for you.

If there is no independent bookstore in a particular mall, that doesn't mean you should pass it by. In fact this is a great opportunity for you. You just have to be creative.

1.       The first thing you're going to want to do is figure out which business are independently owned. Those are the ones you're going to pitch. Try to find the one that most likely does business with your demographic.

2.       Next you make your pitch. Offer to pay them $100 to set up your book-signing table in their store or beside their kiosk just for the day.

3.       If they agree. You sell your print copies at $10 per books and pocket all the cash.

If you follow this process, all you have to sell is 10 books in order to break even. Some owners may expect you to pay more others will take less money. The most important part of this process is that, if done right, it will help you bypass the retail bookstores. That way, Instead of waiting a couple of months you earn cash right away.



Why Use Book Widgets and How to Create Your Own for Free

I have an easy tip that can be completed in about 10 minutes. Yet it will instantly create a widget with all your titles, ready to place on your blogs and websites. What's more, your fans can click through to purchase at many of their favorite online retailers!

Why do this?

In general, a widget helps you to place your titles where someone might be interested in reading them. It's like an online bookshelf that exclusively holds just your titles. With such a tool, you can very quickly plug your books with a cost free means with a cleanly designed format, built with your potential sales in mind.

How to Get Started

Get Glue recently rolled out self-service where authors can create their own called www.mybookwidget.com

This site allows you create widgets that automatically upload up to 10 covers via your ISBN-10′s. Within this widget are links to a discussion page with comments, social media sharing and online purchasing.

Here all you have to do get started.

STEP 1: Go to www.mybookwidget.com.

STEP 2: Enter up to Ten ISBN-10 numbers making sure to separate them by commas. Then create a title for the Widget.

STEP 3: Widget automatically populates for your to review. From here, you'll be able to click through for commenting and to view page on Amazon.

Step 4: Scroll to the bottom of the page and copy the code.

Step 5: Log in to your administrator and paste code in the HTML according to where you want it to appear.

You have now embedded the widget to your blog or website.

Personally, I found this task to be simple to complete and cost free. The result is that I've saved money I may have otherwise had to pay a programmer and Viola! I have my online bookshelf, exclusively filled with my ready-to-buy titles, ready to place anywhere online that will have me.

Below is my widget. See for yourself. What are your thoughts on this idea?

Seth Godin Didn't Use Traditional Marketing, So Why Should You?

Last year in January, Seth Godin released "Linchpin: Are You Indispensible?" As of this post, the book is at #3 on two of  Amazon's best sellers lists and #11 on another. It's been over a year and his title is still highly regarded. More notable to me are the details surrounding his launch. Did you know Godin didn't spend a dime on traditional media marketing channels? It's true. And because of the internet's reach, it can be true for you as well.

Godin's process works but it's more of a long view.  Instead of targeting which traditional outlets to make ad buys, you're going to target the top bloggers.

"I haven't gone to any traditional media for the launch of my new book – no pitches to newspapers, magazines, or television," Godin blogged. "Instead, I went directly to my readers and the many intelligent voices online"

Who are the thought leaders blogging about your genre? Those are the one you should be reaching out to right now.

Godin appeared on 40 guest blogs prior to his launch and he was sure to tailor his approach to each blogger's unique audience.

He also appeared on multiple channels. He did not simply write, but appeared on podcasts and video interviews.

Finally, he circumvented traditional book critics and has his book reviewed for free by thousands of his loyal readers.

"Bypassing professional critics and allowing real people to use the newly powerful platforms available to them is faster, more direct and gives you far more feedback on your work," he blogged.

Quite honestly, each blog post and every appearance on a podcast or video chat takes valuable time. But the more appearances you make, the deeper you will penetrate the market by your launch date. So if you plan on using this proven method, I'd suggest that you start planning ahead right now. Start connecting with the top bloggers, learn their audiences and then tailor your responses to satisfy what their readers most expect to read.  And do it now. If you wait until once prior to your release, you've waited too late.  But if you're willing to invest the time it takes to reach your potential reader directly, you will save money at the outset and generate book sales in the long run.

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