Nely Cab's Blog, page 3
May 30, 2012
Creatura Foreign Rights Acquired by LedaBooks
It has been my dream from the age of 10 to be a published author. Today I'm ecstatic to announce that 17 days shy of its one year anniversary in the self-publishing market, my first novel, Creatura, has been signed to LedaBooks, the leading Young Adult publisher in Romania (an imprint of Corint Editorial Group) for translation rights and traditional publishing. It's an honor to work with you Leda!
A huge thanks to Marisa A. Corvisiero, Esq., my literary agent, for taking a chance on me and leading the way through this new found partnership with the Leda Books team of professionals. It's a pleasure to have you as my agent Marisa.
In addition, I'd like to extend my undying gratitude to the Romanian bloggers that have expressed such a passionate interest in Creatura and took it upon themselves to campaign for my book. The mastermind behind the Creatura Campaign is a beautiful, sweet and intelligent young lady named Irina Mihaila of Gaesti, Romania. Irina and her blog partner, Oana, run the Rătăcitori în lumen cărţilor blog and actively sought out other bloggers to introduce them to Creatura. Your support means the world to me, girls!
But there are other Romanian blogger that have devoted much time to the Romanian book campaign, as well. Among a few I can name are Claudiu, Simona, Bianca Alexandra, Vlad,, Oana, Ioana, Krisz, Alex, Gabi, Andrea and so many more! Guys, without you, I don't exist. Te iubesc mult!
Thank you to my existing supporters, fans and friends for your continued support and encouragement. I hope that you've enjoyed our journey in conquering the world, so far. I'd be extremely happy if you'd stick around because I've only just begun.
A huge thanks to Marisa A. Corvisiero, Esq., my literary agent, for taking a chance on me and leading the way through this new found partnership with the Leda Books team of professionals. It's a pleasure to have you as my agent Marisa.
In addition, I'd like to extend my undying gratitude to the Romanian bloggers that have expressed such a passionate interest in Creatura and took it upon themselves to campaign for my book. The mastermind behind the Creatura Campaign is a beautiful, sweet and intelligent young lady named Irina Mihaila of Gaesti, Romania. Irina and her blog partner, Oana, run the Rătăcitori în lumen cărţilor blog and actively sought out other bloggers to introduce them to Creatura. Your support means the world to me, girls!
But there are other Romanian blogger that have devoted much time to the Romanian book campaign, as well. Among a few I can name are Claudiu, Simona, Bianca Alexandra, Vlad,, Oana, Ioana, Krisz, Alex, Gabi, Andrea and so many more! Guys, without you, I don't exist. Te iubesc mult!
Thank you to my existing supporters, fans and friends for your continued support and encouragement. I hope that you've enjoyed our journey in conquering the world, so far. I'd be extremely happy if you'd stick around because I've only just begun.
January 26, 2012
Selling Books Like a Banker
Before I started writing, I used to sell people their money back. How? I worked at a bank opening checking, savings, CD’s and other types of accounts for a fee. If you stop to think about it, this is how a financial institution works. Banks will house your money, and then you have to pay them to get it back, occasionally incurring other wonderful fees that you’re briefed on, but don’t understand and don’t bother to question.
Oh, the stories I could tell you about how customers react when they’re charged fees by a bank. But we’ll save that discussion for another time.
Being employed with a bank was probably the hardest job I ever had. I had to meet and exceed sales goals. I had to hunt down new accounts by visiting business, schools, or whoever had mercy on my banker’s soul and gave me an opportunity to hold a presentation. I worked in a low-income area where new customers weren’t swarming in, begging for a new checkbook and cover that emitted that bank scent I grew to love (I’ve named the smell “Monetary Plastic Couture”). My work required a lot of determination.
I was trained to sell, sell, and then sell...and did I mention sell? Every morning us Personal Bankers would meet with the Branch Manager to discuss daily goals. We’d have to write the number of accounts we planned to sell in “packages,” i.e.: Checking, Savings, Debit Card, Online Banking, and Credit Card/Loan or other services. No, not separately. All these needed to be bundled together into one customer’s profile. The probability of holding down a customer in his comfy chair after you overwhelmed them with all the bank’s products and services was very low – especially where I worked.
What does this have to do with books, you ask? A lot. It has to do with marketing and selling your book. I’ve learned that’s an even harder task than selling people their own money.
Much like my job as a banker, an author has to take every opportunity he or she gets to present their work to the public. A new writer’s struggle to sell one single copy may take days or weeks, and you know that royalties from one book isn’t enough to buy a decent cup of coffee these days. Ask yourself this: After all that time spent working on your book, developing characters, plotting stories and pulling out your hair, do you deserve a crappy cup of coffee from some corner store, or are you going to get yourself some of that fancy Starbucks? I know my answer. I’m heading to Starbucks; ergo, I need to sell more books.
By using the sales tactics that were drilled into me in the field of banking, I’m beginning to see more demand for my book. I’m going to share some of the things that I’ve done to gain more exposure in the literary community and gain sales.
Product Presentation:
The packaging and presentation of your book, a.k.a. the cover, is a crucial element in sales. The way your book looks reflects on you as a writer. Don’t ruin your street credit. Your readers need to see a cover that’s pleasant to the eye. If your cover looks like a poorly cut and arranged kindergartener’s magazine collage, chances are people aren’t going to buy it. Find a friend, a neighbor, or just beg for help with editing images on Photoshop from someone that’s familiar with the software.
Seek Out Your Buyers:
Aside from yourself, whom else did you write this book for? Who would be interested in reading your story? Don’t waste your time posting your Amazon link, book trailer and/or book’s synopsis on sites that aren’t frequented by readers. Join blogs, communities, clubs, and social networks that will give you that five-minute window you have to pitch the sale. Do not underestimate the power of Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and such networking sites.
Market the Product:
1. Develop an author website if you can afford it. Before committing to buy, consumers like to take a close look at the product – you.
1. Make your book nice and shiny. People like things that sparkle. Make it known to everyone how great your ratings are on your social media networks by reposting on your webpage, blog, personal network profiles, and social media sites. It doesn’t mean you’re showing off. Well, maybe a little, but it also means you take pride in what you do and people with good self-esteem and a strong backbone attract more attention than people with poor self-esteem. Google it.
2. Create a book trailer that’s interesting, well edited, visually appealing, with a casual pace and concise. You want to get the point across without too many words in less than a minute and a half. Using video elements and pictures to simulate the idea of what’s between the front and back cover of the book, does guarantee reader interest. It also lets the potential buyer dig into the mind of the author’s perspective of his or her writing. Also, be selective about the trailer’s music. Your best bet is to use a track with no words. Include the book cover, your website and the major purchasing sites that sell your book.
Make Yourself More Social:
1. Being an anti-social hermit wont’ get you anywhere! Befriend bloggers, authors, publicists, your friend’s cousin’s sister-in-law’s accountant or whomever you know that likes to read or not read.
Have you ever noticed how you can easily fall victim to mainstream marketing? Those “As Seen on T.V.” stickers on boxed products really stand out at the check out line in the grocery store. But you may not have the solvency to advertise on television or radio. You do, however, have the ability to get other people talking about your book. This is called Free Publicity and Word of Mouth Advertising. If other people are reading your story and posting reviews, their reader friends are going to want “in” on that great story too. And, trust me, those non-readers are going to want to know what the fuss is about when they see their friends posting and reposting your book’s cover image. You could gain a fan in that non-reader.
Promoting:
1. People love to win things. Hold contests and giveaways with book bloggers you’ve friended. Offering a book or swag (bookmarks, keychains, t-shirts, etc.) or both as a prize will gain reader and blogger interest. Did you know that many readers have a collection of swag from both independent and traditional authors?
2. Hold contests on your own sites and let everyone in your social networking sites know about it. Set up your giveaways with Rafflecopter, which allows you to program entries with points values, depending on what action you would like the entrant to do, such as, liking your author page on Facebook, following your blog or Tweeting about the giveaway. Yes, more free publicity.
3. Accept invitations for reviews and interviews on blogs no matter how small their following. Out of forty followers that Mary’s Book Blog has, maybe three will see the post. That’s three more pairs of eyes that know you exist. Tell Mary to include your links and your trailer on the interview post and offer a small giveaway with the interview to get more visitors.
4. Set up a giveaway on Goodreads. The giveaways are free to set up, and that site is visited by a multitude of readers.
5. Get out and get your feet dirty. That’s right, you’re going to have to go look for the sale. Set up signing or presentations at schools, libraries or bookstores. They’ll be more than happy to have you there because you are an author (insert fist pump here).
6. If you can afford it, buy a $20 Ad Campaign on Goodreads, one on Google Ads and another on Facebook. That’s $60 worth of Ads will get people to visit your websites and discover your book. By the way, the Goodreads Campaign will probably run for about three weeks with $20.
Pitching the Sale:
You thought you were done? Oh no! This is where the real work begins. After you’ve perfected your cover, uploaded your trailer, purchased swag items, talked your head off at presentations and made a bunch of new friends, it’s time to work for your royalties and that Starbucks coffee.
I’m going to reveal a huge secret. We’ll keep this between you and me: In the end, you’re the product that’s being sold. Yes, your personality is the one that’s going to get you that cup of delicious coffee.
1. Bite your tongue. Your social network has expanded and so has your exposure among the literary world. Now you have a following and your posts reflect who you really are. Be yourself when you post a tweet not pertaining to writing or your book saying how much you enjoy eating with your family at Chili’s. But be wary of tweeting how much you hate John Smith and how you’re going to kill his dog. Negative posts get you negative impressions, and that’s something that people in the literature field don’t want to be associated with. It could ultimately hurt your writing career.
2. Talk to your followers and fans. The rapport you develop with your new author, reader, blogger and friend’s of friends of friends, etc., is going to sell you. They want to know that you’re not just a picture on a website or words on a page. Respond to retweets, tweets, and their facebook posts. Let them know that you know they exist. Overall, thank them repeatedly for their support.
I hope you’ve learned something from my sales advice. Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog and reading. Be well, beautiful creatures!
Oh, the stories I could tell you about how customers react when they’re charged fees by a bank. But we’ll save that discussion for another time.
Being employed with a bank was probably the hardest job I ever had. I had to meet and exceed sales goals. I had to hunt down new accounts by visiting business, schools, or whoever had mercy on my banker’s soul and gave me an opportunity to hold a presentation. I worked in a low-income area where new customers weren’t swarming in, begging for a new checkbook and cover that emitted that bank scent I grew to love (I’ve named the smell “Monetary Plastic Couture”). My work required a lot of determination.
I was trained to sell, sell, and then sell...and did I mention sell? Every morning us Personal Bankers would meet with the Branch Manager to discuss daily goals. We’d have to write the number of accounts we planned to sell in “packages,” i.e.: Checking, Savings, Debit Card, Online Banking, and Credit Card/Loan or other services. No, not separately. All these needed to be bundled together into one customer’s profile. The probability of holding down a customer in his comfy chair after you overwhelmed them with all the bank’s products and services was very low – especially where I worked.
What does this have to do with books, you ask? A lot. It has to do with marketing and selling your book. I’ve learned that’s an even harder task than selling people their own money.
Much like my job as a banker, an author has to take every opportunity he or she gets to present their work to the public. A new writer’s struggle to sell one single copy may take days or weeks, and you know that royalties from one book isn’t enough to buy a decent cup of coffee these days. Ask yourself this: After all that time spent working on your book, developing characters, plotting stories and pulling out your hair, do you deserve a crappy cup of coffee from some corner store, or are you going to get yourself some of that fancy Starbucks? I know my answer. I’m heading to Starbucks; ergo, I need to sell more books.
By using the sales tactics that were drilled into me in the field of banking, I’m beginning to see more demand for my book. I’m going to share some of the things that I’ve done to gain more exposure in the literary community and gain sales.
Product Presentation:
The packaging and presentation of your book, a.k.a. the cover, is a crucial element in sales. The way your book looks reflects on you as a writer. Don’t ruin your street credit. Your readers need to see a cover that’s pleasant to the eye. If your cover looks like a poorly cut and arranged kindergartener’s magazine collage, chances are people aren’t going to buy it. Find a friend, a neighbor, or just beg for help with editing images on Photoshop from someone that’s familiar with the software.
Seek Out Your Buyers:
Aside from yourself, whom else did you write this book for? Who would be interested in reading your story? Don’t waste your time posting your Amazon link, book trailer and/or book’s synopsis on sites that aren’t frequented by readers. Join blogs, communities, clubs, and social networks that will give you that five-minute window you have to pitch the sale. Do not underestimate the power of Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and such networking sites.
Market the Product:
1. Develop an author website if you can afford it. Before committing to buy, consumers like to take a close look at the product – you.
1. Make your book nice and shiny. People like things that sparkle. Make it known to everyone how great your ratings are on your social media networks by reposting on your webpage, blog, personal network profiles, and social media sites. It doesn’t mean you’re showing off. Well, maybe a little, but it also means you take pride in what you do and people with good self-esteem and a strong backbone attract more attention than people with poor self-esteem. Google it.
2. Create a book trailer that’s interesting, well edited, visually appealing, with a casual pace and concise. You want to get the point across without too many words in less than a minute and a half. Using video elements and pictures to simulate the idea of what’s between the front and back cover of the book, does guarantee reader interest. It also lets the potential buyer dig into the mind of the author’s perspective of his or her writing. Also, be selective about the trailer’s music. Your best bet is to use a track with no words. Include the book cover, your website and the major purchasing sites that sell your book.
Make Yourself More Social:
1. Being an anti-social hermit wont’ get you anywhere! Befriend bloggers, authors, publicists, your friend’s cousin’s sister-in-law’s accountant or whomever you know that likes to read or not read.
Have you ever noticed how you can easily fall victim to mainstream marketing? Those “As Seen on T.V.” stickers on boxed products really stand out at the check out line in the grocery store. But you may not have the solvency to advertise on television or radio. You do, however, have the ability to get other people talking about your book. This is called Free Publicity and Word of Mouth Advertising. If other people are reading your story and posting reviews, their reader friends are going to want “in” on that great story too. And, trust me, those non-readers are going to want to know what the fuss is about when they see their friends posting and reposting your book’s cover image. You could gain a fan in that non-reader.
Promoting:
1. People love to win things. Hold contests and giveaways with book bloggers you’ve friended. Offering a book or swag (bookmarks, keychains, t-shirts, etc.) or both as a prize will gain reader and blogger interest. Did you know that many readers have a collection of swag from both independent and traditional authors?
2. Hold contests on your own sites and let everyone in your social networking sites know about it. Set up your giveaways with Rafflecopter, which allows you to program entries with points values, depending on what action you would like the entrant to do, such as, liking your author page on Facebook, following your blog or Tweeting about the giveaway. Yes, more free publicity.
3. Accept invitations for reviews and interviews on blogs no matter how small their following. Out of forty followers that Mary’s Book Blog has, maybe three will see the post. That’s three more pairs of eyes that know you exist. Tell Mary to include your links and your trailer on the interview post and offer a small giveaway with the interview to get more visitors.
4. Set up a giveaway on Goodreads. The giveaways are free to set up, and that site is visited by a multitude of readers.
5. Get out and get your feet dirty. That’s right, you’re going to have to go look for the sale. Set up signing or presentations at schools, libraries or bookstores. They’ll be more than happy to have you there because you are an author (insert fist pump here).
6. If you can afford it, buy a $20 Ad Campaign on Goodreads, one on Google Ads and another on Facebook. That’s $60 worth of Ads will get people to visit your websites and discover your book. By the way, the Goodreads Campaign will probably run for about three weeks with $20.
Pitching the Sale:
You thought you were done? Oh no! This is where the real work begins. After you’ve perfected your cover, uploaded your trailer, purchased swag items, talked your head off at presentations and made a bunch of new friends, it’s time to work for your royalties and that Starbucks coffee.
I’m going to reveal a huge secret. We’ll keep this between you and me: In the end, you’re the product that’s being sold. Yes, your personality is the one that’s going to get you that cup of delicious coffee.
1. Bite your tongue. Your social network has expanded and so has your exposure among the literary world. Now you have a following and your posts reflect who you really are. Be yourself when you post a tweet not pertaining to writing or your book saying how much you enjoy eating with your family at Chili’s. But be wary of tweeting how much you hate John Smith and how you’re going to kill his dog. Negative posts get you negative impressions, and that’s something that people in the literature field don’t want to be associated with. It could ultimately hurt your writing career.
2. Talk to your followers and fans. The rapport you develop with your new author, reader, blogger and friend’s of friends of friends, etc., is going to sell you. They want to know that you’re not just a picture on a website or words on a page. Respond to retweets, tweets, and their facebook posts. Let them know that you know they exist. Overall, thank them repeatedly for their support.
I hope you’ve learned something from my sales advice. Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog and reading. Be well, beautiful creatures!
January 25, 2012
David's Mail Call Poetry
A few days ago, a fan expressed her "love" of Creatura on my Facebook page. I decided to give her a little gift from my book's hero, David Chios. Quickly it was that the responses to his humble offering grew, and before I knew it, "David" was serenading fan girls with verse. Here's an example of one of his poems:
."Carly Anne's Chablis"
Written for Carly Anne Wallace
Weaved of fine silks and fine wine
The Gods adorned Carly Anne so divine
And I a poor beggar on mine raw knee
Pleading, suffering, eager to be free
But what doust freedom imply to a beggar?
Leaving mine Carly Anne to be?
Never shalst I wander free of mine decree
And I do attest, dear Carly Anne, this sacrifice to thee
May mine blood become dry like the Gods' wine of Chablis
Should ever you never come to be privately for me
~ David Chios
Thank you for reading and I invite you to get to know David Chios and the rest of the personalities in the first book of the Creatura Series.
-Nely Cab
Please Visit Me At:
www.nelycab.com &
www.facebook.com/AuthorNelyCab
November 21, 2011
Creatura T-shirt Giveaway
Follow the link below to enter the giveaway on my blog. Enter once a day to raise your chances of winning!
http://nelycab.blogspot.com/2011/10/r...
http://nelycab.blogspot.com/2011/10/r...
October 20, 2011
October 8, 2011
Creatura Necklace Giveaway
Would you like to win a "Creatura" Heart Pendant Necklace? Like the "Creatura" Fan Page on Facebook
& click on the "Contest" tab to enter!
*Contest ends October 28, 2011, 12:00AM (CST)
Creatura Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Creatur...
Blogger: http://nelycab.blogspot.com/2011/10/c...
& click on the "Contest" tab to enter!
*Contest ends October 28, 2011, 12:00AM (CST)
Creatura Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Creatur...
Blogger: http://nelycab.blogspot.com/2011/10/c...
September 15, 2011
Video: Teens Talk about "Creatura"
Here is the video of my visit to Lopez High School in Brownsville, Texas. Credit for the video goes to Gabriela Moreno, a student of Lopez H.S.
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKzeGk...
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKzeGk...
Creatura by Invitation Only
After exactly three months to the date of its realease, Creatura is slowly becoming known by local schools. I have been asked for my contact information by three different schools via their students. Some of my family members' children and friends' children spoke their teachers about the novel and about me without being told by their parents to do so. I was surprised that they are taking the initiative to make the novel known, and that they are just as excited as I am about this new venture. By word of mouth, resulted an invitation by yet another school to speak at an assembly comprised of nearly 200 students. On September 28th, I will be addressing kids between the ages of 12-14 (grades 6th-8th) at Harmony Science Academy in Brownsville, Texas. I am curious about how these junior high kids' questions will differ from the questions of the high school kids I visited a few weeks ago who, by the way, were a great bunch.
Before I go speak to a group, I like to send them a few chapters of Creatura so that they know a little about the story and my writing style. Opening up their inquisitiveness with reading is great because they are more inclined to listen when you speak and are more involved in the question and answer session.
The kids at the high school were interested in hearing about me, the process of writing, the self-publishing process, and the time it takes to wrap it all up. They were so excited to have me there that their high school news made a small clip of the students' reactions to the book and to my visit. I feel so honored to be part of their required reading!
* Side note: I love those kids!
And so, as I visit each school, not only do the kids learn about writing a book and publishing, but I too learn how try to inspire them to read for pleasure, rather to see it as a chore.
TO COME:
Hopefully, I'll have the video the high school students filmed in my possession soon so that I can share it with all of you.
**************Thank you for reading!***************
August 31, 2011
The High School Visit was Awesome!
I could sit here and write it out, but rather than do that why don't I just tell you how my day went in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35cjnl...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35cjnl...
August 26, 2011
"Creatura" goes to High School!
A few weeks ago I was completely taken by surprise when I was asked by www.readforyourfuture.org to donate a couple of copies of "Creatura" to the Middletown High School library in Middletown, Ohio. That brought me such enthusiasm that I think I practically jumped. The thought of how many students will get to read the novel puts a smile on my face every time.
*GO MIDDIES!*
Then something equally as exciting happened:
I was contacted by an English teacher at Lopez High School in Brownsville, Texas, to be a guest in her five English classes. Immediately and without hesitation, I agreed. I was so excited to receive the invitation and flattered that a high school teacher would even consider "Creatura" in the classroom.
I offered the first chapter of the novel to the teacher by email and posted it on my website for easier accessibility to the students ... and to the rest of the world, of course. Some of them have already purchased the book through Amazon.com (it's also available through other online retailers)
*If you're a goodreads member you'll find Chapter 1 under the "read excerpt" tab of the novel.
A fair amount of students from Lopez High School have befriended me on Facebook, and after chatting with them, I've found they are just as excited as I am to be able to meet in person. It seems the first chapter has had a good reception by the majority. Let's see how the rest of the book is liked. I supposed I'll find out next week when they've had a chance to read further. Until then, I'll be looking forward to August 31st with eager and excited anticipation. I can already hear that Lobo Pride!
*SEE YOU SOON, LOBOS!*
Oh, by the way, the sandpaper I mentioned in the prior post was to sand down my "golden boy" before we applied the gold makeup. He was a real trooper! Thanks, Tristan! You can see fotos of him at:
www.nelycab.blogspot.com
*GO MIDDIES!*
Then something equally as exciting happened:
I was contacted by an English teacher at Lopez High School in Brownsville, Texas, to be a guest in her five English classes. Immediately and without hesitation, I agreed. I was so excited to receive the invitation and flattered that a high school teacher would even consider "Creatura" in the classroom.
I offered the first chapter of the novel to the teacher by email and posted it on my website for easier accessibility to the students ... and to the rest of the world, of course. Some of them have already purchased the book through Amazon.com (it's also available through other online retailers)
*If you're a goodreads member you'll find Chapter 1 under the "read excerpt" tab of the novel.
A fair amount of students from Lopez High School have befriended me on Facebook, and after chatting with them, I've found they are just as excited as I am to be able to meet in person. It seems the first chapter has had a good reception by the majority. Let's see how the rest of the book is liked. I supposed I'll find out next week when they've had a chance to read further. Until then, I'll be looking forward to August 31st with eager and excited anticipation. I can already hear that Lobo Pride!
*SEE YOU SOON, LOBOS!*
Oh, by the way, the sandpaper I mentioned in the prior post was to sand down my "golden boy" before we applied the gold makeup. He was a real trooper! Thanks, Tristan! You can see fotos of him at:
www.nelycab.blogspot.com
