Doris-Maria Heilmann's Blog, page 22
March 20, 2016
How to Deal With Negative Book Reviews
Many authors are a bit devastated when a negative review shows up on their books’ sales pages. However, a book with lots of reviews has real legitimacy and gives readers and potential customers a range of perspectives, making them more likely to buy it. So, trying to get lots of reviews is advisable. But how do authors handle the inevitable bad ones? And why might these unfavourable reviews – or often might not – influence book buyers. Last but not least: Why would anyone write a negative r...
March 17, 2016
10 Tips on How to Pitch Book Reviewers
Getting reviews is a bit like “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?” question. It’s harder to get people to buy your book if you don’t have reviews, but it’s hard to get reviews if people don’t buy and read your book. Besides asking your readers for reviews – in person or in your last pages of the book – the second-best method is to follow book bloggers and reviewers and approach them eventually. However, there are a couple of rules how to proceed:
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1. Follow the reviewers blog / websi...
March 15, 2016
Would You Like to Write in Italy or Oregon?
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Application deadlines are looming for some very attractive Residency and Fellowship offers in Italy and the USA. Statistics claimthat one out of three applications is successful…
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Each year, the Bogliasco Foundation awards approximately 50 Fellowships, without regard to nationality, age, race, gender, or religion, in any subject area of the following disciplines: archaeology, architecture, classics, dance, film/video, history,music, landscape architecture, literature, philosophy, theater,...
March 13, 2016
Rafflecopter: Another Free Tool for Book Buzz
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Why Do We Love “Free”?
Maybe it comes from our ancient and once necessary habit of collecting and gathering food in the wild – which our ancestors got for free. “Not seeding, yet receiving food for free”? The word “free” initiates a response in our minds that’s completely different from any normal business transaction. ….in the land of pricing, zero is not just another price – nothing beats the emotional surge of FREE!
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Ever Shopped at Costco?
Retail giant Costco is infamous for the la...
March 11, 2016
Why Your Book Won’t Be a Bestseller – Yet
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You might have read too many authors who are bragging over their bestselling works. And your first or second book is just not moving… You get more depressed from day to day and don’t even want to check your sales pages on Amazon or look at their Bestseller lists. Even worse for you is to check the weekly NYT Bestsellers. Becoming a bestseller author seems to be totally out of reach – or is it? Here is what you can do about it, but first some hard facts to consider:
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7 Million Self-Publish...
March 8, 2016
5 Major Steps from Manuscript to Book Sales
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Just finished your manuscript and you are ready to sent it off to the editor? It’s a great feeling of accomplishment, isn’t it? You certainly would like to go on a month-long vacation – and you would have deserved this leisure time, for sure!
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But there is a lot more to do before book launch, in fact, it will be a busy time while your book is at the editor:
March 6, 2016
How to Repurpose Your Manuscript
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Where does your next novel or nonfiction book takes place? In your hometown or in a foreign city or country? I bet you did a lot of research to describe those places. Leverage this research work and all your travel experiences to write not only for travel or well-paying airline magazines, but also for newspapers or lifestyle magazines – print and online. Travel articles are not for travel magazines only!
Why wait months or years until royalties for your books arrive, when you can easily wri...
March 3, 2016
How to Promote Your eBook-Giveaways
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Authors that are enrolled in Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing can now create marketing campaigns and giveaways for their e-books. Book giveaways are a powerful way to get a lot of exposure – and your book in the hands of new readers, who might even write a review.
The success of your book giveaway depends very much on how you promote this event – and also how you leverage the networking possibilities you gain with new followers and contacts.
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Print-Book Giveaways on Goodreads.
Goodreads o...
March 1, 2016
How to Pitch Your Book at Film Festivals
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Books at Berlinalesends out an open call for applications every year in October, and publishersandliterary agents from all around the world apply by submitting novels that have the greatest potential for a film. Out of hundreds of applications, only ten or eleven books are selected. See the application info and eligibility and application questions.
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The book presentation is moderated and the respective rights holders (publishers/literary agents) are introduced. Producers and film rights...
February 28, 2016
Signing a Publishing Contract: Calculations?
There are lot of reasons why authors want to go with trade publishers. They don’t want to do the work. They want books on the shelves. Or they want the prestige. They think a trade publisher will do a better job in marketing. They want reviews in major print publications. Great expectations and wishful thinking… But how will you fare money-wise in the end?
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Imagine you have two publishing offers:
One has a advance of $5,000 and 6,5% royalties against the advance, the other publishing contra...
