Doris-Maria Heilmann's Blog, page 49

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: Blog Directory, Book Marketing, e-Zines, submit to blog directories, Tips for e-Zine submissions

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Published on June 22, 2014 18:22

Your Books First and Maybe Only Impression

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First Impression: A great cover!

REMEMBER: You never get a second chance for a first good impression! Your books’ title and its appearance is the first, and perhaps only impression you make on a prospective reader. A great image on your book cover will undoubtedly catch your reader’s imagination, wondering what lies beyond it. A fantastic opportunity to draw readers in.

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Not that an appealing cover means automatically a great book, but a book that is accurately and even interestingly represented by its cover, is more likely to catch the eye of someone who is going to enjoy reading it. Interesting covers are going to get more time on shelf-displays, online and off-line. We are a visual culture; naturally that is going to influence our book-buying habits.

A stunning book cover is one of the best marketing tools for any writer!

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Bali Rai wrote in one of his blogs: ”In 2002, as one of the judges on the Guardian’s Teenage prize, I remember a book called Thursday’s Child by Sonya Hartnett. It’s a simple yet wonderful story of 1930′s Depression-era Australia, and it went on to win the award. However, it was not my choice for winner, simply because I thought the cover illustration would deter people from reading it. It was drab and old-fashioned in my opinion and had I not been reading and judging the book, it would have put me off completely.”

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Here are some points you should discuss with your designer.

Use bold or complementary colors
Use light on dark for dramatic effects (if it fits to your book content)
Test the cover in thumbnail size to make sure it looks good at Amazon’s website
Use not more than different two fonts in total
Use not too wide vertical spaces between lines of text
Use few shadow, bevel, gradient or glow – keep it subtle
Align the cover text – centre, left or right
Place text on plain background to stand out
Use the same fonts for all your books and readers will be able to identify them easily
People read left to right, top to bottom. Position your elements in appropriate levels of importance.
Never, ever, use a white background for your book! White on white is barely visible and on websites your book will not stick out, as the sites’ background are almost always white.

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E-books are bought online, usually displayed on a page with many other books. Therefore clarity, simplicity, brightness and information must jump off the screen. A simple and arresting graphic element and bold clear text for the title and the authors’ name must be easy to read on the tiny online image.

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A book that is brilliantly written, but lacks a good quality cover design will remain unnoticed and undiscovered. It is absolutely crucial to have a book cover that grabs the attention of readers and book buyers and shows the heart and the soul of the book in one single image

Read more:

Lousy Book Covers

http://lousybookcovers.tumblr.com/

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“23 Creative Book Cover Designs and their Story” is a showcase of creative book cover designs, indicating the typefaces used for the title or text:

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/inspiration/creative-book-cover-story

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Joel Friedlander wrote a great blog about brilliant book titles in one of his blogs:

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/06/how-to-write-book-titles-for-people-robotsJoel

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“40 Extraordinary Photoshop Text Effects” shows detailed tutorials, how to create amazing book title effects, step by step and using lots of screen shots.

http://www.problogdesign.com/resources/40-extraordinary-photoshop-text-effects

Fonts for book titles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typeface

http://www.dafont.com/themes.php

http://www.1001freefonts.com

http://www.identifont.com

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,070 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: book cover design, Book Layout, Cover art, e-book cover, font for book cover, ook cover as marketing tool, You never get a second chance, Your title and its appearance

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Published on June 19, 2014 18:19

Want to Write for Glory? Or for Money?

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At a recent meeting of independent writers I met a young women, who told me about an event she wanted to visit: the “path to publishing”. The highlight will be a literary agent who accepts query letters from participating aspiring writers. I asked her why she is querying to publishers. “Do you want to write for glory – to see your book for a couple of weeks in bookstores – or do you want to earn money with your writing?” I admit, a bit provocative. I explained her what she can expect as “published” author including the minimal royalty of only 8-10% what an author gets – compared to 70% (or almost 100% for sales from the authors website).

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Having an established platform and an idea how to brand yourself
The first book has to be successful from day one! Bookstores give only a couple of weeks for success
Expect an exclusivity clause in your contract for series / similar topics
But first of all: Proof the publisher you and your book will be a success

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There are some questions that trade publishers and literary agents frequently ask writers before they sign them up. The problem is most writers are caught off guard by these questions and don’t always answer them the way they would’ve liked. So prepare ahead of time!

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Why do you want to be published?

Seems like a simple question, right? The agent isn’t just interested in your answer but your attitude. Let’s take a look as how some of your answers COULD be perceived…

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Answer #1: I just want to get my story on paper.

Agent’s reaction: Then you don’t need me. If you’re not going to take this seriously and consider writing your new career, I’m not interested.

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Answer #2: I want to share my stories with the world.

Agent’s reaction: Why would anyone want to read your stories? What makes you more special than any other writer out there? If you don’t know what’s unique about you and you can’t sell yourself, how am I supposed to?

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Answer #3: I want to become a bestseller and make a bundle.

Agent’s reaction: Get real. Do you know how hard it is to become a bestseller? Do you understand how much work is involved? Why do I get the feeling you’re not interested in the writing, just the possible financial benefit. Oh, did I mention you will make next to nothing with your first book and possibly every book after that? If you want to become a millionaire, buy a lottery ticket. Your odds are probably better.

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Answer #4: I want to be famous.

Publishers reaction: That’s not going to happen overnight. Are you willing to put in the time and sweat? What if you don’t amount to more than being a mid-lister?

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Here are more questions, which could come in many forms:

What’s your next book about?
What else are you working on?
Where do you see this series going?
What is your blog about?
How many followers do you have on your Social Media sites?

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What Are Publishers / Agents Expecting? They want to know you’re committed, that you understand this journey is hard, long, and not always rewarding. They want you to dream and to set goals, but they need to believe you are willing to work to attain those goals.

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Must-Read Blog to learn more about agents and how to approach them

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents

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How to Write a Query Letter

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents

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Less than Minimum Wage for Authors?

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/less-than-minimum-wage-for-authors/

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Successful Query Letters

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/5-tips-for-successful-book-submissions/

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,070 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: agent query, How to Write a Query Letter, Literary Agents, Publishing contract, Query Shark, query writing help

Independent Publishers Group

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Published on June 15, 2014 19:10

How to Get Your Book into Stores

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Getting your self-published book into stores is one of the toughest nuts to crack when it comes to author- publishing, compared to how easy it is to get your print book into Amazon, Barnes&Noble or Apple. And then there are discounts, returns and commissions… not to speak of waiting times till your invoice is paid. Book distributors & wholesalers will take care of all this – for a price.

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POD print and distribution

For small amounts of print books, say less than 2,000 books, an author is better off to have it “printed on demand”, done by CreateSpace or by LightningSource, who are also the distributors. The printing might be higher priced, but you can decide on discounts and there will not be any returns from book stores for unsold books, which can be costly. POD produces only after receiving orders.

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Distributors

Let’s assume your book sells like hot cakes and you would like to have it distributed to book stores. So, how to find a book distributor? And should you go with a big, national or a smaller distributor?

An advantage to small distributors (often specialized in certain genres) is that they often know their bookstores better than larger distributors. The orders tend to be smaller but more realistic. Returns with larger distributors to bookstore chains can be very high: 30% returns is expected, but it can be as high as 70%.

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Partner With a Medium-sized Publisher

Another option is to make an arrangement with a medium-size publisher who already has a distribution deal and a sales team. For a percentage of the sale, they could include your book in their catalog, which goes out with the sales reps to book stores across the country, and their sales team will present your book. Some publishers may want all the attention for their own titles, but some may like the idea: there’s no printing cost for them, for instance. Their catalogs are produced 5-6 months in advance.

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Booksellers are Reluctant to Stock POD

Most booksellers will generally not stock Print-on-Demand books because they can’t return the book if it doesn’t sell and the percentage they get is lower. Printing one book at a time is more expensive per book (usually twice as expensive) than publishing a few thousand. That’s why many self-published authors can’t get their books into the large chains. It’s all about non-returnability. Bookstores only order the blockbuster titles they know they can sell. Books-a-Million, one of the book store chains, for example states it does not allow POD books into it’s stores at all.

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Many large US Book Distributors won’t take you on before you have at least five to ten books in print. They might also want you to have a sales team who will present your books to booksellers, to show that you are willing to move those books. They also prefer a contract for a certain number of years. Another issue with full service distribution is that they take a minimum of 20% commission, but it will often be closer to 30% if you’re a small publisher. Check them out before signing with any book distributor. Talk to their customers (both publishers and bookstores) to verify they would be a recommendable company for you to work with.

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Selection of Book Distributors in the U.S.A.

Small Press United

Publishers Group West

Partner Publishers Group

National Book Network

Legato Publishers Group

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Be Aware of these Book Industry Distribution Arrangements

Discounts: Bookstores get ($8 when a $20 book sells) or in percent, a 40% discount from the distributor, big box stores often get 45%.
Returns: Bookstores can return books back for credit against future orders, on average, about 30% of their initial sales might be returned. Paperbacks are not “stripped” so they can be shipped out again when another bookstore orders them. However, distributors may charge for warehousing of returns.
Commission: Sales reps work on commission and only gets paid when books “sell through” (sold to the consumer). The distribution company also works on commission, which is one of the reasons they are so picky about taking on non-validated clients: if the books don’t sell through, they lose the money they have spent storing and shipping the books, their commission is usually 25-30% ($5-6 on a $20 book).

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Direct Sales via Your Website

There is an even more lucrative way to sell your print book and distribute it: through your own website. You keep 100% of your revenue, and you know exactly who bought your books. Valuable data that you can use for promotion of your next book releases. The only “work” you have, is to stuff envelopes and ship your books once or twice a week – or more if you sell a lot. Setting up a PayPal account and an ordering form on your website is pretty easy. Direct selling means that you can make almost three times the amount per book than you can make, compared to a sale through traditional bookstore distributors.

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Book Fairs

Comb the Internet and regional newspapers for Book Fairs. Rent a booth or share one with other writers and have fun to meet readers in person, sign your books, maybe even meet library buyers and book store owners – and keep 100% revenue. Authors could even band together and exhibit at national and international book fairs, such as New York, Edinburgh, Leipzig, Bologna or Frankfurt. If ten or more authors for example share the cost for exhibition, travel and accommodation, it seems to be visible.

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Consignment at Bookstores

Some local independent bookstores will take books on consignment. A 60% to you, 40% to them split might seem a bit unfair to the uninitiated, but it’s the standard in the book trade. If sales are really good, some bookstores will offer to buy your book or you offer it to them which saves on paperwork and hassle. In this case you might offer them 50% discount.

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e-Book Distribution through Kobo

Kobo has partnered with the American, as well as and British Booksellers Association. 3,000 book stores, including 1,000 independents, in the UK and Ireland will carry Kobo’s e-readers in the future and sell e-books directly to Kobo users. Participating stores will receive a commission of every sale.

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Fazit:

Small publishers and author-publishers with at least 3 books might be better off with LightningSource / Ingram and CreateSpace combined – until their book sale numbers are into the several thousands – also due to the print on demand possibilities that both companies offer.

Lightning Source connects you with the world’s largest distribution channel of book wholesalers and retailers. In addition to distributing books through their parent company Ingram Books, they print to order, which means, your book is printed and ready for shipment in 12 hours or less. With over 30,000 wholesalers, retailers and booksellers in over 100 countries your titles will gain the maximum exposure.

Lightning Source / Ingram work with over 28,000 publishers of all sizes around the world. They deliver digital, print, wholesale and distribution services through a single source, and makes it easy for you to reach more customers in more places.

CreateSpace has slightly lower print on demand fees and set up fees per book, but it doesn’t get you into Ingram worldwide distribution. They offer something, called the Expanded Distribution Channel: “the “potential” to distribute your book to a larger audience through more outlets including: retailers, bookstores, libraries, academic institutions, wholesalers, and distributors.” Well “potential” which means actually nothing! If a bookstore is really willing to order a single book because a customers wants it, they will deliver…

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Whole Sale and Book Distribution in USA

BCH Fulfillment & Distribution – BCH is also a vendor for Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. BCH offers 24/7 telephone order taking, an on-line catalog, representation at major trade shows, and more.
Atlas Books - Distributes online, via wholesalers, and commissioned sales reps. AtlasBooks is the distribution and marketing arm of the BookMasters Group which represents small to mid-size publishers.
Midpoint Trade Books – works with small and medium size publishers. No catalogs, so they can take on new titles any time of the year.
National Book Network – Distributes for 85 publishers, they offer Print on Demand, starting at 20 books

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Book Whole Sale / Distribution in Canada:

North 49 – trade book wholesaler with an inventory of over 3000 bestselling books from more than 500 publishers from Canada, UK and USA
Librarybound – a wholesaler delivers Canadian books to libraries (fulfillment orders only, no warehousing)

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More resources:

Distributors and Wholesalers, compiled by IBPA, Independent Book Publishers Association

https://www.ibpa-online.org/resources/distributor-wholesalers/#.UWlwW7VO-So

Create Space Vs Lightning Source

http://write2publish.blogspot.ca/2011/02/why-create-space-is-better-than.html

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How dealing with Lightning Source exactly works can be learned “by the book”, actually two books, written by Aaron Shepard: “Aiming at Amazon” and “POD for Profit: More on the NEW Business of Self Publishing”.

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,070 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: book distributor, book sales on your website, Books-a-Million, Ingram, Lightning Source, major book chains, POD, self-publishing, U.S. book wholesaler

https://www.standoutbooks.com/6-things-every-author-needs-to-know-about-wattpad/

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Published on June 12, 2014 19:35

The Secret to Find Readers: Wattpad

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In a former blog post we wrote about Brittany Geragotelis’ six-figure-deal offer from Simon&Schuster, which she received after being “discovered” on Wattpad by millions of their readers, who downloaded chapter after chapter of Life’s a Bitch. Canadian-based Wattpad.com, founded in 2007, was initially providing a mobile platform for public domain works from Project Gutenberg. Within two years, the Wattpad app had been downloaded 5 million times. Writers post work in chapters, which tend to be short, to make them suitable mobile.

Wikipedia explains: As of April 2014:

85 percent of its traffic and usage comes from mobile devices
3 million stories total, with 250,000 new stories added every month
1.3 Million registered users
Over 16,9 Million unique visitors per month
Users spend an average of an hour a day on Wattpad

The most frequently voted stories (every day) appear on the “What’s Hot List”. These stats change daily, due to reads and votes by other users. According to the profiles visible on the site, many of

these authors are young adults.

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Featured Story List and Contests

Wattpad also has a Featured Story list, which promotes content reviewed and approved by staff and an editorial review board. Many of these featured stories are written by self-published and

professional writers from different genres.

Wattpad holds several smaller contests a year and one major one. The large annual contest is called “The Watty Awards”. Contests are open to anyone who has a Wattpad account.

During the summer of 2012, Wattpad in collaboration with Margaret Atwood, Canadian poet/novelist/literary critic, held the “Attys”; the first major poetry contest offering a chance to poets on Wattpad to compete against each other in one of two categories, either as an “Enthusiast” or a “Competitor”.

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What is the Real Benefit?

With 16.9 million unique global visitors per month and an average of 30 minutes spent reading per visit, it’s easy to understand why it’s getting a lot of attention. Authors can upload either the completed or working version of their books for readers to read. It is not possible to upload a book as one single file, it has to be done on a chapter-by-chapter basis.

Wattpad is entirely free for all of its users which means that authors are actually giving their work away for free – no sales on the Wattpad site! However if your readers ask you, send them a list with links to all your sales pages.

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Wattpad is a Social Media Site

Bronwyn Hemus gives this advice: “You have a captive audience. People who sign up to Wattpad are clearly interested in books, there are millions of engaged readers looking for their next great read. The golden rule applies: Always actively engage with people who are reading your chapters. If someone has left a comment, make sure that you respond to their comment as soon as you can. Take the time to look at your reader’s profile so that you can engage with them on a personal level. Wattpad readers certainly seem very willing to engage with an author and provide feedback as a startling 5 million new comments are posted every month. If you want to breed reader loyalty, spending a bit of time getting to know your audience will go a long way to increasing sales. It will also help you better understand your readership which in turn will help you focus your marketing efforts outside of the site.”

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Serialization Keeps Readers Interested

Her second great advice: “You have to release your content on a chapter-by-chapter basis which in turn encourages continuous engagement with readers. Loyal readers can register themselves as a “fan” and as such, will receive email alerts whenever their favorite author posts something new. Consistency is crucial to the success of serialization so it is best not to join Wattpad if you don’t have

a completed book (even if only in the first draft) to share.

Readers like knowing that once they’ve invested in a book, they will be able to read the story to the end. And: Chapters that are posted on a Friday afternoon and a Saturday morning have the most visibility.

Dianne Greenlay wrote in Selfpublishing Advice:

Although Wattpad has a high proportion of YA users, it includes readers and writers of every age and genre, including the much-acclaimed Margaret Atwood. Several writers on Wattpad have caught the eye of literary agents and received offers based on the number of “reads” that their writing has accumulated.

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,070 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: Brittany Geragotelis, Life’s a Witch, Margaret Atwood, Project Gutenberg, Wattpad, Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang

http://www.TheCommonThreadBook.com

http://www.thecommonthreadbook.com/SuccessBlog.en.html

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Published on June 08, 2014 18:54

Success Guide: Interview with Author Jerry Gladstone

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Today’s interview features author Jerry Gladstone and his very inspiring, upcoming book THE COMMON THREAD of Overcoming Adversity and Living Your Dreams. He shows how successful people are living their dreams and features Academy Award and Grammy Winners, Super Bowl and World Series Champions, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Legends, Best-selling Authors and Billionaires, Olympians, Boxing and UFC World Champions. Having a vision and a plan, working hard, being dedicated and having a network of people, never giving up, being willing to take on whatever comes your way – this is what distinguishes them all – like a “common thread”.

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Author Jerry Gladstone and his wife Brooke

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Jerry, thanks for taking the time for this interview.

How would you describe your book to someone who has not yet read it?

As an instant motivator not based on theory but rather on the experiences of those who have overcome challenges and obstacles on their journey to success. The book consists of more than 50 well-known celebrities from the world of sports, music, business and other areas.

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Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?

The belief that success is not just reserved for some of us, but can and should be for all of us.

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What inspired you to start writing?

The time that I spent with so many well-known people was invaluable and I wished that my friends, family and business associates could have the same experience as I did, gaining wisdom and insight from my conversations with them.

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How did you get the idea for this inspirational book?

My wife Brooke was a great inspiration. We were talking about how some of our friends and people we knew had such great potential, but had a hard time getting out of their own way.

We realized that there was a common way, a common theme, a “Common Thread” of overcoming obstacles and being successful, that ran through the successful people we came in contact with, and we wanted to share with others.

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Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?

Self-belief can knock down many barriers.

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Who is your favorite character and why?

I would have to say Sylvester Stallone. I was just 16 years old when Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky hit the theaters. He made me realize that it didn’t matter that I was not the biggest, strongest, smartest or most talented and that with heart, drive and determination, I could accomplish just about anything.

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Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of this book:

Dan Caldwell, founder and president of TapouT. And also a friend of mine started a little T-shirt company out of the back of his car. Years later he sold it for more them $200 million.

He is a big believe that if he can do it then so can anyone! “If you’re looking to get real strategies to make real productive and positive changes in your life, then ‘The Common Thread’ is a must-read!”

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If Oprah invited you onto her show to talk about your book, what would the theme of the show be?

Self-belief, overcoming adversity and living your dreams!

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How much of the book is based on real life (either yours or someone you know)?

100 percent.

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What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?

That it was important to share these stories because as a young man I had many challenges and overcame them by using the same best practices offered in the book.

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Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?

To write when you are inspired and in the right creative mindset. Also, if you do a little at a time, it adds up.

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Considering a book from the first word you write to the moment you see it on a bookstore shelf, what’s your favorite part of the process?

Re-living the experiences while writing the book.

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What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of, and why?

Rule number one has always been and will be forever: don’t beat yourself, don’t get in your own way and don’t come up short due to lack of effort, preparation or self-doubt.

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If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything about your book?

I will tell you that when it comes out!

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If your book would be made into a movie, who should play the main character?

Stallone because he represents how an underdog with a million to one shot can succeed.

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What is the best part of being a writer?

Conveying a message of hope.

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What’s your least favorite?

The grammar!

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What is your favorite book?

A very good friend of mine, Ben Macchia, went through a very difficult time after losing his brother Jamie in a motorcycle accident. Years later I went through a very dark time in my life, Ben sent me this book. I will always be grateful and without question this book, which was first published in 1968, inspired me to keep moving forward: The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

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Where can people learn more about your writing?

Visit and follow Jerry Gladstone at these Social Media sites too:

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Twitter

https://twitter.com/JerryGladstone @JerryGladstone

About.Me http://about.me/JerryGladstone

LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrygladstone

Facebook http://on.fb.me/1ooEYpu

GooglePlus http://bit.ly/1svQ7Z7

Pinterest http://bit.ly/1mHgeZR and http://bit.ly/1oLqWzp

Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/123427234@N07/

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What is ONE thing that you have done that brought you more readers?

Hired Doris at http://111Publishing.com/Seminars!

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,070 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

Tagged: author Jerry Gladstone, empowering thoughts, how to overcome adversity, inspiring lives, Jerry Gladstone, live your dream, self-help books, Sylvester Stallone, THE COMMON THREAD, World Series Champions

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Published on June 06, 2014 03:25

Secrets of Successful Email Newsletters

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I often sign up for newsletters, but also unsubscribe many times. Why? I do not want to be bombarded with daily messages – and I do not want to read promotional stuff only. With every sign-up I hope to get really important tips, news (that’s why it is called newsletter) and exclusive information. There are only a handful of email newsletters I am looking forward to receive – for years. The reason to write this blog post is to help you in creating a successful way of communicating with your readers.

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Do you get in touch with your readers through email? Why not? Would you like to let your readers know about your book launch, book cover reveals, new blog posts or your book signing events? Maybe even articles relating to your books content? There are more possibilities to contact your readers than just Social Media – more customized I must add: newsletters via email. Email newsletters drive 1350% more traffic than social media and outperform other marketing channels. They help to stay connected with your readers, not only at times of a book launch.

If you’re new to email marketing, or simply need to re-think your marketing strategy, start with the following tips!

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What are the Benefits of Sending Your Readers An Email Newsletter?

Lori Taylor wrote in an article: “Ask any serious blogger the biggest blogging mistake they have made. All of them will tell you the same thing. Their biggest regret is failing to set up an email list as soon as they started their blog. Money is not an issue – nor is it difficult to set up a list. MailChimp.com is free – if your email list is under 1,500 email subscribers, while you can try out AWeber.com for just $1. Adding a sign up form to the side bar of your blog is simply a case of copying and pasting some html code.

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How Do You Grow Your Newsletter Email List?

Nothing easier than this:

Ask your Social Media followers and friends via tweets / posts
Add a sign-up form to all your blogs / websites
Create an opt-in link in your e-book
Invite readers at book signings to opt-in for your newsletter

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When and How Often Should I Send My Email Newsletter?

Your readers or customers don’t want to hear every day from you – unless you send them just a link introduction to your daily blog post. Every two or four weeks is sufficient – if you have valuable content, news or tips for them. For example, include exclusive information behind the history of a new book and talk about its unique features which appeals to book lovers.

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How Long Should An Email Newsletter Be?

People don’t read on the Internet, they just scan if there is an interesting word or sentence that catches their eyes. And they barely scroll down to see if there is more.

So, keep your content at a one-page-reading size, not more than 500 words if possible, or direct your readers for more to your website or blog. Online content is not just about words. When you write for the Internet, think “presentation”. Print content is formally written and a passively read. Online content is informally written, interactive and dynamic.

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How Do I Write A Good Subject Line & Structure My Newsletter?

Your first words matter! They are the one’s that will be seen so make ‘em count. Create fantastic headlines with lists: “The five best …”, “The secret of the most successful …”, “Seven ways of telling ….”. You get the point? Another way is “How-to”

Litmus has a “Subject Line Checker” that lets you preview your subject line across a range of email clients and devices instantly. You can also see how your email will appear in the notification box. More great tips on how to write for the web can be found at Twelveskip.

Don’t forget to write a caption and ALT text, maybe even a description for any images or visual content in your email newsletter. Some readers opt for HTML text only without images and this way they get all the information an image would content. Not to speak about best SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practices too.

Learn how to write for the Internet.

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Conclusion:

Your email newsletter should serve as the voice or spokesperson for your books. All exclusive information should be delivered through this medium to your readers. Don’t wait to start your newsletter email list. Sign-up today with any of the email newsletter services (often for free).

Important before you click “send”: are you really providing value added content? You can ruin all of your built up store of good will with just one entirely self serving message.

And don’t forget: You need to have relevant permission from your readers to send them regular newsletters and also the inclusion of an un-subscribe link in your newsletter. Let your readers know that they, as the readers of your email newsletters, are the only ones receiving special deals or coupons.

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More Resources:

Find statistics how emails drive 1350% more traffic than social media and which errors to avoid:

http://blog.referralcandy.com/2013/01/02/do-you-make-these-6-email-newsletter-mistakes/

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Email Newsletters – How To Get Them Opened With Great Subject Lines

http://marketingartfully.com/2012/11/12/email-newsletters-how-to-get-them-opened-with-great-subject-lines/

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Great tips by the most successful blogger Darren Rowse: “How I Use Email Newsletters to Drive Traffic and Make Money”

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/10/31/how-i-use-email-newsletter-to-drive-traffic-and-make-money/

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Why Email Marketing Benefits Your Book’s Sales and How to Optimize them

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/5837/The-First-Step-in-Email-Marketing-Optimization.aspx

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A list of email providers.

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/why-email-marketing-benefits-your-books-sales/

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How to Reduce Email Spam Complaints

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/07/31/how-to-reduce-email-spam-complaints/

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,070 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: Benefit of email newsletters, email campaign, email list, email newsletter, email subscribers, MailChimp, monthly newsletter, opt-in email form, signing up for a newsletter, unsubscribe

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Published on June 04, 2014 07:34

Why Join LinkedIn as a Writer?

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Almost 95 per cent of all editors and journalists are on LinkedIn, which makes it easy for writers to connect with them. Gone are the times of useless press releases. Now you can connect with the right people on LinkedIn – if you have a carefully created and appealing bio on your site – search-engine-optimized. And if you choose the right followers.

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The Value of LinkedIn Connections

Why don’t I just accept every connection to have a bigger network? you might ask. As more people you’re connected to, as better for your business. But in order for LinkedIn connections to have value to you, it is always better to be already connected through other Social Media sites or to have an offline connection, too. Can you offer any value to your LinkedIn connections or are they are able to offer any value to you in the long run?

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LinkedIn Groups

Pattie Hunt Sinacol wrote on Boston.com: “Joining groups is important on Linkedin. Groups should be related to your career interests and/or geography. Updates from these groups keep you connected and keep you current in your field.”

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LinkedIn Connection Request

What do I do with connections requests from unknown LinkedIn members? Accept or just ignore? You might receive invitations to connect from coworkers, prior clients or a potential client who found your profile through a search, or just a sales person who tries this approach.

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Send a Message First

One of the great features at LinkedIn is that you have the ability to send a message to everyone who requests to connect with you – before you respond to their connection. An arrow next to the “Accept” button says “Contact”. It is a great way to start a conversation, learn more about the person and to form a relationship.

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Skill Endorsements / Recommendations

Submitting a skill endorsement is similar to a recommendation, or a Like, and done in seconds. The number of endorsements you receive could eventually affect your search ranking and impact your word-of-mouth referrals. Alex Pirouz advises on his great blog

Update or edit your skills regularely on your LinkedIn
Move your Skills and Expertise Section to the Top of Your Profile
Arrange Your “Skills” in order of importance to you, dragging them up (only 10 top skills are shown). Once your connections start endorsing your skills, then the number of endorsements will dictate the rank of each of your skills. This also makes it important to eliminate any skills for which you don’t want to be ranked highly. The *best* you can do is ask your very best friends connected to you for “Endorsements” on specific “skills”. Of course, it helps when you also give “Endorsements” to your 1st level connections.

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How to Receive Endorsements?

When you endorse your connections they receive an email notification. That email notification also asks them to endorse you. Win-Win!

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Turning Off Endorsements

If you don’t think that endorsements add value to your profile, you can hide them from showing on your profile: Alex Pirouz explains exactly how to do this.

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LinkedIn mistakes you don’t want to make

Your profile has typos
You have no picture at all in your profile
You have a profile picture, but it’s a photo of you with your significant other, your dog or children…
You’re not reaching out to people through LinkedIn Groups

More on “14 things you shouldn’t do on LinkedIn” by Alyson Shontell

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

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Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,070 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing

@ Google+

. Hyper Smash Pingate

Tagged: Alex Pirouz, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Connections, LinkedIn Endorsements, LinkedIn Groups, Why Join LikedIn?

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Published on June 02, 2014 11:57

3 Tips How to Reduce You Editing Costs

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Many self-publishing authors dread the editing process – a big mistake, as it might cost you not only readers, but your reputation as a writer. Sure, one of the highest expenses in book productions is the editing process. But there are ways to reduce these costs, especially for editors that charge their hours, instead of charging for words. First of all, let several other writers read your manuscript – they might see inconsistencies in the flow of your writing or major grammar errors, to get a more impartial view, etc. for example on Wattpad.com,

Author, editor and proofreader Darlene Williams wrote a great blog post for Karen Sanderson’s blog The Word Shark: “Many authors assert they are best qualified to copy edit and proofread their work, as they are most familiar with it. In fact, this is the reason an author is least qualified. Writers often fail to catch basic typographical errors, misused word, missing text, incorrect punctuation, and awkward sentences because they are too close to their manuscript.”

Darlene give’s authors three doable tasks what they can undertake to reduce editing costs:

Firstly, run a spell check;
Secondly, self-edit a minimum of two rounds; and
Thirdly, ensure the manuscript is in the English version (US or UK) intended for publication.

“Your bank account and editor will thank you”, she says. Read more of her valuable information about manuscript editing at Karen Sanderson’s blog:

http://karenrsanderson.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/editor-spotlight-by-darlene-elizabeth-williams/

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,070 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: Darlene Williams, editor and proofreader, how to prepare your manuscript for editing, how to save money on editing, Karen Sanderson, manuscript editing

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Published on May 30, 2014 05:49

A Myth: Selling Books Through Social Media?

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I am getting this question so often: Do I sell more books when I am on Twitter? Or Facebook? Or Google+? Or LinkedIn? These social mediums are part of the long-term strategy of building your author platform – only one of several places where you can engage with readers and, eventually, possibly, maybe, sell books to some of them. Author Tim Grahl wrote in an article: “Social media is not a mass strategy. It’s a 1-to-1 strategy.”

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Social Media is Not for Hard-Selling – period!

It is what the name says: a Social Media place. You don’t go to a party because you want to sell your books there. You go to a party to meet people, to socialize, to have fun. Not all the Social Media places are equaly well situated to meet new people / future readers: Networks like Facebook and LinkedIn, often restrict their connections and information to people you already know. Choosing someone new on LinkedIn requires often that you have to give their email address, and on Facebook you are punished if you choose too many followers when you are not connected previously. More about the differences in Social Media can be found at a Bloomberg Businessweek article.

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What Twitter Is:

Twitter is more mobile-friendly. That’s because Twitter was born as a mobile network, like Instagram was. Twitter is not meant as a family or friends affair. On Twitter are no relationship statuses, photo albums, public “likes,” or open forum conversations with easily track-able dialogue, e.g. for potential employers or new relationships. Facebook in contrast will always appeal to people looking to reconnect with fellow students, old friends and their family members. Twitter is more a professional networking tool – e.g. perfect for writers – rather than a way to communicate with family and friends. Rachel Sprung listed 11 Guarantied Ways to Get Others to Re-Tweet Your Content:

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Choose the Right Twitter Followers

If you want to connect with future readers on Social Media, then choose readers, book reviewers, book worms, avid readers, book bloggers and the like as followers. Get more tips in this blog post.

Twitter is meant for tailored follower groups, a world not made up of all of the people you have ever met but rather a community of people you admire or would like to know. How to avoid the wrong tweeps is explained in this blog post.

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Benefits of Twitter:

Tweeting is an easy way for someone to support you. You can even provide pre-written tweet-able messages and a Click to Tweet link, so that all they have to do is one click. You can even use this method on free e-books. Create a nice mixture of your own, really interesting tweets and do some re-tweeting.Follow others, tweet something valuable for others and don’t use Twitter only as a cheap way to advertise!If you want to become popular on Twitter and have your tweets go viral, learn how to use Twitter in a smart and social way, nurse your relationships – that’s what Twitter is there for. Twitter is a tool that creates relationships and conversation – using it only for “advertising” would be devaluing the system. Read more about Social Media mistakes to avoid on Twitter.

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Goodreads: Where Only Readers Meet

Not really considered widely as a Social Media site is Goodreads – even though they have more than 20 million users that chose Goodreads to learn more about books and their authors. Not to forget the ten-thousands of communities and groups for every kind of literature one can think of. Smart authors use and benefit from the countless features on Goodreads to connect with readers and reviewers, and to introduce their books to a really wide targeted audience.

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What Else Can You Do to Increase Your Books’ Success?

To make yourself a name as a writer – and more important than to be on Social Media is to WRITE MORE. Your readers want to see content from you. Write your next book! Write blogs, magazine and newspaper articles! Readers want to get more of your writing. And if writing is really what you like to do, then write more!!! Don’t limit yourself only to books!

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- Place your book into the right category / genre and sub-genre (important for its success!)

- Create a second, separate BOOK PAGE on Amazon, Goodreads, Google+ and FB

- Set up a media press kit on your website with a link to your book trailer

- Start a Goodreads Giveaway a month before book launch (print book only)

- Write a blog post about the upcoming launch

- Ask friends to list your book under “Listmania” on Amazon & to LIKE your author page

- Exchange books for book shelves with your friends on Goodreads

- Participate in “Carnival of the Indies” blog carnival to promote your blog URL

- Send your books’ cover to cover contests http://www.thebookdesigner.com

- Submit your blogs including a bio and URL link to even more e-Zines

- Offer interviews at Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com) / local or national TV stations

- Make arrangements for interviews in newspapers or on book blogger’s sites

- Try to set you up to become a desirable guest expert on a talk or morning show

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- Befriend influential book bloggers for even more reviews and articles

- Gather writing friends for cross-promotions and blog tours

- Add press clippings and articles, already published, to your website

- Get a new business card with images of all your books and sales links

- Place the books’ cover image & description daily on your Google+ stream

- Announce your book launch or book signing on Google+ for FREE

- Get even more friends, followers and people in your circles on social media sites

as you need lots of audience to spread the word about your new book!

- Sell your book to libraries (find out how the library orders)

- Let your book translate in other languages or sell foreign rights

- Split your (non-fiction) book in pieces and sell single articles to magazines

- Participate in writing contests and book awards

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,070 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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