Novel Marketing

Some people say contests are a tremendous marketing tool, some say they’re a waste of time … we’re going to explore the pros and cons of contests … let me ask you, Thomas … Talking Points: Pros if you’re unpublished Feedback Learning how to handle negative feedback/critique Many editors and agents take notice if you […]

Some people say contests are a tremendous marketing tool, some say they’re a waste of time … we’re going to explore the pros and cons of contests … let me ask you, Thomas … Talking Points: * Pros if you’re unpublished * Feedback * Learning how to handle negative feedback/critique * Many editors and agents take notice if you place in a contest * Possible inclusion in a magazine * See how you compare to other authors in your genre * Deadlines Pros if you’re published: * If it’s a prestigious award, it can gain you new readers * It gives you more clout with editors and agents and interviewers * Example, the RT Book Reviews inspirational book of the year * The Christy Award * Tax deductible biz expense—it’s a marketing tool * Excuse for a advertising boost. * Recognition from your peers. * Sticker for book cover. Cons if you’re unpublished * Feedback * Cost $25 ­ $50 * Choosing the right contest * Check out the judges as much as you can * Who has won in the past? * Who is sponsoring the contest? What are their credentials? * Susan May Warren’s contest Frasier Awards * Scam contests * You’re not ready * You focus on the first three chapters or first 15 pages * Everything takes time Cons if you’re published * Cost $25 ­ $50, plus the cost of books and shipping * You don’t know why you’re entering a contest * Awards don’t impress that many readers * Everything takes time

Public Service Announcement: Respect Spam is in the eye of the beholder. Creepy / Charming (thin line in between) Permission   Tip 1 Provide consistent value. New Book Announcements News (Progress Updates) Ask for Feedback Reader Stories Reader Art Reviews for other books Advice Discounts (Run your own BookBub) Laugh Encouragement Blog Curation   Tip […]

Public Service Announcement: Respect Spam is in the eye of the beholder. Creepy / Charming (thin line in between) Permission   Tip 1 Provide consistent value. New Book Announcements News (Progress Updates) Ask for Feedback Reader Stories Reader Art Reviews for other books Advice Discounts (Run your own BookBub) Laugh Encouragement Blog Curation   Tip 2 Use MailChimp   Tip 3 Use a mobile friendly email design.   Tip 4 Be Consistent (Don’t Boost Your Frequency Without a Good Reason)   Tip 5 Experiment Split Test Your Subjects Emotional Headline Analyzer   Tip 6 Measure Your Results Poll Your Readers. Ask them what they want. www.SurveyMonkey.com.   Tip 7 Keep it short. Sponsor: MyBookTable use coupon code novelmarketing to get 10% off.

  Talking points Marketing ourselves in every moment/editors and agents and readers are watching, wear, dress, speak, what you say, don’t say … how open, how closed off … James’ writing conference story Thomas’ Courtship Story Not Everyone Has Ears to Hear Don’t Respond in Kind What did James do wrong? Nothing. Personality styles The […]

  Talking points * Marketing ourselves in every moment/editors and agents and readers are watching, wear, dress, speak, what you say, don’t say … how open, how closed off … * James’ writing conference story * Thomas’ Courtship Story * Not Everyone Has Ears to Hear * Don’t Respond in Kind * What did James do wrong? Nothing. * Personality styles * The way James used to be … * Give yourself freedom, accept the fact not everyone will like you * This applies to readers as well … The Princess Bride Wrap up * Remember, you’re marketing in every moment * Accept the fact you won’t connect with everyone * Concentrate on what you do have, not what you don’t Sponsor: * MyBookTable use coupon code “novelmarketing” to get 10% off.  

Intro Paragraph: Unless you have a multi-book contract (and we’re talking 4+ books) you need to be constantly marketing yourself to publishers. Even if you do have a long term contract you need to be marketing yourself because someday that contract will end and (let’s say this quietly) they might not pick you up again. If you’re newer to the publishing world and are looking for that agent or publishing house to partner with, you need these tips to an even greater degree. Does This Describe You? You’re desperate to stand out. You want to make a lasting impact on editors, agents, and readers. So we’re going to talk about six techniques when you want to make that impression badly: Show Outline * What Not to Do * One sheets * Opening lines * Marketing material * Your photo * Handing out a gimmick * Editor and agent appointments * How one of James’ Fifteen Minute Appointments Turned Into a Two Minute Appointment  Sponsor:

Intro Paragraph: Unless you have a multi-book contract (and we’re talking 4+ books) you need to be constantly marketing yourself to publishers. Even if you do have a long term contract you need to be marketing yourself because someday that contract will end and (let’s say this quietly) they might not pick you up again. […]

Jim how do you tell if you are a spammer? If people click “mark as spam” on your email, you are a spammer as far as that person is concerned. Spam is in the eye of the beholder. How Spam Filters Work Before we give you tips on how to avoid spam filters we should […]

Jim how do you tell if you are a spammer? If people click “mark as spam” on your email, you are a spammer as far as that person is concerned. Spam is in the eye of the beholder. How Spam Filters Work * Before we give you tips on how to avoid spam filters we should talk about how they work. * How does gmail know a spam message from a real one? * First it looks at the outside of the envelope trying to answer the question “do I trust the sender” * Is the senders domain reputable? * Is the sender’s server IP address in a bad neighborhood? * Has this person opened or responded to emails from this sender before? * Is the sender’s address in the address book? * Second it reads the email to see if  looks like spam. * Is the HTML clean? * Is it one big image? * Is there a plain text copy? * Does it smell like spam? Tip 1 Double Opt in Tip 2 One Click Unsubscribe Tip 3 Send at least once per quarter Tip 4 Write Intriguing (and non spammy) Subjects Tip 5 Avoid Bad Words * Free * 100% Satisfied * Bargain * Pills * click here * Google: Spam Trigger Words Tip 6 Use a Trusted Sender * MailChimp * Aweber * Hubspot Tip 7 Avoid Using All Caps Sponsor: * MyBookTable use coupon code novelmarketing to get 10% off.

1) Product (Book) This is the most important P. Good marketing helps a bad product fail faster. The question is not “is this book good” the question is “is this the kind of book people would want to buy and then read” Every product has a life cycle. This is particularly true for fiction. Old […]

1) Product (Book) * This is the most important P. Good marketing helps a bad product fail faster. * The question is not “is this book good” the question is “is this the kind of book people would want to buy and then read” * Every product has a life cycle. This is particularly true for fiction. Old fiction does not generally sell well. People are willing to pay a premium to read a book that their friends are also reading at that same time. A short trip to your discount store will show you shelf after shelf of $1 books that are only a few years old. * Product mix. Focused vs general brand. Complementary products. In fiction the best way to do this is to write a series of books. Book #1 helps sell Book #2 and vice versa. 2) Price * All prices are relative. A good deal is all about how a book is priced in comparison with other books. How much does an eBook cost? * Price communicates value. * The problem with racing to the bottom is that you just might win. * You have to consider your product mix while picking your price. So it may make sense to price the first book in a series cheap or free to suck people into buying the later books in the series at full price.  3) Promotion * When most people think about marketing, all they think about is promotion. All advertising is marketing, not all marketing is advertising. All ham is pork, not all pork is ham. * This is how you tell potential readers about your book. * Promotion always costs either time or money and often both. * If you are self publishing, you need to set aside money for promotion. Product and price alone will not make your book a success. * Find a news hook for your book for some free PR. * A sales team for your book is also part of promotion. 4) Place * This P is where most self published authors really fail. * How convenient is it to buy your book? * Where can I buy your book? * Q: What is the most important for your book to be? A: The airport bookstore. * Getting into more places requires both sales and distribution. 5) Purple Cow A few years ago, Marketing Guru Seth Godin suggested that a 5th P be added called a Purple Cow. * Drive down the road, see a purple cow, what do you do? * How remarkable is your book? * How is it different from other books? * What about your books makes people want to talk about it? (Cosemear) * Purple Cow effects whether your book “goes viral” or not. Most books are not purple cows. Sponsor: * MyBookTable use coupon code novelmarketing to get 10% off.  

Question from Jen Q: I really enjoyed this podcast, but I’m curious as to how aspiring writers are supposed to use Facebook and Twitter differently? Question from J.T. Stoll   Author of The Rift I’m an indie fantasy author and trying to figure out how much time to dedicate to putting together blurbs for my […]

Question from Jen Q: I really enjoyed this podcast, but I’m curious as to how aspiring writers are supposed to use Facebook and Twitter differently? Question from J.T. Stoll   Author of The Rift I’m an indie fantasy author and trying to figure out how much time to dedicate to putting together blurbs for my book. Seeing a bunch of authors I’ve never heard of rave about the book doesn’t make me want to buy it. Do readers care about these kinds of blurbs? Do they drive sales? Question from Kristen Stieffel Author of  Alara’s Call “While my book is in production at my publisher I’m looking into recording an audiobook version and I’d like to record it myself. I’m trying to decide if I should go straight to Audible or podcast my book. If I podcast first, can I still distribute the compilation through Audible? What are the pros and cons of podcasting the book?” Question from  Jennifer Pappas I blog about books and post reviews. My question is, as aspiring writer is it not smart to post bad reviews? I know I’m thinking really far ahead, but what if I meet someone in the publishing game who really likes my work and then they see that I’ve written a one star review for a book, and that rubs them the wrong way? Is it paranoid to think that I could be sabotaging my future by saying negative things about books I read, or is this a legitimate concern? Question from Cara Grandle CaraGrandle.com Question: I’m not published yet, but I want to write a blog post here and there on books that I love that someone else wrote. Not book reviews, just like if you were talking book recommendations with a friend. I want to know if it would be smart to use My Book Table on my blog showcasing other author’s work and then add my own when the day comes that I’m published. Question from Darren Sapp Website     DarrenSapp.com Book Title     Fire on the Flight Deck Where should I sell my books online when self-publishing? I assume most of my sales will be on Amazon (Print and eBook). What about Nook, iBooks, and Kobo for the eBook? Are the others that I should be in contention such as Smashwords. News! MyBookTable 2.0 is out!!! Thomas has made it better than it was before, better … faster … stronger MyBookTable 2.0 * Buy Button Shadow Box * Grid View “Notify Me” * Pre-Order button * Amazon Bulk Book Importer www.mybooktable.com Use coupon code novelmarketing to get 10% off.

In this episode we are going to talk about how to stay out of jail … when it comes to your taxes …   I am excited to introduce our guest.   So, we brought in a CPA who has coached authors, celebrities and small businesses for over thirty years. He is the guy that the other accountants turn to with their questions. He is honest, creative and smart – a unique combination among accountants. He also happens to be my dad, Tom Umstattd Sr.  He has asked me several times not to call him an “expert” so I’ll let you make that determination on your own. When April 15 rolls around, you’ll be glad you took this course.”   Talking Points: * Does being an author help you save money on taxes? * So how do I know if I am running. * What kind of deductions can authors take?   7 Tax Saving Tips the IRS Doesn’t Want Authors to Know * Whether or not you qualify for tax deductions for your writing-related expenses (not all writers qualify). You will also find out about the 9 factors the IRS uses to determine if someone is a professional author or not. * About a simple tool that will help you make more money as an author while helping make you become more audit-proof. * How to start making a writing income even before your first book comes out. * Whether or not you need to form a business entity, and which entity is best for authors (S Corp or LLC). We will also share a cheap and easy way to form a business entity. * 19 different different tax deductions authors can take advantage of. * 5 ways to reduce your chances of being audited by the IRS. * How to avoid common mistakes that often get authors in trouble with the IRS. Sponsor: 7 Tax Saving Tips the IRS Doesn’t Want Authors to Know AuthorMedia.com/TaxTips