PROMOTION A LA CARTE: AUTHOR PROMOTION OF CHOICE. LET US LAND YOU DOZENS OF INTERVIEWS & REVIEWS PLUS SO MUCH MORE! Click below to view intro video at PAC SERVICES
My new book is just about ready for launch but I couldn’t wait to share this video from it with all of you. I SO related and laughed so much that I included the video in the book, Amazon Categories Create Best Sellers since my book and the video are both all about book marketing.
I know you’ll enjoy Sci-Fi author Melissa Conway‘s huge mix of creative talents coming together in video and animation, composing, singing, and writing. I certainly do!
Hank Quense is one of the hardest working authors I know. He spends dedicated time each day promoting his work. And still manages to turn out his hysterical fantasy stories.
He spoke with me on PAC Radio about his promotional efforts and announced a very special event, his Author Video Chat coming up on March 26th at 2pm EST.
During our chat he shared with me his action plan, mapped out as any engineer would: Using a bubble chart.
We talk a lot here about the state of self-publishing.
This is the place where we want to hear YOUR opinions.
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If everyone’s a writer, who’s reading? . If anyone can publish a book, has the quality of writing plummeted?
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Has the battle between traditional and self-published abated? . POD. Where does this leave mid-list authors? . What POD issues have been troublesome for you? . Have a fav place to self-publish? (i.e CreateSpace, Lightning Source, etc.) . Where do you have the most successful sales? (i.e. Amazon, your own blog, etc.) . Where is it all headed?
As we dig deeper into the worlds of traditional vs. self publishing, we find more and more information on a subject that can become confusing.
Keryl Raist had the same troubles when she came to the place so many authors get to, especially with today’s options: which way to go when it comes to publishing your work? Traditional or Self?
In her quest to find her own answers she created the blog, To Publish or Not To.
“I got here by writing my own book, Sylvianna. As I was getting closer to finishing, I realized I didn’t really know what the next step was. Agent hunt? Go looking for a small press and skip the agent? Self publish? One of my friends asked if I had found a blog or something that covered this, and I hadn’t, To Publish or Not To was born. Then the more I read, the more I found, and the more it seemed like having a place to organize my own thoughts as well as let other people see what I found would be useful.
Fast forward a bit, and I’m getting immersed into the Indie Book Publishing world, and the blog idea branches out a bit further. One of the downsides of Indie Publishing is getting attention for your creations. I realized that was something I could help with. I love to read. I’m a decent writer. And I know enough about how books are constructed and work to write decent reviews. So, The Indie Book Review got added to the list of usual To Publish or Not To features.
Go a bit further, I finally had a finished book, and made the decision that I wasn’t going to go the Agent/Traditional publisher route, so I started writing about all the different self publishing options out there. Self Publish With… (insert name of publisher here) became the second most common feature.
As I learn more about book marketing, I’ll begin writing a Marketing Ideas section.”
What is your take on self vs. traditional publishing as it is today? What do you see for the future?
“Let me get out my crystal ball. : ) I see both thriving in the future. Though I think ‘publishing’ will be something of a misnomer. The actual production of books will be a minuscule part of the ‘publishing’ business in less than fifty (probably twenty-five) years and the traditional publishers will have moved almost entirely into marketing and rights management.
Right now the traditionals have the advantage of having a well organized, logistically sound way of getting a huge number of people to know a book exists. That will be their most valuable asset as physical books become less and less of the market.
I’d think eventually the question will be: Do you want more readers, which the traditionals will be able to get you? Or more money per reader, which you’ll be able to get yourself by going indie.
I also see a time where the role of the query letter will be a thing of the past. Agents and Publishers will start shopping for authors, reading our books, seeing how well we’ve done with them on our own, and then deciding to offer contracts to ‘proven’ properties.”
What would you say are the top 3 questions and author should ask, either themselves or their perspective publisher?
“I think you need to decide what you want to get out of being an author. Do you want to tell stories, or do you want to run your own business? Is this a hobby; is this the way you hope to support yourself, or is this your plan for world domination? Do you have the time and aptitude to sell your own work? Once you know that, then you can focus more carefully on which publishing path will get you what you want out of life.”
Keryl certainly has done her own research into the subject. Visit her blog at To Publish or Not To, where she shares her information.
There is a lot of information on the Internet giving authors so much to think about when it comes to publishing. Take your time to find the right fit for you and your work.
In your opinion, what is the most vital element to make a book publicity campaign successful?
As a publicist, a blogger and a radio show host, I talk with a lot of authors who struggle with their publicity campaigns. They all seem to know this is a vital piece of the puzzle they are working on – how to become a best selling author. But they just don’t know what’s worth their investment of time and money.
Let’s find out. Throughout this ongoing series, I would like to hear from all who have an experience or preference of publicity do’s and dont’s. Authors, publishers, reviewers, interviewers and publicists, let’s get your input.
Leave a comment here, to allow the conversation to keep going. If your comment or question is something that needs more exploring, you may be contacted for an interview either on the blog or the new Promotion a la Carte Radio Show http://www.blogtalkradio.com/promotionalacarte.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @PACAuthorPromo where we’ll post new questions using the tag #PACBookPub.
A couple of years ago authors were still looking down their noses at the thought of self publishing their work. To them, this meant the author had been turned down by those in the know, that their work wasn’t worth the time of publishers and therefore, not worth their time either.
Now, we all know differently. As the purse strings of large publishing houses are drawn tighter, the pressure to only take on “sure things” is real. So unless you are already a best selling author, a celebrity with a closet full of skilled ghost writers, or your uncle owns the place, you’re not getting in.
More and more, authors are turning to the world of self publishing. And they are learning that this world is full of incredibly talented, welcoming and successful writers. The club now includes those who are planet conscious, wishing their books to be paper savers, going out as digital versions only, unless the buyer must have a paper version. Then it is the buyer who orders the book to be printed. Just that one and no more. Trees are not torn down, shredded to pulp to become paper, printed and bound, to sit on a shelf in the hopes of being purchased.
The members of this club are also learning that when they self publish, they also retain the rights to their work in ways publishing houses would never allow. And maybe the authors of time past didn’t care so much about these rights. But today’s authors are much more savvy.
To help you sort out the pros and cons of both, my friend, mentor and business partner Aggie Villanueva has written yet another information packed report discussing Traditional and Self Publishing. What You Don’t Know About POD & Self Publishing Can Ruin You is an important read for every author – before you start sending out those query letters!
