Are Blog Tours Passe as a Means of Book Promotion?

For the past three years I have been doing my homework while I worked up the nerve to convince myself to venture into the world of indie fiction. One of the strategies often suggested is doing a blog tour to promote your new book.

On the surface it is certainly a sound idea. Since I have a limited, meaning none, budget for marketing and promotion, I liked the idea. It would cost me only my time and effort. So, I found the site BlogTour.org. It is easy to use and after an hour I had generated a list of thirty-five blogs to contact concerning guest posting or doing an interview.

I was surprised by the response.

Every blogger and author who replied was very polite. They all, so far, have declined my request. Each e-mail politely explained the blogger no longer did guest posts or interviews. They simply did not generate any traffic or interest for the blogger's site. 

Most offered to mention my new book, The Predator and The Prey, on their social media. 

I certainly plan to take each up each blogger who offered this option to me on their offer. It is a generous one and will take me much less time than writing a guest post would. I simply need to send a jpg of my cover, a link and a few details about the book.

I still like the idea of guest blogging.

It simply might not be practical for works of fiction. I do think guest posting in the realm of non-fiction will work. It should draw readers to the blog hosting the guest post and generate traffic. If you need information and your search turns up the guest post, you'll go to that blog.

I have an idea for a non-fiction book that I plan to start work on late this spring. I have included on my list of pre-publishing activities to be done set up a blog tour.

In May or June I should be able to answer my question concerning whether blog tours are better suited for non-fiction.

Kindle eBook Promotion Sites - Marketing Your Indie Book

If readers do not know your book exists, they can neither purchase it nor read it. Thus, marketing becomes part of the job of a self-published or indie author. Even traditionally published authors must work at marketing their books in today's publishing world.

Advertising is expensive and while it can be very effective, you need to know what you are doing in order to obtain a return on your money. It is also difficult to determine how effective your advertising dollars have been spent. Many authors who self-published have spent large sums of money to no avail.

Since most of authors who self-publish are on shoestring budgets, taking advantage of marketing tools that are free or low cost is an approach worth examining.

While KDP Select free ebook marketing is not what it used to be, it is an effective approach if readers know your book is available for free. The key is to get the word out and not just rely on readers who go to Amazon alone to search for your book.

Using your author platform tools (blog, social media or newsletter), you can make readers who are already fans aware of your promotion. 

The goal though, is to get your book in front of as many NEW readers as possible. This is where ebook promotion sites can be a big help.

There are dozens of ebook promotion sites on the internet, requiring you to be careful about which ones you select to use for spreading the word about your book promotion. Time is valuable and you will want to only use sites that can truly get the word about your book promotion in front of as many potential readers as possible.

To make sure the sites you select will do the job, use Alexa to check their traffic. Use sites that pull good numbers. It is a simple game of math. The more visitors a site has, the more likely readers will see your promotion.

If you are willing to spend money, the best pay site on the internet is BookBub. Be forewarned, this site is choosey and your book may not make the cut for one to be listed. This is a big part of why the readers who visit this site do so. The books listed are better than average, must be free or deeply discounted and the promotion must be a limited time only offer. With over 1 million subscribers, you can see the value of getting your promotion listed.

A couple of free sites worth investigating are Frugal Freebies and Pixel of Ink.  

Frugal Freebies deals with more than books but does have a good listing of free ebooks. It's broader coverage of free items increases the number of visitors to the site. 

Pixel of Ink deals with free and bargain Kindle books and allows readers to search by category or genre.

There are plenty of sites to choose from. In addition to doing an Alexa check, check the sites for their social media numbers, size of their newsletter list, etc.

One final suggestion. Make sure you check the timelines involved in dealing with each site. Some require considerable advance notice before listing your promotion. You don't want to have your promotion not listed because you did not give sufficient notice to the site.

Must Read Book Promotion Posts, Blogs and Books for Self-Publishing Authors

There is so much to learn for authors who want to make the jump into the indie publishing world, to decide to self-publish their book, be it fiction or non-fiction.  I have read well over 100 books on self-publishing and an untold number of self-publishing blogs. 

To be honest, I have wasted a lot of money and time along the way and still have so much to learn. Some of the books and websites I have come across though are well worth the money and time I have spent and have helped me in my efforts to make this self-publishing venture worthwhile.

Anytime you create a list of anything, someone will disagree with your selections. Still, in an effort to share what I have found helpful to the authors who visit this blog and save them time and money, here is my list of sites, blogs and books I have found to be helpful, worth reading and worth spending money on.

Blogs to visit:

Aaron Shepard's Publishing Blog: Aaron is one of the most helpful experts in the field of self-publishing. His blog often deals with the actual nuts and bolts of using the tools available to create physically create a book for either POD or Kindle. Aaron also understands the business model an author needs to adopt to make self-publishing viable financially. Always worth a visit.

Newbie's Guide to Self-Publishing: This is J.A. Konrath's blog. I often disagree with his worldview and political philosophy. Often. But Mr. Konrath has a passion for encouraging authors to self-publish. He shares actual sales data, encourages authors, explains what is good and bad about traditional publishing and while a huge advocate of self-publishing, will offer caveats about that approach as well. Guest posts are a frequent feature and always interesting and educational.  You don't have to agree with Mr. Konrath about everything he writes, but you will always learn valuable information about self-publishing/publishing and often leave his blog feeling encouraged to press on in your efforts. Some topics of practical importance frequently covered: pricing, marketing and insider news.

Morris Rosenthal's Self-Publishing 2.0: Morris has a lot to say about publishing and self-publishing. He was one of the early adopters of print-on-demand and has written extensively about this business model as well as the inner workings of Amazon. Morris by education is an engineer and loves data and math. Morris often posts about trends in self-publishing based on data he collects. He writes about a wide range of topics, some of which may seem a little out there, but are always interesting.

The Book Designer: Joel Friedlander is the author of this blog. Topics range from guest posts to the nuts and bolts of book design and production with all kinds of topics related to self-publishing in between. Joel has a huge collection of information available on his website, you just have to take the time to work through it all. Joel is a professional book designer and the creator of Book Design Templates.

Book Promotion Sites:

I have visited a large number of these. Here is the one post I have found the most helpful. It's worth visiting and reading. Helping readers find your books is critical.

http://www.goodreads.com/author/how_to

It's not exactly an official book promotion site, but you will find an enormous amount of information about promoting books, self-publishing, copyright issues and just about anything else you can image related self-publishing. Check out the Yahoo Group pod_publishers.

Books:

Being an avid book reader and with the advent of Kindle and lower priced books, I have read lots of books on self-publishing and related topics. A large number of these I wish I passed on.  As the industry changes, the information you need to know changes.

Aaron Shepard's Aiming at Amazon was, and still is, the first book any author considering self-publishing should read. It outlines the basic business model most of us need to consider as well as the basic starting marketing plan to work from.

Authors who plan to incorporate print-on-demand into their business model should read two books that not only describe this technology but the business model based on this printing/publishing technology. Aaron Shepard is the author of POD for Profit, which details using Lightning Source to print books using POD and the business model involved. Morris Rosenthal, of Self-Publishing 2.0, is the author of Print-on-Demand Book Publishing, another must read if you intend to use POD as part of your self-publishing model.

For authors who want to take a do-it-yourself approach to getting books published on Amazon's KDP, Aaron Shepard has two books worth reading, particularly if you publish works of non-fiction. The first in this series is From Word to Kindle. This short Kindle book describes how to convert a book manuscript in a Word document to a Kindle ready file for upload to KDP for publication.

The second book in this series is Pictures on Kindle. If your book is going to include photographs, graphics or any other visual images, and you plan to do the interior yourself, this book is helpful. The prices is right as well as it sells for .99.

Finally, I recently stumbled across David Gaughran's Let's Get Visible: How to Get Noticed and Sell More Books. Let's face it, we all need for readers to find our books in order to get the reader to buy it! This book was interesting and helpful and I learned things I was previously unaware of. It was well worth the .99 cents I paid for the Kindle version.

                

Experimenting With KDP Select, Amazon .99 Cent Sales and Other Marketing Tools - Get the Data

I teach history in my "real job." I teach two elective classes to high schoolers on military history, the History of WW II and History of the Vietnam Conflict. Both classes are always full, which I guess is a good thing.

In my Vietnam class I show the controversial documentary The Fog of War which features the lessons Robert McNamara learned as Secretary of Defense during the bulk of the LBJ phase of the conflict. You don't have to like McNamara to agree with one of the 11 points he claims to have learned during his time as SecDef: Get the Data.

I have been keeping exact records of my sales for three years. I track sales by title for the month, the year and the platform by which the book is published (POD paperback, ebook) and by which distributor (Amazon, B and N, Kobo, etc.). It takes some time to collect all of that data.

When I am engaged in an "experiment" I also track and record all of that data on a daily and weekly basis.

Initially it was very hard to make heads or tails out of anything. Since I am a one man shop, I need to spend what time I have wisely. I need to spend the bulk of my time writing more books. I also need to spend a lot of time marketing my books effectively.

So far I have learned a few things for certain:

• Some of my sales have been due to old fashioned luck.
• Some of my sales, particularly months with large sales, were due to being one of the few authors in that niche when the ereader, particularly the Kindle, became popular.
• A great deal of time I spent on marketing, particular on Facebook and Twitter, was not time well spent - for me. I am not going to tell any other author who self-publishes to use, or not use social media to sell books.
• Amazon sales rank has a lot to do with sales. The higher your book comes up in the search results, the more sales you will have.
• Amazon is making it much harder to "game" the search results.
• Reviews really matter. Negative reviews that is. If you have four reviews and two are 1 star reviews, that book is dead in its tracks. Since my books are about coaching, and I have made a couple of enemies by consistently beating the crap out of them over the years, a couple of these guys have retaliated with negative reviews. Amazon won't remove the reviews. So, now I have to invest money, time and effort in attempts to overcome the negative reviews by generating positive reviews in sufficient number to negate the negative reviews.

What else have I learned?

• The more books you have available for sale, the better chances you have of earning money each month. You aren't tied to one book doing well. Sell a few copies of every title and it adds up.
• I have wasted a lot of valuable time marketing my books in ways that were inefficient, ineffective or both.
• What used to work, might not always work. You have to be vigilant and adapt.
• Finally, you have to get the data.

Shoulder surgery and a surprise discovery!

I had to have my right shoulder surgically repaired. Rebuilt might be a better description. I did not know how hard it is to type with just your left hand when you are right handed (my right arm is currently strapped across my chest to immobilize the shoulder).

As a result of the surgery, I have made a very valuable, and painful lesson about marketing.  I publish for free a weekly eNewsletter from mid-September through the end of April. The rest of the year the newsletter is sent out about every three weeks. I have just under 5,000 individuals on the list.

Due to the surgery and everything else going on I suspended publication of the newsletter for two weeks. I told the individuals why and when the newsletter should resume.

During the past two weeks, sales have come to an almost complete stop. Even with my .99 cent sale going on, my Kindle sales have been nada, zilch, zero.

It could be a coincidence, but I doubt it. But tomorrow, the newsletter will resume its regular weekly publication. I hope sales resume as well tomorrow!

I don't recommend shoulder surgery as a way to test your marketing efforts. But I do strongly suggest you "get the data."

In addition to my sales data for my books, I started tracking the open rate of my e-mail list. What subject headings get the best results, what day of the week works the best and I have even collected data on the time of the day the e-mail was sent.

When comparing my sales on a graph on a weekly basis with the open rate of my newsletter, there is a discernible similarity. Proof it would seem the best marketing tool I have is my newsletter!

While I will certainly experiment with KDP Select and various pricing strategies, I plan to devote the bulk of my "marketing effort" in growing my e-mail list and improving my open rate. I will also experiment with promotions in my newsletter to test my theory about the effectiveness of my newsletter as a marketing tool.

While results will vary, I am sure, from author to author, experiment with your marketing and pricing strategies. Just make sure you GET THE DATA!

It is the only way to determine what efforts and factors will drive your book sales!

Oh, and at the end of this month I will give the final results of my experiments this month and if anything more definitive comes about.

For more information about using KDP Select and other promotions, here is a fantastic post on the subject by M. Louisa Locke.

Using YouTube for Book Marketing: Part Three

I have uploaded my first book marketing video on YouTube. This has been more of a task than I thought it would be.

Here are a few of the challenges I have been learning how to deal with thus far:

1) Using Camtasia to successfully edit a combination of screen shots, actual video and the sound track. This is fairly easy software to use I have been told. I have managed to get segments of the desired project completed in a manner I find satisfactory enough to use. It took a bit to figure out how to merge different clips together and edit them. Once I did I realized how easy the software is to use.

2) I had to purchase a software called Wondershare to convert the digital files from my camera in order to use the footage in either iMovie or Camtasia. This means more time invested in learning how to use software necessary to produce the final video. It took about 15 minutes to figure out how to use this software. Once I did, it was super easy to use. It cost me $69 + tax. There might be less expensive or free software that will do the same thing. Wondershare was too easy to learn to use and that made it worth the investment to me.

3) I have managed to successfully film myself for the portion of the first video I will appear in. The subject matter of the film, me, leaves a bit to be desired but I can't afford to hire Brad Pitt or some other actor who looks fantastic on film.

4) Rehearsing did not produce a perfect product, but it saved me from re-filming this first short video over and over. I am confident the more I do this the better I will get.

5) Whatever you do, buy a tripod.

6) Lighting makes a difference. One more thing to have to learn about.

7) If you can afford it, buy an actual digital video camera. The results are vastly superior to a camera in your phone, a flip camera, a web cam or a camera mounted in your laptop. 

8) Microphones are worth the extra expense in producing a soundtrack that is understandable. I managed to have some echo due to the fact I filmed the video in a small room.

9) YouTube is your friend when it comes to learning how to use all of these items. Many knowledgeable individuals, either as a hobby or as a business endeavor, have posted videos designed to help novices learn to use these tools.

10) Be willing to make mistakes. One of my issues is I want to get it perfect the first time. When learning how to create something like a video you are going to make mistakes. Give your self permission to make mistakes. 

12) Power point is a helpful tool for these projects. You can insert actual video in between slides. Use Camtasia to capture a timed running of the Power point slideshow. Then using Camtasia, insert the video you have in between the slides conveying information or still photographs.

For those of you who are experts or more experienced in using this type of software or crafting videos, this might not be the best approach. But for me, and probably for others who are just getting started, the end result will be acceptable.

For authors considering using videos on YouTube to market your books, go for it! I plan to try to produce a video every 10-14 days for until January. It's that time of the year to sell books!

Using YouTube for Book Marketing: Part One
Using YouTube for Book Marketing: Part Two

Ebook Platforms - Are Authors Missing Out?

It never occurred to me that the various ebook reading devices, which have given my tiny publishing empire a huge shot in the arm, might truly be limiting the number of books an author can sell?

I have committed the last month and this month to doing limited writing on material for sale and focusing on learning more about the business side of self-publishing, blogging, book marketing, SEO and all the other things it seems one has to master to succeed as a self-publisher.

One of the concepts I keep running across as I do my research is the need to capture data. While some "experts" claim I need to capture, retain and analyze seemingly unending data, I have decided to "filter" what is important for my business and simply disregard the rest. 

What information would I like to obtain? E-mail address for one. I have two e-newsletters. These are a big part of my marketing efforts as well as a means to establish credibility and announce new titles for sale or the arrival of the ebook or POD edition.

It would be great to know what keywords were used in the search that led buyers to my book's product page. The same is true for the tags used, any affiliate links that resulted in a sale and especially since I am a bit dubious about the value of social media, which, if any, resulted in a sale or a visit to a book's product page.

I am willing to bet Amazon knows the answers to all of these questions. Why this information is not shared with authors who use Kindle Direct Publishing or any other ebook platform is strange to me. The object for everyone involved is to sell books and increase the use of the ebook reading devices.

Well, it would seem I am not alone. Baldur Bjarnason posted a thought provoking article about this topic.

I would love to obtain this type of data. It would make a huge difference for me in my book marketing efforts. The more often I can get my books in front of potential buyers who have already shown an interest in titles and topics I write about, the more sales I will generate.

If nothing else, it would be nice if Amazon or Barnes and Noble offered as an option to the buyer or an interested browser the ability to opt-in to share contact information with an author, be it via e-mail or social media such as Twitter.

We might all make more money. Self-publishing is a business.

Credibility Marketing by Charity Cason - Review for Self-Publishers

As a non-fiction author, credibility is very important to me. If I am not a credible expert, why would any reader want to purchase my books?

Since I am not a household name, I have to build my credibility as an expert in my niche. I don't have a lot of time to do so when a visitor reads my Amazon product description, visits one of my topical authority blogs or comes in contact with any information related to me or my books.

The simple title of the book, Credibility Marketing by Charity Cason, caught my eye while browsing Amazon. As a Kindle book the price was right so I purchased it.

The book is short, to the point, easy to understand and I came away with three items I plan to take action on as part of my regular marketing efforts.

Building credibility is an obvious need for non-fiction authors. It is also necessary for fiction authors. Readers need and want to know a fiction author can spin a good story! 

A few of the chapters include:

1. What does credibility marketing mean?
2. Video Marketing
3. Social Media
4. Build True Relationships
5. Tips for Managing Your Reputation Online
6. The Digital Information Age

The author understands cost is a factor for small businesses. Many of her concepts are free or low cost.

This short book is worth the minimal investment for the information it contains.

Self-Publishing Blog Summary: Kindle Select Publishing, eBook Design Concerns, Subject Headings and More...

Experts in website design and SEO say it is not a good idea to provide ways for visitors to leave your blog or website. They might not come back. It's a chance I'll take.

Since I spend way too much time surfing the net trying to learn more about self-publishing and the skills needed to market my books, I can at least justify the time spent by sharing some of the better, or at least more interesting to me, blog posts I come across.

Just please visit The Self-Publisher's Notebook again!

From Amazon
Amazon Publishing Introduces Kindle Serials—Great Stories, One Episode at a Time
I don't write fiction but I always pay attention to anything Amazon announces about Kindle books. For fiction authors, this is worth checking out.

From Self-Publishing 2.0
Risks and Rewards of Kindle Select Publishing

Morris Rosenthal must love statistics and math. He is always looking at one statistical model of data or another and sharing his results with the readers of his self-publishing blog. Morris always has a unique way of looking at things as well. This post is a good one for self-publishing authors with books available as Kindle editions.

From The Skilled Workman
Your Book Better Not Look Like a Poorly Designed Website

Good advice on selecting an ebook conversion company. As always, I want to recommend the company I use, eBook Architects.

From Marketing Christian Books
Did You Forget the Subject Headings?

There are so many details you have to pay attention to as an author who self-publishes. Let's face it, we are the entire publishing company AND the author. This blog post brings up some good points about little details that many authors forget that could pay off in the area of book marketing.

From The Social Media Examiner
5 Ways to Go From Blogger to Published Book Author

I actually did this. On another of my blogs I realized I had about 30 different posts on a single topic. These posts had generated a fair amount of traffic according to Google so it seemed like a good idea to edit them all into a book on the topic. It has just been released for sale so it is hard to tell how this experiment in "blog to book" will go. But, for those who blog, particularly non-fiction, this might be of interest.

From The Savvy Book Marketer

The Biggest Mistakes Self-Publishers Make - Part One

This is the post that got my attention. Regular readers of my blog will know I mention on a regular basis that self-publishing is a business. This post tackles the issue of authors not taking the time to learn about the publishing and self-publishing industries from a business perspective.

From The Savvy Book Marketer

The Biggest Mistakes Self-Publishers Make - Part Two

This post tackles the issue of having a marketing plan. Most self-published authors don't and the results are a lack of sales.

Trends, Reviews, Information and Some Self-Publishing History in the Making

I regularly read several blogs by individuals who are authorities on self-publishing, book marketing or book design in hopes of learning as much as possible. All of the individuals whose posts are referenced here and linked to are not only experts in the field, but are successful and experienced self-publishers themselves.

From Joel Friedlander's The Book Designer: The Biggest Secret of Book Marketing Success

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2012/09/biggest-secret/#more-23674

An interesting post about book marketing. Joel reveals the method of book marketing that will produce the absolute best results.

From Aaron Shepard's Publishing Blog: Stumbling on Hyphenation

http://www.newselfpublishing.com/blog/#Wordhyphenation

A review of Microsoft's Word 2011 by Aaron, who among other things, is the author of Perfect Pages, and extremely proficient in the use of Word to lay-out book interiors for use in POD publishing. In this review, Aaron focuses primarily on the problems with the hyphenation feature of the 2011 version of Word.

From Aaron Shepard's Publishing Blog: Counting on Amazon

http://www.newselfpublishing.com/AmazonCounting.html

For you coding fans and anyone who sells their book on Amazon, this blog is worth reading. Aaaron examines the inner workings of many of the marketing tools for authors on Amazon. A blog post well worth reading from one of the experts in book marketing using Amazon.

Morris Rosenthal's Self-Publishing 2.0:  The Decade of POD Publishing Gives Way to eBooks

http://www.fonerbooks.com/selfpublishing/?p=2101

I wrote about this post a bit earlier this week and linked to it. Thought provoking look at the changing nature of the industry of self-publishing as it relates to the technology of print-on-demand and ebooks.

From Dana Lynn Smith's The Savvy Book Marketer: Free Images for Your Blog or Website


http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/book_marketing_maven/2012/09/where-to-find-free-images-for-your-blog-and-website.html

Free is good! Ms. Smith provides information about locating images for use to improve blogs and websites that cost nothing for the user.

To Pay for a Book Review or Not To Pay for a Book Review? That is the question!

Joel Friedlander takes on this controversial topic on his blog The Book Designer. Book Reviews are part of how readers decide to buy a book and as such it is a topic of importance for authors, self-published or not.

Not only is the blog post worth reading, but I encourage you to read the comments as well. This post stirred up some passion from Joel's readers!

Click here to read the post.

Develop a Plan for How Your Self-Publishing Empire Will Function - Developing a Business Plan Part II

You have made the big decision to self-publish. The process of researching the industry has begun and you are diligently gathering ideas and information for a business plan to insure the success of your fledgling empire.

As you engage in this process, ask yourself how will your self-publishing business function? Is it meant to drive sales and derive income by:

• serving strictly as a source of entertainment for your readers? (fiction)
• serving as a "how to" source of information for your readers? (non-fiction)
• providing a platform for other sales opportunities?
• provide a platform to create other revenue streams?

The answer to this question will determine how you market your book, interact with your readers, how many books you may need/want to write, determine the form in which the book is published and countless other business decisions that you will have to make as a self-publishing author.

Authors often view the book as the sole means of income in the publishing business. A book can actually be just the tip of the iceberg.

Merchandising can be huge for fiction authors, and in come cases this is true for non-fiction as well.
Speaking opportunities can result from a book which often earns an author more than the book itself.

Other products can be introduced and marketed as the result of the success of the book, particularly a how to book or one aimed at a particular niche market where information is valuable.

When you are crafting your business plan, keep all of these issues in mind. Always look for alternate viable sources of income that can be derived from self-publishing your book.

Meeting Your Reader's Needs and Wants: Yet another part of an author's business plan

If you want to sell books, you are going to have to market your book in such a way that the reader will want to buy the book.

Well, of course! That's just common sense.

If that's true, why is it so hard to do?

Lately I have been spending a lot of time reading everything I can about marketing and sales. It has has been pretty confusing for me at times.

I have come to the conclusion though that the general concepts of what you have to do can be boiled down to a single concept for most non-fiction and a single concept for the rest of the non-fiction books and all fiction books.

For non-fiction informational books, eliminate the potential buyer's pain.

For all the other non-fiction and fiction books, meet the potential buyer's emotional wants.

The reader will then use logic to justify the purchase.

Let's take a look at how this has worked ON me as an author trying to make more money via self-publishing. In the last month I have spent about $100 on Kindle books, used paperbacks and did not count the hours I spent reading and taking notes on this very subject of increasing sales and marketing my books.

Why did I do this?

I need more money in order to pay-off what we owe on daughter number one's college so we can send daughter number two to college (and eventually pay for their weddings). My wife would like to stop working so she can spend more time in community service through our church. I would like to just be an author so I can retire from teaching history. You get the point. 

My wife and I want to eliminate some pain from our lives. To do this, we need to make more money through our small business. I was "motivated" to purchase these books, search the internet and spend hours reading and taking notes in order to find information that would help eliminate the pain.

I justified this to myself because this investment of time and money will help me move towards my goal of eliminating my pain and allowing me to do what I think I want to do.

During that same time period, I purchased a couple of novels for my Kindle and read them. Why? I needed a mental break from what I was working on and I wanted to be entertained.

The news is so depressing nowadays I don't watch it anymore. I force myself to read the newspaper for 15 minutes a day.

I am tired of watching and experiencing all the crap other people do that negatively impacts the lives of others and how they seem to get away with it. Whether or not they do is besides the point, it seems like they do.

So I wanted to read a couple of thriller novels where the good guy kills the bad guys. Yes, kills the bad guys. Emotionally it is some how reassuring when this happens. That good can triumph over evil in this life. It's even better when the good guy wipes out a large contingent of bad guys on his (or her) own in a really cool way that involves explosions, car wrecks and the use of cool, hi-tech weapons (I am a guy - what do you expect?).

An momentary break from the grim reality of the world we live in. I really need the break mentally and emotionally sometime from all the stuff I see or have to deal with.

So it all boils down to finding a way to convince the potential reader you will either eliminate their pain or meet an emotional need in order to get them to purchase your book.

If you have an exact, proven method that works every single time and is inexpensive, let me know. I need to sell a bunch of books this fall.

That seems to be the problem with so many common sense things. The concept might be simple, but never confuse simple with easy.

POD or Kindle? Which version to release first for the self-publishing author?

There is something so pleasant about hold the newly arrived proof copy of your book! It is physical, tangible proof your hard work has paid off. Your book is now a reality and ready to be unleashed on your reading public!

I do not get the same feeling when I see the file appear on my Kindle. It just isn't the same. Perhaps it would be if I had grown up with all the electronic devices my children did. They view digital content much differently than I do. Except for my son, our oldest child, vinyl records just take up space!

With the rapidly changing world of publishing, there are so many decisions a self-publishing author must make. Just one, and it is an important one, is whether to publish a Kindle edition first or the POD paperback edition first?

Actually, for some authors, depending on the niche or genre, the question to consider is should a POD version be published at all? That is another topic for another blog post.

Given the wide range of tools and methods available to promote Kindle books as compared to a POD, the most important of which is the ability to offer free versions for a period of time and a lower price point at any time, it makes sense to release the Kindle version first!

Building an audience for a book, regardless of whether it is a Kindle edition or a POD edition, is essential to generating sales. In this current state of the industry, it is easier to launch a Kindle edition than a POD edition.

So why do I always launch my POD version first? Because the final version of my books is always ready to launch sooner on Amazon in the POD form than in Kindle! I just don't have the patience to wait for the Kindle conversion to be done and then launch the book!

If I could develop some self-discipline, it makes sense to launch the Kindle version first and then release the POD version a week later.

Please disagree with me and comment if you have a better approach to dealing with this issue! I would love to hear what has worked for other authors in this regard, both for my own benefit and the authors who read this blog.

Do You Have a Business Plan and Marketing Strategy? Self-publishing is a Business!

I was so happy when the proof copy of my first book arrived in the mail. Excited when it appeared on Amazon and even more excited the first time I got paid! My tiny publishing empire has come a long way since then. I have actually paid for things around the house such as a completely new central air conditioning and heating system, a new water heater and family vacation. All of my new projects are funded out of revenue from the business.

One of the really painful lessons I have learned is the amount of time, effort, money and opportunities I have squandered as a result of not fully realizing from the start that being an author, fiction or non-fiction, it does not matter, is a business.

Fortunately, I like to learn about things that interest me. Self-publishing can be so overwhelming and confusing that I felt compelled to learn as much as I could in order to achieve the one business goal I had at the time - to make some extra money for the family.

After reading two books early in the process, Aiming at Amazon and Print-on-Demand Book Publishing, I came to the conclusion that this was a business and I had better start learning about the business end of things. I am not there yet by any stretch of the imagination, but I am slowly learning and at least correcting a few of my worst mistakes in the process.

For authors visiting this blog who are considering self-publishing I have compiled a short list of subjects you will need to learn something about. I would love it if veteran self-publishers who have been success would comment and add to the list so the rest of us, myself included, could benefit from your experience and success. Here's the list:

• book design
• book marketing
• campaign launches
• author platforms
• editing
• sales
• marketing in general
• website/blog (this is worth several posts alone)
• accounting
• copyright
• print-on-demand service
• print-on-demand business model
• ebooks
• Kindle
• Nook
• business planning
• taxes and publishing
• taxes and small business 
• branding
• social media

There's more, but that is a good start for list of this type.

The two biggest mistakes I feel I have made was launching into my self-publishing efforts without:

a) a business plan
b) a marketing plan

These two items alone would have been well worth the time, money and effort invested in planning my tiny empire and its growth and development. Things would have gone much smoother and with fewer setbacks.

Based on my own experience, I urge any author who has not done so to develop both a business plan and a marketing plan.

Don't Forget Amazon in Your Marketing Plan

I read some great blog posts today about building an author platform, using social media, etc. All good ideas and essential in marketing a book. But how many authors who self-publish forget to maximize the long tail or the Amazon marketing/book selling machine?

My next book should be ready to go from CreateSpace this week as the final cover design has been approved. The all important Kindle version, as well as the Nook version, will be ready for upload late this April. As I was going through my check list of who was to receive complimentary review copies, proofing again my e-newsletter edition announcing the release of the book on Amazon, etc, it hit me.

I haven't given a thought about maximizing the leverage of the Amazon marketing machine. I have not written any thing to add to the product information, though I did do a better than normal job writing the copy for Amazon when the files were uploaded to CreateSpace.

It occurred to me I need to pull out Aaron Shepard's classic Aiming at Amazon this week and go through it once again with a notepad in hand. My to do list for the week now includes a command to  go through this classic and create a detailed and specific action list of marketing and promotional activities to be carried out using Amazon and all the options available to a self-publishing author.

With the emphasis on the other aspects of book marketing, it is tempting, or easy, for authors to forget the power of Amazon and the fact we have some control over the book marketing process when it comes to Amazon. So, I encourage authors to keep Amazon in mind when planning their marketing strategy.

Building an Author Web Site That Works for Readers and Authors!

If you self-publish you are going to need a web site. It is a necessity. You are not just the author, you are the publisher as well and this means you have to market your book to your potential audience of readers. As authors we want people to read our books. As publishers we want people to BUY our books.

So it would seem there is just one more thing we have to learn in order to become successful self-publishers, web site design and all that goes with it.

I have purchased and read just over 70 books in an effort to learn how to market using the internet (fortunately most were Kindle books and this kept the money spent in this endeavor much lower). I managed to learn some things that were helpful and apply them to my web site.

I also wound up spending money on my web site that could have been better spend elsewhere as a business investment (Morris Rosenthal would want to take me to the woodshed for this - spending money foolishly on web sites is one of his pet peeves).

It would seem the topic I should have investigated first was conversion rates. Without expounding on the topic myself, I would rather suggest reading the best book I have read on the topic, and I will admit, the one I wish I had purchased first. It would have saved me a lot of time, some money and and hopefully made my web site more useful and productive in a business sense.

Convert! Design Web Sites to Increase Traffic and Conversion by Ben Hunt. It is available in both Kinle and print versions from Amazon.

The book is written in language a regular person can understand and is very practical. Hunt also explains an approach that is NOT centered around the individual who owns the web site but rather the person who is looking for the web site.  

I will be doing the research Hunt advises and making a trip to visit my web site designer in the not too distant future.

Updates on Self-Publishing

There are so many blogs about self-publishing it can be hard to keep up with reading about the industry. Of course, there is the added issue of which blogs are worth visiting on a regular basis. Aaron Shepard is one of the foremost experts on self-publishing. 

Periodically Aaron posts interesting articles about issues of importance or interest to self-publishing authors as well as updates to his books about self-publishing. To save the readers of this blog a bit of time, here are links to some of Aaron's recent posts about the industry as well as some updates to his books on self-publishing.

The "Biggest Problem with Lightning Source"

www.newselfpublishing.com/blog/#LightningSourceproblem

Updates for "Perfect Pages"


http://www.newselfpublishing.com/blog/#Pagesquickies


"Is Lightning Source Cheating You?"


http://www.newselfpublishing.com/LightningSourceCheating.html

Quickie Updates for POD for Profit

http://www.newselfpublishing.com/blog/#PODquickies


Plan B


http://www.newselfpublishing.com/PlanB.html

Morris Rosenthal is another interesting individual who is a valuable source of information on self-publishing and entrepreneurship as an author. Authors who sell their books online and offer non-fiction ebooks to specialty topics would do well to visit his site often to see what Morris has to say. Lately, Morris has been focused on the changes in Google and the impact this has on rankings for non-fiction authors, ebook sales and the impact on changes in use of information.

Some blog articles of interest:

ebook Sales Multipliers

http://www.fonerbooks.com/selfpublishing/?p=1706

The Disposable Information Culture

http://www.fonerbooks.com/selfpublishing/?p=1469

Using Free Kindle Books for Marketing

http://www.fonerbooks.com/selfpublishing/?p=1661

I hope you find these links interesting and helpful.

Using Kindle Shorts and Articles to Promote Books

I am sure I read this strategy somewhere else and I am equally certain I am not the first to think of it if I have not read it elsewhere. I have three books that will be released in the next nine months. Each will be preceded by a .99 Kindle Short or Article as part of my promotional efforts for these books.

The first of the soon to be released Kindle Shorts will be free for five days and the subscribers of my free e-newsletter will be informed of this and I will post the fact on the blog on my website. Beyond that, I do not plan to promote the five free days. It is sort of a reward for the individuals who buy my books, subscribe to my newsletter and visit my website. 

After the five days of free copies, the price will be raised to .99 and remain there. The short Kindle Book is based on an excerpt from the much larger book which will be released two months later. The excerpt was expanded in much greater detail than the full length book (non-fiction) and includes promotional information at the end of the book with what I hope will be a successful call to action to visit Amazon and purchase the full length book.

These short Kindle books hopefully will sell copies on their right as specific source of information about very specific topics and create a small additional stream of revenue. Their main purpose is to convince readers who are searching for specific information of my ability to provide valuable and useful information to meet their needs and prod the reader into purchasing the related full length book.

I plan to keep as detailed records as possible about this tactic and will share the information in the future.

Review of Catherine Parker's 301 Ways To Use Social Media to Boost Your Marketing

After cranking out four books this summer and in the midst of a fifth, I plan to take a bit of a break when the current book is done. Even though all of these books are non-fiction and the content is information I am extremely familiar with, it has been tiring.

The new books contain what I believe is valuable information for the niche market I write for. The sales for all but one of the new books have been dismal. I have nobody to blame but myself. I simply did not give the books the launch they needed.

These books can be "salvaged" as the information is not dated and won't be for many years. I just need to roll up my sleeves and get busy marketing the books. Being a one-man publishing empire can be taxing, especially since I have a "day job" as well.

Reading Joel Friedlander's posts about marketing books helped confirm it is time to take a break from writing and start marketing! I also spent an hour re-reading Catherine Parker's book 301 Ways To Use Social Media To Boost Your Marketing. I had already read the book, in Kindle format, earlier in the past summer and like any good reference book, it is a source I will refer to constantly in the coming months as I work on marketing all of my books.

Unlike many of the Kindle books I purchased that discuss using social media, blogging and the internet to market a business, I have the distinct feeling Ms. Parker's book is not a rehash, with very little editing, of blog posts turned into a Kindle book. She may very well have published all of this information earlier in blog form, but this book has the feel and read of a book specifically written to convey the information contained in its electronic pages.

There is no doubt in my mind Ms. Parker knows her stuff. She not only covers the popular Twitter, Facebook and admonition to have a blog, she covers less popular forms of social media in detail. Each chapter of the book has specific ideas and instructions on how to implement these concepts using the form of social media the chapter relates to.

Unlike many similar books that feature only one form of social media and championing its virtues while providing only a few tips, Ms. Parker delivers the full 301 ideas the title promises and many of the tips and ideas require several pages on a Kindle to convey everything she has to say.

The book covers developing a big picture strategy to using social media for marketing. The specific types of social media discussed include: blogging, Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, LinkedIn, Orkut,

Plaxo, Ning, MySpace, Meetup, Delicious, Digg, StumbleUpon, Google Reader, Reddit, Flickr, SmugMug, YouTube, various video sharing sites, Slideshare, Podcasting, Yelp, Epinions, RateItAll, Yahoo!Answers, eHow, Wikis and Wikipedia.

Details of how to set-up accounts or pages on each is provided. Suggestions on how to build a following and maintain it are part of the content Ms. Parker provides.

This book was worth every penny I paid for it. It is much better than the other Kindle books of a similar nature I have read, and alas, I have read quite a few and learned little until I purchased this book.

Basic Book Marketing for Self-Publishers - Joel Frielander's New Program

Writing the book, overseeing the design and getting it into production, either via traditional off-set press, print-on-demand or ebook, is just the start of the hard work. The book has to be marketed and sold. With the changes in the publishing industry this can be a bewildering process for experienced and novice author alike.

Joel Friedlander has done the self-publishing author a great service with his new series on book marketing for self-publishers. To read the three parts Joel has made available thus far, visit his blog at:

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/