Tag: self-publishing

Writing a Book vs. Desiring to Sell Copies

Posted on | by Julie Schoerke | 7 Comments on Writing a Book vs. Desiring to Sell Copies

Best Seller Books

With the explosion of indie publishing and self-publishing, there’s a conundrum that was avoided through traditional publishing because there were gate keepers. Now, indie published or self-published authors need to ask themselves the tough questions hopefully before writing, and certainly before releasing.

You have a story to tell and you can’t bear not to tell it. It’s burning inside of you and you’ve always considered yourself a pretty good writer, so why not?!

Well, what some people feel compelled to write many more people do not feel compelled to read. If you don’t want to be encumbered by any “rules” or “gatekeepers” who annoyingly want you to conform to practices that have proven successful for other books and authors, then fine. But, be aware. Be very aware. Just because you write it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll read … and certainly doesn’t mean they’ll buy it.

Recently I’ve had conversations with several authors who are determined to write exactly the book that they want to. And those same people often are determined to sell a lot of copies. Here in lies the problem.

Consider other industries. A self-trained musician who took some music appreciation classes in college may want to write a song, or many songs. That’s fine. But what do you think the chances are that the musician, working alone in her house without the guidance of Quincy Jones or another tried and true producer of hits, making it BIG? What about a kid who plays basketball on his driveway—every day for hours—but never against anyone else on a team and without a coach. What are his chances of making it to the top of the NBA? There are flukes. But I think we all agree that someone working with a mentor who has already made it in the big leagues probably has a better shot of selling more records, or tickets to a basketball game, than someone who is going it totally alone.

I believe that there are books that people have to write. Are compelled. But, and especially when it comes to writing about personal experiences, determine why you are writing and be honest about what your goal is. If your goal is to make a permanent statement or capture a time gone by, do it! If your goal is to sell as many copies of a book as possible, consider finding a veteran mentor. Surround yourself with other people successful in the business (go to author events at your local bookstore, follow and study your favorite authors and figure out what makes them successful, find a killer editor who has had success in your genre). Just as parents encourage kids on the basketball court—“Honey, you are really great at shooting that ball!”—recognize that family and friends don’t have a financial stake in your success. They love you, so they’re going to say your book is great. I promise, I’ve seen it literally hundreds of times. I get calls, “Twenty of my friends loved my book! One said it should win a Pulitzer!” I’m much more interested in what someone who doesn’t know the writer, doesn’t care about the writer, thinks of the writing. How can you get an unbiased opinion? I loved the ingenuity of one clever author that told me she gives her manuscripts to family and friends and says, “A friend wrote this and gave this to me to read. Let me know your thoughts.”

Lots of kids play little league baseball. Fewer kids play for their high school team. Really great kids play college or farm team baseball. The minutest number of those terrific baseball players ever makes it to the big leagues. And how many baseball players playing today can you name? My point is that there is a place for everybody on that baseball scale, but very few will become famous. It’s the same odds for writing a book. There are authors who will delight their family and friends. Some will go on to make an impression in their community or field of work. The really great ones who get some breaks along the way will sell 100,000. And of the millions of people who write books each year, many less than 1 percent will become household names. In baseball, the current players don’t have to play against Babe Ruth and stars of the past. In the book world, you’re still competing for the attention and time of readers against every book ever written as well as all the new stars coming up through the ranks this year.

Set realistic goals while reaching for the stars. Understand that if you choose to go it alone, then that doesn’t mean that you also necessarily get to have the luxury of demanding that others purchase and read your book.

Whether you’ve written a book that 2,500 people buy and many hold close to their heart or you become an overnight sensation like JK Rowling (and how many have there been since her?!), celebrate what you have done. You’ve created art that has its place. If you’re determined to rise to the top, make sure you’ve got a coach and team surrounding you that gives you a pretty good chance to showcase your talent on a national stage.

 

JKS Celebrates 9 Books on the 2016 Beverly Hills Book Awards List

Posted on | by Marissa DeCuir

The International Beverly Hills Book Awards ® contest recognizes the best in fiction and non-fiction books across various genres, and JKS is proud to celebrate seven of our talented authors (nine books total!) who have made the list this year. The awards committee focuses on print books and considers cover and interior design, promotional text, aesthetic components and other factors that demonstrate outstanding presentation, in addition to the writing.

We are so excited our JKS winners and finalists in the 4th Annual Beverly Hills Book Awards!!

WINNERS:

The Power of 10 by Rugger Burke – Leadership

Marketing For Tomorrow, Not Yesterday by Zain Raj – Marketing & Public Relations

Things Unsaid by Diana Y. Paul – New Adult Fiction

The Coalition by Samuel Marquis – Political Thriller

FINALISTS:

Indy Writes Books: A Book Lover’s Anthology edited by Travis DiNicola – Anthology

Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded edited by Clay Stafford – Anthology

The Slush Pile Brigade by Samuel Marquis – Mystery

Blind Thrust by Samuel Marquis – Suspense

Money, Family, Murder by Timothy Patten – Mystery

Congratulations to all of our authors!!

How Much Is Enough Book Publicity?

Posted on | by Julie Schoerke

I’m asked all the time:

  • How much should I publicize my book?
  • How much should I spend on book publicity?
  • What is the most important thing to do to promote my book?

Unfortunately, just like putting an incredible book together is messy and huge, there is no self-evident right or wrong path to book publicity.

 

On the initial call, the JKS Communications team asks the author lots of questions to find out some key points that help us help determine how much book publicity is enough for them personally. Here are some questions we ask authors we are considering working with:

  • What is your lifestyle like? Do you have a full-time job? Small children?
  • Where does your book take place (geographically, who might be interested?)
  • What is your sphere of influence and your experience with media and public speaking?
  • Is this the only book you will be writing, or do you have more planned? Are you building a brand as an author?
  • What are your specific goals for the book beyond selling as many copies as possible?
  • How much money can you budget for publicity that doesn’t include putting your financial health at risk or in debt?

Obviously, the more publicity you do, the better it is. But, there is the 80/20 rule to consider. What can you do that will most likely gain the most traction for you?

Book publicists are kind of like farmers. We plant seeds in the soil and know some will grow to different heights – we water and care for each stalk (or relationship). It’s impossible to know exactly which seed we plant will have the greatest return because serendipity happens. And, we’re there to help create serendipity.

My favorite example is an author we represented who had a very limited budget…shoestring. But, his book was bold and amazing…a memoir. I wanted him, a Southern author, to go to  the Southern Independent Booksellers Association (SIBA) trade show to make a presentation on a panel. He really struggled with whether he could afford to drive and stay in the city for the event.

Eventually, he found a friend to bunk with in the city. We had 20 authors at this event, and really cool things happened for a lot of them. But, in this case, special serendipity created a magical force that changed the trajectory of his book’s success. A highly respected and involved bookstore owner met him and got a copy of his book at the tradeshow. She called me a few days later:

“I choose one book a year to get behind and really push. I’ve chosen this book. I will be calling and emailing personally 300 bookstores across the U.S. and encouraging them to order this memoir,” she said.

Because this one bookseller decided to champion this author and memoir, the publisher could not keep up with the demand, a good problem to have. (This happened a few years ago, before POD was as easy to use as it is now for traditional publishers).

Did I know that would happen? No. But, I knew that he would be meeting “his people” and tastemakers that could create book sales if they liked him and his story.

Maybe you’ll catch your break through an online book review that a movie agent happens to read, or talk to a reader who gives your book to a friend on the Pulitzer nominating committee, or a school librarian invites you to present to her class and she happens to post a highly complimentary message about your book on the American Library Association list serve that results in many library orders, or a local feature will catch the eye of a TV booker in New York that is looking for a segment that you can fulfill. A book publicist tries to place you in as many opportunities for magic to happen as is possible.

It comes down to the amount of time spent, the experience and connection of the publicity firm, and how much this will cost you. For some authors, $1,500 is going to be a real stretch. For others, a $25,000 campaign is doable.

Publicity, unfortunately, is not like advertising in which there is a clear measure of ROI (return on investment). Publicity is getting others to endorse your book and third parties to talk about it. It’s a long haul. An author who goes on book tour and pays for it himself or herself (which is virtually all authors today!), can’t expect to make money back on each stop. But, it’s the accumulation of good will created. By the second book, more people are engaged. And hopefully by the third book, you are getting good sales on your new book and the back list is selling. I have seen  situations in which the new book comes out with buzz, but it’s an earlier book that actually catches the attention of a new audience and sells even more copies than the new book.

If you’re going to go to the trouble of writing a book – the blood, sweat and tears of so much time and energy – then make sure that you don’t just orphan it without a plan to get it in the hands of people who can help spread the word.

How much you spend on publicity is up to you. But remember: you only capture the imagination of the book world once as a “debut author” and you need to make it count. The sky is the limit on how successful you will be. After this, you’ll have a sales record that follows you.

Three Reasons To Hire A Book Publicist

Posted on | by Julie Schoerke | 2 Comments on Three Reasons To Hire A Book Publicist

DIY book publicity is a given. As an author, you must work tirelessly to promote your book – work as hard as you did to write it (or harder).

But, let’s be honest. There are some things you just can’t say about yourself. It’s a Catch-22 in which the author comes out either looking like a braggart or doesn’t do justice to the work by being coy.

 

 1. A book publicist can say things about you and your book that you simply can’t say without sounding at best arrogant, and at worst, crazy.

You better think your book is incredible. If you’re not its biggest cheerleader, there is something wrong. BUT, you need third party validation when pitching your book to television, radio, print and online media, or venues that invite authors to speak.

You can hardly say, “This is the best book on this subject ever written! It will have you laughing and it will have you crying. Truly a stunning masterpiece” about your own work if being likable and sounding sane are at all important to you. But someone else can.

Book stores, community organizations and the media, prefer to have an arm’s length relationship with the author when initially being pitched a story or event. I was on a panel a few years ago with a very powerful and well-known bookstore owner. The businesswoman (because that’s what bookstore people are!) said that she likes to be able to talk to a publicist to honestly find out what the strengths of the author are as well as their weaknesses. It’s very difficult to be objective about yourself. In the best of all worlds, your book publicist will know you well enough to be able to say if you would do well demonstrating something about your book, talking to a small group informally; if you are earnest and thoughtful, funny, speak loud enough or if you need microphone, etc.  

The media may also want to be pitched in a way that fits with the editorial calendar (what they have already mapped out to cover in the coming months). An experienced publicist will be able to pick out the angle most interesting to the journalist. Let’s face it, it’s tough to be objective about ourselves and how we can best partner with a media outlet to help them achieve their goals, not just us pursuing our own objectives.

You want someone who has your back and can say, “I stayed up all night reading the novel!”  Or, “I thought I’d read everything there was to know about bats, but this book is different because the author went to live with bats in a cave for 10 years and provided this incredible insight” etc…it’s so much stronger than an author saying that family and friends loved the book.

SPOILER ALERT: family and friends always say they love your book, because they care about you and have no skin in the game for you book’s success other than making you feel good. Media and bookstore professionals are told this by debut authors all the time and it means absolutely nothing.

Which brings up another point: if a book publicist tells you they will represent your book without reading it, run. That makes no sense. A cookbook author was surprised that I had made many of the dishes in her book before pitching her. Even her own editor at the publishing house hadn’t tried the recipes. How could I rave about her recipes (and they were mouthwatering!) if I didn’t experience them?

A professional publicist who is highly regarded in the industry does not throw out hyperbole. The publicist honestly shares the quality of the book, the ability of the author, etc.  A good publicist can help pave the way to the media and groups focusing on the best that you have to offer.

You want a publicist who has credibility in the industry. That alone shows that your work deserves attention. If a publicist is willing to put his or her reputation on the line by representing you, that sends a signal to the tastemakers in the industry.

 

2. Do you really want to reinvent the wheel? The learning curve in meeting the right people, following the proper steps with media and event venues to get accepted, and knowing the latest trends in the industry can be overwhelming when you need to be promoting this book, editing the one you just finished, and writing the next one. Spend your time wisely and use your team.

It makes me so sad when someone comes to us who has spent hours, days, weeks building a list of media contacts. We can go through our contact files, pull lists, and think of media that wouldn’t necessarily come to mind to someone who doesn’t do this every day, in a fraction of the time that it takes you.

An example of what a publicist can do for you that you may not be able to do yourself: We worked with a terrific author with a page-turning novel who happened to have a Chinese mother and Japanese father. In addition to media that would normally come to mind – book reviewers, feature editor of the local newspaper, etc. We created a list of journalists who were of Japanese and/or Chinese descent who covered topics from little league baseball to financial markets, and let them all know about this book and offered to get them a copy. The result? This author was invited to speak at the Shanghai Book Festival on his own stage with a crowd of more than 800,000 readers at that one festival. We then built an international book tour for him based on that invitation. It came to fruition because one of the journalists we reached out to  sat on the committee that chose speakers for the book festival. This journalist and committee member had absolutely nothing to do with books in his “day job” and actually lived in the UK. He wanted to promote Chinese American authors in Shanghai. We gave him the opportunity.

Find a book promoter who has personal relationships with key tastemakers in the book industry and beyond.

It seems counterintuitive, but if you are not a celebrity or don’t have a big platform, check out the publicist to see if he or she has been able to get traction for an author who isn’t well-known. Of course when Kim Kardashian comes out with a book it is going get incredible coverage because the media is clamoring for information on that celebrity. The publicist in that case is acting more as a gate-keeper than actively convincing journalists that the person and the book is worthy of ink in a publication or time on the air. You want to know that you have a scrappy, tenacious, but polite and well-respected publicist representing you.

 

3.  An established book publicist has connections and can pull in favors when you need it most with the media, book festivals, book stores, and events.

You may need a little help at some point, but you haven’t built up the IOUs to get it in the industry. Hopefully your publicist has.

If your pub date gets moved up and there isn’t as much time as is generally needed, or a deadline has been missed because of the timeline of the release of your book, sometimes a seasoned publicist can get exceptions made for you.

Perhaps there is a book festival at which you are dying to present, but you are a debut author and your advance reader copies weren’t ready in time for the book festival committee to review it. Publicists sometimes know ways to get the committee to consider you or have you replace someone who has to drop out at the last minute. Your publicist is working behind the scenes on behalf of you.

Marissa DeCuir, managing director at JKS Communications, and many of our team members are former journalists who have worked for major media outlets. So radio and television bookers and producers have come to rely on us when, at the last minute, they have a cancellation for a guest. They know that we will quickly get an interesting and timely guest to fill their last minute hole. As former journalists, we know that pit in the stomach that the producer feels when he or she finds out that a guest had to cancel an hour before the show goes live.

Because specific members of the media know that our team will help them in a crunch, they will often help us introduce new authors that we believe in. Our team can help develop a segment that show cases our authors/topics in the best light, but also provides the entertainment or educational factor that their audience and advertisers are counting on them to deliver.

A publicist can open doors that simply aren’t open to you as an author when you have  “do it yourself” campaign. But, that doesn’t mean you are off the hook. While your publicist is scheduling interviews, negotiating features or guest columns for you, you must be handling your career of creating, drafting, editing, and completing your future books, writing content for print and online media that has been requested, keeping up with your social media, etc.

Writing the book is just the beginning, and the easy part. Most authors today find themselves in a situation in which they are expected to spearhead the brunt of their book promotion themselves. The goal is to sell enough copies and develop enough buzz to get their next book sold to a publisher, or create a big enough fan base that there are readers that are salivating to get their hands on the next book.

 

Book publicity helps start the buzz….it’s the kindling on the fire….but in the end, it comes down to the book and the audience connecting.

Being an author is tough. Surround yourself with good professionals who genuinely want to help you succeed.

You’ve GOT to budget for publicity

Posted on | by Marissa DeCuir

Publicity Budgeting

So often we hear from authors who are interested in publicity but are also cash-strapped from having already spent vast resources on preparing their books for publishing. Self-publishing is especially expensive and authors have to make huge upfront investments before their books even see the light of day.

Indie authors have the extra expenses of publishing their book that a traditionally published author does not incur. It’s important to budget for publicity for a book just as you would budget for a book cover, editing, formatting, distribution and all other aspects of publishing – no matter if you hire a publicist or choose to do your own promotion.

Unfortunately self-publishing has such an expense tied to it that a lot of people budget for everything to create the book and nothing to get the word out that it even exists. Kind of like the old saying, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

It’s scary to commit to the unknown. I get it. As a former journalist, I was very skeptical of publicity and if it actually made any sort of difference. After more than seven years as a book publicist, I can without a doubt say it does. Just at JKS Communications alone we have seen indie authors hit bestseller lists, become the go-to expert interviews for major mainstream media, receive daily book club requests, start movements, and even land six-figure publishing deals.

Every publicity campaign will differ in scope depending on the book, genre, author, messaging, budget and other factors. But one thing is for sure – without any publicity, your book will get lost among the millions published each year.

I wish for authors that writing the book would be the end of their hard work. That on its own is an incredible feat. But book publicity has become increasingly important over the last decade especially with the ever-changing publishing industry.

So regardless of whether you hire a publicist or not, treat publicity just as you would any part of publishing your book. Publicity is just as important as your cover, your content, your distribution, your editing and everything else that goes into not only making the book, but making it known.

I Made A Twitter Account…Now What?

Posted on | by Courtney Stevens

Twitter

Twitter, (social media in general), is an opportunity to interact with the world in 140 characters or less. But how do you best use those 140 characters?

  • To promote your new book?
  • To share links?
  • To encourage?
  • To be political?
  • To share your latest McDonald’s lunch?
  • To ???

Here is what some big name authors across multiple genres have been tweeting about lately. (Examples pictured below.) In a snapshot: politics, movies, boredom, sports, inspiration, contests, quotes, blogposts, etc. Each of these accounts represents very different styles of Twitter feeds, which is good news for people coming to Twitter for the first time. It tells us … there are many acceptable ways to Tweet.

But if you’re asking about the best way to Tweet, let’s look closer.

Neil Gaiman, author of American Gods has 2.35 million followers, and he’s tweeting about being bored in a cab. Then he offers an invitation to ask questions, which he answers. In a world where conversations with Neil Gaiman would typically be limited to three seconds at a signing event, I have a unique opportunity because of Twitter.

Twitter is access.

It is a glass door into the life of a celebrity. (In this case, you are the celebrity.)

Janet Evanovich, a number one NYT bestselling author, has nearly 40 thousand Twitter followers and she primarily uses her Twitter feed for promotional advertisement of her novels. Whereas John Green, young adult author of The Fault in Our Star, uses his feed to … share … whatever comes across his unique mind: politics, DFTBA items, birthday shout outs, etc. He has 4.8 million followers. What does this tell us?

Twitter isn’t a bookstore.

It isn’t the place we go shopping for items; it’s the place we go shopping for sameness. This is why the number of Twitter followers does not translate specifically to sales. Janet Evanovich sells more than 40 thousand books, and John Green doesn’t sell 4.8 million copies with every new release. If you made a Twitter account to sell books, you might be disappointed with the results.

With these concepts in mind, consider a Twitter feed that is a reflection of your self—a place where you are providing sameness and searching for sameness. Marketing guru Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you sell, they buy why you sell it.” Twitter puts that why on display and opens up doors of potential friendship. Early in my career, I listened to Jon Acuff give some great advice on utilizing social media. “Remember,” he said. “You’re asking for a friend, not a favor.” As you set about your 140 characters, ask for a friend.Screen Shot 2016-01-07 at 10.01.47 AM Screen Shot 2016-01-07 at 10.01.58 AM

Should YOU be using Instagram?

Posted on | by Caroline Davidson

How authors should be using Instagram

With over 300 million users a month, it’s hard to see the downside to using Instagram when it comes to promoting your book(s). Authors are unique in the way that they write these incredible stories that connect with readers in ways they could have never imagined. The beauty of social media for an author is allowing their reader to get a glimpse into the life of the person who wrote the words that touched their life.

I understand why some authors may not see the value in Instagram because it’s a social media platform based on photographs and visual appeal…but isn’t that what a book cover is? Here are a few reasons you should be utilizing Instagram as an author…

Bloggers are on Instagram

Book bloggers are using Instagram…to share their love of books, what they’re reading, and offering followers a glimpse into their real lives. You can connect with book bloggers by searching specific book-related hashtags or research some of the largest book bloggers in your genre and follow them (#bookblogger #amreading)!

Connect with your audience

No one wants to follow an author, musician, brand, etc. that has a third party running their social media all the time. There is a level of trust that is lost with your followers when posts seem artificial or fake. Instagram is a perfect way to give followers a glimpse into your REAL life…a mix between posting about your book and posting about your everyday life– including family, hobbies, inspirations, and (of course) your pets (#catsnbooks).

Target Your Hashtags

Hashtags are a strategic way to target your audience and potential new followers. It’s important to have at least 1 or 2 unique hashtags—for example, instead of #reading you could use #readingBreakingDawn. In addition to your unique hashtags, it’s also important to use widely popular hashtags targeted at your audience—for example, #amreading #bookworm #booksncats. Instagram users can search specific hashtags and discover new accounts.(see Giveaways below for more hashtag tips)

Product Placement & Giveaways

Following and connecting with some large-follower accounts can be beneficial to getting your book in front of their followers as well. For example, let’s say you have a new young adult book and you follow a YA book blogger on Instagram that has 10K followers. It’s in your best interest to send that blogger a copy of your book and ask them to Instagram a picture of your book with one of your unique hashtags!

If your book is featured in some local bookstores or boutiques, ask them to also post a picture of your book in the store on their Instagram account and use your hashtags!

This would be the perfect opportunity to have the book blogger or bookstore do a signed copy giveaway to their followers—have them post a picture of your book & ask them to share the photo and use your unique hashtag!

Cover Art

Cover art is everything when it comes to sales. Imagine yourself walking through a bookstore looking for a new read…what draws your attention first? The book covers. As you go through the design process for your book cover, post pictures of your changes on your Instagram & ask for follower input! Some authors even do social media cover contests so that the followers can vote on which cover they like best…this is a great promotion to do when you have a series or trilogy.

To read more about the importance of book covers, check out our blog post Cover-to-Cover by Courtney Stevens.

Author Support

The beauty of the writing community is that authors support authors! Follow authors you admire and know on Instagram and show them support—share & comment on their photos! You can also get some great photography and marketing ideas from fellow authors who are touring and doing events. 

Video

Instagram allows you to upload and post 3-15 second videos. Utilize this option by compiling a short video that has pictures of your novel or characters from the book. You can give a quick “hello” to your followers too or announce an Instagram giveaway contest winner! There are some really useful apps that can help you compile a short video! Here are a few apps that will make your Instagram videos easy to create AND amazing!

  1. PicPlayPost (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/picplaypost/id498127541?mt=8)
  2. Lapse It (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lapse-it-time-lapse-stop-motion/id539108382?mt=8)
  3. Videoshop (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/videoshop-video-editor/id615563599?mt=8)

Cover-to-Cover

Posted on | by Courtney Stevens | 1 Comment on Cover-to-Cover

Book Cover

“According to Hubspot, 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text.”[1] This is brain language for Your Cover Matters. More than your title. Maybe more (initially) than your content. People really do judge books by their covers. At the very least, they often decide to purchase a book based on cover.

So, if you are self-publishing, what can you do to make sure that your book cover is transmitting the “Buy me. Buy me,” message?

Here are 3 tips you might not have considered:

  1. Don’t just think about your target audience. Consider your target generation.

According to Stauss and Howe, who coined the theory on generations[2], here are the current generations in the United States:

  • Greatest Generation – 1930-1946
  • Baby Boomers – 1946-1964
  • Generation X – 1965-1984
  • Generation Y/Millennials – 1982-2004
  • Generation Z- 2004 – Current

If you take time to familiarize yourself and research your target generation prior to designing your cover, you will notice facts about what each generation prizes, things they buy/don’t buy, causes they care about, images they appreciate, etc. Applying this information to your cover might auto-attract your consumer.

  1. Your book cover is your handshake with the consumer.

Consider an image that represents your overall content, but does not feel like an inside joke to your potential reader. i.e. My working title for Faking Normal was once 23. While 23 was a powerful metaphor within the book, it was ultimately one that you had to read the book to understand. Faking Normal was a much broader invitation that made people say, “Faking Normal, I do that everyday. I wonder …” 23 wasn’t an invitation; it was a middle school clique that excluded the consumer. Covers can’t afford to be middle school cliques either. They must invite the consumer into the work from across the room.

  1. Ask yourself “What cover would make me buy my own book?”

I suggest you try this exercise: Go to a bookstore. Imagine you’re going to beach or getting on an airplane and you need to find something to read. Go pick up ten titles based on the covers. Lay them out and snap a photo of them with your phone. (Return or buy the books.) Go home and analyze that photo. What are you attracted to about those books? What made you pick them up? You can’t steal those book covers, but you can look for markers among them to include in your cover.

 

[1] http://commerce-futures.com/ecommerce/blog/the-visual-generation–the-ecommerce-revolution-tips–technologies-for-victory.html

[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generational_theory#Generations:_The_History_of_America.27s_Future.2C_1584_to_2069

The Most Important Question Authors Never Ask

Posted on | by Chelsea Apple

When I first begin working on a publicity campaign with an author, we have a lot of bases to cover—How far can they travel for events? What type of media will fit the book best? How much lead time do we have? But there’s one question that I ask every author, and it will determine how the entire publicity campaign goes from that point. It’s this: “What does success look like to you?”

If you’re an author, take a minute to think about it—what does success look like for you? Is it a big New York Times Bestseller splashed above your name? Is it the mouth-watering prospect of your book sales spiking into the thousands, the tens of thousands, or more? Is it the movie deal, or the cross-country tour?

Or are your goals more compact, more personal—Is it about spreading an important message? Sharing a meaningful life experience? Connecting with readers, or helping readers connect with some part of themselves? Or maybe it’s simply that you’ve written and published a book at all—that’s a huge accomplishment in itself!

The answer is typically comprehensive: Many authors begin writing because of some personal catalyst, a desire to process, create, and connect. And it’s natural to want your art recognized, to see that big beautiful book you created find its way into more hands (and, let’s be honest, bestseller lists would be great too).

Why is defining what success means to you personally crucial as you embark on the publishing journey?

First: If you’re not sure what success looks like to you, you won’t be sure how to get there—or what it will even look like when you do.

For example, an author may dream of reaching the coveted #1 slot on the New York Times list, but knows that realistically she’ll have a higher chance of hitting a local bestseller list. Measuring success solely by the Times list will (statistically) result in nothing but bitter frustration—but if she takes strategic steps to hit a local bestseller list, she has a higher chance of hitting her goal, and becoming a bestselling author in the process.

Second: If you’re not sure what success looks for you personally, you may not recognize it when you get there. I’ve seen authors become so focused on the “big” gains—the mythical interview on The Today Show, the glowing reviews in the major trade publications—that glowing endorsements from smaller, respected reviewers feel insignificant. The meaningful event at the small bookstore doesn’t feel “big” enough. Although the reviews are good, the books are selling, the venues are confirming events, the author isn’t having any fun.

So take a moment, and write it out: What does success look like to you? Make a list: What are you big goals, your top-shelf ambitions? Now, what are some realistic, achievable goals? What personal benchmarks will you celebrate? What steps will you take to get there? As you figure out what success means to you personally, you may discover that “making it” as an author is closer than you think.