Small Press Month - PLEDGE TO SELF PUBLISHERS

On this, the final day of Small Press Month, I celebrate all of those who have voluntarily embarked on the journey of self publishing in your own small press. We are gaining ground in changing the way self publishing is perceived, but it takes all of us to demand excellence. Forget the detractors and cynics. We know that quality self publishing affords flexibility of timing and editorial content; but with that comes the responsibility to produce quality products that deliver value in a more timely fashion than a traditional publisher can do.

As an advocate for self publishing, I pledge to continue the quest to help you, the independent author, share your stories to a proper and realistic audience with the highest quality product possible.

WILL YOU TAKE THE PLEDGE?

I ask you to pledge the following for the good of the entire self publishing industry. One bad apple CAN spoil this bushel, so stand tall, self publishing comrades -- and demand excellence of yourself and others!

• I promise to never consider self publishing as a step down, or a last resort, and to always celebrate the vital role self publishing plays in the world of books.
• I promise to not let my ego get in the way of producing useful and entertaining products.
• I promise to strive to learn and to improve my writing every day of my writing career.
• I promise to listen and accept the advice of a professional editor and other book professionals I hire.
• I promise to use quality production techniques.
• I promise to use professional business practices in my publishing endeavor, from concept to distribution.
• I promise to learn the wholesale and retail side of the book business and to conduct myself correctly when in this environment for the good of the whole industry.
• I promise to lift up and support other self publishers that produce exceptional products, and try to help those who aren't quite there.

Happy Small Press Month, my friends.

Here's a valuable article from Penny Sansevieri in the Huff Post:
How to write and publish the (almost) perfect book

Small Press Month - Tip # 30

March 30 - Participate in trade shows that are RELEVANT for your platform. Book fairs aren't the only game in town for authors, but there are some very important rules to follow. It can be expensive, time consuming, intimidating, and ultimately, disappointing if you don't choose wisely and plan ahead.

1. The Biggie: Select shows that have a relevant audience -- your reader is not just a book buyer. Think TOPIC and INTERESTS. Just because 20,000 random and diverse people are going to a book fair in Miami doesn't mean they are your buyer. It also doesn't mean you'll be exposed to 20,000 sets of eyes. Sometimes a smaller show is better. WARNING! There's math involved. Two of you are in your booth for a two-day show, and say it takes nine minutes on average to present your spiel to a guest in your booth. You are only actually talking to 213 people if both of you are talking every single minute of the show! That's
         16 hours x 60 minutes x 2 booth staffers
                Your average presentation time
2. Participate outside of the exhibit floor in any available and affordable way. Try to be helpful to the organizer (and be nice to them), buy an ad or sponsor something if you can. 
3. Budget wisely. Be realistic. Read the show information and know what costs money. Don't sabotage yourself with rush fees or other fines by not reading the show rules and missing deadlines.
4. Set measurable goals and objectives; develop your strategy; be flexible. Trade shows are where trends are discovered, news is revealed and major things happen. Be prepared for that.
5. At the show, STAND UP in your booth. Engage the people that pass by your booth. Give something away. Talk to the guests in your booth. (No chairs are ever allowed in CMI booths!)
6. Have a professional-looking booth, without clutter.
7. Create talking points, practice them, and use them at the show...same spiel guest after guest.
8. Collect leads. Write down all information because you will not remember it later.
9. Follow up on leads. Plan your follow up before you even leave for the show. Over 80% of trade show leads are shamefully never followed up.  
10. Debrief right after the show. Measure your return on your investment at intervals three, six, nine and twelve months. It's tempting to do it right when you get home; but the real measure is four to six months later or more. Look for lifetime value of a customer gained at show.

Summary: Participate in trade shows that are relevant to your topic. Plan. Budget. Participate. Follow up. Measure.

Small Press Month - Tip # 29

March 29 - Plan marketing with a full understanding of the relationship between Reach and Frequency. Let me start by giving an example. Have you ever noticed how an advertisement may seem familiar a few times, but it doesn't really capture your attention completely? You've seen it, sort of noticed it in parts here and there, and then all of the sudden (you've probably actually seen the ad eight or ten times) you put the whole message together in your mind ...and then WHAM! you realize the benefits of owning the thing advertised and buy one? That's the epitome of Reach and Frequency -- they identified a prospect (you) and then found vehicles to show you the message often enough to break through the noise of your busy life.

With previous careers in marketing, I've found that book marketing is one of the purest forms of niche marketing there is -- it should be just you (the author) and one person who is totally interested in your book (your reader's profile). Since "everyone" clearly is not your audience, and budgets are rarely unlimited, the terms Reach and Frequency are more than just two simple words -- they are critical concepts to know when planning your marketing.

Reach and Frequency apply to any promotional activity you undertake: broadcast or print, direct mail, direct selling, trade or bulk deals, special sales, and even in your social networking. Reach is the number of people exposed to your marketing message. Frequency is the number of times you touch each person with your message. The most important rule in these concepts is that Reach without Frequency is a pile of wasted cash.

While intuitively most business people really do understand the concept of Frequency for successful promotional and sales campaigns, when it comes to actual implementation of the campaign, most small businesses opt to sacrifice Frequency for Reach. Most often, this occurs because we are a culture of immediacy. If something doesn't have a return on the first ad, we assume it isn't working. Without question, the biggest waste of marketing dollars is when promotional activities are implemented without adequate frequency.

Small Press Month - Tip # 28

March 28 - Participate in blog promotions and contests. A great way to spread the word about your title (as well as a relatively free or pretty cheap way) is to participate in blog giveaways. I don't mean enter to win a prize for yourself -- I mean offer YOUR book as the prize! There are many benefits to your book being "the prize". The blogger will mention your title multiple times in their posts: 1) to announce the giveaway, 2) to keep readers up-to-date on the entries, and 3) to announce the winner, at the very least. And more likely than not, they will link to your website...and we all like backlinks.

There are several ways to find blog giveaways in which to participate. The most obvious way is to search for blogs that cover your topic and then contact them to say you are interested in doing a giveaway of your book to their followers. They might say yes, but they might say no, too.  Move on to the next one and thank the blogger for their time. A more sure-fire way to get your foot in the door is to subscribe to free sites like HARO.com and PitchRate.com, which will send daily requests to your inbox from reporters and bloggers looking for sources and materials. You can tailor your results to fit your interests, whatever they may be. Bloggers will often get the word out this way when they are looking to do a giveaway, and you sure as heck want to know when they are asking!

When you receive a request that fits your topic, you simply contact the requester (however the site requires you do it) and let them know you are interested in being a part of their giveaway. Be sure to send them all the information they will need about you and your book. It is also a good idea to send them a link to your website and your online press kit if you have one (which you should!). If all goes well, they will let you know that they would love to do a giveaway of your book! The blogger will tell you what to do next -- some will want you to ship them a copy of the book for them to keep, as well as a copy to send to the winner. Others will want you to directly ship the winning copy. Either way, you have successfully done your first blog giveaway and added yet another great way to spread the word about your book to your toolbox.

Small Press Month - Tip # 27

March 27 - Always carry your book with you. You never know who you might be sitting next to on the subway or a plane, or the Jiffy Lube or even in a cafe at breakfast. In 1995, I was at breakfast in LA with a couple of publishing friends. We were talking about the books currently being produced at the fledgling publishing company with whom I was employed. A woman next to us overheard our conversation and wanted to see the books or our catalog, which I had with me in my briefcase. She made a purchase for her bookstore right then and there, and continues to be a valued customer to this day. In all, the lifetime value of that customer, after spending $5.00 on a bowl of oatmeal at breakfast one day, has amounted to over $50,000 in lifetime sales to that single customer.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your mind on alert. Always be aware that your behavior and attentiveness counts, no matter where you are or who you are with. If you are at a conference on your topic area, or regarding publishing, wear your badge in and around the hotel. Don't be obnoxious about it, but don't hesitate to find an opening and engage in friendly conversation with people.... "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear. So you are interested in _______, I just finished a book on that subject and I'd love to talk to you about it."  This is when your elevator speech comes in really handy!  (See the post from March 2.)

One more important hint: Your printed book is important, of course, but also have your book loaded on your Kindle, android phone or another device and have it with you at the ready!

Small Press Month - Tip # 26

March 26 - Book more radio interviews by being a great guest. Every author dreams of being on Oprah first, every other media second. Yes, it's a pipe dream for most everyone. The big question is:  Are you even ready to do a show with Oprah...or any other radio or television program?

Most authors are not as ready as they think they are for even a local show. But how do you get ready? How do you do a great show? What makes you a good guest that will be invited back?  As with many of life's questions, the answer is Preparation, Courtesy and Understanding. 

Before the interview: Make it easy for the host/producer to book you. Have a phone number that actually reaches a human voice and answer your phone (it's difficult to call them back sometimes). If the show is right for you, agree to a time and then keep it. Rescheduling your life is often easier than a producer's job of rescheduling everyone on their show and making room for you. When scheduling, get the producer's email address and send them a confirmation email, plus any of your information that they need (including your bio and introduction, canned questions they can ask you, unique sound bites about your market, etc.)  Finally, ask them to record your interview and provide a link. (They don't always record, so ask ahead of time.) Practice (out loud) the talking points that you always want to make sure you say clearly and completely. 

During the interview:  If you are supposed to call in, make sure you have the number with you and call five minutes prior to your interview -- don't get miffed if the start of your interview is 5-10-15 minutes late. That's normal. If they are calling you, provide the producer a good phone number, preferably a land line, but if you use a cell phone, stay put in one place for the duration of the interview -- not in a coffee shop with noise! During the interview, answer the questions the host asks and don't be too "familiar" too fast.  Stop talking occasionally and let them ask another question or engage you in a conversation that they think their listeners would enjoy. Your job is to understand your place with this interviewer. REMEMBER: He has the listeners and the audience, and with that comes a promise to THEM, not you. His job is to bring guests that will engage, entertain, educate or inform his listeners -- his obligation is to them, not you. Your job is to make him look good to his listeners for bringing such a great guest on. Be sure you tell them where the book is available in their area, and give them your website.

After the interview:  Let them know if you are okay with follow up questions and how best to reach you. Send the host/producer a written thank you (email is fine, but handwritten is better), and anything else you promised them. Post a link on your website and on Facebook and download the podcast to your server. 

Small Press Month - Tip # 25

March 25 - Create a list of discussion questions for book clubs and other groups. Make sure the questions are not leading ones...and make sure they relate to many aspects of your book. You want readers to think and discuss your book, but sometimes you have to "guide" the group along without leading them to the answers you think they should come up with.

Think about how you want people to view your characters, or how you want them to behave after reading your book. Create your questions from those thoughts, but keep an open mind when doing this. Ask people that have read your book to review the discussion questions and try to have a discussion based on the questions. Listen to what they say and adjust your questions so you are not leading the answers by how you ask the question.

Plan on having 10-15 questions of varying lengths and topic areas. Focus on scenes, characters, emotions, thought processes, outcomes, metaphorical references, and time periods. Try to stay away from educationy-sounding questions -- you don't want someone criticizing you for being too "didactic". (Which I hear a lot these days. It means "intending to instruct" -- which is kind of ironic, because it's usually people in the education field telling me this. How can something for an educational environment be not intended to instruct?... but I digress.)

EXTRA TIP: We now put a little seal on the back cover of the book that says "Includes discussion questions," and that helps schools, libraries and book clubs select your book over another one because you have made it easier for them to utilize your book in groups.

Discussion questions also do one more thing. They really help the group leader understand your thought process, and that helps them see the relevance of your book to their group.

(Oh yeah, have some fun doing this!)