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Book Marketing Tip: Not Everyone is Your Audience

  • 14
    Aug 18
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Book Marketing Tip: Not Everyone is Your Audience

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Kids. Who doesn’t love them? They can be some of the most loving, funny, forgiving, and brutally honest little human beings.  But they can also be quick to ignore a request if it’s not something they want to hear. Let me explain. My first husband and I raised two amazing daughters. When they were first born, I stayed home with them before creating The Book Professor and our book marketing division. Any parent can recall that feeling when your precious, darling little angel, first decided to ignore you. Argh! If it’s something they don’t want to hear and have determined in their little mind that your message is most certainly NOT for them, you’ll know it when they ignore you.

I laugh at those early days because my daughters are now grown and have children of their own. But it reminds me of some writers I’ve met who tried to write a book for the wrong people. Of course, as parents, our kids aren’t always going to like what we say or ask them to do (even if they need to hear it). But if you’re writing a book and it’s for the wrong audience then the response will be the same: they will ignore you. In the case of writing, that “ignore” translates into zero book sales. Not the book marketing goal most writers have in mind.

Research First, Then Write

All too many authors write their book without defining the target audience, and defining your audience is particularly important when writing nonfiction. And yet, if you narrow in on something too niche, you might discover that your audience is simply too small. For example, you might write a riveting book about how to maintain antique farm equipment, but will enough people be interested in that topic? It’s possible, but you want to be confident that you have solid book marketing plans before you start to write. You must think about your target audience when planning your book, as well as throughout the writing process.

Here are some questions to ask yourself regarding your target audience:

  • How old are they?
  • What is their gender?
  • What’s their education level?
  • What concerns/problems do they have?
  • Do they live in one specific geographic area?
  • What shared interests will they have?

Self-published authors, especially those who write memoirs or biographies, may think that their target audience are people like themselves, when in reality, your audience may be quite different from you. It’s important to identify what your audience actually wants and needs, not what you think they do.

Book Audience vs. Market

For example, if you are writing a book for children, children are your audience, but they’re not your market. Your market is the person with the pocketbook—the parents.

Be specific when defining your primary market. Picture the person who will buy your book. Is it a woman between the ages of 30 and 50 who is unhappy with the signs of aging? A target audience of all women between the ages of 30 and 50 is too broad, so it’s important to consider what subset of that group you want to attract. Ask yourself what will draw them in. How do you hope to influence and/or interest these women?

It’s also important to consider secondary markets. Secondary markets are those are the people/organizations/institutions who will also purchase your book, like educators who might be writing or teaching about your topic, or mental health practitioners if you’re writing about a topic like depression. Think hard about all the different groups that might benefit from your book. Try to come up with at least six markets for your boo—a primary market and five secondary markets. You’re going to use this information when you start reaching out to customers, so be thorough.

Define Your Goal

It’s important to know what you hope to accomplish with your book. You should know what message you are trying to send, and whom that message is supposed to reach. Book marketing is about knowing who will benefit from your book, and then focusing your marketing efforts on that audience.

When it comes to marketing your book, choosing your target market and audience is essential to your book’s success. Consider all the possibilities to ensure that a proper audience and market exist for your book, and then create your plan to grab their attention.

If you or someone you know is ready to write your book for the right audience, please contact us today. We can help you take the next step and market your book to the right people when it’s complete!

 

  • 07
    Aug 18
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Book Writing Course Tip: Tell Your Story With Purpose

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I love meeting people who want to write stories. But you know what I love more? Meeting people who want to write stories that have a purpose, which is something I stress in my book writing courses. I recently heard a podcast, and the speaker suggested that not everyone has one true calling. She dubbed people who have many interests and talents as multipotentialities. She said that living in a society that asks “what do you want to be when you grow up?” can have a detrimental effect because it makes people feel they have to commit to one thing forever—and that many of us don’t have one “one true calling” or one purpose. Interesting.

I know what it’s like to go through life doing jobs that were never suited for me in the first place. (Yes, I was once the owner of an asphalt paving company!) But I do believe that we were all put on Earth for a purpose. Before I developed my book writing course, I spent years pursuing things that I could do fairly well but left me feeling aimless, directionless, and without a purpose. My life felt like it didn’t have a point. Ultimately, my true gifts of writing pulled me back, and that’s when life got amazing and I knew my true purpose.

Give Your Nonfiction Book a Pointed Purpose Statement

The Purpose Statement for your book is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a statement—a single sentence, not a paragraph—that states what your book will accomplish for its specific audience. If you want your book to make an impact, it must perform an action.

Here’s a fill-in-the-blank formula that will help you craft your Purpose Statement:

The purpose of this book is to do ___action_____ for _audience_____.

What do you want your book to do? Hard question. Maybe it’s easier to explain what you don’t want it to do: You don’t want your book to raise awareness. Seriously.

You might think, I think I do want to raise awareness. Actually, you don’t. If you write a book to raise awareness, you miss an opportunity to change lives, save lives, or transform society.

You could write the most captivating, awareness-raising book in the world, but at the end, your readers’ response will be, “Well, that was interesting. Now I know about that.” Then they’ll shut the cover and promptly forget about it. Or maybe it will stick with readers for a few days, and they’ll think, “Somebody should do something about that.” But that’s as far as it will go. In the end, you’ve spent your time, energy, emotion, and money to write a forgettable book.

You want to create change in a specific, targeted audience, and you can use this formula to write your Purpose Statement:   

The purpose of this book is to _action_ for _audience_ so they can result.

What change do I want to invoke in my readers? Change implies action.

Here’s an example from one of my clients:

Nancy Nelson, Lessons from the Ledge: The purpose of this book is to guide women in crisis to dig into their resilience, to push past the pitfalls, and to reframe the pain so they can thrive instead of merely survive.

Let’s analyze Nancy’s Purpose Statement in light of our formula:

The purpose of this book is to guide (action) women in crisis (audience) to dig into their resilience (result 1), to push past the pitfalls (result 2), and to reframe the pain (result 3), so they can thrive instead of merely survive (result 4).

Your Purpose Statement is the foundation of your book. It defines your mission and describes your job as the author: to deliver your audience to realize the purpose of your book. It should be clear, concise, and specific. It’s the guide for everything you’ll write.

What about you? If you or someone you know is ready to tell your story with purpose, please contact us and we can help you enroll in a book writing course today!

  • 31
    Jul 18
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Nonfiction Book Coach Life Lessons: Awareness-The First Step to Change

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As a nonfiction book coach, I often find myself reflecting about the legacy I’ll leave behind. I’m blessed and beyond grateful to have experienced love, success, and the joy of having children and grandchildren in my life. But my journey hasn’t always been filled with sunshine. Like you, I’ve had trials, tribulations, and problems to endure. It was in some of my darkest moments that I learned many lessons about life for which I’m grateful because those lessons brought about the biggest changes in myself. Those events, while painful, forced me into an awareness of self that I couldn’t have learned any other way. Awareness truly is the first step to change.

Once You’re Aware, Share Your Change With the World

You might be thinking, what does awareness and change have to do with writing a book? Everything. When I meet aspiring authors, I’m often given a surface idea for their book. It isn’t until they hire me as their nonfiction book coach and we start working on their book that they realize their book is actually working on them. Often, in the middle of writing their book—especially if it forces them to remember and write about a painful event—they become more self-aware and start to explore new areas of their life.

The beauty of this awareness, especially if it occurs during the writing process, is that the reader reaps the benefit of the transformation the author shares in their story. That is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to offer hope and help to someone. People need solutions, but they also need to read about people that have gone through something similar and are still standing on the other side, changed for the better.

What about you? What event in your life has forced you to undergo a period of self-awareness? How did you change? I promise, you’re not the only one out there that has gone through what you’ve been through, even though it might feel like it. Someone needs to hear what you have to say. If you or someone you know is ready to share their story, please contact us today and we can help you take the next step. It would be an honor to be your nonfiction book coach!

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  • 25
    Jul 18
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Advice from a Writing Coach Online: Don’t Be An Anonymous Writer. Write it Raw, Then Edit

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As a writing coach online, I never get tired of hearing people’s stories. But for some, the choice to remain anonymous or to share their real identity in their book can be crippling. Why? Because not all stories are created equal. Some pains and traumas are hard to put on paper, let alone tell the world that these injustices happened to you. Old feelings like shame, fear, anger, abandonment, or embarrassment can reappear, and the writer feels emotionally paralyzed at the thought of baring their soul to the world.

I understand. I know what that feels like because I had to work through it myself as an author. The truth is, there’s a lot of pain in life, and it usually involves other people. But you can be both courageous and discreet when you write your book. Sometimes all you need is the courage and a helping hand to take the first step.  

Write it Raw, Then Edit

It may be tempting to remain anonymous when you publish your book, but if you do, you can’t offer anyone hope or help. Your readers won’t trust a face in the shadows. They’ve seen enough of those. They need to know that you’re real.

So how do you do it? The answer is to write the first draft of your book raw. Get down all the details and record all the indignities, as long as they’re driven by your Purpose Statement. Purge yourself of what you’ve been holding in and get everything down. Don’t be afraid to name names.  

This is where you start. Write a raw draft that holds nothing back. Your first draft won’t be anything like your final draft, so don’t be afraid to get it all down. 

After you finish your first draft, you can address the sensitive issues and the people you feel you need to protect. Maybe you don’t need to name names. Many of your characters can likely be defined by their relationship to you: my sister, my mother, my neighbor, her teacher. You get the point.

The extra benefit of identifying people by their relationship rather than their name is that it strengthens your writing. If you have too many names in your book, it confuses the reader and causes fatigue because they’re constantly juggling names and trying to remember who’s who.

Don’t feel like you need to tell the reader where you live either, unless your city or town is an important part of your story. As a writing coach online, I advise my students to concentrate on the message and leave the identifying details out.

Finally, after you’ve written it raw please remember that what you write must be the truth. Your book isn’t the place to smear someone else and risk a libel charge. If you want to write a “gotcha” book, I have nothing to offer you. Your book can be a powerful tool to change lives, save lives, and transform society, but there’s no room for vindictiveness. Write your story, but write it right.

 

What about you? Are you ready to write it raw then edit? If you or someone you know is ready to share their story, I’d be honored to be your writing coach online and help you take the first step. Contact us today!  

  • 17
    Jul 18
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Realize Your Best-seller Potential: Focus On These Five Details

This article originally appeared on Bookbaby.com

Your book metadata includes your book description, categories, keywords, and your author bio. Delivering this information is where many independent authors fall short.

Here’s the truth: While publishing a best-selling book is difficult, self-publishing a best seller is even harder. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. In fact, self-publishing a best seller is achievable now more than ever.

One key, of course, is for independent authors to leverage every advantage and free tool at their disposal, including social media, which offers the chance to connect one-on-one with readers. But equally critical is tending to the minute aspects of the self-publication process, namely, the details that comprise the information you’re presenting about your book: your Amazon metadata.

Your Amazon metadata includes things like your book’s description, its categories and keywords, and your author bio. You might think this is simple stuff, but surprisingly, delivering this information is where many independent authors fall short. An author will spend months — even years — perfecting every last detail of his or her book. Then, when it comes time to input their metadata, they rush through the process. They make mistakes. They don’t position their books for success, and their sales suffer as a result.

The good news? This fate is avoidable. To borrow a cliché, you just have to sweat the small stuff.

Here are five details independent authors should focus on to realize their best-seller potential.

1. Treat your book description and author bio like they’re a key chapter in your book

You can write the best book, come up with a brilliant cover design, and invest thousands in print copies for distribution, but if your description and author bio are sloppy, your book will be dead on arrival.

Devote the same amount of time crafting your description and bio as you did on the most important chapter of your book. Write. Rewrite. Edit. Proof. Show it to others.

Along with your book cover, these paragraphs are windows to the readers you’re trying to sell your book to. If the windows are boarded up or broken, no one’s going to buy.

It’s worth having a professional editor comb through your bio and description. If you don’t have a professional looking at your material, at least run your copy through a free online tool like Grammarly or ProWritingAid, which will catch grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes while also highlighting contextual errors. Or, utilize our Book Metadata Optimization service — it’s like an insurance policy for your book listing.

2. Keep your description short and compelling

Sometimes authors lend too little credence to crafting their book descriptions. But what can be more destructive is going to the other extreme and attempting to tell your entire story in what should just be a preview. For instance, some authors pen descriptions that give away critical plot twists or other takeaways that should only be discovered by the reader once he or she is immersed in the story. Robbing readers of those moments takes the incentive away for investing time in your book. Why would someone buy a book if they already know what’s going to happen?

Your description should be well-written and carefully proofed, but it should also be short and compelling. Just one or two sentences for the short description, and one or two paragraphs for the long description. Remember, this is a preview of your story. A tease! It should not only be clean and carefully done — it should leave the potential reader thinking, “I want to see what happens next!”

3. Select a category that is appropriate for your book

Be very careful in choosing the category of your book.

We once had what eventually became a best-selling author slot his book, The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep, in the “Children’s Book” genre. The problem was, his book was not meant for children. It should have been in the “Parenting” or “Self-Help” categories. It was only after he made that change that his book had a chance of being discovered by the right audience.

Another thing to keep in mind: The category of your book should be determined by the subject of the book, not the mood. Too many authors of mystery thrillers, for example, believe their book to be “dramatic,” so they put it in the “Drama” category. The problem? That section is meant for plays and scripts. Selecting an inappropriate category is a good way to ensure that the people you want to be seeing, buying, and reading your book never will.

4. Write your author bio in the third person

Writing an author bio in the first person is a mistake that many first-time independent authors make. They believe their bios should conversationally convey personal information about themselves, their book, or their writing process. But that’s not so. If your author bio includes language like, “First I did this…” or “I like to…” you’re on the wrong track. Your author bio should be written entirely in the third person.

The key here is to write a professional author bio akin to what you might see on the back flap of a book published by your favorite author. It should convey the fact that you are a serious author and that what the reader is about to purchase is a piece of serious writing. If you’ve been published previously or have won literary awards, consider including that information. If your profession is something that’s relevant to the subject or genre of your book, include that, too.

For good examples of serious and well put-together Amazon author bios, check out the profiles of Dan Brown or John Grisham.

5. Choose appropriate keywords

The keywords you choose for your book are just as important as everything in steps 1-4. Amazon allows authors to list up to seven keywords for each book. Here are some important things to remember when deciding on which keywords you’ll use:

  • Don’t designate the name or title of your book as a keyword. These elements of your metadata are already searchable, so including them as keywords doesn’t add any value.
  • Keywords should be familiar. The key here is to strike a balance between generic and obscure. Your book’s keywords should be things readers might realistically search for. For instance, if your book is a mystery novel set in London, consider using such keywords as “detective,” “Britain,” and “murder.”
  • Keywords should be relevant. In addition to being familiar, your keywords should be relevant. If your book is a horror novel, your keywords should bear some relation to that genre. The goal is to ensure your book is shown to the readers who are likely to buy your book — fans of horror novels, for instance.

Because independent authors don’t have the advantages and resources provided by traditional publishing houses, you can’t afford to rush through the smaller, seemingly less glamorous aspects of the publishing process. Taking the time to tighten and polish these details will ensure you don’t limit your book’s best-seller potential.

Join Steven and a host of great presenters, speakers, and exhibitors at BookBaby’s 2018 Independent Authors Conference, November 2-4 at The Sheraton Philadelphia Society Hill Hotel in Philadelphia! The Independent Authors Conference is the only writing conference dedicated to helping independent authors publish successfully. Register now! Don’t miss this opportunity to listen and learn from some of today’s leading self-publishing experts!

  • 12
    Jul 18
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How To Write a Nonfiction Book: Don’t Be Afraid To Tell Your Story

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“I really want to learn how to write a nonfiction book,” he told me over the phone, “but I think I have to write it as fiction because people will know who I’m talking about.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “What’s the secret?”

Family secrets. Truths not told. Sensitive feelings. Things swept under the rug. These can be big barriers when deciding how to write a nonfiction book.  Big risks.

Some of us have stories that we’ve had to bury out of respect—or fear—of others. All our lives, we’ve pretended that things are okay, and we’ve hidden truths that have hurt us in order to protect someone else. We’ve lived under the shadow of other people’s choices, and we want to finally be set free. Except we’re afraid. Really afraid.

Perhaps you’ve been a victim of sexual abuse, or you grew up in a violent family, or you suffered under the lash of a parent’s alcoholism or other addiction. Maybe your husband is a closet homosexual or your child is struggling desperately with his or her gender identity. You know your story can literally save or change someone else’s life, but you’re afraid to tell the truth because it could hurt other people. Some of our stories are built from shame. I understand. But you can overcome this fear-keep reading to learn how.

Keep the End in Mind

It might be best to stop obsessing over the people you might hurt and instead to focus on the people you can help. The problem with dirty little secrets is that they get stashed away, and when you find yourself in the middle of one of them, you’re convinced that you’re completely alone because people don’t talk about this stuff.

This doesn’t happen to people like us. Nice people don’t have problems like this.

Don’t talk, don’t see, just pretend.

When you were smack in the middle of your pain, chances are you felt totally alone. There was no one to talk to and no one who understood. This type of isolation is deadly. You have to bury the pain, and you eventually have to split off from yourself to survive. You maintain a public façade that you protect with all your energy, and in doing so, you lose touch with yourself because you’re living a lie.

What if you’d had a book to be your friend? What if you’d connected with a fellow sufferer, the book’s author, and felt the compassion of someone who’d been through the same thing but was now on the other side of it? Would you want to know how things got better for that individual—to see a path out of darkness for yourself?

What if you could be that author?

Human beings are resilient, but there are two things we can’t live without: hope and help. When you tell your story—what you’ve been through, what you’ve endured, and what you’ve overcome—you can be the lifeline for someone who is sinking. You can be that voice of hope and help.

You Don’t Need Permission

If you’ve ever been in a codependent relationship, it’s likely that you don’t want to step on any toes and that you’re overly concerned about others. Guess what? You can forget about other people right now and do what you know is right.

You don’t need anyone’s permission to learn how to write a nonfiction book.  You don’t need to worry about pleasing or displeasing anyone because your focus will be on your audience and offering them hope and help. You’ll be radar-locked on helping those who need you, and everyone else can fall by the wayside. What they think about what you’re doing isn’t your concern. What you know as truth is what matters.

The truth is, there’s a lot of pain in life for most of us, and it usually involves other people. You can be both courageous and discreet when you write your book. Sometimes all you need is the courage and a helping hand to take the first step and I’d be honored to help.

If you or someone you know is ready to learn how to write a nonfiction book and share your story,  please contact us today and we can help you take the next step!

 

  • 09
    Jul 18
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Book Coach Tip: While You’re Working on Your Book Your Book is Working on You

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As a professional book coach, speaker, and author, I’ve had the privilege to meet people from all over the world. One of the things they quickly learn about me is that as a book coach, I only work with people who want to write nonfiction books that have the power to change lives, save lives and transform society. I don’t hide this from anyone. In fact, it’s written on my website, is discussed in my book, and is something I speak about all over the world. Yes, our world is in crisis on a national, personal and spiritual level, but it can be fixed. And it is being fixed, one reader at a time.

What if the book you write not only changes someone else’s life but yours too in the process? When my authors finish their books, one thing that surprises them most is how much they have changed. They sought to write a story to provide hope and help to someone else and found their personal opinions, thoughts, and feelings changed and/or healed in the process. As a nonfiction book coach, author, and speaker one thing I’ve learned about writing is this: “While you’re working on your book, your book is working on you.”

Realize Your Potential and Change Your Life

It’s no secret that writing has a positive impact on your emotional and mental health. I’ve kept a journal my whole life and credit it to one of my tools for maintaining a sense of peace. But what if writing a book enabled you to realize your professional calling? That’s what author of The Underage CEOs and Entrepreneur writer Ganesh Vancheeswaran credits writing a book did for him. In his article “Writing a Book Changed My Life. It Can Change Yours Too,” he talks of how writing a book opened up dimensions within himself. He goes on to say that:

“Curiously, writing the book made me realize that I was an entrepreneur. Probably because, from idea to publication to promotion, writing a book is akin to the journey of an entrepreneur. You have to hustle, face ups and downs, live with delays and anxiety, reconcile yourself to delayed gratification and face up to loneliness. I emerged from this 12-month journey with the confidence that I have what it takes to make it in the big, bad world of entrepreneurs. Which is why I promptly unshackled myself from my day job and became a freelance writer and independent consultant in Branding & Marketing Communication. That remains one of the best decisions of my life. I have since been able to work on highly satisfying projects, make a name for myself in the market and earn a lot of money. “ (Source)

Reading stories like Ganesh’s transformation after writing his book is one of the reasons I love what I do.  What about you? Are you ready to change the life of someone that needs hope and help and in the process change your own life? If so, contact us, today and we can help you take the next step!

 

  • 26
    Jun 18
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Write Your Book In a Year With The Book Professor

When I was five years old, do you know what I wanted? I wanted to be six. When I was six, I’d get to go to school like the big kids. Then, when I was six, I wanted to be seven so I wouldn’t be a lowly first grader anymore. I wanted to hurry, hurry, hurry things along, and this awful pattern continued for much of my life. Even before I created The Book Professor, I was always rushing to the next thing, the next milestone, the next point on my life journey.

Writing and publishing a high-quality, professional book takes time, too. Some writing coaches suggest that you can write your book in ninety days, or in one month, or even in a weekend. That’s not my approach. It takes a lot of thought and effort to construct a quality product, and that takes time.

Because of my work as The Book Professor,  people I’ve just met often give me books they’ve written. It’s not unusual for me to receive several in a week. I’m always amazed when people write a book. I know how hard it is and how much effort it takes, and the authors are always very, very proud of their work. I congratulate these people for seeing the project through from start to finish and tell them that they’ve accomplished something that very few people ever do. I make sure they know how impressed I am with their dedication to the effort.

What I don’t tell them, however, is what I think about their book. I’ve been given more crappy books than life should allow. The covers look like a child designed them, the type is in a fourteen-point font, and the text is double-spaced to make the book longer. These people have no clue how to organize their material into deliverable containers that readers can absorb, and their messages aren’t sharp and clear. What they intended to produce was a book that would increase their credibility, but what they actually produced completely killed it. And they don’t even know it. A book is not a book is not a book.

Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste.
 —Benjamin Franklin

 

Publishing is an industry, and an old one at that. There are standards and conventions that must be followed. I can spot an amateur book across the room, and I always feel sad for authors who didn’t take the time to present themselves in a professional light. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you work with us at The Book Professor I won’t allow you to produce a book that won’t represent you well.  You don’t have to know anything about publishing-leave it to the pros to make you look better than you can on your own.

Whether you write a crappy book or a great book, you’re going to pour a lot of time, energy, emotion, and money into it. You might as well do it right and produce something that’s a credit to your name. The truth is, it takes about a year for a first-time author to write a decent book. You can incorporate tools that help you work more efficiently, but you just can’t shortcut the process. My point is this: I don’t subscribe to the write-a-book-in-a-hurry method because it wastes time, energy, and dollars, and it ultimately produces a substandard product.

Take Your Time

One thing you have going for you is that you’re writing nonfiction, and nonfiction has longevity. Unlike fiction, which has about a ninety-day window to success, nonfiction has a long shelf life, especially if you handle the material well. So what’s the hurry? If your book can be relevant for ten or twenty years, why not pull yourself out of the slap-it-together crowd and do it right? Accept it and be OK with it: It’s going to take you a year to write your book.

There’s something that comes into play during that year, and it’s a phenomenon that occurs in most of the writers I work with. It’s puzzling to some but profound to others, and I think it’s part of the magic that happens when you step into this journey. Here’s the truth: while you’re working on your book, your book is working on you.

If you or someone you know is ready to share your story,  contact us at The Book Professor and we can help you with the next step!

 

  • 21
    Jun 18
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Writing a Book-Time, It’s Not On Our Side

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Writing a Book is Possible-Even With a Busy Life

Time is on my side, yes it is.

Time is on my side, yes it is.

For you music buffs out there, can you name that tune? I’ll give you a hint. It was first recorded by R&B artist Irma Thompson in 1964 and then later that same year, it was re-recorded by one of the most influential rock groups in our culture. If you guessed “Time Is On My Side” by  The Rolling Stones, then you’re right! Whether you prefer the original version by Irma Thompson, or undoubtedly the most popular version by The Rolling Stones, the lyrics are still fantastic and bring back some great memories.

You might be thinking, what does that song have to do with writing a book? More than you might realize. In fact, the excuse of “I don’t have time right now” is one of the biggest objections I hear from people who put their book on hold. In other words, they believe that time is on their side, and they don’t need to write their book right now. They’re too busy with life and will wait till the time is right. What’s the rush?

Yes, there are some seasons in life that can require more from us mentally, physically, and emotionally, but if you’re waiting for your life to be uneventful so you can write your nonfiction book, then it probably won’t ever get written.

You Will Never Be Less Busy

It doesn’t matter if your passion is about a new business process that can save time and dollars. It can be a memoir about overcoming pain and suffering, or how to connect on a soul-level with your dog: if you have a passionate solution, someone else needs it! People don’t buy books; they buy solutions.

Someone is looking for what’s trapped inside of you, but you’re not sure that now is the right time to jump in and write your book. Guess what? You will never be less busy than you are now! This year is going to pass by anyway, and you may as well have something to show for it.

If you were sitting in front of me instead of reading this blog, here’s what I’d say to you:

Time - You will never be less busy

 

If you or someone you know is ready to share your story with the world,  contact us today and we can help you with the next step! For more information on our class offerings, please visit us at www.thebookprofessor.com.

  • 19
    Jun 18
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You Can Succeed in the Marketplace as an Independent Author

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This article originally appeared on Bookbaby.com

You can succeed in today’s marketplace as an independent author. There’s data to back that up. Of course, statistics and sales reports won’t mean a thing if your book has not been professionally edited or if you rushed through the design process.

Hugh Howey is an independent author of 31 self-published books. He’s well known now, as he sold the film rights for his sci-fi series, Wool, to 21st Century Fox in 2012. But in his early days, like many independent authors, he had trouble gaining traction with readers.

He found that after self-publishing his books, there were no resources available to help him track how his book was performing compared to other authors in the marketplace. None of the mainstream tracking services — such as the American Association of Publishing — included self-published books in their reports. He had no way to tell who was buying his books, or books similar to his, and who wasn’t.

That is why Howey and his partner — a numbers-crunching self-published author aptly named the “Data Guy” — started Author Earnings, a resource that compiles all of the data that might be relevant to independent authors. It’s crammed with revealing numbers, including quarterly sales reports for both traditionally and independently-published books, regional-specific reports, and reports detailing eBook and audiobook sales. It then synthesizes that data in such a way that allows writers to make informed decisions about marketing their books.

For independent authors, that makes Author Earnings an invaluable resource. But there are additional insights from Author Earnings that authors need to be paying attention to. Here are a few notable nuggets of wisdom from the site’s latest report.

It’s a level playing field

Independent authors comprise a large portion of the industry’s most regularly-purchased authors, and while it remains that the Dan Browns and John Grishams of the world reside comfortably and consistently near the top of any earnings report, when it comes to independent authors, those spending time at the top are constantly changing. Rising new stars are making serious waves in the industry all the time.

Sure, self-publishing a bestseller requires a little luck. And, yes, the independent authors at the top of Howey’s latest earnings report got there because they positioned themselves for success by way of investing in editing work, cover design, and marketing. But what we can now confirm is that you don’t need to be a household name to publish a best-selling book.

You can publish a successful book whenever you want… almost

Author Earnings’ recent data illuminates that eBook sales are pretty consistent throughout the year. Print books sell better in August (for beach season) and December (for the holidays), but for independent authors, there is no bad time to release your book. That means there is no built-in advantage to releasing your book on September 1st versus February 1st.

The one exception here is actually December, which is something we’ve learned over the years: The hardest time for a self-published author to be discovered is the holidays. Readers simply don’t have the time during the holiday season to discover new authors. When they’re purchasing books as gifts, they’re looking for something they know the recipient will like and aren’t usually apt to taking risks.

You can use discounting to your advantage

There are those out there who will tell you, “If you don’t think your book is worth a dollar, neither will readers.” Those people haven’t looked at the data.

What the latest Author Earnings report also shows is that it’s not a “bad” thing for independent authors to give their books away for free or sell them for 99¢. Evidence shows that people are purchasing/accessing plenty of free and 99-cent books, which means selling your book at a cheap/discounted price is a potentially valuable route for independent – and especially new – authors to explore in the quest to find readers and create momentum.

For new authors, creating momentum is paramount. You want to build a readership, you want to get more reviews, and one great way to do that is to make your first offering easier to buy.

It is a bad business decision to limit yourself to one format

Here are a few important stats authors should know:

  • 30% of potential book buyers only buy printed books
  • 30% of potential book buyers only buy eBooks
  • 40% of potential book buyers vacillate between the two options

In other words, independent authors who choose not to publish print books are severely limiting their potential sales because they’re willfully neglecting 30 percent of the market. Same thing with eBooks, especially given the report’s emphasis on self-published authors’ success in the eBook market.

The self-publishing industry is thriving

Author Earnings confirms that independent authors are seeing real financial success when self-publishing books, and while there are fewer independent authors earning triple-digit numbers, the industry is rife with opportunity.

Of course, independent authors always need to ensure that they’ve spent the time creating a quality product before publishing. Seasonality and sales insights won’t mean a thing if your book has not been professionally edited or if you rushed through the design process.

Still, what independent authors should internalize is this: You can succeed in the marketplace. The data backs it up.

Join Steven and a host of great presenters, speakers, and exhibitors at BookBaby’s 2018 Independent Authors Conference, November 2-4 at The Sheraton Philadelphia Society Hill Hotel in Philadelphia! The Independent Authors Conference is the only writing conference dedicated to helping independent authors publish successfully. Register now! Don’t miss this opportunity to listen and learn from some of today’s leading self-publishing experts!

 

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    Jun 18
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How To Write A Book Step By Step-Make the Time

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How many times a day do you say, “I don’t have time for that?” Maybe it seems impossible to make time to write or to even make time for anything outside of your normal schedule. The people I meet want to learn how to write a book step by step, but their lives are filled with so much: things they want to do, things they need to do. And a lot of things they don’t really want to do, but must. There’s always that race against the clock, which leaves them feeling scattered and torn, like a scarecrow with his stuffing pulled out. At the end of the day, there isn’t much left.

If that’s you, I understand.  But, I’m a firm believer that if something’s important to you, no matter how busy you are, you’ll make time to do it.

Learn How to Write A Book Step By Step

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely hate to waste time, and the biggest time waster for me is when I have to do something over. I hate doing things twice.

I like to follow a time-tested, straight path that gets me from where I am now to where I want to be while expending the least amount of energy possible to produce an excellent result.

The good news is that there’s a step-by-step process you can follow to become an author. You don’t have time for do-overs. And you certainly don’t have time for an inefficient methodology.

If the shortest path from one point to another is a straight line, you’d better be sure you know that the path you are on will take you where you want to go! The only thing you need to get started is an idea. That’s it. Just an idea. Then, week by week, step by step, you plan the contents of your book and adding to the writing until you have a rough draft, then a finished manuscript. Yes, it takes time, but it doesn’t take forever.

But you don’t want a manuscript, do you? Of course not. You want a book. You need to go beyond the writing and have a clear path to packaging, publishing, and promoting your book. Be sure that’s the path you’re on, a path that takes you all the way from your initial idea to the finished product.

When you write a book, you establish yourself as an expert in your field, increase your credibility, and can attract a following—with one caveat. It better be a good book. Rushing through it can be catastrophic.

 

  • 11
    Jun 18
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Sound Advice for Coaches or Consultants with Jim McCraigh

coach or consultant

If you’re a coach or consultant, you know how hard it is to get started in the business and, once you’re established, to keep the clients coming. You have a lot to offer, but connecting with the ones who can benefit from your expertise is not an easy task.

That’s why I was excited to interview Jim McCraigh, a thought leader in the world of coaches and consultants. Jim teach coaches, consultants, and speakers how to get more high-value clients, and he offers his sound advice in the audio segment below.

Listen time is about 15 minutes.

Click here to connect with Jim.

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