August 12, 2005
Google Adwords and Amazon
This tip in from Steve Harrison:
Amazon is a joint venture partner with Google Adwords and they post the top selling Google Adword ads on every book sales page that has the same keywords, which includes the words in the title and author's names. When you select the title or authors name as your keywords, your ad will show up under "Customers interested in this title may also be interested in" on that book's page.
Although advertising on Google Adwords isn't free, the payback can be enormous. For info on Google's Adwords program go to http://www.google.com/adwords
Posted by Andreas at 07:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 10, 2005
Amazon marketing tricks
Over the next couple of weeks we will be publishing a number of tricks and tips exploring ways to increase your visibility on amazon.com
So, starting today:
Tip one: Build a reputation as an expert by reviewing other people's books.
Find other books that deal with similar subject matter to your own and then review them. This might involve the expense of purchasing the actual books but you might already own them from the days when you were researching your own book. Make sure that your review is fair and balanced.
Every review you post you'll sign with 'Your Name, author of Title of your book".
Amazon takes a dim view on using the title of your own book in the actual review - this will be treated as spam and the review will not be posted - but they are happy for you to include the title of your book in your signature. Feel free to use any other relevant credentials you might have in there. Anything that portrays you as an expert in your field is generally a good idea.
Do the above to as many books as you can manage and you'll build a reputation as trusted source in no time. Once that has happened people will start to look at your book as a trusted source of information and your sales should go up.
Posted by Andreas at 01:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 25, 2005
11 Tips to Avoid Self-Publishing Traps
Marilyn and Tom Ross are the coauthors of 13 books including The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing.
They give the following advice to self publishing authors:
Self-publishing used to be the Rodney Dangerfield of book publishing. It didn’t get “no respect.” Today that’s all changed. With originally self-published books like The Celestine Prophecy, Butter Busters, The Christmas Box, and What Color is Your Parachute? monopolizing bestseller lists—do-it-yourself publishing is very much in vogue.
To be successful, however, it’s mandatory that you adhere to certain guidelines. By following the tips below, you’ll avoid the pitfalls and enhance your chances of flourishing.
1. Educate yourself. Self-publishing is a business. Approach it as such. There are informative books on the subject, seminars offered, and associations where you can learn the ropes and network with the more experienced. This can be very lucrative if properly approached. Conversely, you can waste thousands of dollars by blundering along without knowledge or a plan.
2. Study the competition. Don’t add more to a subject that’s already glutted. Be sure the topic hasn’t been overdone. Just checking a local library or bookstore is not adequate research. Look in Books in Print Subject Guide and Forthcoming Books in Print Subject Guide. You’ll be amazed at how many books there are on the topic. Yours must be better than what’s already available. Make it shorter, longer, easier to use, more informative, funnier, richer in content, or better organized. For fiction, try to tie into a hot topic so you have a “hook” for publicity.
3. Write what other people want. Catering to your personal desires often makes for...
Click here to learn more.
Posted by Andreas at 07:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 23, 2005
Ogilvy on blogging
Ogilvy and Mather is one of the world's largest advertising agencies, with offices around the globe. I myself worked at their London branch back in the early 90's. The things typically Ogilvy were, amongst others, a passion for testing and training. Testing campaign concepts and training staff. Rarely did a moth pass without some sort of a training program being offered. I find myself falling back on stuff I've learned at O&M to this day.
Now O&M Public Relations has published a guide to successful blogging. It is, perheps obviously, written with the marketing community in mind. However, as we keep stressing, every self publishing author needs to be a marketeer in order to make a success of his or her book, so this is a worthwhile read for all of you. The pdf file is available for free download here.
Posted by Andreas at 06:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 22, 2005
Seth Godin: Advice for authors
Seth Godin's book are selling by the million. He also writes a blog every self publishing author should read.
Take a look at this, a post titled Advice for authors:
So, what's my best advice?Build an asset. Large numbers of influential people who read your blog or read your emails or watch your TV show or love your restaurant or or or...
Then, put your idea into a format where it will spread fast. That could be an ebook (a free one) or a pamphlet (a cheap one--the Joy of Jello sold millions and millions of copies at a dollar or less).
Then, if your idea catches on, you can sell the souvenir edition. The book. The thing people keep on their shelf or lend out or get from the library. Books are wonderful (I own too many!) but they're not necessarily the best vessel for spreading your idea.
And the punchline, of course, is that if you do all these things, you won't need a publisher. And that's exactly when a publisher will want you! That's the sort of author publishers do the best with.
I actually introduced Publish and be damned to Seth. He liked the idea, but I don't think he'll be going to ditch his publishers any day soon.
Posted by Andreas at 08:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
www.universitychic.com
Got this in today's mail from Marina:
I thought you might be interested in a new website that allows women to publish articles online and build a portfolio/resume: www.universitychic.com
It's a good looking site, so if you're a young woman, take a look. Topics include career, politics, lifestyle, culture and others.
Posted by Andreas at 07:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 21, 2005
Agent 007 on Publishing
I've been following this blog for the last couple of days. It really is a must read for any author, self publishing or not. The blog is written by an anonymous agent somewhere in the US. Take a look:
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
The Secret Lives of Editors, Part 3: THE POWER OF THE FOLDER
FACT #1: 90% OF BOOKS ARE BOUGHT BASED ON THE COVER LETTER
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood a beautiful day for a publisher…
Hmm. What is it like when a submission lands on an editor’s desk at a major publisher? Let me take you undercover and show you…
The first mail call of the day, usually between 10:00 and 11:00 am. Many submissions arrive. Some are unagented. There are a few naïve (I mean, ambitious) editorial assistants out there who will open and read these true ‘slush’ packages. More and more, however, publishers have a strict policy: Return it unopened with a form letter stating that it has not been read. Wouldn’t want to be accused of stealing someone’s really bad idea.
The assistant logs the legitimate (i.e. agented) submissions into some sort of database depending on that particular....
Click here to read more.
Posted by Andreas at 10:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 19, 2005
Reading books is definitely more fun than writing them
I just read this article in today's Globe and Mail and thought that many of our writers might be able to identify with it. Funny stuff, but oh so true.
Reading books is definitely more fun than writing them
They say everyone has a book in them. As if to prove this truism, almost everyone I know is writing one.My mother is writing a memoir. My uncle is halfway through the second part of a trilogy. My aunt has a couple of volumes under her belt as well. Many of my colleagues have manuscripts in progress. Two of my editors are working on their first books. One of my closest girlfriends just signed a deal to write young adult fiction. Another pair of old friends are collaborating on their third title (the first two were bestsellers). And these...
Click here to read more.
Posted by Andreas at 02:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 18, 2005
The Culture of Participation
Erick Schonfeld, editor-at-large for Business 2.0 writes:
Blogs, wikis, Flickr, Zazzle. These are not the names of strange aliens from other planets. They are the expressions of an emerging culture right here on Earth. It’s a culture in which every citizen is a publisher, photographer, programmer, or product designer. It’s a culture that's blurring the lines between amateur and professional, consumer and creator. It’s the culture of participation.
I love that thought. The culture of participation. This is pretty much exactly what we had in mind when we started PABD. I've just fired off an email to Erick, asking him for an interview. I'll post an update as soon as I get an answer.
Update on this: Erick has agreed to an interview. We'll be talking on Wednesday evening.
Posted by Andreas at 09:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Hack your way out of writer's block
This post popped up on an unrelated google search, the article is dated last year, but it is still as relevant as it was when it was written. 43 Folders has published tips and tricks to overcome every author's worst enemy, the writer's block. Here goes:
- Talk to a monkey - Explain what you’re really trying to say to a stuffed animal or cardboard cutout.
- Do something important that’s very easy - Is there a small part of your project you could finish quickly that would move things forward?
- Try freewriting - Sit down and write anything for an arbitrary period of time—say, 10 minutes to start. Don’t stop, no matter what. Cover the monitor with a manila folder if you have to. Keep writing, even if you know what you're typing is gibberish, full of misspellings, and grammatically psychopathic. Get your hand moving and your brain will think it’s writing. Which it is. See?
- Take a walk - Get out of your writing brain for 10 minutes. Think about bunnies. Breathe.
- Take a shower; change clothes - Give yourself a truly clean start.
- Write from a persona - Lend your voice to a writing personality who isn’t you. Doesn’t have to be a pirate or anything—just try seeing your topic from someone else’s perspective, style, and interest.
- Get away from the computer; Write someplace new - If you’ve been staring at the screen and nothing is happening, walk away. Shut down the computer. Take one pen and one notebook, and go somewhere new.
More here.
Posted by Andreas at 09:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
John Irving podcast on Studio 360
This is a brand new and very high quality podcast from Studio 360, part of Public Radio International. John Irving joins Kurt Andersen in Studio 360. His new novel is called Until I Find You. It follows a boy, then a man, named Jack Burns as he searches the world for an absent father. Irving tells Kurt about his own missing father, and how this book is his most autobiographical work yet. He also explains why he got tattooed as part of the research for his book.
I am listening to it as I am typing this. Fascinating programming and highly recommended.
Direct Link to podcast.
Posted by Andreas at 04:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Poynter Online - Fifty Writing Tools
Dr Roy Peter Clarke is the Vice President and Senior Scholar of the Poynter Institute Insitute in St Petersburg, Fl.
He has published an an essay titled '50 Writing Tools', which can be read here. Peter writes for journalists rather than novelists, but his ideas and thoughts are of value for all writers.
Chapters include:
- Use Strong Verbs
- Beware of Adverbs
- Observe Word Territory
- Play with Words
- Seek Original Images
Posted by Andreas at 07:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 17, 2005
Free marketing articles available for downloading
There are a couple of free 'How to do marketing' articles available for download at BWPrice's Marketing blog. While they are geared towards marketing professionals they also give help and information to self publishing authors who have to create their own marketing campaign. Worth a read I think.
Articles available:
- I Hate Networking! (If You Do Too, This Advice Is For You)
- You Are the Product
- A Winning Speech - Part I
You will need Adobe's free Acrobat Reader software to read the document.
Posted by Andreas at 11:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 16, 2005
Looking for writing software?
Writing tools? I know, I know. Great literature can be, and has been, written with a pencil on the back of a napkin. Having said this, for those of us who use who use a PC or Mac to do our writing, there are a whole multitude of products out there that make life easier.
Take a look at this list in the dmoz open directory project. You should be able to find something that's of use to you.
Personally I like the look of New Novelist for the PC and Ulysses for Mac OS X. I am also a huge fan of Omni Group's Omni Outliner which is perfect for keeping track of thoughts and ideas. (OS X only).
Update:
Author Steven Johnson has published this review of Devon Think (OS X only) on his blog.
Posted by Andreas at 08:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Jennifer Weiner's tips to aspiring novelists
There are of course many websites that promise to tell you how to be a novelist. Some are earnest, some are funny, some know what they're talking about and some are just trying to sell you some literary snake oil.
Jennifer Weiner, the author of Little Earthquakes, Good in Bed and In Her Shoes, who seems to me both funny and relevant, writes in her blog:
So you want to be a novelist?
Well, there's no one path to take. Novelists come in all shapes and sizes. They're men and women, wunderkinds and retirees. Some of them are very attractive. The rest of us resent them horribly. And if there was a single magic bullet, or a list of steps to follow that would guarantee publication, believe me, someone would have published it by now. What follows is just my take on the question - a completely idiosyncratic, opinionated, flawed and somewhat sassy take on some of the steps you can take to get published. Important caveat: I have only written two books, and I'm thirty-two, which, as my mother would hasten to point out, means I am probably not qualified to give advice to anyone about anything. If you're looking for lessons from the life masters - people who've made long careers in the world of fiction - then run, do not walk, to your local bookshop and buy Stephen King's On Writing and Anne Lamott's utterly indispensable Bird by Bird, and Eudora Welty's One Writer's Beginnings and Ursula LeGuin's Steering the Craft.
If you want my advice, read on (and if you've already written your book and just want to figure out how to get it published, skip ahead to Step 8).
Posted by Andreas at 07:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 15, 2005
PABD on del.icio.us
Since we've been featured on the Creative Commons blog we've had quite a few hits coming in from del.icio.us, the social bookmarking site. To see who bookmarked us, and to browse their bookmarks, click here.
Posted by Andreas at 11:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
STL Today publishes tips for self publishing authors
Via Bill Crider.
The St Louis Post-Dispatch has an article on how to self publish by Shera Dalin and author and lecturer Bob Baker. Tips include:
- Become an evangelist for your topic.
- Choose a great title.
- Don't accept traditional publishing rules. Self-publishing is affordable; outlets such as Amazon.com can sell the book effectively.
- Understand the "self" of self-promotion. No marketer could promote you as passionately as you can.
The result, along with another self-published title, was about $75,000 in sales a year, which allowed Baker to quit a corporate writing job early last year.
Please click here for the full story.
Posted by Andreas at 10:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 08, 2005
Malcolm Holcombe
I'm working late tonight. The tutorial pop-up needs a landing page so we can tell people on dial up that they'll need to wait a while before the stream kicks in. While I was working away on my Mac, iTunes was busy downloading the latest episode of Candance Corrigan's podcast The Nashville nobody knows.
Today's musician featured is Malcolm Holcombe. Part Tom Waits, part blues artist, part country guitarist he delivers some amazing music. Take a look if you like that sort of thing.
Posted by Andreas at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)