Archive for the ‘Publicity’ Category
The Prayer and Paradox Marketing Strategy
April 13th, 2010 by Mary DeMuth I included this picture as perspective, to remind myself about this crazy beautiful world we live in, to ground myself in people, not products.
A while back, I asked via Twitter and Facebook this question:
How do you balance blessing the Kingdom of God with marketing your wares? Is there such a thing?
Here are the responses:
- A constant and careful balancing act.
- The question implies you can’t do both at the same time; I’d check that
assumption. It’s more of a healthy tension than opposite objectives. - That’s one thing I get nervous about. Whew.
- I keep asking and asking myself (and praying)…am I promoting the Lord
or me?…am I seeking glory or giving it to Him? …Am I marketing
myself or temporal stuff or seeking to draw all men to Him. If He’s not
in it…I don’t want it.
It’s a tension/balancing act authors face. I don’t know if I’ve balanced well (maybe I’ve camped more in the tension camp. My shoulders would say so.)
Marketing reminds me of a painful analogy my husband and I heard when we were raising support to be church planters in France. It went something like this: “Picture a long gravel driveway and you at the beginning of it. To raise support, your job is to simply (ha!) turn over every piece of gravel as you make your way to the house. There will be five rocks with a red X on the back. Find those, and you’ve found your support.”
But here’s the ironic thing. We started with that sort of “turn over every rock” strategy. What did it get us? Lots of fatigue, frustration, and frayed nerves. What did work? Prayer and paradox. Prayer because we’d get to the end of our support raising ro
pes and give up, asking God again for direction. He’d give it. We’d follow it. And often more support would come through His counterintuitive plan. Paradox because it was NEVER how we would think it would go. We’d ask wealthy folks to join us financially, and they wouldn’t. We’d ask poor seminary students who gladly sacrificed what little they had to help us gt to France.
How does this relate to marketing?
Perhaps our strategy should be Prayer and Paradox. And in that, we’ll kill two birds (marketing our books, advancing the kingdom of God) with one stone (trusting and obeying).
Prayer:
- Truly commit your marketing adventures to prayer. Ask God to direct your steps. To guide your blogging. To smile upon your facebook status.
- Pray for others in the industry. It’s been a rough year.
- Pray God would bless your competition.
- Pray that the Lord would specifically show you which social media (if any) is right for you. Some folks shouldn’t twitter. Some shouldn’t blog. Don’t give into the temptation to do everything. Seek Him first.
- Seek the Lord’s heart for your books in the first place. Ask about ways you can bless folks with your words.
- Before embarking on a new initiative, ask God to check your motives, to sift your heart.
- Seek God and HIs kingdomas you think about marketing. How can you combine promoting your book with highlighting the plight of the world? How can your book selling somehow positively impact someone in need? (Giving away books to prisoners may help word of mouth, but also help folks who need Jesus-y words, for example.)
Paradox:
- Understand that your great plans might come to naught–by God’s design. Not to frustrate you per se, but to redirect you. I once sent hundreds of newsletters highlighting my speaking ministry. It cost a lot of time and money. I received this many requests to speak: ZERO. What did I learn? For me (and it’s unique to eachperson), I was to rely on the Lord to bring the engagements. And how did He do that? Exclusively through relationship and word of mouth.
- Perhaps the scope of your book or speaking topic is smaller but deeper than you expected. I spoke on national radio on a well-known program about Building the Christian Family You Never Had. The book has had moderate sales. But when I shared my story of abuse, I received an email from a mom who had adopted a sibling group. All the girls had been sexually abused. They listened to my story. The youngest said to her eldest sister, “Why did that lady (me) have to go through all that terrible stuff?” The eldest answered, “I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure it’s so she could get through it and then help girls like us.” Those comments changed my life. If I wrote that book for those girls, it was worth it.
- I remember sending my novels to celebrities. What came out of it? A big, fat nothing. Like a celebrity even has time to read my book! But the best things have happened marketing wise when I’ve sent my books to folks without a big name. I’ve met some pretty cool champions of my work who’ve sold way more copies than Angelina Jolie.
I doubt I have it all figured out. Do any of us? (And if you do, feel free to leave a comment and let us know! 
) But I do know I am much more relaxed and peaceful when I pray and I welcome/invite paradox into my marketing efforts.
Find me here:
http://www.marydemuth.com
http://www.twitter.com/mdemuth
http://www.thewritingspa.com
http://blog.myfamilysecrets.org
How to get local media coverage
April 8th, 2010 by Susan BrillThe BelieversPress blog features Q & A sessions with the experts we work with, answering questions that you’ve asked. Have a question? Click the link in the sidebar to submit it!
You asked:
“I really feel like my book could benefit from some local media coverage — what can I do to get on my local paper’s editor’s good side?”
Susan Brill, writing and marketing expert, replied:
Great question! Editors are always in a crunch, on a deadline, and looking for something fresh. They’re often also short on funds to pay freelancers to cover local news. Instead of asking for their help – offer yours! Avail yourself as a resource, and be easy to work with. This will put your name and the name of your book in the public eye, and establish relationship and credibility with the editors. Here are a few ways to avail yourself:
- Offer to write an article. Let the editor know the topic of your book and your area of expertise. Be sure to include the title of your book in your byline or in a short biographical sentence at the end of the article.
- Offer to run an excerpt from your book in the paper – for free. (Don’t worry about giving your book away. If people have a taste and like what they read, they’ll want to buy the book for themselves!) Send the editor a copy of your book with an inscription from you on the inside front page, thanking the editor by name for his or her contribution to the community or for his or her work at the paper. Flag a few areas of the book you would offer as an excerpt for the paper.
- Send in a press release that highlights you as a local author. A book launch press release focuses on the content and relevance of your book. But in your own community – you’re bigger news than the book is! Again, the size of your community makes a difference, but, even in a big city, if you can find an angle that makes your authoring a book newsworthy, many papers would be happy to print it for the local color and human interest value. It’s easier for someone else to write this kind of release for you rather than trying to paint yourself as a local celebrity. (Believer’s Press can help you with that.)
Other ideas to use your local paper for publicity: Send in community event notices when you have speaking engagements in the area; set up a book discussion at the local library and issue a short press release in advance; or write an editorial for the Op/Ed section of the paper on a current issue in the news that ties in to the topic of your book.
Finally, be easy to work with by sending in clean, proofread copy. Be easy to reach by including your name and contact information on every correspondence or submission, and be quick to pick up your phone or respond to messages from the editor. (An hour can make or break whether your story runs!) Be informed – read the paper! Make sure you know the tone, news style, and content of the paper so your offers or requests to the editor are in proper context.
“Marketing” Basics & Fundamentals for Christian Authors & Publishers
December 21st, 2009 by J A Heinlein
With all of the changes, emerging technologies, and new things to learn in our publishing world and in communications media as a whole, it is important to always have the “basics” in mind.
Vince Lombardi – Basics of Football
There is a legendary “fundamentals” story that is often retold about Coach Lombardi’s approach to football and leading his players.
Vince Lombardi, one of the most successful coaches in the history of football, started every new season with a standard speech to veterans and the rookies alike. He would hold up a football and say, “This is a football!” He would roll it around in his hands and talk about the size and shape of the football, and the many ways that it could be handled on the football field including carrying, passing, kicking. He would then take the team out onto the football field and say, “This is a football field!” He would describe the measurements of the field, and the rules of the game. He did it every year – even after the Green Bay Packers a previously losing team became the NFL Champions and Super Bowl Winners. He is said to have even repeated the speech at half-time during a particularly tough game…
The “secret” to Vince Lombardi’s success was clearly that he always helped his players to focus on what was fundamental and basic to the game of football -and, to do those elementary things very, very well.
Marketing Basics
Most everyone has heard of the “Basics P’s- Practices of Marketing” – usually summarized by 3-5 “P’s” including:
Product, Price, Place(ment), Promotion, People
I encourage you to make these “P’s” a part of your regular “fundamentals of marketing” study and as part of every strategic plan.
Outlined below are what I believe to be the “4 Foundational P’s”- Practices for Christian Authors & Publishers.
As Coach Lombardi did with his players, these practices should be continually revisited and reviewed throughout the publishing process and for each new project.
Prayer
We need to start every project with a commitment of that project into God’s hands. And, then we must spend time in prayer thoughtfully pondering the “why’s and how’s” and asking for God’s direction.
“I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it.” —John Wesley
Purpose
Prayer and thoughtful pondering also helps us to focus our objectives and goals. What are our own intentions. Are those intentions aligned with God’s purposes and His particular purposes for us personally? A clearly defined purpose creates great courage and resolve.
“What’s in your heart? … What disturbs you?” -Rick Warren, author Purpose Driven Life
“Success demands singleness of purpose.” –Vince Lombardi
Plan
A book project must always be approached as a business enterprise. A well developed strategic plan is critical to success. The plan is the purposed “vision” of the project.
“Good plans shape good decision. That’s why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true.” -unknown
“Our goals can be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” -Stephen A. Brennan
Perform
Performance is where all the work gets done. It is about Implementation – Execution – Accomplishing intended objectives.
This part is where many unfortunately fall short. To take the words of James a bit out of context (Jas 2:20), “Faith without works is dead.” The author will always be the best “marketer” for their book, just as parents are the greatest champions for their children. The author must likewise be the champion for their work and a tireless marketer working in partnership with associates and in vigorously developing and expanding their author platform.
John Wesley famously said, “Pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you.” It certainly applies to our work and callings in practical application.
“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious.” – Vince Lombardi
Where Do I Sell My Books? How do I tell the world my message?
December 8th, 2009 by J A Heinlein
Is your Marketing Strategy: New & Improved…Tried & True… or Old & Tired…?
Recently, Christian Retailing featured an article on “Self-publishing”. It outlined new developments and statistics and included highlighting some “big brand name” publishers who have become involved in self-publishing. And, predictably, it quoted some quite overused and outdated arguments against. But, one quote that stood out to me was a quote from a respected industry agent (and friend) regarding sales and distribution,
“I think the chances of those books actually having a very effective distribution channel [into retail bookstores] are very slim.”– RG, Christian Retailing Dec 7, ‘09
First of all, I have to respond by saying, that I highly respect the very essential role of agents in the publishing process. But, that said, it must also be understood that good agents are good at selling books to publishers. But, even good agents don’t generally participate in the actual selling process into the “real marketplace”.
And, that statement also caused to me to reflect on an industry “trend shift” that is not readily perceived and often overlooked.
Books are sold in bookstores right? Well, about half of them are…
“52% of books are not sold in bookstores. They are merchandised [directly] via mail order, online, in discount or warehouse stores, through book clubs, in nontraditional retail outlets, etc.” “The worldwide book market is almost $90 billion, and every year [more than] half of those sales are made in non-bookstore markets such as museums, schools, libraries, warehouse clubs, catalogs, book clubs, book fairs, and to corporations, among many other markets.” – http://BookStatistics.com, Para Publishing – http://bit.ly/14nOAF
Bookstores are now “a sales channel” and, are now not “the only channel” for book sales. And, selling books to the “traditional retail channels” is likely not the most profitable way to sell books – especially for a smaller publisher or new authors. For most, the required “sales hoops” that must be jumped through are simply insurmountable. This includes high discounts, expensive marketing and merchandising programs, and a high percentage of returns. And, all of that is done for a very short “selling window” – usually 3-6 months.
Another whole discussion involves the very definition of “what is a published book?”–it’s many forms and formats that are now available–and the related new emerging sales channels.
So where/how do I sell my books?
The most basic and fundamental objective of marketing is connecting with the right audience–that is introducing a product, solution, or service to those that are most likely to benefit.
Developing a productive author platform that engages and develops relationship with the intended audience is essential.
The good news is that there are now many ways to connect to your best audience – that is to directly access your intended niche market - and common interest affinity groups.
The Online Trend: Building an “Author Brand” with Social Media Marketing
Develop a Social Media/ “Web 2.0″ strategy for building & expanding author platform on established associations, identity, and audience.
- Develop integration process for EVERYTHING – create a sales “funnel”
- Drive target audience to a specific direction/destination – author website and ecommerce page(s).
- Use all web 2.0/social media priority “standards”: Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, Youtube, LinkedIn, and bookmarking sites such as Digg.
Purpose Objective: build a following – a “Tribe”
“A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. For millions of years, humans have been seeking out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads). It’s our nature.” “Now the Internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. – Seth Godin, Tribes
“If you are an author, your tribe members are your readers—or, at least, that’s potentially true. The only question is whether or not you will become the tribe’s leader and equip them to communicate with you and with one another.” – Michael Hyatt, CEO-Thomas Nelson
Recommended reading:
Beyond the Bookstore: How to Sell More Books Profitably to Non-Bookstore Markets (9781594290022): Brian Jud
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us (9781591842330): Seth Godin
Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust (9780470743089): Chris Brogan, Julien Smith
Related Links
- Are you a trust agent? Do you need to be? (myventurepad.com)
- The Power of Tribes on Blog Talk Radio (theimuniversity.com)
- Julien Smith – Social Capital and the New Tribe (andreavascellari.com)
- Reach Matters – Even In Social Media (socialmediatoday.com)
What it takes from YOU in order to publicize your book – Part II
November 9th, 2009 by Tina JacobsonLast week, we offered a few thoughts to consider as you are publicizing your new book. It’s not easy work, and sometimes requires sacrifices to get the word out. This week, we will focus specifically on radio interviews, which are still one of the best ways you can get your message out about your book.
If you haven’t read part one, please go back and take a look at the introduction.
A fact: Most authors are not morning people. (And truth be told, some publicists aren’t either and are sympathetic.) However, morning drive time is the best time to reach a large number of listeners. That’s when most people are driving to work and listening to the radio. Morning shows are where you want to be.
And yes, if the program is on the east coast, that’s really early for the rest of the country. It is a sacrifice that you need to be willing to make if you want your book to sell. You didn’t spend all that time working on your book for your book not to sell, did you?
We promise that you will not have to get up every morning to do early morning interviews. Even if it may not seem like it if you live in California, anything after 5 AM is reasonable from time to time. We’ll try to get you the latest time that we can, but it’s just a sacrifice you have to make for having the beaches, palm trees and nice weather year round.
We’ve had authors tell us, “If I have to do an interview at 5:30, it really messes up my schedule and my whole day.” We just ask you to consider, will it really mess up your entire day, and if so, does it really outweigh the opportunity to share your message?
Now that many people have iPhones and BlackBerrys, there is a trend to not having a land line at home. If you work from home and do not have an office to go into, you really need to get a land line, even if it is just for three months.
Radio stations need the clearest connection possible. Think of how many times you’ve gotten disconnected or had to tell the person on the other end “I don’t have a very good connection.” Think of trying to work through that for 30 minutes. Would you want to listen to the radio and try to decipher someone talking on a bad connection for 30 minutes? You would probably change the station.
Here is a true story witnessed first hand. One time an author was in Dallas for media, and a member of our staff was escorting the author to her interviews. The author was also a music artist and had a representative of her publishing company with her. The author insisted on a little shopping trip around the time of a phone interview. Our staff member was not in a position to demand the author be in her hotel room for a radio interview that had been scheduled by phone. Instead, we were at the mall shopping for shoes. If you’ve ever been in the downstairs of a Macy’s at the mall, you know you aren’t going to have any reception. So, we ran out of Macy’s and headed towards the parking lot as the station called the author’s cell phone.
All was ok for a little while until we got on the highway and lost connection right in the middle of the interview. The station and author had a really hard time reconnecting while the host is on the air floundering to fill time while they reconnected.
Normally, when that happens, the show goes on and you don’t get to end with the program with your best lasting impression.
A member of our staff was recently encouraged when she received the following email from an author who had been doing a lot of traveling and had not had much time open for interviews:
“Here is a little story from this past Monday. You had lined up the radio interview for 6:08 AM EDT and at about 10 PM [the night before] I figured out that with us being in a new city it was going to happen at 5:08 AM, and I thought ‘Oh Happy Day!’ So I set my alarm for 5 AM – and went to bed at about midnight.
“When I woke up I complained as I stumbled out of bed, and then God whispered, ‘just thank me for this opportunity to share my heart through your story.’ I did, and God really energized me! It was a VERY good interview. Then later on (when I couldn’t go back to sleep) I got a song idea and spent about 1 1/2 hours working on it (which is always very energizing for me no matter what happens with the idea).”
Your publicist will do all that they can to help you in spreading the word about your book, but we can’t do it alone. Do you remember the movie Jerry Maguire? In the movie, Jerry is an agent and tells one of his clients, “help me, help you.” If you are able to help your publicist help you, you won’t regret it!
Elements of a Successful Publishing Project
November 4th, 2009 by J A Heinlein1. You need to know Why You Want to be Published
You must ask yourself and answer the question, “…why do you want to be published?”
Some feel called to educate and inspire, while some want to “entertain” and tell a story, either fiction or non-fiction. And, the different callings and writer desires can combine to accomplish both.
What is the objective of your writing? Who will benefit?
I work with a lot of very successful professional speakers/authors, and over the years, the most common mistake has been for them to want to “rush too quickly to write and get published”… and, without having asked and answered those most fundamental of questions:
What is the reason and purpose for me to be a published author?
- it is my ministry and calling?
- to help expand my brand?
- to provide lasting value and impression?
- to create an additional income?
- to increase my speaker’s fee value?
What will the reader take away as the value from my book?
How will that help my ministry and/or business? How does this book reflect my personal mission and objectives?
And, once answered, how do I get this done?
See Also: How do you write a book or novel
2. You need to be informed
- Do your homework – “flatten” the learning curve as quickly as possible.
- Do the advance work to understand the “basics”– outline your plan for writing, marketing
Basic publishing elements
- Editing/Formatting
- Packaging: Creative Design: Cover, Layout, Illustration
- Production: print options – POD/Digital, offset, ebooks, ebook platforms
- Registrations
- Considerations of Setting-up Small Business
- Pricing, Distribution, Fulfillment
- Promotion, Sales, Market Placement
- Social Media Marketing – Online Network Management
- Online Presence, Search Engine Visibility Development
- Experience: Do’s & Don’ts
Related Links:
- Sell- Marketing yourself and your work, promotion and contests
- Writer’s Digest – 101 Best Websites for Writers
- 100 Free Tools to Write, Publish and Promote Your Own Book
- 5 Advanced Social Media Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
3. You need a platform
“Platform is a big word in publishing. Seriously, it’s a critical component of getting a book sold. It’s so important, in fact, that many experts recommend that you start to build your platform long before you’re ready to submit your book for publication. What is an author’s platform? It’s what helps sell your book. An author’s platform is the way you reach readers. It’s a network, and it’s notoriety. It’s exposure.”
- Lolaness, Build an Author’s Platform: It’s How to Sell Your Book“10 simple steps that will take your visibility from zero to standout in a short time, while also giving you ample opportunities to flex your expertise, carve out your niche topic and connect with your audience.”
Christina Katz, Writer’s Digest – How to Build a Marketing Platform
4. You need a plan
The strategic plan is tailored and built upon the idea of developing a niche strategy focus, from the author’s identified platform and intended audience. Its goal is to direct focused efforts toward the right audience for initial sales and ongoing sell-through.
“…the publishing business is all about marketing, and it’s certainly true that books don’t sell themselves. However, there’s a caveat to the idea that anybody who can market books can start their own publishing house, and it’s that you need a business plan in place that will allow you to make a profit on the books you sell.”
-Morris Rosenthal, Self Publishing: Starting Your Own Publishing House
5. You need help
Fortunately, there is now a “one-stop resource” that you can enlist help from! – The BelieversPress Community.
“BelieversPress is a gathering of Christian authors and an elite team of Christian publishing professionals collaborating to bring the message God has placed in authors’ hearts to touch the lives of millions.”
- If you’re serious about your book, hire a book mentor to coach you and to help in coordination of the publishing process.
- Educate yourself, by engaging and asking a lot of questions, and sharing your own experiences with the group.
- Engage with and enlist help by hiring from the variety of related services of the community.
6. You need to execute your plan
The plan should identify:
- industry professionals and interest “affinity” groups
- spheres of influence, building “word of mouth” viral campaigns
- special sales markets – beyond traditional bookselling/bookseller strategies
- emerging markets to develop new market channel opportunities
- select bookstore markets and current bookseller relationships
The developed plan will detail:
- Focused Research of Audience Demographics & Psychographics,
- Indentified Branding Objectives,
- Writing Schedule,
- Production Deadlines
- Package Planning ,
- Tactics for Promotion & Marketing,
- Sales, Market Placement, and Distribution.
Summary
For independently published authors, there is a lot of advance work that must be done by the author and, their “team” can be of immeasurable value, if they are fortunate to have one as in “the BelieversPress Community.
It is the “same” work and objectives that both traditionally published authors or independently published authors must accomplish.
The traditionally published authors would seem to have an edge as a result of having a “bigger machine” backing them.
-but, based on current sales results, the real effort and scaled back resources of brand name companies are being used to mainly push the “A list” level authors.
Bottom line, whether traditionally published or independently published, authors must take a very active role in promotions of themselves and their work. Those who expect to “just write” and let others “carry the load” will likely not be successful going forward.
Yes, advance planning, and taking part in marketing and promotions can be quite an investment of personal resources…difficult, time consuming… exhausting even… but, the rewards are being able to share your unique message with others, building and enjoying enduring reader relationships, seeing your dreams and passionate objectives become a reality…
…and of course, it is nice to be able to buy groceries…
“… authors who survive will be the ones who find ways to authentically grow their platform and meaningfully reach their readership.” “Communities will decide what books are worthwhile, and communities won’t have ego-filled judgments. Publishers will always be giving their authors one thing that is hard to come by: a measure of instant credibility. (That is: Someone thought this was good enough to take a financial risk on.) In good scenarios, there is also collaboration: to make a good book a great book. But soon, communities will have as much power as publishers to decide what books deserve attention.“
- Jane Freidman, My Big Rant on Self-Publishing, Writer’s Digest
Bethany Press Launches BelieversPress to Give Author’s Faith a Voice
November 2nd, 2009 by Nick CiskeFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Publishing Model for Authors:
Bethany Press Launches BelieversPress to Give Author’s Faith a Voice
Bloomington, MN – Authors face an enormous challenge; a one in thousands chance of getting their manuscript published by major Christian publishers. Until now, the industry has only offered authors royalty and self-publishing models. Rejected authors are often left to fend for themselves. Some talented authors will give up. Others will try to solo-navigate the shifting currents of self/subsidy publishing and find themselves limited by the one-size-fits-all approach of these services.
BelieversPress, a new venture just launched by Bethany Press, offers multiple publishing tracks for authors where they control the process.
1. Royalty Publishing
In collaboration with ECPA, BelieversPress critiques and edits author proposals prior to posting on the ChristianManuscriptSubmissions.com website enabling agents and publishers to sort and filter for high quality submissions. Each of these proposals features a BelieversPress badge.
2. Independent Publishing
At BelieversPress, professional authors who pursue independent publishing can now access
- Coaching and editorial services from Jeff Gerke, (longtime editor for the CBA industry, former editor at NavPress) and Barb Lilland Editorial Services (former senior editor, Bethany House Publishing)
- Cover design from The DesignWorks Group and Dugan Design Group
- Publicity services from B&B Media (clients include Charles Stanley, John C. Maxwell, Chuck Swindoll, Tim LaHaye, Melody Carlson, Bruce Wilkinson)
- Marketing tools from Heinlein Publishing Services (Publishing Professional, 20+ Years: including executive positions with United Methodist Publishing House, Thomas Nelson, and Word Publishing)
- Printing from Bethany Press (producer of almost 30% of the best-selling Christian paperbacks)
- Sales and distribution through STL Distribution (the largest exclusively Christian distributor in North America).
Authors interested in submitting to agents and small publishers can receive mentoring, editorial, and proposal evaluation from D.C. Jacobson (Don Jacobson’s group, former President of Multnomah Publishers) and The Writing Spa (Mary DeMuth) at BelieversPress.
BelieversPress counsels authors that if they cannot sell their books via platforms such as speaking, established ministries, or direct to readers through venues such as blogging, the internet, articles, etc. then they should not self-publish.
Agents and publishers can offer their authors a trustworthy team to help them to publish both their out-of-print books and unpublished manuscripts, further building their readership with the ability to sell directly through the author’s website, the BelieversPress E-store, and to the trade through STL Distribution. Or, they can refer authors needing mentoring and further development to trusted professionals who can help them hone their skill and platform before re-submitting.
BelieversPress authors can:
- Engage an elite team of the best talent in Christian publishing to take their manuscript from good to great!
- Benefit from experienced professionals in marketing, publicity, and sales who help them get their message heard
- Connect with authors who have traveled the path before them
- Take control of your publishing future – there are no packages and no royalty schemes
- Bring unpublished titles and out-of-print books to their readers
- Print with the company that produces 30% of Christian best-sellers
- Make a difference – a portion of their dollars are used to fund ministry
Contact BelieversPress:
6820 West 115th Street • Bloomington, MN 55438
(800) 341-4192 • www.believerspress.com • info@believerspress.com
What it takes from YOU in order to publicize your book – Part I
November 2nd, 2009 by Tina JacobsonIf you want your book to sell, you are going to have to make some sacrifices
You’ve poured your blood, sweat and tears into your book; it’s your baby. It’s finally finished. It’s finally been published. It’s finally available to the public.
Now the real work begins. (And you just thought you had it all done!)
Now that your book is available, you have to let the public know about it. The first step is hiring a publicity agency to get you where you need to be. But, even at that, your job is not over. You have to be ready and willing for whatever opportunity your publicist throws at you.
In the most simple and basic way, it is best to view each interview request from a media venue as a generous favor. The cost of this interview, which is free, is much better than you buying 15 minutes of advertising on a radio station, half page advertising in a magazine, or a 30 second ad on television. For that, you would be paying a hefty price. And you are actually getting a value better than the advertising because you get to talk about your “baby”; you get to share your heart, and you get to engage the listener or reader in a way that an advertisement can’t. Also remember that of all the books and all the experts out there, this host or journalist sees something special in you. They have asked to talk to you.
Keeping this in mind, as an author, you will need to do everything that you can, within reason, to accommodate the media– whether it is the dates they offer, the times they offer, or the fact that you need to be on a land line.
We would like to share with you a few things you may not have thought about; a few situations that we have run into along the way.
Please do not take a two week vacation to Hawaii to celebrate the release of your book (or other big life events) the week that your book releases, especially without planning ahead and telling your publicist. Ideally, you want your interviews to start the week your book hits the shelves. You need to be available to be able to do these interviews. If your publicist starts pitching your book to the media, and then finds out you aren’t available for the first couple of weeks, it reflects badly for everyone if your publicist has to tell a producer, “oh, yes, we want to set an interview with you, but you are going to have to wait as the author is not available right now.”
You can always take the vacation in a few months to celebrate the success and great reviews your book has received in the media.
We do everything we can to work around your calendar and things like weekly staff meetings. We understand your time is limited and valuable. However, we do have to work within the guidelines that a program gives us. One author’s office asked, “Is the time (9:40) set in stone? If so, I can look for another couple of day options, otherwise, 8:00 works best for Mary.”
In this case, it was a national interview, and well, yes, it really had to be at 9:40 AM. Even if a program is taping the interview, they are often stuck with a small window of available taping times. If a host comes into the station at 5 AM, he’s probably not going to be hanging around the station until 2 PM to be able to tape. You also have to remember that there aren’t always extra studios at the stations, so they can only do interviews when the studio is available and other hosts aren’t on the air.
Something you may not realize is that many radio hosts only work part time at the station, especially Christian stations where hosts are involved in other ministries.
Be as flexible as you can. The more times your publicist has to go back and forth with a station to make one interview work, the less time your publicist has to pursue new opportunities for you.
Take advantage of the opportunities that you have while they are available. The most important time for your book is within the first few months after release. For example, most publicity campaigns that we conduct only last for three months. This won’t last forever. A few sacrifices now will certainly be worth it.
We’ll share with you more thoughts on this subject next week.
Subject: Our Marketing Plan
October 14th, 2009 by Nick CiskeEllis Weiner posted a rousing satire of the shrinking promotional departments (and budgets) of many traditional publishers and their increasing reliance on authors to do more and more marketing for their own books.
Hi, Ellis—
Let me introduce myself. My name is Gineen Klein, and I’ve been brought on as an intern to replace the promotion department here at Propensity Books. First, let me say that I absolutely love “Clancy the Doofus Beagle: A Love Story” and have some excellent ideas for promotion.
To start: Do you blog? If not, get in touch with Kris and Christopher from our online department, although at this point I think only Christopher is left. I’ll be out of the office from tomorrow until Monday, but when I get back I’ll ask him if he spoke to you. We use CopyBuoy via Hoster Broaster, because it streams really easily into a Plaxo/LinkedIn yak-fest meld. When you register, click “Endless,” and under “Contacts” just list everyone you’ve ever met. It would be great if you could post at least six hundred words every day until further notice.
Continue Reading Subject: Our Marketing Plan at The New Yorker.
Determining if an author blog is right for you
October 9th, 2009 by Kimberly BrockAt latest count, there are more than 100 million blogs on the internet today. Traditionally, blogs were web based log or diary entries which included photos, insights and links about what the author found interesting. Today, more and more businesses have also used blogs to send out updates, news feeds and connect directly with consumers. As an author, is creating a blog right for you?
I recently came across a great article titled, “The Author’s Dilemma: To Blog or Not to Blog” by Claire E. White. In this article Ms. White outlines the different types of blogs, what makes a great author blog and the pros and cons of blogging. The article is a few years old, but the content is still relevant.
This article included a great quote from Jonathan Karp of Warner Twelve:
Writers have to be promoters if they believe in their work. Blogs are a way for authors to communicate directly with readers and establish a personal connection. It’s a way to reach readers who may not attend bookstore events, and it’s more convenient for authors, too. I haven’t met too many writers who were eager to fly to Houston for a day — though I’m sure Houston is lovely this time of year.
Still uncertain whether or not a blog is for you? Here are some points to consider before starting a blog:
1. You must love to write. Blogging requires frequent, interesting entries, responding to posts and leaving feedback on other blogs.
2. You must enjoy surfing the web. Having a successful blog does not end with posting your thoughts. It requires marketing, visiting other blogs, networking with other authors, and staying abreast of news that pertains to your topic.
3. You must have the time to commit to a blog. Having a successful blog requires frequent, meaningful entries that not only capture new readers, but also keeps established readers coming back for more. You must be willing to establish a set schedule for posting and be willing to follow through.
4. You must be transparent. What makes a good author blog is not just providing a platform for a given work, but the insights it provides readers into the author’s day to day struggles and successes. Maybe your dog has been sick and you finally found the right medication to help it? Maybe you struggle with migraines? Maybe you had a dream that inspired your work? Though on the surface, it appears that these topics have nothing to do with selling books, but what it does do is connect you to your readers in a very real and intimate way.
5. You must be fairly comfortable with internet technology or know someone who is. The best author blogs are constantly changing and evolving. Having a blog does require some basic software understanding. Having a blog will require a commitment to growing and learning how to maintain and improve your blog in order to provide the best online environment for your readers.
If you are ready to start a blog, here is an online article with the simplest instructions I have seen as to how to start a blog.
Here, too, is a list of some great author blogs to reference.
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