Book marketing is just something a successful author HAS TO LEARN. I am a Work in Progress (WIP) in this area. I hope to be rudimentarily educated in this vital area sometime in the near future.
To that end, I will direct you to an informative blog, The Book Publicity Blog at http://yodiwan.wordpress.com/ I have discovered that is run by a professional publicist in a large publishing house: The publicist's name is Jen and she blogs about book publicity/marketing.
Further, this blog lists a large array of links to other related blogs: Book Blogs, Bookstore Blogs, Future of Publishing Blogs, Literary Agent/Editor blogs, Marketing/PR blogs, Media Blogs, Publishing Blogs, Publishing House Blogs, etc.
WARNING: There is a vast quicksand of info on this blog and it's links to keep you permanently occupied for a long time!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
John Austin Answers Phelicia Brown:
To answer your question: I don't know if saying your true story is fiction and using other characters is better or not. You see, you would still be a relatively unknown author; whether the story is fiction or nonfiction. AND, a lot of people like to buy a story especially if it is true, even if they don't know the author...How many times have you bought a book in a store because the cover looked good or the synopsis on the cover sounded interesting and you never heard of the author? Many times...You think everybody who buys books KNOWS all the millions of writers who have books published? Hell no. We just have to get our foot in the front door by meeting the right publisher or learning marketing of self-published books well enough to get them in front of the right audiences...
I will be discussing some of these things in more detail in future posts to my blog. Spread the word on my blog to others who may be interested.
Keep studying publishing and marketing your books and always seek to polish up your writing skills...and before long you will get there. I am detailing my first self-publishing experience on my blog for entertainment, analysis and to hopefully help some others, too.
I will be discussing some of these things in more detail in future posts to my blog. Spread the word on my blog to others who may be interested.
Keep studying publishing and marketing your books and always seek to polish up your writing skills...and before long you will get there. I am detailing my first self-publishing experience on my blog for entertainment, analysis and to hopefully help some others, too.
Phelicia Brown Said:
John,
You always seem to hit the nail on the head. That is so true. Like even myself, I am giving away my short story because I want people to read it and hopefully they will say, "Hey this girl can write a good story line". I have been telling my friends, who want to write their life stories, to make it fictional with interesting characters and names because who wants to buy a book about the girl or guy next door who isn't famous? You have a better shot at making a book about your life but create characters. I could be wrong. What do you think? Sure family may buy but the general public book readers? That's different.
You always seem to hit the nail on the head. That is so true. Like even myself, I am giving away my short story because I want people to read it and hopefully they will say, "Hey this girl can write a good story line". I have been telling my friends, who want to write their life stories, to make it fictional with interesting characters and names because who wants to buy a book about the girl or guy next door who isn't famous? You have a better shot at making a book about your life but create characters. I could be wrong. What do you think? Sure family may buy but the general public book readers? That's different.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Learning Book Marketing
Well, my first self-published short story went up for sale one week ago and I've made a big ZERO sales!
Two main reasons, I think:
1) I really haven't gotten into the marketing effort enough (lack of knowledge and no real resources).
2) As a friend consultant from Amazon's CreateSpace, nick-named Lighthouse24, told me: Honestly, as a reader, what I think is, "Why would I spend $10 for one short story by someone I've not heard of, when I could buy a whole book of short stories by people I have heard of (but haven't gotten around to reading yet) for the same $10 (or less)?"
As an author/self-publisher, my thinking is that a first chapter like this should be given away, free (like a sample in the grocery store or a 30-day trial version of software) as a strategy to encourage people to try it and to spread the word about it to others -- which will hopefully result in more people knowing about (and then buying) the book itself.
I don't know if that's the kind of thoughts and feedback you were looking for, but if not, let me know and I'll respond. Good luck with your project.
I will be posting more on my publishing learning journey soon...
In the meantime I am re-thinking my marketing strategy and have withdrawn my story from public sale until I figure it out...Maybe it is best to give it away for now...
Two main reasons, I think:
1) I really haven't gotten into the marketing effort enough (lack of knowledge and no real resources).
2) As a friend consultant from Amazon's CreateSpace, nick-named Lighthouse24, told me: Honestly, as a reader, what I think is, "Why would I spend $10 for one short story by someone I've not heard of, when I could buy a whole book of short stories by people I have heard of (but haven't gotten around to reading yet) for the same $10 (or less)?"
As an author/self-publisher, my thinking is that a first chapter like this should be given away, free (like a sample in the grocery store or a 30-day trial version of software) as a strategy to encourage people to try it and to spread the word about it to others -- which will hopefully result in more people knowing about (and then buying) the book itself.
I don't know if that's the kind of thoughts and feedback you were looking for, but if not, let me know and I'll respond. Good luck with your project.
I will be posting more on my publishing learning journey soon...
In the meantime I am re-thinking my marketing strategy and have withdrawn my story from public sale until I figure it out...Maybe it is best to give it away for now...
Saturday, June 13, 2009
My First Self-Published Work!
I have just self-published for the first time:
Key West...Erotic Awakenings in Paradise
This short story (6,712 words) is actually a first installment of a larger, 10 part story titled Havana Harvest...When Cuba was Naughty!
This first part is a stand-alone story in itself introducing some of the main characters and detailing the location, atmosphere and ambiance of Key West before our young protagonists depart for Havana to play basketball and enter a world where many humorous, bawdy and sometimes dangerous coming-of-age experiences result just before Castro's takeover.
Part one showcases first true love, beautiful South America girls, outfoxing the Nuns and more!
This eBook can be instantly downloaded for just $10.00 at my website: http://johnraustin.yolasite.com/store.php
Key West...Erotic Awakenings in Paradise
This short story (6,712 words) is actually a first installment of a larger, 10 part story titled Havana Harvest...When Cuba was Naughty!
This first part is a stand-alone story in itself introducing some of the main characters and detailing the location, atmosphere and ambiance of Key West before our young protagonists depart for Havana to play basketball and enter a world where many humorous, bawdy and sometimes dangerous coming-of-age experiences result just before Castro's takeover.
Part one showcases first true love, beautiful South America girls, outfoxing the Nuns and more!
This eBook can be instantly downloaded for just $10.00 at my website: http://johnraustin.yolasite.com/store.php
John Austin Replys to Mark Morford:
Good luck with "Daring Spectacle." You hit the nail on the head with the current upheaval in the publishing industry; AND self-pub is gaining huge and immediate credibility due to technology and the fact that the old publishing industry got to the point where they asked author's to do their work for them! Old Publishing SOLD OUT...only pushing and marketing books by celebrities for the main part (most written by ghost writers!). Good writing and artistry be damned! Not to mention the skimpy split they would give author's (the friggin creators, mind you, that allowed them to make $$ in the first damn place!).
You're right, self-pub and keep 96% of your profits!
You're right, self-pub and keep 96% of your profits!
What Mark Morford of the San Francisco Chronicle says on Publishing:
From Mark Morford's 6/10/09 San Francisco Chronicle, Notes and Errata column:
"...Personal example: As previously mentioned, I am on the cusp of putting out my first book, the long overdue Daring Spectacle (get on my newsletter right now to learn more, do it do it do it). I have had the discussions. Multiple agents, publishers, the works. They all told me the same thing: Book publishing is a disaster right now, the industry's in a meltdown contraction apocalypse swine flu death throe. Authors and books deals are getting shunned and mutilated and tossed aside like gay rights at a GOP convention. Terrible time to be trying to sell a book, they summarize. Terrific. Thanks.
Upshot: I am self-publishing. Doing it all myself. I have had to give up on roughly a hundred notions of How I Thought This Would Go Down and instead I will be working all sorts of newfangled angles, from Twitter to Facebook to YouTube to podcasting a live reading from my iPhone video camera (hell, why not?), all to get the thing in front of as many wary eyeballs as much as I can because, well, this is the new way. It is very much not the old way. Good thing? Bad thing? Is it all sort of great? Does it entirely suck? Yes..."
"...Personal example: As previously mentioned, I am on the cusp of putting out my first book, the long overdue Daring Spectacle (get on my newsletter right now to learn more, do it do it do it). I have had the discussions. Multiple agents, publishers, the works. They all told me the same thing: Book publishing is a disaster right now, the industry's in a meltdown contraction apocalypse swine flu death throe. Authors and books deals are getting shunned and mutilated and tossed aside like gay rights at a GOP convention. Terrible time to be trying to sell a book, they summarize. Terrific. Thanks.
Upshot: I am self-publishing. Doing it all myself. I have had to give up on roughly a hundred notions of How I Thought This Would Go Down and instead I will be working all sorts of newfangled angles, from Twitter to Facebook to YouTube to podcasting a live reading from my iPhone video camera (hell, why not?), all to get the thing in front of as many wary eyeballs as much as I can because, well, this is the new way. It is very much not the old way. Good thing? Bad thing? Is it all sort of great? Does it entirely suck? Yes..."
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