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Become A Successful Author Reboot by Deatri King-Bey

I can’t believe that it’s been three years since Become A Successful Author was first release. What I believe even less is how much the publishing industry has changed since then.

Three years ago, Borders went out of business along with numerous other bookstores. Kindles and Nooks ate up so much of the book market that many said print books would soon be a thing of the past.

Well, print books are here to stay. Even Amazon is opening its first physical bookstore.

Back to Become A Successful Author. The publishing world is ever changing, so I had to update the book. Yep. The second edition is out. I’ve removed irrelevant sections, beefed up others and added a few articles. If you have an ecopy, be sure to check with your bookseller. Many of them give free updates when a title has changed considerably.

It’s October, so it’s time to close the Become A Successful Author blog until February 2015. While we’re on break, be sure to catch up on previous posts, and if you haven’t gotten your copy of Become a Successful Author, get your copy today. It’s full of GOOD STUFF.

Purchase the print ($9.99) or eBook ($4.99) Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Happy Holidays
Deatri King-Bey

BASA2ndEdition

 

Pre-Orders Amazon Style by Deatri King-Bey

ForKeeps125I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon, as many authors do. But I have got to give them their props. They promote the products they distribute better than any other distributor out there. Now they’ve added the ability for self-published authors to set up their eTitles for pre-order. Bravo!

I must admit, I do not like pre-ordering books because I know I won’t keep up with if I actually received them but a lot of readers love to do pre-orders. Soooo, with this new functionality, I decided to give it a try so I could tell you about it. They began this option two weeks before my new title was released, so my title was only on pre-order a week, but I learned a lot from that week.

Setting up for pre-order is very easy. Go into your Amazon KDP account and upload your manuscript as usual and select the option for pre-order. A week before your release date, you must upload the FINAL version of your manuscript. If you do not upload the final version, you will not be able to place another title on pre-order for a year. Once you have uploaded your final version, you will not be able to change the file the last week before the go-live date.

Great news. Your title DOES NOT have to be enrolled in KDP Select in order to set it on pre-order. KDP Select is the program where you give Amazon exclusive distribution rights to your title for ninety days and in exchange they allow you to give the book away a few days and they add it to their free library. You are paid for the free downloads from their library.

So a little over a week before my title went live, it was available for pre-order. The night before the book was available for everyone, the people who’d pre-ordered it received their notice that they could download the book. I had a few readers contact me saying they’d read the book and two even posted a review the morning it went live. Having reviews from users with the “Verified Purchase” is a good thing.

I wondered how they’d do the sales rank. I had hopedthe titles that were sold during pre-order wouldn’t count until the title went live, but that was not the case. They count during pre-order then they also give your ranking a little boost when it becomes available. I don’t know the algorithm they use to calculate how much and I’m sure they’ll be changing it often.

From the KDP Reports Dashboard, you’ll see the Pre-Orders option that will give you the number of pre-orders your title has.

Back to ranking. You need to understand how pre-orders will affect your ranking. My last seven titles hit the top twenty in their first day of release. In my category, that’s around fifty-sixty copies. By the second day, the new title is usually in or close to the top ten. Then my sales usually shoot off and stay pretty good a few weeks. I promote initially, but don’t do the continual promotion that I know I should, but that’s a different post.

I discovered that getting into the top twenty and even better yet the top ten your first few days is crucial. The higher your rank, the more Amazon pushes it. That was why I wanted to know how the pre-sale copies would affect the first day sales. For me, if my new title can get into the top twenty the first day, that title will do good.

The night before my title was available, the sales rank was 103,000. According to the report, there were twenty-seven pre-orders. The morning it was live, without any additional sales yet, it was 42,000. So there was a bump up in ranks as a result of the pre-orders.

During the course of the day, thirty-eight additional units of the book sold. I checked at 9 p.m. before I went to bed. So my first day sales were 27 (pre-order) + 38 (first day sales), which, when combined, is in the range of what I usually sell on the first day. So what do you think my Amazon ranking was? Did it make the top twenty as usual?

Release Day For Keeps

 

As you see, it did not. I have a base of around sixty readers who usually buy my new title on the first day. This puts my title in the top twenty quickly for my category, which did not happen because the pre-orders didn’t count as full units. This ranking isn’t bad, but I’ve noticed a huge different between being in the top twenty on the first day.

Here are the rankings from 6 p.m. the day after it went live.

Second Day For Keeps

 

 

 

 

 

The title continued to climb the charts, but not enough for my liking. That loss of twenty-seven sells makes a big difference. So for me, I will not be doing pre-orders again anytime soon, because I don’t have a large enough base that pre-orders will not hurt my ranking. I need that big bang on the first day. You will need to do what works for you.

Deatri King-Bey

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or $8.99 (print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Book Buzz by Deatri King-Bey

DeatriHow do you get people talking about and wanting your book before it’s released? If you’re a multi-published author with a track record of releasing high quality reads, it’s easier because you’ve already built your brand. What about new authors? What about those authors who may not be as new to the game but need a little boost? I think we could all use a refresher on building book buzz every now and again.

One of the great things about creating buzz is it isn’t expensive. What it is and must do is call attention to your book. Your writing. YOU (the author)! Once the buzz grabs the attention, it should create excitement and wanting for your book. So how do we do that?

RESEARCH
Yes, the dreaded “R” word. You must do your research and find your target audience. Why waste all of your wonderfulness on people who don’t want what you have to sell in the hopes of finding those few who do want it. Instead, set yourself up for success. Find large groups of your target audience and get to buzzing there. How, you ask? The web has been a great place to find pockets of target audience since well before Facebook and Twitter. Long ago before the social media craze there were Yahoo Groups, MSN Groups and other types of groups online. Find groups specific to your genre.

Many authors are focused on taking over the World Wide Web, that they forget to start at home. Find your local target audience. I love the site http://www.MeetUp.com. You can also do an Internet search for literary events and groups in your area.

Get to know the readers who love your genre and let them get to know you, because these are the most important ones who will be spreading the buzz about your book. Yes. You need to be personable. Many authors are like me. Introverts. But when I talk books, I open up. Warning, don’t just talk about your book. Show the readers you are about more than just you all the time. Show your interest in other’s works in the genre.

Compile a list of authors and bloggers who write and/or focus on your genre. Eventually you’ll be asking these folks to buzz about your book via their blogs and such.

Compile a list of reviewers for your genre.

So now that you know where to find the readers, authors, and bloggers who will buzz for you, what’s next? Give them something to buzz about.

FREE
Many years ago, when I began my publishing journey, there was no Facebook or Twitter and many people didn’t have computers or know much about going on the Internet. There were also no smart phones… It was a very different time. Though times have changed, people haven’t. They still love getting free stuff. Back in the day, I wrote several short stories and had them edited. Stories that fit my genre. As you get to know readers, give them a free story. The best are prequels to your upcoming title. Get them invested in your characters and wanting to hear their whole story. Warning: Be sure to have these edited. This is your brand. Don’t just throw anything out there. You want it to represent what they can expect to see from you. If the readers enjoy your free story, trust me, they’ll be telling other readers about it (buzzing).

I like to upload free stories at http://www.Smashwords.com then have them distribute it elsewhere. It can take MONTHS to finally appear on Amazon and BN, but I’d rather do that than give Amazon exclusivity. I also like to post the free books on my website to draw traffic there so readers can see my other titles also.

SAMPLE CHAPTER
Post a sample chapter on your website. Yes, you need to have a website where you aren’t in competition with all the noise on social media. Where you control the tone and content of the pages. Of course share your sample chapter online and everywhere else people want to hear about it.

CREATE A CONTEST
Have fun with the readers. Create contests.

A few years back, I wrote a series about four brothers. I allowed the readers to decide what order the books were written in.

I’ve had contest where I allowed readers to submit Titles for the book.

Scavenger hunts are fun. This is where you ask questions that are easy to find on your website. The reader who answers the questions correctly wins.

Stay away from contest such as rewarding for giving a review. That looks like you are paying for reviews.

GUEST BLOGS
Break out that list of authors and bloggers you compiled and get to making guest appearances. Write posts related to your title.

STREET TEAM
Street teams are great in some aspects but bad in others. Street teams are readers who you get to promote your book to other readers. These are great for spreading the word about your book quickly. On the other hand, many readers are starting to ignore the posts from street team members. It’s like they are starting to be considered promoters instead of readers. It’s great to have readers who are enthusiastic about your books. It’s SMART to ask them to spread the word, but if you organize a street team, make sure you don’t have them hitting the same places. Make sure they are hitting places that they usually frequent about things other than YOUR book, so when they talk about your book, it doesn’t look like they are a promoter instead of a reader.

EVENTS
The first thing you did was research, now go where your readers are. Everyone wants to do everything online. There’s nothing wrong with online, but when you can, get out and MEET the readers. You don’t have to conquer the world in a day or spend a lot of money. Start the buzz locally and allow it to grow organically. The readers you get to know locally usually have broader connections. You can also create events.

REVIEWS
Obtaining reviews from review groups is a pain, but a great way to spread the word. I’m not a fan of paid reviews, but some people swear by them. Do what works for you. Obtaining reviews can take months, but go for it anyway.

ENGAGE
When posting online, be sure to have great visuals to draw the attention of readers and be engaging. Posting a “Buy My Book” type promo falls on deaf ears. Post something of substance about a topic in your book and have a discussion. ENGAGE the readers. Keep them coming back for more and BUZZ will follow.

CONCLUSION
The most important thing about building buzz is to be genuine. I love reading and writing my genre. I am a reader first. So I always try to look at things from a reader’s point of view. Why do I tell people about so and so’s book? What draws me to so and so’s book? What will makes me want so and so’s book now? Get to know the readers and let them get to know you.

Now get out there and create some BUZZ.

Deatri King-Bey

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or $8.99 (print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Publishing Leeches by Deatri King-Bey

DeatriA lot has changed in the many years that I’ve been in the publishing business. One thing that hasn’t changed is people who want something for nothing. This occurs in all walks of life, but I want to focus on publishing today. I want you to take a cold, hard, honest look at yourself and see if you are being a leech, then stop it if you are.

Inconsiderate, Lazy Leech
This is a common type of publishing leech. I was helping an aspiring author who had a million questions. After about two hours on the phone, she still had a billion questions. I informed her that my book, Become A Successful Author, answers most of her questions, then I gifted her my book and told her to read it first, then ask follow-up questions. The following month this author sent me a ridiculously long email with questions that were answered in the book and asked if we could speak on the phone again. I asked her if she had read the book (maybe she had comprehension issues), and she said she hadn’t had time and wanted me to just tell her what she needed to do.

She didn’t have a few hours to read a book that would answer her questions and give her a good base of knowledge to conduct her own research from, but wanted me to spend hours of my time spoon-feeding her information. Yep, that’s lazy and inconsiderate.

If you expect others to do more for you than you are willing to do for yourself, you are a leech.

Something For Nothing Leech
This is also a very common publishing leech. Editors, graphic artist, proof readers… anyone in the service industry suffers from leeches who want something for nothing. Don’t get me wrong, we all want a good deal, but there are a lot of authors who are trying to make money (increase book sales) on the backs of the editors, graphic artists, proofreaders… If someone has the skillset you need to get the best product out there, you need to pay them for their talent. If you are not willing to invest in your business, why do you expect others to invest in your business by purchasing your books?

Me, Me, Me Leech
We’ve all experienced these. I run two reading groups on social media. I’m shocked—not really—how many authors IM me because I only allow promos two days a week. Somehow I’m responsible for them not making the NYT best sellers list. I’m tempted to share some of the messages I receive from authors whining because they can’t treat the reading groups like their billboard. They don’t care that they are promoting to the wrong genre. They don’t care that we are there to talk about the books we’re reading, not be bombarded with their promos. If it’s not about them, they don’t care. Those type of authors suck the life right out of a group.

Concept Leech
This is one of the more rare publishing leeches. Or maybe they are better at hiding. I was at a writer’s conference a few months ago and overheard an author talking about a concept she had for a novel. I thought, great idea, then went on about my business. Later that day, I heard a second author talking about the same concept with a few differences. They were too similar to be a coincidence. This is exactly why I do not tell people about my book concepts. You never know if there is a concept leech around.

Spirit Leech
This one is very harmful. Be carful. These are the authors who are so negative and nasty that their vibe throws you off. It’s like they suck your spirit dry. You’re trying to be and do positive, but all they see is the negative.

Clinging Leech
These are the authors who hang around a more popular author in hopes of syphoning new readers from the more popular author. This one is hard to explain. We are authors and we hang out in the same places. These leeches are users. Once they get what they want, they move to the next target.

What’s the cure for leeches? I know none of you see yourselves in anything I’ve said, but if you are the victim of a leech, remember, you teach people how to treat you. I’m not saying to stop being a giving person. I’m a giving person and will continue to do so. That doesn’t mean you have to stand there and be sucked dry by leeches.

I wrote this article so you can keep an eye out, but there is good news. There aren’t as many leeches out there as one may think. Social media has made them more visible, so they seem to be in greater number than they are.

Keep your focus without falling into the “It’s all about me” mode, and you’ll be fine.

Much Joy Peace and Love,
Deatri King-Bey

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or $8.99 (print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Advice for Aspiring Authors by Deatri King-Bey

Deatri• Listen and verify: You’ll want several mentors with a mix and match of strengths such as writing, editing, business, marketing and networking… Realize that the publishing world is ever changing, so take lessons from others to use as a base for your own research. I’m not saying finding mentors is easy, but you must try. Attend conferences, workshops, join local groups, take online courses, network…. There are many affordable options out there. Get to know the publishing community.

• Learn the craft: Great storytellers are not always great authors or even halfway decent authors. Never stop learning the craft and improving. The moment you think you know it all and there is no room for improvement is the moment you start to lose your edge. I’ve seen many seasoned authors fall prey to losing their edge because they didn’t see room for improvement in their writing.

• Don’t abuse your muse: There are those who say you must write every day. I do not believe in that philosophy. Writing fiction is creative. If you force your creative side to write daily, you can cause writer’s block—or what I affectionately call your muse going on strike. I think you should do something related to your writing most days of the week. Besides writing, you may read, take courses, attend workshops, read articles, teach others…

• One genre at a time: Know what genre you write. I’m dumbfounded how many authors say their books don’t fit a genre. That their books have something for everyone. That all readers will love their books. Sorry, but no. Am I saying your books must fit 100% into a single genre? Nope. There are cross-genre hybrids, but you should understand the rules of the genres to know how you are creating a hybrid. Once you lock in your genre (even if it’s a cross-genre hybrid) start mastering it and building your audience. After you have a nice sized audience, then branch out to include other genres in your portfolio if you’d like.

• Get an editor: The other day, a debut author told me she didn’t need an editor because she was confident in her work. Confidence is a good thing. It’s also not the editor’s job to give you confidence. Editors help you make your manuscript the best it can be. Stop making excuses. All authors need editors. Even NYT best selling authors have editors. Is it expensive? Yes. It’s an investment in your writing career and business that you can carry into future works. With each developmental edit, you should learn more about the craft.

• Know the business: Whether you go the self and/or traditional route, you need to understand the business side of things.

• Avoid the promotion trap: Promotion and marketing are important, but the best way to grow your audience is releasing outstanding books. Be smart when promoting and marketing. Know your genre, then promote to large groups of that genre. Cross promote with other authors in the genre. Stop trying to convert romance lovers to horror. Stop wasting time running after readers. You’re an author. Writing should always be your main focus.

Deatri King-Bey

If you found this post helpful, please use the Share buttons to spread the word about it.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or $8.99 (print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Let’s Get Down To Business by Deatri King-Bey

SoapPics1This is a repost of a spot I placed on my personal blog. I’m posting it here also, because many of the concepts carry over to the publishing business…

——–Repost——–

I’ve decided to do it. I’m going to make a business out of my new hobby—Soaping! I’ve been making infused natural oils for your body and hair for years and giving them away and recently began making soap. I’d been considering starting a business, and the other day just decided to go for it. The grand opening of my new business is still a ways off, but it’s coming.

Don’t think that I took starting a business lightly. Nope. I started one fifteen years ago that is still going strong and mentored others over the years. I know what I’m getting into. I see people deciding to start businesses and think it’s great. Just know that the majority of businesses fail in the first two years. You must be realistic. I say set yourself up for success. There are no guarantees, but there are things you can do to help you stay on the positive side of the odds. Anywhooo, I thought I should give a little insight into what I do to start a new endeavor in case you’d like to give a swing at it some day.

Research: My first order of business was to do research on the product, market and business. This requires more than an Internet search on whatever it is you want to sell. Read books about your product, take courses, interview others who are already in the business you want to go into to find out the pitfalls and how to avoid them. Do your research on the market—both locally and extended. Know what all goes into setting up a business, including costs. There should be more to it than setting up a website and Paypal account. Did you start an LLC or incorporate? Did you open a business banking account? Do you have Terms of Service on your website? What is your return policy? What are the tax laws in your state? Are you supposed to charge tax in your state for online sales?

I could go on and on about the research. Check to see if there is a local Score chapter in your area. They give free workshops and advice to people who want to start small businesses. The website also has a wealth of information. It’s a great place to start your research about business so you’ll know what you’re getting into: http://www.score.org.

Business Plan: I think of the business plan as the what and how. What goals do I want to achieve and how do I get there. The business plan lays out the vision for the company and the steps needed to get there, which is why it’s important to do your research. I know what my start up cost are. Cost to make the products. Who my suppliers will be. How I’ll ship. What services I’ll need. How I’ll build the brand. Timelines. Taxes and accounting. Events. Goals…. And a whole lot more. I’m going to mention Score a lot because I think it’s a fantastic organization. Lots of useful information and they have mentors and free courses. Guess what else they have, yep templates. Here’s one for a business plan: http://www.score.org/resources/business-plan-template-startup-business Don’t just open the template and become overwhelmed. Once you do your research first, this will be much simpler. And you can probably get a Score mentor to help you.

I’ll be honest, you do not need to have a business plan as detailed at the attachment to start your business, but should have a plan of action that covers at least those first two years.

Networking: You see me online a lot, but I’m an introvert. Networking is a key to success in any business. I haven’t done it yet, but I will be joining a local women in business group. I’m also becoming part of the “soaping network.” Whatever business you go into, there are others who are in that business. Seek them out. Learn from them. What events do they attend? How do they connect with the market? Listen but verify. Always do your own research. Use what others teach you as a starting point. Including me.

Branding: What do you want your company to be known for? It takes a long time to build a recognizable brand. What image do you want your company to portray? What will you sell? What is the name of your company? Do you have your logo? Have you purchased your domain (website address). Please, please, please do not use those free websites for your business. Why would you put someone else’s business name in your web address?

Customer Service: How will you ship your products? When will you ship the products? What about returns? What about complaints? What are your hours of operation? Mailing list? How will customers contact your business and how timely will you answer? Write (or have written) a few standard letters. As new issues arise, write an additional letter for that situation. You will want consistency. Don’t tell one customer one thing and anther something else. Standard letters will maintain consistency. If you have a website (and I hope you do), have a Terms of Service, Privacy Notice and Frequently Asked Questions pages.

Website: I think free websites are the rope many small businesses use to hang themselves. What is the purpose of your business? If it’s not related to your business, then it shouldn’t be on there. Think of your website as your online storefront. Make it easy for users to purchase your product. I like to buy from small businesses and it drives me CRAZY when I can’t find out how much something cost quickly. Some sites make you go through hell just to get to the ordering page. It’s crazy. I’m also into natural products so I need an ingredients list. If you are making something that people eat, drink, or put on their body, you should ALWAYS have the ingredients listed. I go natural because we have bad sensitive skin and a lot of allergies in my family. But I digress.

When you create or have your site created, remember the main focus is your product. Anything that will distract from the product is not good.

Customer Base: You’ll be selling a high quality product, so your customers will want more of what you have to offer. Your customer base will grow as your brand grows. Will you have a newsletter, blog, members…? How will you stay in contact with your customers? How will you make your loyal customers feel special?

I absolutely love loyalty cards. Will you be implementing some sort of loyalty card?

Okay, that’s enough for today. I started writing this thinking it would be a short checklist and got carried away. There’s more that goes into starting your own business, but I think this is a good base. If you are interested in starting a business or already have, I HIGHLY suggest you check out Score. http://www.score.org.

 

Deatri King-Bey

If you found this post helpful, please use the Share buttons to spread the word about it.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or $8.99 (print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Build OFFLINE Relationships with Readers! by Deatri King-Bey

DeatriThe other day one of my new mentees asked me why I attend reader events when most readers want eBooks now days and you can promote your books online for free. First off, print books have more sells than electronic, but that’s neither her or there. Secondly, time is money. So the hours of time she spends chasing down readers should be calculated into her marketing cost. What worried me is my she thought there was no need to meet the readers in person anymore. She told me she doesn’t waste time with conferences because she won’t make the money back in sells. Soooo, I decided it’s time to write an article about why you should meet the readers.

In a few weeks, I’m headed to the Romance Slam Jam—the place for readers and authors of Black romance to meet. I’ve been attending this annual even over ten years. I originally attended as a reader of Black romance, then became an aspiring author and finally a published author of Black romance. I attend reader events quite often, because I am a reader, but this is the only conference that I attend regularly as an author. Readers read all year around. So by the time the conference comes around, the regulars already have my books, thus I don’t sell many books at the conferences. So why continue to go?

  • Because this is my way of saying “Thank you for investing in me over the years and your continued support. The least I can do is spend a few days to hang with you.” You’d be shocked at how much readers appreciate authors not just being in sell mode. How much they appreciate you taking a little time to talk about what they love to read—your genre books. They want to see you as more than the author who just shows up when they have a new release saying, “Buy my book.”
  • Because this is where a large group of my target audience meets each year with the purpose of talking about what I write. Yes, having people travel across the country or even across town who want what you have to offer is a good thing. They are there for your genre, not to weed through Facebook and other social media to happen upon a post you made.
  • I choose to attend one conference in my genre regularly because I want to get to know that set of attendees and the new attendees each year. Building relationships with readers and others in the business (offline) is a good thing. If you are a new author (new to the reader) they are more willing to give your work a try if they know you. If they already know and like your work, they are more likely to spread the word about your work if they know you personally.
  • My opt-in mailing list grows every time I attend a reader event for my genre. The opt-in mailing list is your most powerful tool in your marketing arsenal. Unlike social media where they control when and who gets to see your promos and post, you own your opt-in list. It’s like I say, don’t keep all your eggs in one basket. Especially a basket someone else owns (social media).
  • Speaking with others in the publishing business in person, learning from each other. Getting leads. Giving pitches. Taking workshops… As an author, you should invest in your business. This means networking, learning the craft and the business. Conferences and reader events are great places to do all of these.

So do I get a good return on investment by attending this yearly conference? Yes I do. I get an outstanding return on investment. Not from the books I sell at the conference, which will be minimal, but from the connections I’ve made. Because of those connections, when I have new releases, I have a pretty sizable base that purchases my books and spreads the word about them. This base took years to cultivate and is ever growing. Many of my readers promote my titles not only because they like the book, but because they’ve gotten to know me as more than that chick on Facebook who starts to pop in a few weeks before she has a new release.

Now get out there and find a conference that focuses on your genre. You want readers who are there for what you have to offer! Can’t afford to travel, use the good ol’ Internet and find something local.

Deatri King-Bey

If you found this post helpful, please use the Share buttons to spread the word about it.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or $9.99 (print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Increase Your Sales Numbers by Deatri King-Bey

DeatriI write because the characters in my head will drive me crazy if I don’t. As I like to say, I put my psychosis to work. I enjoy writing and love sharing my stories with readers. That’s the artistic side of me. I sell my titles to make money. I know a lot of authors who say they aren’t in it for the money. Granted, that’s not the only reason I’m in the business, but if making money weren’t part of it, I wouldn’t charge for my titles.

There are no quick fixes, and overnight success is luck that most of us don’t have, so take steps to increase your sells. Below are a few tips to help you along your way.

Plan For Success: No groaning. It takes time, but proper planning will save you time and money while increasing your sells. Set measurable goals and strategies to reach them. Work your plan and make adjustments where needed. Don’t know how to set goals? Here’s a little help: Creating S.M.A.R.T Goals that you can apply to creating your plan. Here’s an article I wrote a while back that shows planning in action: Proper Planning Testimony: A Key To Publishing Success.

Invest In A Successful Outcome: If you are not willing to invest in your product, why should your customers? Learn the craft and strive to make each novel better than the previous. You can not edit your own book and expect it to be the best it can be. Pay for professional editing (developmental, copy and proof reading—a different editor for each type of editing). If you can’t create professional quality covers, then hire someone to do it for you. The same goes for the other steps in the production process.

Use Your Prime Realty: How many of you include a list of your titles in your novels? I know numerous authors who do, but they put that list at the back of the book. Many readers do not continue reading to see what’s included after the novel ends. Move that list to the front matter. I experimented with this, and sells of my backlist drop when I place that list at the back of the book.

Same goes with your website. You should have a product page for each of your titles AND a page that list purchase information on all of your titles. I can’t tell you how many authors’ pages I’ve gone to that don’t have product pages or it’s hard to find the product pages for their older titles. Your website is your personal showroom.

Make It Easy For Readers To Buy Your Books: I make a few thousand in sells on Barnes & Noble a year. Nowhere near as much as I make on Amazon, but I’ll take it. One of the reasons I do okay on Barnes & Noble is I make it just as easy for readers to by my Nook titles as I do my Kindle titles. I’m shocked at how many authors only place their Amazon link or say “Available on Amazon” then forget about the other online sellers. I know numerous users of devices other than Kindle who ignore post that only say Amazon or Kindle because they figure the author must be a part of that KDP Select program where they have given Amazon exclusivity.

Work Smarter Not Harder: Direct your marketing/promo for readers in your target audience. I manage and belong to several genre specific, online readers groups. It amazes me how many authors come into the groups and post promos that do not belong to the groups’ genres. Many groups have begun blocking authors for continual promotion and promoting non-genre titles. You do not want to become a pain in the butt to readers.

Instead of joining every group that allows authors of your genre to promote, pick a few and actually participate in them. You’ll get a much higher return on your investment (more sells) than if you just pop in to promote your titles and it will take less time. That includes participating a few weeks before your book comes out, then promoting your book and disappearing. Yes, many readers pay attention to that type of thing.

Stop Spreading Yourself Too Thin: It seems like every few months there is a new type of social media out there you can use to promote. Do you know which is the best social media site to use? The one you utilize to its full extent. Each one has its own flavor. Pick the one that you like best, then focus your energy on building your fan base through that site. Once you are comfortable, if you have time, then expand to a second. Remember, each of the major social media hubs have millions of readers for you. You don’t have to be everywhere. Get the millions from the hub you find works best for you, then expand.

Cross Promote: Work with authors in your genre to cross promote. I don’t know of any reader who says they only read one author’s work, but I know many who say they only read one genre. Stop competing with each other. Readers read. Even if they don’t purchase your book today, if they want it, they will buy it.

Cross promotion is as simple as posting in social media when an author has a New Release. Have guest bloggers on your website. Do signings with other authors. Create online groups and web sites with other authors in your genre.

I’m all for cross promotion, but ensure the people you are promoting are interested in releasing as high of quality work as you do.

That’s It
There is no secret or magic behind increasing your sells. Just keep releasing quality products and building your audience. With each title, your base will grow, and you won’t have to work as hard promoting.

Deatri King-Bey

If you found this post helpful, please use the Share buttons to spread the word about it.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or $9.99 (print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Ever Changing Publishing World by Deatri King-Bey

DeatriThe publishing world is ever changing, and you need to change with it or be left behind. With so many moving pieces, it can be difficult to focus. The key is to pick one area at a time to follow.

This is a two-part article. Let’s Get Down To Publishing Business delves into the parts of the business that move, but not so much they are hard to keep track of as much such as taxes, earnings and proper planning. I find this stuff boring, but you have to learn about it, so don’t skip it.

Now back to the not so boring part. Let’s look at some of those moving parts of the publishing industry.

BARNES & NOBLE
In the past year, Barnes & Noble has changed quite a bit. To upload your ebook, instead of going to pubit.com you should now use http://www.NookPress.com. I have always liked the sales reports better on Barnes & Noble. You have a breakdown of what you sell each day and the royalty. So if I run a promo campaign on the 4th, 5th and 6th, I can see how many and what titles I sold on the 4th, 5th, and 6th.

The Nook Press platform for uploading the book isn’t much better than it was before. You can actually edit your manuscript in Nook Press, but I haven’t used that feature. I don’t like the idea of keeping my manuscript there. I’ll do it the old fashioned way. Write it on my computer and upload it.

It used to take around three days for my titles to show for sale after uploading. Lately, I’ve been averaging about a day. The Nook Press system is more touchy with the files. Follow their guidelines or the system will not accept your manuscript. When formatting, please note that using a “Page Break” no longer starts chapters on a new page. You must now use “Section Break.” They have also changed the cover dimensions and file size. Read their guidelines. They are ever changing.

Unfortunately, they don’t have any new promo opportunities, their customer service is still poor and the newsletters they send out to customers with recommended reads aren’t the best at introducing readers to books similar to those they’ve purchased in the past. Hopefully, things will improve.

Many authors have given up on Barnes & Noble, but I’m not one of them. I’ll take my little $200-$600 a month from them for now and be happy.

AMAZON

Amazon has so many changes. Where to begin? Where to begin?

Subgenres: There are additional subgenres that you need to pay attention to. For example Interracial Romance and Science Fiction Romance. If your book actually fits into one of the new subgenres, use the Contact option from the KDP site and ask them to add your title to that subgenre. Remember, Amazon only allows you to link your title to two genres, so you’ll only get to choose one genre when you are updating your product page information.

One of my mentees had her title added to the appropriate subgenre and her sells took off. Since she changed in November, she’s gotten around 65 sells. Previous to that she’d only had 20 and her book had been out over a year. She also has not been promoting her book, so this is all from the change in genre.

Kindle Book Formatting: Amazon now wants you to have a Table Of Contents in your ebooks. They’ll let you upload the file without the table of contents, but eventually, you’ll get a nasty gram saying you need to update your book with a table of contents. They also have a “spell check” of sorts now that calls out errors in your book after it’s been uploaded. Don’t rely on it. Hire good editors and proof readers.

Review Removal: In an attempt to decrease phony reviews, Amazon added a new policy for not allowing reviews or “Sentiments by or on behalf of a person or company with a financial interest in the product or a directly competing product (including reviews by publishers, manufacturers, or third-party merchants selling the product)” –Amazon Policy

Technically, authors could not write reviews for other authors. You also couldn’t have your family and friends writing glowing reviews for you. At first numerous reviews were removed, but Amazon has pretty much backed off this.

Kindle MatchBook: If your eBook is also available in print, through your KDP dashboard, you can link the two, so that when someone purchases the print edition, they can also purchase the eBook version as a discounted price. I’ve done this with my eBooks that are available in print and haven’t seen a measurable increase in print sales. Here’s more information on Kindle MatchBook.

Be careful if the print version of your book was ever released by a different publisher. Ensure Amazon knows which book to link the MatchBook promotion to. Many authors have gotten their rights back, but their old publishers are still selling print copies of their titles.

KDP Reports: The reporting is greatly improved. You no longer have to wait until the 15th of the month to see the previous month’s sells. I like the at a glance look at how many of each title I sold for the month. Granted, you will not have the royalty report for the previous month until the 15th, but if you really wanted to know, you can always look at your previous six weeks report. You can also toggle between locations. For example how well are your titles selling in the UK or Germany? Take your time and go through the reports section. You’ll find lots of goodies.

KDP Payday: There is no longer a minimum royalty payout. So if you sell one copy of your .99 title in February, you’ll receive your royalty check for that .99 sell at the end of April.

Release Date: Numerous authors found out that the release date on their product page had been updated to a current date without their knowledge. What happened? A few months ago, Amazon changed the programming in the background. Before this change, if you didn’t select a publishing date when you uploaded your title, it used the date that the file was uploaded and that was the end. You could go in and change your product information and have no issues. After the change, if you have not selected a publication date, the system can automatically update your publication date.

Yep. You can end up having a publishing date YEARS after review dates if this happens. Have no fear. Just go into the KDP dashboard then to the titled product page information and update the release date to the proper date. On the KDP dashboard, it will list the original release date.

GOODREADS
Amazon purchased Goodreads. Many were worried that would be the end of Goodreads, but the site is still thriving. One of the biggest changes on Goodreads is now authors can “own” their profile. It’s a way of keeping information up to date on your titles. Read more about the Goodreads Author Program

One thing I really like about Goodreads is the quotes. Readers can post quotes from books they’ve read. I’ve found this is a great conversation starter. Soooo, be sure to encourage your readers to showcase their favorite quotes from your titles. Here are a few from one of my titles.

Goodreads quotes: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/25520642-the-only-option

FACEBOOK
I know you don’t want to hear this, but your opt-in mailing list is your most powerful weapon in your marketing arsenal (outside of releasing outstanding books). Building a high quality opt-in list is time consuming, but worth it. What does this have to do with Facebook? Well, those of you who follow my teachings have heard me say several times that your social media friends and likes are not YOURS. They belong to the social media site.

I think Facebook, Twitter and such are great for promotion, but don’t only rely on them. Keep growing your opt-in mailing list. So let’s look at what has happened over at Facebook since this time last year.

Actually, we need to go back a little over a year when Facebook began warning users not to promote on their personal pages. They encouraged users to create fan pages, which were for business and had just as far of a reach of a personal page AND the added bonus of your being allowed more than 5,000 followers.

So people started following the rules and creating Fan pages. In came a Facebook business model change. They decided to start charging you for you to post to more than 10% of your list of your fan pages. In came another change on your personal pages. Your statuses are no longer posted to all of your “friends” newsfeeds. They are only posted to “friends” who you have interacted with recently.

So now authors who only relied on Facebook are having difficulty reaching their followers unless they are willing to pay. How much does it cost? Here’s an article that breaks it down nicely: Facebook I Want My Friends Back

Expensive, huh? Soooo, get to working on your opt-in mailing list. Again, social media is great. Use it, but don’t put all your eggs into a basket you don’t even own. You do not control what business model those social media sites will follow. You do control your mailing list though.

Before I change the subject form Facebook, I came across an interesting article about why you should Like Your Own Facebook Post.

TWITTER

Twitter now allows you to post images! I love that feature, but still don’t get Twitter. Every year I try some new marketing technique. Last year was the year of Twitter for me. I actively participated. I set up my Hootsuite tool  to repost blog post and promos. I retweeted and was retweeted. I gained followers and followed…. All that good stuff. I usually send people from social media over to my website so I can see where my promo traffic is coming from and guess what? I barely saw anything from Twitter. For me, it wasn’t worth my time. I still go on Twitter from time to time, but it’s just not my thing. If it works for you, GO FOR IT!

YOUR TURN
Okay, there are more changes. What have you noticed has changed over the last year? Enlighten us.

Deatri King-Bey

If you found this post helpful, please use the Share buttons to spread the word about it.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or $9.99 (print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Let’s Get Down To Publishing Business by Deatri King-Bey

DeatriWriting is a business whether you self-publish or go the traditional route. As an author, I HATE the business side of things. To me it is BORING! I just want to write my books. No matter how much I hate and want to ignore the business side, I’ve had to become an expert at my business.

First get a good high-level view of the business and where you fit in it. Here is an excellent article to get you started.
http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/self-publishing-debate-part1/

Now look at your publishing business. What is your plan for the next year to grow your audience and increase earnings? What is your target growth for the year? What are your five and ten year plans?

Don’t worry. I won’t make you write it all out (at least not today). These are questions you should know the answer to and you should have to. Are you feeling overwhelmed? It’s okay. Take it one step at a time. Look at one aspect of your business. There is a LOT of information to absorb in this post. Take your time. Reread and needed and I’m always around for questions and to help guide you in the right direction.

Let’s look at taxes. Don’t wait until April to think about taxes. There are things you can do throughout the year to optimize your publishing businesses deductions. Here’s an article from 2013. Use it as a base for knowledge, then do your research: Tax and the More Tax by Michele Tooles.

What were your sales last year? Do you know your numbers? Looking at Amazon ratings is not a good gauge of how well your titles are actually selling. You need real numbers. How many units did you sell? How much did you spend on production and marketing? Here’s an article on gathering your numbers. Know Your Numbers by Deatri King-Bey

Where do you see your publishing business in the next year? Five years? Ten years? Let’s start small. If you don’t have your plan for the year, make one. Your year doesn’t have to start on Jan. 1. Make your plan for the next twelve months (year), then get busy. Your one year plan should be concrete. What are your goals and the steps you will take to make them. Be sure to incorporate cost and time needed for each step.

Once you’ve gotten comfortable with the one year plan concept, write your mid-term goals. Where do you expect your business to be in five years or if five seems to far away, in three years? Your mid-term goals do not have to be as concrete and your year to year plans should be action items to help you reach those goals.

Next are your long-term plans. Ten years down the line or if that sounds too far away, seven years. These plans are not concrete. It’s like your dream. It’s always good to know where you want to be headed, so you can take the steps to go in that direction. Sounds simple, but you’d be shocked at how many people say they want this that or the other, then never get there because they don’t route the path to get there.

Your plans are not written in stone. You WILL update them. As the publishing climate changes along with your wants, you’ll need to make updates.

Here’s an article to help with your planning: Proper Planning Testimony: A Key To Publishing Success by Deatri King-Bey

I don’t want to give you information overload, so will stop for now. Take your time and start mastering the business side.

To save you, I broke this article into two pieces. Click here for The Ever Changing Publishing World

Deatri King-Bey

If you found this post helpful, please use the Share buttons to spread the word about it.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or $9.99 (print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Cross Promotion Is Your Friend by Deatri King-Bey

DeatriIt’s not complicated. Cross promotion is one of the best ways for word of your book to spread to new readers in your target audience. So why do so many authors have such a hard time doing it?

Many authors are stuck in the promote my book, promote my brand, promote everything me cycle. Stop the insanity.

Am I saying not to promote your own work? Heck no. You’d better promote it. Find a few groups that focus on your genre(s) and actually participate in them. If there isn’t a group, create your own but don’t make it all about YOU. Self-promotion is not the only way to go.

Why Cross Promote?

Word of mouth from a friend the reader knows and trusts is the best form of promotion there is to expand your reader base. So let’s say your loyal readers have a buzz going on about your book. GREAT! So what now? Do you plan to promote the title to those readers again, and again, and again… After they’ve seen your promo once or twice, they’ve already decided if they will be purchasing it. Sending additional promos can turn the reader off.

In steps cross promotion.

I have a following. They know about me, my books and my reading habits. These folks love to read, and not just my books. As a matter of fact, I don’t know of any reader who only reads one author’s work, but that’s a post for another day. Back to cross promotion. Just about every day, I promote some other author. I point people to a blog, book into, share good news, reviews… Every once in a while I hear from a reader thanking me for introducing them to [fill in the blank with an author whose work they hadn’t previously read].

Other authors have promoted my work, and I’ve benefited from it directly. I’ve also received emails from readers saying they learned of my books from author So and So.  Does it work as well as a recommendation from a friend the reader knows and trusts? No, but it’s a great addition.

Here are a few ways to cross promote. It is best to cross promote with authors/readers in your genre. You want to get the most bang for your buck.

  • On your blog, invite authors to be guests. This will bring readers to your site, where the readers will also notice your fantastic covers displayed, and your content will always be fresh. For example: http://deatrikingbey.com Or create a genre specific blog. For example: http://readinginblack.com
  • Set up a blog with several other authors in your genre. Invite bloggers, conduct reviews… anything to keep the content fresh. For example: http://romancenovelsincolor.com and
  • If you do a guest post, do not expect to receive a lot of comments. People rarely comment. I don’t know why, but that’s how it is. Think about it. Major blog sites receive MILLIONS of hits yet only a few thousand comments. Yes. My ego would love a thousand comments to show the world that people are engaged with whatever I’m posting, but I’d rather have the silent sales that come later from people who have read and shared the post. I just wish there were a way to track it.
  • When an author whose work you know and like has a new release, do a short Happy Release Day post that also includes a buy link. You’ll find authors will do the same for you.
  • Create an in person event with authors from your genre.
  • Set up a sale (online or in person) with authors from your genre. Be sure to promote the titles of the sale, not just yours. Remember, the people you are promoting to probably already have your book.
  • Create an online group with several authors that is genre specific. Again, don’t make it all about you.
  • Create a scavenger hunt using other authors’ web pages. Here’s an example: Scavenger Hunt: The Blind Date by Delaney Diamond
  • Set up a Twitter party where you and other authors Tweet a post
  • You get the picture. Here are a few helpful hints when cross promoting
  • When you are a guest on a blog, be sure to promote that blog. For example, I did a virtual tour with my last book. The people I promote to already know about my book, so for each stop of the tour, I told them to go and see what the author whose blog I was on had to offer.
  • Just as readers don’t want to see you continually blast promos about your book in the groups, they don’t want you to do this with another author’s book.
  • Target all of your promotions to large groups of people who read the genre of book you are promoting.
  • When participating in multi-author events, be sure to mention the other authors. You’re readers hear from you every day. Just as you are guiding readers to the event for other authors, those other authors should be doing the same towards you.

Cross promotion benefits all parties involved. A year or so ago, I created a Cross Promotion group on Facebook. This is a non-promo group where you can leave your information and find other authors who write in your genre to cross promote with: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CrossPromotion/

Now get out there and cross promote!

Deatri King-Bey

If you found this post helpful, please use the SHARE buttons to help your fellow authors.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Just Say NO to Sucky Covers by Deatri King-Bey

DeatriOne day when I was surfing Facebook, I saw an image of what had to be the worst cover ever. The caption beneath it said: Just because you own Photoshop doesn’t make you a cover designer. Harsh, but I find myself thinking the same thing from time to time.

Your cover is a visual representation of the content of your title that draws readers and makes them want to learn more about your book. Think of it as a visual book blurb. Now let’s get back to that harsh statement about Photoshop, or any other image editing software. Not everyone is artistic. And that’s okay. Not everyone has the technical acumen to utilize image editing software properly. And that’s okay. If you don’t have the vision and the ability, then put money away and hire a cover designer.

Whether you create your own cover or hire someone, you should understand the whys behind cover design.

What main genre is your title? Does the concept you want fit the genre? I hired a designer for a suspense cover. The concepts she showed me looked like horror, so I passed.

What is the tone of your title? Your cover sets reader expectations of what’s inside. For example, if you write a novel that has a serious tone, you wouldn’t want to use a humorous or playful cover. If you wrote a book that is a sweet romance (no sex scenes shown), you wouldn’t want to place a highly erotic cover.

Has some version of your cover been done a thousand times before? Go to Amazon and do a search on your genre that traditional publishers released. Learn the look and feel for your genre, but do your twist on it.

Do you know what the most important element of your cover is? The name you write under. It’s the one item that will remain the same. Initially, your name on the cover doesn’t have to be as large, because people are going to be drawn to the artwork more than you (after all, they don’t know how fabulous you are yet).  You’ll draw them in with your fabulous cover, then they’ll read and love your work so much that they’ll spread the word. As your popularity grows, ensure the size of your name grows. Eventually, people will be purchasing your title just because it has your name on it because they know what is inside will be just as good as the last book they purchased by you.

Artwork on the cover can be tricky. Many authors/publishing houses use stock photos. There is absolutely nothing wrong with stock images. I use them myself. But down side with them is unless you purchase exclusivity of the photo, others can also purchase and use it.

There are other options.

  • You can use non-populated covers (covers without people on them). This makes the pool of stock images used larger.
  • Contact a photographer and pay for a photo shoot. Don’t forget to check out your local colleges and continuing education classes for photographers and possible models. Don’t forget to get releases and if you want exclusive rights, be sure to have that in your contract with the photographer.
  • Pay for exclusivity from stock photo companies.

Below are a few of the covers I’ve designed. Please note. I am not a cover designer and am not looking to design covers for anyone. I’m showing these as examples of covers of various genres and tones. Some are populated. Others not. Some have multiple elements that had to be manipulated. Others a singe photo with fancy font.

CoverSamples

What information do you give a cover designer?

  • Genre and back cover blurb
  • A description of the characters (if using populated cover)
  • Cover concept (if you have one)
  • Key themes of the book
  • Colors you do not want
  • Colors you’d like if they look right

It’s important to remember that a cover artist is an artist. It’s best to give them general concepts then allow them to be creative. Hopefully, they’ll make something better than you imagined.

Before you hire a cover artist, be sure to document:

  • Timeline of the project
  • How many different cover samples they will allow you to choose from and that a font change does not constitute a different sample
  • How many updates they will allow on the design you choose
  • Cost and payment options
  • Exclusivity
  • The size(s) of the final cover image(s) they’ll be giving you
  • If they will be giving you the editable file and the cost (if they charge).

If you want to design your own covers, be sure to learn how to use the software and study covers. When I design a cover, I usually have three concepts that I show readers of the genre. I let them give feedback, then I go back to the drawing board.

Now do me a favor and say NO to sucky covers.

If you found this post helpful, please use the Share buttons to spread the word about it.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Authors Beware. Misinformation Abounds! by Deatri King-Bey

 DeatriLast month I attended two writer/reader events that had workshops and panel discussions pertaining to the publishing industry. When I go to these type of events, I’m usually very selective on which discussions I attend, but this time I decided to give others a try. Many of the presenters were very good, but others… All I can say is: Authors beware. Misinformation abounds!


I literally wanted to jump out of my seat numerous times, but I was good. I remained calm and kept my mouth shut. Below are just a few of the things I wanted to set the record straight on.


Copyright Misinformation: You have to copyright your book the moment you start writing it for protection.


Copyright Correction: Let’s think this through. You haven’t even written it yet and you can’t copyright a concept, so that doesn’t make sense. The moment you write/type your book, you have copyright protection. You file the work with the copyright office so that if someone infringes on your copyright, you can sue them. NOTE: Whoever files first DOES NOT necessarily get the copyright of the piece of work. Remember, the moment you’ve written your piece, YOU own the copyright. So if someone else gets your manuscript and submits the copyright, then you can still file a copyright and take them to court. So make your life easier and file your copyright. Visit the official copyright office website for information.


ISBN Misinformation: When you purchase an ISBN from a vendor such as Lightning Source or Create Space, it’s like those companies owning your social security number. They are listed as the real publisher of the piece. Therefore, they own the copyright to your book and can do whatever with it they please.


ISBN Correction: Not all vendors work the same, but many of them give options on assigning ISBN. With the “FREE” option, the ISBN assigned usually belongs to the vendor, for example Create Space, and thus Create Space would be listed as the publisher. BUT they do not own your copyright or get additional royalties.


Personally, I do not like this option because I want to brand my company. It’s the same as getting those free websites with WordPress or Wix, then their name is part your website address. I don’t want someone else listed as publisher of a book I published.


Another option some of the vendors offer is you purchase an ISBN from them that list your company as the publisher. This is usually cheaper than buying ISBNs directly from Bowker. This is the option that people think gives your rights away and removes you as publisher. No, you are not giving them your social security number to do what they want. A more accurate analogy would be renting the ISBN. Your company is listed as the publisher as long as you fulfill the obligations of the rental agreement. The vendors have brokered deals with Bowker to make this possible.


The obligation is usually you must create/sell the book using the vendor’s business. So if you purchased the $10 ISBN from CreateSpace, you are listed as the publisher and must use CreateSpace to publish and sell your book. You can also sell from other vendors, but the creation must be in CreateSpace. Let’s say you don’t like CreateSpace for whatever reason. You can stop using CreateSpace, but that is also the end of your rental agreement for that ISBN. You can not take the ISBN with you to Lightning Source and publish the book using the ISBN you rented from CreateSpace. You’ll need a new ISBN.


The final option vendors offer is a high priced ISBN that you can purchase from them that you can take with your if you leave their company. DO NOT DO THIS. They are just selling you an ISBN from Bowker. Go to Bowker yourself and purchase your ISBNs. If you purchase in bulk, they are cheaper.


Traditional Publishing Misinformation: You’ll make more money from self-publishing, so there is no need to even try to go the traditional publishing route.


Traditional Publishing Correction: This one drove me CRAZY. I make a lot more self-publishing than traditionally publishing, but I still tell authors who don’t already have a nice sized reader base to try to find a traditional publisher also. Why? Because traditional publishing gets your book to a sizable amount of readers in your target audience who wouldn’t have tried your titles otherwise. This is the FASTEST way to grow your loyal reader base.


Let’s say you write romance and Harlequin offers you a book deal for one of their lines. Each of their lines has thousands of readers who purchase every book within the line they enjoy. Play it smart. Write a few novels for the traditional publisher. Use them to build your reader base (while you’re still self-publishing). Once you are happy with the size of your reader base, don’t continue with the traditional publisher.


I think this one annoyed me so much because it was an author who traditionally published first, then self-published. She also gave examples of other authors who traditionally published first, then self-published. All the while, saying, people shouldn’t go the traditional route. Don’t get me wrong, there are authors out there who do great with only self-publishing, but in general, the fastest way to grow your large loyal reader base is through traditional publishing.


Lesson Learned: Do your research. I’m not saying ignore information people tell you, but you must also do your own research on whatever the topic is. Even if it’s me saying it. Believe it or not, I’ve been wrong a time or two. Break out those critical thinking skills and think through what they are telling you. Is the logic they are using making sense or just sounding good.



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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Setting Up Virtual Tours by Deatri King-Bey

DeatriOutside of writing a downright excellent book, two keys to expanding your loyal reader base are mingling with your current readers and being introduced to potential new readers. Back in the day, authors would go on tours to bookstores, conferences, reader events… to accomplish both of these tasks. Thanks to the electronic age, authors have additional options to accomplish this goal. One of my favorite ways is the virtual tour.

In essence, virtual tours work the same way as traditional tours, except your stops are online. You may visit blogs, participate in chats and online conferences, organize a sale with other authors… Anything to expose you to readers via the web.

So you want to do a virtual tour. The first thing you need to decide is if you will pay a service to organize the tour and/or organize it yourself. Whether you hire a service and/or organize the tour yourself, you’ll still have to write the blog posts, participate in the chats and such.

Paid Virtual Tour Appearances

Personally, I’m against paying a service to organize virtual tours, but what works for me may not work for you. Find what works for you and go for it. Here are a few advantages of paying a service to organize your virtual tour:

  • Many authors are shy and/or don’t know who or how to ask to make an appearance on someone’s site (a stop on the tour). The service does this for you.
  • The service sets up the appearance dates (stops).
  • Often times stops also include a review
  • The stops are varied. For example a reader who likes to blog about books is different than an author who has guest authors visit, is different than a website that caters to readers….

Again, just because paying for a virtual tour is not my cup of tea, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t indulge. If you are interested in paid virtual tour appearances:

  • Be sure to look at the virtual tour company’s clients. Do they write your genre? Will this company have the connections to get your book in front of readers in your genre?
    • Don’t pay companies to expose you to ANY reader. You want to be exposed to readers who actually enjoy your genre. For example, if you write horror, ensure the service is setting you up to visit virtual locations that specialize in horror. Not romance. Not historicals. You want to get the most bang for your buck, so you need to be where the most people who read your genre will be.
    • Many companies will not tell you the places they will be booking you until after you’ve paid (Understandable. They don’t want you to organize the tour on your own).  No problem. Ask the company exactly how many of the stops they are planning for you focus mainly on your genre. If it isn’t at least 70% of the stops, then I say skip this company. Don’t get me wrong. There are sites out there that attract a wide array of different types of readers. Those are great places for the other 30% of the tour.
  • Be sure to look at the virtual tour company’s current clients’ sells. Hop on over to Amazon and see how are they doing. Are they getting their monies worth?
  • Be sure to look at the current clients’ appearance schedules. Do these locations specialize in your genre?
  • Some virtual tour companies own numerous blogs/social media type locations for virtual tour stops. There is no problem with this, but be sure to ask the service how many of the stops they are planning for you are in locations they maintain. This number should be low.
    • One of the great things about virtual tours is the exposure to new readers you get from the host announcing your appearance. So if you are appearing on platforms maintained by the virtual tour company, then they are announcing the appearances to the same audience.

Setting Up Your Own Virtual Tour

The first time you set up a virtual tour for your genre, it’s a pain in the butt. The good thing is, once you get your research, you can adjust and reuse it for future tours.

  1. If you don’t have a blog, why not. Get one started and host virtual tours. I know it’s all about you, but by having authors from your genre visit your blog, they are bringing new readers to visit you just as you are introducing your readers to them. Cross promotion is your friend. Check out Bling: Can You Pimp My Website for starts. Creating a blog is optional, but I highly suggest it.
  2. Here comes the hard part. Research blogs, websites, online conferences, chat opportunities in your genre. I’m addicted to reading and regularly visit numerous blogs and websites to see what’s new and meet new authors (new to me). In my ventures, I take note of the main genre(s) hosted on the sites. Another way to locate sites in your genre is to do a Google search. You can list authors in your genre and find their websites. If they host guest appearances, take note. You can go to Amazon and search for authors in your genre, then look at their web pages to see if they have guest appearances. Some websites contain a list of links to other websites. Start clicking and find those sites. The more contacts you have, the better.
  3. A month or two (two is better) before you are ready to start your tour, contact the people on your list and ask to do a guest posts or be interviewed. Nothing complicated. I use:

Email Subject: Virtual Tour Stop Request

Hello All,

My upcoming GENRE OF BOOK, TITLE OF BOOK, is due for release GIVE A GENERAL TIME IE: LAST WEEK OF JULY, thus I’m requesting the opportunity to write a guest post or be interviewed on your website in the coming months. If you are interested in hosting a stop on my virtual tour, please let me know what you’d need from me and the date.

My website is located at YOUR WEB URL and, as always, I welcome you to visit my page in the future.

BOOK TITLE:

BOOK BLURB

BOOK SAMPLE Make it short and sweet.

Thank you for your time,

YOUR NAME

YOUR EMAIL

At least half of the people I contact usually reply that they’d love to have me. I guess the others ignore me.

  1.  While you are waiting on people to reply, go ahead and begin writing guest posts. Remember, you want to attract readers, so write something interesting to them, not how to query an agent. Your posts should relate to your book and also include the back cover blurb, purchase links, links to your website, and a thank you to the host. I like to include a short sample of the book.
  2. As you begin receiving replies, some will give you a date they want you to appear. Others will allow you to select your date. I like Thursdays because it’s the day before payday for many and people aren’t as distracted by the weekend yet so you get more views.
  3. Send in your blog posts and interviews. Set up your chat dates. Send out your edited book for reviews…
  4. Once your tour begins, be sure to promote each site you appear on the day you appear on it. Visit the site a few times during the day and reply to readers’ comments. Don’t be discouraged by the low comment number. When I have guest appear on my fiction blog, the entries average a few hundred hits, yet people rarely comment. When I look at my stats, I can see people are clicking the purchase links and links to the authors’ pages, so that’s the important thing.

Virtual tours are a lot of work whether you pay a service to set up your dates or you do it yourself, but they are excellent ways to stay in touch with your readers and meet new ones in your genre.

Be sure to check out Why It Might Be Your Fault That Your Blog Tour Sucked by Stacy-Deanne.

Deatri King-Bey

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Reviewer and Reader No Nos by Deatri King-Bey

DeatriIn previous posts, I’ve discussed authors’ marketing techniques that turn readers off and authors’ bad reactions to negative reviews. This month I decided to flip the script and discuss readers and reviewers who are, shall we say, not displaying the best behavior.  As an author, you’ll often hear, “You need to have a tough skin.” But there are times when readers and reviewers cross an invisible line that should never be crossed. Hopefully, this article will help you prepare for what is out there.

For the first question, I received input from fifty-three people, mostly review team members and readers. The interesting thing was reviewers, readers and authors all mentioned the same things. Below are the main themes I saw repeated.

What should NOT be included in a book review?

  • Spoilers! – Giving away the climax, important plot points or the ending of a story was the number one item that the sample I took did not like.
  • Personal attacks and moral judgments– This ranked up there close with spoilers. Here is a reply that summed this up nicely: A review, while a personal opinion, should not be personal. You are reviewing the book, not the author. Talk about the writing. Talk about the characters. Talk about the plot. There should be no name calling or accusation throwing in a review.
  • Mean spirited – There was also mention that reviews were becoming mean spirited and written in a tone to tear down and disrespect instead of giving constructive criticism.
  • Reviews that attack an aspect of what the title is. For example if you don’t like short stories, don’t read short stories then rate them poorly for being a short story.
  • No useful information – Reviews that only say I liked or didn’t like this book are useless. People who base their book buying partially on reviews want to know what you did and/or didn’t like and why.
  • Ordering experience – Reviews that give a 1 star because the reader didn’t like the price of a book, format, or how it was shipped.
  • Unprofessional/disrespectful behavior – Some review groups write reviews, then going online and proceed to blast the author for writing a bad book or attack other review groups for liking the book. I’ll admit, I was shocked by this one but it came up a few times.
  • Not reading the book but giving a review – Need I say more
  • Promoting other books in a review – For example, Don’t waste your money on this book. If you are looking for a five star read, try 123 by #$%
  • This isn’t a part of the review but at times reviewers agree to review a book, then they don’t.

The next question was for authors only. To protect the authors, I’m not giving names and will paraphrase.

What behaviors do readers display that are a turn off?

  • Obsessed Fans – Authors need readers and vice versa. Most authors love to hear from their readers and to connect with them. There are some readers who take being the author’s fan too far and attack others on behalf of the author. For example, let’s say you are in a group and someone doesn’t like author A’s book or if the author receives a bad review, the reader attacks other readers and the reviewer.
    • Follow up question: What did you do to combat this?  I’ve only had this happen to me twice that I know of. The first time I found out about it by a reader contacting me saying she’d never read my work again because I’d had one of my “minions” attacked her. I wasn’t aware that I had minions. I went to the review she was referring to and knew by the comment of the obsessed fan who it was. She’d written to me several times. I didn’t have “proof” it was her, so without mentioning the review, I replied to her next email and explained that I was going to have to pull away from having so much contact with readers because there was someone out there attacking readers on my behalf and turning readers off from my work. I let her know that this person thought they were helping, but in reality they were hurting my reputation. She didn’t email me again, but I continued looking at my reviews and saw she stopped attacking people. If you know one of your readers is attacking people, then you need to stand up to that reader. They can do a lot of damage.
    • Stalkers. Taking reader input is one thing and authors need the feedback and appreciate it, but some readers go overboard. I had one following me from Facebook page to Facebook page posting that I needed to be writing instead of on Facebook.
      • Follow up question: What did you do to combat this? I blocked her so I couldn’t see her comments. She’s probably talking about me like a dog now.
    • Readers who think you owe them something. I am grateful when anyone purchases one of my books, and I hope you enjoy it and want my future titles. You purchased my book, not me. I’m amazed at things readers demand because they bought one of your books.
    • Writing is Business – Some readers don’t understand/care that writing is a business. We release our work to the public to make a living.  Books only cost a few dollars, but there are readers who want to read the books without purchasing them. I don’t mind loaning a book to someone who hasn’t read an author’s work before, but to continually borrow books is stealing money out of authors’ pockets. And don’t get me started on those pirate websites. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to make a living?
    • Writing is Business – I had a contest and the winner would receive XYZ, which fit the theme of the book. The winner contacted me and said she didn’t want XYZ, instead she wanted 123.  Why did she enter if she didn’t want the prize?
    • Poor Book signing etiquette – Some readers have the bad habit of coming to your table to speak about everything except your books. They block the way from people who may actually want to buy your book or they come to eat the treats at your table and move on.
    • Poor Group etiquette – Immature behavior and lack of respect for members and/or moderator runs many from groups. Also if the majority of the groups content veers too far away than the groups purpose can cause authors to leave.

Well, that’s it for this go around. I don’t think anything discussed is a surprise, but sometimes we do need to be called out on our behaviors. As a reader or reviewer, be honest with yourself. Are you displaying some of the behaviors listed above? Is that what you want to be known for? Thank you to everyone who contributed to this article. You guys are the best.

Much Joy, Peace and Love

Deatri King-Bey

If you found this post helpful, please use the Share buttons to spread the word about it.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble