By Sophfronia Scott

Our local newspaper recently featured an area Realtor on the cover of its magazine supplement. It was a large story including a photo of the woman on the top of the newspaper’s front page teasing the story and referring to her as a book author.

I was curious to know more about her book so I checked it out. As it turned out, the Realtor had published the book herself and it wasn’t her original idea-she had bought the license to the subject (how to sell your house in a tough environment) and tailored it to the area of the country she represents. But did that matter? No! The paper treated it as though it were any book that may have been published by a big New York City publishing house. And if you asked any of her readers if they knew the difference, I’m willing to bet they wouldn’t know because the information on how to sell their house was what they wanted, not who published the book!

Not long ago, self published books were considered just a few steps above pamphlets run off on a Xerox machine. How did this big change come about? Let’s look at a few points:

Quality Product
The amazing changes in printing technology has made it possible for self published books to be produced with a level of quality that can rival that of books done by traditional publishers. In the past the look and feel of a self published book was the telltale sign that it wasn’t a “normal” book. The design (of both text and cover) was often poor and the paper sometimes badly cut. These days print on demand companies can offer similar, if not the same, technology used by traditional publishers and they can do it without requiring print runs of thousands of copies that often ended up unsold in authors’ garages and basements. And many of the designers used by traditional publishers also freelance their services out to self publishers. Again, the same quality and talent is available that was once only accessible to the big companies.

When I sought out a company to partner with for my publishing projects, I chose Advantage Media Group, specifically because of the quality of their final product. I wanted to be able to deliver a good-looking finished book into the hands of my clients. You should want the same for yourself.

The same goes for editing help. Many self publishing companies offer editing as part of their packages. It’s also easier to find a professional editor for hire via sites such as Elance.com. You can ensure that your book reads well and is free of typos and continuity problems.

Respectability for Being Published-No Matter the Form
Many newspapers and magazines didn’t review self published books, and there are some that still don’t. But now they look at it this way: a good story is a good story. If your book handles a subject that’s important to their readers or viewers (like the real estate example above) or hits upon a trend currently in the news, the media would be very interested in doing a story on you and your book. Again, it wouldn’t matter how it was published. On television they seldom mention the publisher, and in print they note the price and publisher no matter how large or small the company.

Distribution Problems Gone
Once upon a time, bookstores resisted stocking self published books. Why? Because unsold books are usually returned to the publisher and the store doesn’t have to pay for them. But unsold self published books were non-returnable, which made them more of a risk. However, many companies, including Author House and Advantage Media, have made it possible to include distribution as part of their publishing services. That means they have worked out deals where self published books can be returned, making it easy for you to have your book available in stores. Note: a store may still choose not to stock your book, but if someone comes in and asks for it, your book can be ordered by the store. If they get enough of such requests, they may decide to stock it after all.

Affordability
While quality self publishing is still an issue of “you get what you pay for”, you don’t have to spend what you used to in order to get your book done well. Many companies package their services which allow you to pick and choose what you want in the production process.

The Choice is Yours
Is self publishing right for you? Only you can know for certain. Consider all the things you want out of being published-what will a book do for you or your business? Is this book just for you and family or is it for the masses? Do you have a way of getting the book’s message out to the public? How will you sell it? The best way for you to be satisfied by the publishing process is for you to be clear about what you want and then pursue the path that will get you there.

© 2009 Sophfronia Scott

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but you must include this complete resource box with it: Sophfronia Scott is Executive Editor of the Done For You Writing & Publishing Company. Learn what a difference being a published author can make for your business. Get your FREE audio CD, “How to Succeed in Business By Becoming a Bestselling Author” and your FREE online writing and book publishing tips at www.DoneForYouWriting.com.

By Sophfronia Scott

Editing is a very necessary, yet most maligned step in book publishing. But, as I shared with my students in a recent Business Book Bootcamp class, I believe this comes from both fear and a misunderstanding of the editing process. Editing is the step that makes your book shine, so don’t skip it even if the prospect of someone else handling your work has you clutching your manuscript with numb fingers! If you don’t hire someone else to do it, you should know how to completely review your book with a critical eye. Here are the 3 levels of editing you’ll want to work your way through:

1.) Editing for Content
This is where you’ll question whether or not the book “works”. Is the material communicated well? Is it organized properly? Are there any missing parts or unintentional repetitions?

2.) Editing for Length
No one wants to carry around War and Peace, so make sure your book isn’t any longer than it needs to be.

3.) Copyediting (also considered line editing or proofreading)
This level of editing involves checking punctuation, spelling, grammar and usage as well as cross-references and consistency in how you use key terms.

If you carefully progress through these levels you should end up with a publishable manuscript. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but you’ll find in the end it’s worth it to achieve a book you can be proud of. One last bit of advice: be willing to let go of your work. I know it’s hard to cut when you’ve worked so diligently to produce the words. But in the words of Cornish writer Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944), you must be willing to “murder your darlings” and, I say, be confident that more will come again.

© 2009 Sophfronia Scott

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but you must include this complete resource box with it: Sophfronia Scott is Executive Editor of the Done For You Writing & Publishing Company. Learn what a difference being a published author can make for your business. Get your FREE audio CD, “How to Succeed in Business By Becoming a Bestselling Author” and your FREE online writing and book publishing tips at www.DoneForYouWriting.com.

By Sophfronia Scott

What do you get when you mix a handful of writers, a hot topic and a snazzy title? You get an anthology -and one of the more popular form of books being published today. The New York Times noted “the wave of anthologies has not yet crested” and the phenomenon is still a great seller. You can take advantage of this trend to get yourself published faster than working on your own. I know it might not be what you dreamed-sharing a byline and being in a book that’s not wholely yours, but it is a way for a first time author to get a foot in the door. Here’s how they work.

Choose Your Topic

Anthologies are organized and driven by their subject matter. And the title usually makes it crystal clear what that subject is. Examples: Maybe Baby: 28 Writers Tell the Truth About Skepticism, Infertility, Baby Lust, Childlessness, Ambivalence and How They Made the Biggest Decision of Their Lives; The Bastard on the Couch: 27 Men Try Really Hard to Explain Their Feelings About Love, Loss, Fatherhood and Freedom. When you choose your topic you’ll want it, of course, to be something you’re interested in writing about, but you’ll also want it to feel as though you are responding to what’s on the minds of a particular group or society at large. You’ll want to do your best to plug into the zeitgeist because that’s what will generate buzz about your book and get you interviewed in the media.

Gang Up! Find Your Co-Authors

Next, find other writers interested in participating. You can do this by Googling your subject and seeing what writers are already working in the field. You can also scan online groups, like on Yahoo, to find unpublished writers looking to do their first book as well.

How Will You Publish and Split Costs?

If you self publish your anthology, you’ll have to come up with a plan for how you’ll handle the costs and oversee the project. Will it by “your baby”, in which case you’ll pay for the book’s production (and possibly even pay the bigger name writers if that’s what it takes to get them involved) and marketing costs. If you go in with a group of first timers, you’ll all be able to split the costs, but it might be a good idea to have someone act as the project manager, to keep from having a “too many cooks” scenario develop.

Co-Market For Your Best Results

The best part about working with more than one writer is that you’ll be able to use the muscle of marketing to more than one list. Ideally each writer will have their own list (either their personal contacts or a list they developed as part of a business) and that automatically multiplies the number of people you can reach with the book. You’ll want to put your heads together to develop a good marketing plan so you’re all sending out similar materials with a similar message. Again, you can designate a project manager to handle submitting the book to media markets (your co-authors can handle local media if they already have their own contacts). Hopefully everyone will pitch in and do their share. After all, if the book succeeds it could be the stepping stone the writers need to their own individual book contracts!

© 2009 Sophfronia Scott

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but you must include this complete resource box with it: Sophfronia Scott is Executive Editor of the Done For You Writing & Publishing Company. Learn what a difference being a published author can make for your business. Get your FREE audio CD, “How to Succeed in Business By Becoming a Bestselling Author” and your FREE online writing and book publishing tips at www.DoneForYouWriting.com.

By Sophfronia Scott

What’s the biggest fear of a self-published author? Having a garage or basement chock full of unsold books. These days, of course, print-on-demand keeps that from actually happening-there’s no reason to print up thousands of copies in advance, but the spectre still exists in the mind’s eye: “What if no one wants my book?”

If you’re writing a non-fiction book, consider yourself ahead of the game. A novelist has to appeal to his or her market on many different levels because they can’t easily plug into the “What’s in it for me?” factor for the reader. But a non-fiction author can own it-and even ride it all the way to the bank. Here’s how.

Solve Their Biggest Problem
James Roche of www.infoproductguy.com taught me a different way to think of my audience whenever I’m creating anything, whether it be an information product or a book. He told me to think of my target audience as one person driving home in the middle of the night in the pouring rain. The person gets a flat tire. They go out to try to change it but they have no idea how. Now they’re drenched and desperate to get home.

Then I (or you) come along. We declare that we know exactly how to change a tire and it’s written on this piece of paper in our hands. Of course the person is eager to either get the piece of paper or get us to change the tire for him or her. Let’s pretend your audience has a problem like this. It could be wanting to lose weight or wanting to learn how to invest in real estate or needing to know how to keep their home out of foreclosure. Your “piece of paper” is going to be your book telling them exactly how to solve the problem. Now, what’s going to be on your piece of paper?

Make Your Solution Crystal Clear
You’ll want to make your solution clear and easy to follow-systematic even. Give it a name (Like “The South Beach Diet” or “The Ultimate Marketing Plan” or “The 7 Steps of Highly Effective People”) and you’re on your way. Fabienne Fredrickson of www.ClientAttraction.com refers to this as your “proprietary system” and if you work with clients, you probably already have a systematic way that you work with them. You just never thought to write out the steps before. But writing them down will magically turn your system into a gold mine because-get this-you can teach those steps in anything from a 45-minute talk to a 3-day workshop. That means different ways of making money from the same material.

Get Your Reader to Take Action
Your reader will be more likely to want to work with you in person if you can get them to take some action, even a small one, on their own. You can do that by sprinkling your steps with calls to action that will make the reader go to your website to DO something: download a worksheet, take an assessment, use a special calculator. Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek does this brilliantly in his book-besides offering worksheets, calculators and resources at his website, www.4hourworkweek.com, he also offers missing chapters that were edited out of the manuscript. Think about this strategically: what would you most like the reader to do? And if you send them to your website, make sure the site is set up to capture names and email addresses. That way your book will do more than sell-it will be a powerful lead generation magnet for you as well.

© 2009 Sophfronia Scott

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but you must include this complete resource box with it: Sophfronia Scott is Executive Editor of the Done For You Writing & Publishing Company. Learn what a difference being a published author can make for your business. Get your FREE audio CD, “How to Succeed in Business By Becoming a Bestselling Author” and your FREE online writing and book publishing tips at www.DoneForYouWriting.com.

By Sophfronia Scott

Let’s face it. You read and study and seek advice from writing professionals like myself because you want to understand the convention of the publishing industry so you can be accepted and be successful in the realm. There’s nothing wrong with that. But I would like you to think about this for a moment: Sometimes there’s even more success to be had by going against the grain of what’s usually done. And there isn’t a better time than now to experiment with new approaches because these days “what’s usually done” in the publishing world, isn’t working.

But before you set out to write the book that shatters convention or create the promotion that makes us all rethink how to sell a book, here are a few tips to keep in mind to help smooth your unpaved path.

Be Clear For Yourself
Know what you want to do and why you want to do it. Don’t worry if the reasons don’t make sense to anyone else. I’m sure no one could really understand why real estate maverick Frank McKinney wanted to write and publish a spiritual book, a real estate guide and a young adult novel all on exactly the same day, but I bet the reasons were crystal clear to him! Everyone else could only stand back in amazement as each book hit bestseller status. If you’re clear on your reasons for writing against the grain, it will help you to…

Be Strong in Your Conviction
Many people will tell you why you can’t do something–I could even be one of them! But if your plan is sound, and only you can know that for certain, move forward in the direction of your dreams. The book publishing industry has operated on convention for ages so it doles out the rejection slips like sprinkles in an ice cream shop. Authors like J.K. Rowling got more than their fair share. But because she held firm in her belief that her story of boy wizard Harry Potter was worthy, she was rewarded with a fortune.

Execute Well
It’s one thing to be a maverick. It’s quite another to be a bad maverick. I’m not even sure if there’s a proper word for a bad maverick. You’re just considered bad! If you’re going to write a book like no one has ever seen before, then it has to be good. There will be too many people waiting to say, “See, I told you it wouldn’t work.” Your work has to be on target and so polished it shines. A half-baked job won’t cut it.

Get Others On Your Bandwagon
When you write against the grain, it helps to have your own support team. You’ll need the positivity to outweigh the “no’s” you might hear along the way. Plus you’ll enjoy celebrating your triumph with people who were there with you the whole way–no johnny-come-lately’s at your party!

Show Some Personality
Now is not the time to sit back and be conservative with your writing. If you’re already stepping out to write something different, you may as well go all the way. Don’t be afraid to show your personality. Your brash mind came up with the idea–let it come out with all that brashness intact. You’ll draw more interest in your project, and you’ll have a lot more fun creating it!

One Last Note: Don’t be afraid to ask for help along the way. If you’re doing something totally new, you might hesitate to talk about the project and keep it too much to yourself. Remember (and I learned this from author and coach Barbara Sher), isolation is a dream killer. The more people you tell about your bold vision, the more good energy you’ll build around it. And you’ll be that much more likely to drive that bold vision home.

© 2009 Sophfronia Scott

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but you must include this complete resource box with it: Sophfronia Scott is Executive Editor of the Done For You Writing & Publishing Company. Learn what a difference being a published author can make for your business. Get your FREE audio CD, “How to Succeed in Business By Becoming a Bestselling Author” and your FREE online writing and book publishing tips at www.DoneForYouWriting.com.

By Sophfronia Scott

Are you ready to get started on your book? Don’t be ashamed, it’s okay–I’m willing to bet your answer is “No”. How do I know that? Because the majority of people who make their first contact with me aren’t ready for a variety of reasons. Those reasons fall into the following areas:

* Financial
* Family
* Business
* Time
* Content (The person is still developing it or doesn’t know what it is.)

The real question these aspiring authors have for me–and I’m sure you have it too–is this: “What should I be doing to get ready?” Actually there’s a lot you can do right now. Here’s your check list. You could be:

Building your platform
You might not have a book yet, but you do have ideas and those ideas can be communicated now. The sooner you can build your audience, the better. A strong platform will help you get a book deal if your goal is to publish with one of the major publishing houses. Speaking, publishing articles and blogging can also help you build your platform.

Learning about self-publishing
There are many ways to self publish these days and the more you understand what’s available to you, the easier it will be for you to make the right choices for your book.

Learning about traditional publishing
If you want to publish with a major house and you don’t understand what those editors are looking for when they purchase books, you could get a nasty surprise when you start shopping your proposal or manuscript. The more you know about the process, the more you’ll increase your chances of success.

Working on your book proposal
As you begin to build your platform, you’ll meet more people. One of those people might be a literary agent or an editor. If you’re constantly working on your idea, you’ll have something to show the moment someone says, “Can you send me something?” You’ll also get clearer about your book’s strengths and weaknesses.

Determining what questions you have about the process
You’ll also what to make sure you find a reliable way to get those questions answered.

Following the book world
You’re about to join the book world. Shouldn’t you be a little familiar with it? Keep an eye out for what books in your genre are coming out. How are they being marketed and can you use those same strategies for your book?

Making strategic alliances
The connections you make today will help you to promote your book tomorrow.

Learning about marketing and public relations
Yes, you can hire people to do the marketing and pr for you, but these professionals can only work with what you give them. And at the end of the day, no one can know or promote your book better than you can.

And that’s it! The great thing about this list is that you can do a little bit at a time and over time you’ll find your readiness will increase exponentially.

© 2009 Sophfronia Scott

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but you must include this complete resource box with it: Sophfronia Scott is Executive Editor of the Done For You Writing & Publishing Company. Learn what a difference being a published author can make for your business. Get your FREE audio CD, “How to Succeed in Business By Becoming a Bestselling Author” and your FREE online writing and book publishing tips at www.DoneForYouWriting.com.

I’m as excited as a proud mama, but for once this has nothing to do with my son! Today is the release date for Pamela Slim’s new book, Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entepreneur. Pamela is a graduate of my Inner Circle Workshop, and we spent many hours discussing her voice, her material and the development of her book proposal. (Here we are with her beautiful children in Phoenix last year.) You can imagine how psyched I was for her when Penguin bought the book and handed Pamela a very nice five figure advance!

Now the book is here and it’s fabulous–and timely! You’ll be seeing plenty of promotional work on the book in the coming weeks. Pam’s already had an op-ed piece published in the New York Times and she’s got powerful bloggers such as Guy Kawasaki (in fact he wrote the book’s foreword), helping her with the buzz factor. If you or someone you know is struggling with cutting the cord from a corporate job, Escape from Cubicle Nation is a must read. Get it–and help the student surpass her teacher on the bestseller lists! I won’t mind!

NOTE: Many of the connections Pam is using to promote her book were cultivated over a good amount of time. Meeting people is really key to the success of your work. Today’s feature article on networking (below) will give you some tips to improve your networking skills.

By Sophfronia Scott

‘Tis the season for conferences and seminars! Many of my friends have all been conference-hopping in recent weeks and we’ve been discussing how fruitful these gatherings can be when you can make great and lasting contacts. But how do you come away with something more substantial than a stack of business cards? Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

1.) Speak Up! The Magic of Telling

“Isolation is a dream killer,” says life coach Barbara Sher. One of my friends reminded me of that recently. She had attended an event where, for the first time, she came out of her shell and started telling people what she did. She was met with great enthusiasm and people asking her for samples and wanting to refer her to others. All because she spoke up. Now that doesn’t mean you go up to someone and talk non-stop! It does mean that you go into a conversation with a clear description of who you are and what you do or write.

2.) Be a Productive Networker

Your networking will not be productive if you are handing out business cards indiscriminately or asking someone who isn’t the right person to read your work. Or maybe you’re listening only partially to someone and then writing them off if they don’t seem to have what you want. Productive networking is about building long-term relationships. Why long-term? Because it’s highly unlikely that you or your contact have what the other wants at that very moment. The idea is to keep in touch until you do. In the meantime, you want to offer value or be of service so that the other person feels it’ll be worthwhile to stay in touch with you.

3.) Engage in Two-Way Conversations

When the other person is talking, listen up! Who is the person and what do they need? They’ve come to the event for their own reasons. What are they? Can you assist? Get a clear understanding of what the person does and respect it! For instance, don’t push a science fiction novel on an agent who only handles non-fiction. Tell the other person what you’re up to, but don’t babble. Think attraction: be engaging, not desperate!

4.) Maintain the Connection

Ask for permission to stay in touch-don’t just add the person to your email list. Decide how you’ll stay in touch. Occasional emails? A monthly newsletter? In “Making a Literary Life”, author Carolyn See suggests writing notes to a different contact daily. Try to attend events where your most important contacts are involved, even if it means taking a trip. It’s just one more thing that helps them take you seriously.

5.) When the Time Comes, Be Specific!

Use your contact only when they can help you the most. “Ask early, ask often” doesn’t apply here. Know exactly what you want from the person. Tell him or her, in detail, how they can help you. Make it easy for them! If you have developed the relationship well, the person will be more than happy to lend a hand. And when they’ve done so, be gracious-write thank you notes!

One Last Note: Be patient. Building a network takes consistent, persistent effort. If you truly believe in what you’re doing, and it shows in your work, others will believe in you as well.

© 2009 Sophfronia Scott

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but you must include this complete resource box with it: Sophfronia Scott is Executive Editor of the Done For You Writing & Publishing Company. Learn what a difference being a published author can make for your business. Get your FREE audio CD, “How to Succeed in Business By Becoming a Bestselling Author” and your FREE online writing and book publishing tips at www.DoneForYouWriting.com.

By Sophfronia Scott

It happens all the time. An aspiring author will send me an email asking “What do you think of this self-publishing company?” or “What have you heard about that one?” I will respond if I do know the company in question, but there’s no way I can have had experience with all self-publishing companies. Of course there’s no replacing you doing your own research on the company, but what questions should you ask?

Fortunately, Mark Levine did all the research for us. He’s the author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, in which he presents the results of his research on the top 39 self-publishing companies. I had the opportunity to hear Mr. Levine speak at the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop last year. What follows are his tips on what makes a good self-publishing company. By the way, I highly recommend you order the latest version of Mr. Levine’s book. In this update he includes an analysis of the actual profits made by each self-publishing company in printing markups and royalties. You can order it by going to www.BestSelfPublishingCompanies.com.

A Good Reputation Among Writers

Of course, the best way to do this is by speaking to other authors who have published with the company. You can find these authors on the company’s website, but you should also do a search for the company on Amazon.com and try to contact authors who are NOT mentioned on the company website. After all, a disgruntled author would not be featured as a glowing testimonial! You can also check out the company’s reputation by consulting the Better Business Bureau and self-publishing sites such as “Preditors & Editors” at http://anotherealm.com/prededitors.

Fair Publishing Fees

Mr. Levine says the following: “Fees [for self-publishing] can range from $299 to $30,000. It’s impossible to get a custom designed cover and professional layout plus the other basics you need for less than $1,000. If you can’t afford to pay at least that, wait until you can.” I agree. Unfortunately in self-publishing, the phrase “you get what you pay for” is highly accurate. Furthermore, you should acquire samples of the company’s past work to ensure their product is up to your standards.

Low Printing Markups

Of course, you should expect some markup in what the self-publishing company pays for printing the book, but the markup should be within reason. “A 15%-20% markup is acceptable,” Mr. Levine noted in his presentation. “Inflated printing mark ups result in an artificially high retail price being set which can hurt sales.”

Generous Royalties Without Any Fuzzy Math

Royalties should be at least 30% of the retail price of the book less actual print costs. You can consult Mr. Levine’s book for sample calculations on this, but the idea is that your royalty set up should not have the publisher “double-dipping” and making money on both ends of each book you sell.

Favorable Contract Terms

Before you sign any publishing contract, Mr. Levine says, you need to make sure the contract contains: 1.) a way for you to terminate the contract within 30-90 days without any penalty, 2.) a clause that states that you own all the rights to your work and any derivatives of your work, and…

A Fair Policy Regarding the Return of Original Production Files

This means your contract contains a clause that requires the publisher, upon termination of the contract, to provide you with all original production files that contain the cover art, formatted version of your book, and any other material you paid to have created. Mr. Levine notes, “You want these files so you can publish the book on your own or with another company and not have the entire book formatted again. You can just swap out the copyright page, bar code, old publisher’s ISBN and such.” This is only right. After all, you’ve already paid for this work, it should be yours.

One Last Note

The best way for you to choose the right company is to start by knowing exactly what you want out of the publishing process. Write it all out if necessary and use it as a checklist when researching self-publishing companies. You can have all the facts and figures in the world, but no one can give you what you want if you don’t know what you want. Good luck, and good publishing!

© 2009 Sophfronia Scott

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, but you must include this complete resource box with it: Sophfronia Scott is Executive Editor of the Done For You Writing & Publishing Company. Learn what a difference being a published author can make for your business. Get your FREE audio CD, “How to Succeed in Business By Becoming a Bestselling Author” and your FREE online writing and book publishing tips at www.DoneForYouWriting.com.

By Sophfronia Scott

Ever wonder how trends get started? As much as we’d like to think that all trends are Madison Avenue creations propagated by the media, many times a movement is sparked by the action of a few. Then word of mouth makes it spread. Author Malcolm Gladwell examines this phenomenon in his 2000 book “The Tipping Point”. There’s a chapter where he describes how this kind of movement by a few groups powered Rebecca Wells’s 1996 novel, “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”, to surprising success. When I read that I sat up and took notice. I realized I could use the same concepts to market my first novel, “All I Need to Get By”. You can too! Here’s how.

1.) Write Your Book So It’s “Sticky”

Don’t compromise your artistic integrity, but do ask yourself the hard question: how much will your story appeal to others? When a book is “sticky”, it’s easy to remember. The story stays with people and they want to talk about it and tell others to read it. “Bridget Jones’s Diary” is definitely sticky. So is practically everything that Stephen King ever wrote and all of the Harry Potter books. The topic doesn’t have to be upbeat either. Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” was a sensation when it was published despite its grim subject matter. Since I was writing about a family with a powerful father figure I knew a lot of people would connect and see themselves in the characters. What aspect of your book will draw people in?

2.) Be a Salesman

Yes, be a salesman, but not in the way you might think. I’m not talking about being “in your face” like the stereotype of a used car salesman. As Mr. Gladwell points out in his book, it’s the little things that can persuade others. For a writer, that “little thing” is confidence and a strong belief in one’s work. I recently spoke to a writer having a hard time feeling confident about her work. She’s trying to get up the courage to submit a manuscript to agents and publishers but, as I said to her, “How can someone get behind publishing your book if you can’t get behind it yourself?”

People are attracted to a person who stands for something, who believes in what they’re doing. If you can be that person, people will want to buy your book. They’ll know you have something to say. If you’re dealing with low confidence, know that working on improving it is just as important as improving your craft as a writer. After all, no one is going to champion your book the way that you can.

3.) Use Small Groups To Spark Your Big “Epidemic”

In the fertile soil of small groups, word of mouth grows. That’s what happened with “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”. It became a favorite for book groups, especially mother-daughter book groups. Those groups sparked a word of mouth wave that spread like wildfire. As Mr. Gladwell points out, “small, close-knit groups have the power to magnify the epidemic potential of a message or idea”. I explored this concept with some success by contacting book groups across the country and offering to visit them if they read my novel. What groups can you reach out to in order to harness the power of those circles? And how can you fan the flame of your message so it will spread?

One Last Note: Why is all this important? Well, if you’ve gone through all the trouble to write and publish a book, your efforts won’t stand up if you don’t tell people the book is out there. And the concepts offered by Mr. Gladwell are so simple and organic that you may find the whole marketing pill easier to swallow. So take it–it’s good medicine.