marketing – Page 6 – Someday Box

You Don’t Want Fans of Your Book

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Joel D Canfield

You want fans of its author. Yeah, you.

I bought a book yesterday. A book I know nothing about, except the author’s name.

And that was enough.

… more … “You Don’t Want Fans of Your Book”

Amazon: Price-Matching

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Joel D Canfield

Cheryl Campbell

Continuing our conversation with author Cheryl Campbell

On Jul 29, 2013, at 7:48 AM, Cheryl Campbell <ccampbell.me@gmail.comwrote:Morning!

When reading the terms of service or whatever it’s called for Amazon, for you to get the 70% of sales profits, your Amazon book has to be priced at least 20% less than other distributors, like Smashwords, or they will cut you back to 35% instead of 70%.

That seems a bit unfair, but I guess I can’t really go up against Amazon on that. However I was thinking that if I marketed on fb a coupon for Smashwords that if used would get the price down to the same as Amazon, that might help level the playing field. Does Amazon troll for that kind of thing?… posting of coupons for other sites to get the prices the same as Amazon?

Do Smashwords coupons only work if purchased off Smashwords?^* Or do they also distribute to iBook, Nook, etc? I’m thinking they’re probably only good for Smashwords purchases.

Have a great one! I’m off to Pittsburgh for work.
Cheryl

… more … “Amazon: Price-Matching”

Brick & Mortar Local Celebrity

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Joel D Canfield

Cheryl Campbell

Continuing our conversation with author Cheryl Campbell

On Mon, Aug 5, 2013 at 9:04 AM, Cheryl Campbell <ccampbell.me@gmail.com> wrote:Hi Joel,

Hope you had a great weekend. It’s Monday and I’m armed with more questions, of course!

I got the book up on Amazon this weekend. That happened faster than I thought it would so that was exciting. I’m still working on the CreateSpace piece for printing, but I should have the proof review and all that done by the end of this week.

So my question…rather questions, are around taking the book to local brick and mortar stores. I can’t imagine just walking in with a handful of books and saying “Hi, I wrote this. Will you display and sell it for me?” is the way to go.

What do I need to bring with me when approaching a book store? A printed synopsis, flyers, something else?

I’m guessing I would talk to a manager?

Do I call ahead to speak with said manager before showing up?

Really quite clueless on this part. Figured I’d start asking now before I started this piece of the process.

Thanks!

Cheryl

… more … “Brick & Mortar Local Celebrity”

Descriptions, Synopses, and Carnivorous Subterranean Aliens

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Joel D Canfield

Cheryl Campbell

Continuing our conversation with author Cheryl Campbell

On Fri, Jul 26, 2013 at 3:43 PM, Cheryl Campbell <ccampbell.me@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Joel,

After doing much digging and reading other book descriptions, and working to shift the synopsis to be more around the concept, here’s what I have come up with….Short description:

Two families find their lives in quiet, rural Maine turned upside down when they discover a deadly world hidden beneath Burnt Mountain.

Longer description for back cover of book:

The savage world lurking beneath a mountain in rural Maine is home to the Tuars, a race of carnivorous, battle hungry creatures determined to wipe out their enemy clan. Led by Ilnin, the Tuars actively seek out their enemies and hunt anything or anyone they can for food. The world also becomes home to humans unfortunate enough to discover the new world. Staying to explore the fascinating yet deadly realm may mean acquiring special abilities, but these come with a price of struggling to stay alive.

When thirteen year old Rio finds herself trapped in the world, but learns she has a gift to control the elements, she must work together with her friends and mother to escape the Tuars and the world threatening to keep them there permanently.

Let me know what you think.

… more … “Descriptions, Synopses, and Carnivorous Subterranean Aliens”

Blog Posts to Facebook: Jetpack Almost Does It

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Joel D Canfield

Cheryl Campbell

Continuing our conversation from yesterday with author Cheryl Campbell

On Thu, Jul 11, 2013 at 5:00 PM, Cheryl Campbell <ccampbell.me@gmail.com> wrote:
I know you have your website/blog. Do you have your blog posts automatically go to your facebook page?I have a personal FB account but I was interested in having a separate account for the books where they are directly tied to each other.

Further, I was thinking of having the book website I created directly auto update the book FB page when I posted blogs from the website.

Part of me thinks having the website AND FB for the books is silly and redundant.

Part of me thinks I would rather keep my personal FB page out it entirely and limited to friends/family which was the reason for the book FB page.

Personally, I can’t stand FB and only just set up a personal account about a month ago. Part of the reason for the breakdown was I knew I was getting close to going to print with the first book. But I do appreciate that I am a minority in that opinion and understand that social media is ridiculously powerful in spreading news and marketing.

Where I’m on the decision see-saw and cannot figure out what I want to do with website only, website + pers FB, or website + book FB…I figured I could ask the man that loves questions. 🙂

Thanks!
Cheryl

… more … “Blog Posts to Facebook: Jetpack Almost Does It”

Why Authors Must Have a Blog

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Joel D Canfield

I’ve been a web developer for almost 25 years, so this is not simply from the perspective of an author, though I have published 18 books so far and show no signs of stopping.

An author without a website and blog is like any other business without a website.

The first place people go for information these days is the web. If you’re considering a new mechanic, and this one has a good website and the other has nothing, don’t you lean toward the one you can find out about online?
… more … “Why Authors Must Have a Blog”

But I Just Want to Write

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Joel D Canfield

photo http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1421822 by Location wagrain, salzburg, Austria Website www.redfloor.at http://www.redfloor.at/ Authors tell me they don’t want to learn marketing, find an editor, arrange a cover design, fuss with technology.

“I just want to write!” they cry.

That’s what a blog is for.
… more … “But I Just Want to Write”

Marketing Your Books in the New Age of Publishing

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Joel D Canfield

A longer diatribe about marketing your self-published book. This is a year-long class, which I’d be glad to give if y’all are interested.

Publishing is in the greatest upheaval since Gutenberg. Supporters of traditional publishing will tell you it’s the only choice, or you’re not a real author.

I’ll take the opposing view: the only rational choice, from both the artistic and commercial perspectives, is to pick yourself, own the process, and reap the rewards. Here’s why:
… more … “Marketing Your Books in the New Age of Publishing”

4 More Quick Marketing Tips

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Joel D Canfield

Add these 4 to the 6 we already did, and you’ve got a good start.

When anyone asks “what do you do?” introduce yourself as “the author of [your book’s name.]” When you self-identify as a writer, it changes your own perspective. This is not the same as pestering every person you meet with “hey, I wrote a book, and I’m going to tell you about it whether you like it or not.” Just identify yourself as the author, and if they don’t ask, you don’t pester. But say it.
Ask your readers to write honest reviews at Amazon
Carry copies with you everywhere, so when an opportunity arises, you can talk about it and sell it.
Write your next book. A single-book author doesn’t stand out very much any more. “I’m working on my second book” is a good way to show you’re a career author, not a flash in the pan.