BCBM Magazine tag:bcbmmag.com,2009-01-02:/bcbm//1 2012-05-02T14:09:55Z Movable Type Pro 4.21-en BCNN1/BCBC National Bestsellers List - May 2012 tag:bcbmmag.com,2012:/bcbm//1.679 2012-05-02T14:09:37Z 2012-05-02T14:09:55Z Bestselling authors, T.D. Jakes (Let It Go -- Nonfiction) and Kimberla Lawson Roby (The Reverend's Wife -- Fiction) lead the bestsellers list of Black Christian authors on the May 2012 edition of the Black Christian News/Black Christian Book Company... BCBMMag

]]> The Blessing of Writer's Block by Jennifer E. Lindsay tag:bcbmmag.com,2012:/bcbm//1.678 2012-05-01T04:35:11Z 2012-05-01T04:36:13Z You're going to think, This girl has lost it!I'm actually thankful for writer's block.I can't believe I'm writing this. But it's true.... BCBMMag You're going to think, This girl has lost it!

I'm actually thankful for writer's block.

I can't believe I'm writing this. But it's true.
]]> I don't care for the frustration of staring at a blank page or tossing aside one half-formed idea after another, but I am grateful for what writer's block represents.

Just as illness is my body's way of telling me something is wrong, I've come to see writer's block as a symptom.

Click here to read more

Source: Christian Writers Guild
]]> Let's Talk About Self-Publishing by Jerry B. Jenkins tag:bcbmmag.com,2012:/bcbm//1.677 2012-05-01T04:33:57Z 2012-05-01T04:34:48Z On February 24, Adam Bolander commented on my blog post about self-publishing. His comment (presented in full below) caused me to put down in words some additional thoughts I've been mulling on self-publishing since the "My Quarrel with Self-Publishing" piece... BCBMMag On February 24, Adam Bolander commented on my blog post about self-publishing. His comment (presented in full below) caused me to put down in words some additional thoughts I've been mulling on self-publishing since the "My Quarrel with Self-Publishing" piece was first written years ago. Following Adam's full comment, I have reformatted my response to him in this new blog post as an open letter to Guild members and Christian writers. I hope you will join the discussion.

I must disagree here completely. In today's economy, most publishers that are able to get you anywhere other than your own bookshelf are content to stick with authors like James Patterson, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, and the like. Publishers like Scholastic won't even accept queries unless you've already published a book. Even the small presses are being extremely picky about who they choose to publish. What's an aspiring writer to do? Simple: self publish. For many, it's the only way in to a career to which the doors have been shut. No, you won't make nearly as much money, but a true writer will tell you they're not writing for the money, they just want people to read their stories. Yes, many people don't go through the proper editing processes, but many more do. I, honestly, have not read a single self published book that had enough errors to ruin the story for me. Many talented writers today are being locked out of a career that they deserve to have simply because, in today's economy, nobody wants to take a risk with new authors. For the big, accomplished traditionally published authors, yes, self publishing will without a doubt look like "the easy road." In my opinion, they need to get off of their high horses and see what things are like for us, the ones who can't get published because of how scared everyone is of losing money.- Adam Bolander

Adam, I hope you don't really disagree completely. You make many great points in your comment, even many that I happen to agree with, but surely you see the fallacy of people paying to be printed and then claiming a "publisher" has "accepted" their manuscript and soon they'll be a "published author." Maybe I'm drawing too fine a line here, but valid as it may be for someone to take the process into their own hands, semantics are important.

It's sad, but true, that most publishers are content to stick with the big name authors. Considering my dream of restocking the pool of Christian writers, it's painful to hear the droning on from publishers about one's needing a built-in platform. It's tough to see people get published only because they have a big church or a radio or TV show or have somehow landed in the news. I long for the day when the writing speaks for itself and publishers again look for those unknown talents they can turn into successful career communicators. But as you say, that ship seems to have sailed.

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Source: Christian Writers Guild
]]> Planning a Successful Book Signing by Deborah Raney tag:bcbmmag.com,2012:/bcbm//1.676 2012-05-01T04:32:48Z 2012-05-01T04:33:35Z Author book signings are hit or miss. Retailers spend time and money advertising. Authors spend time and money traveling to the store. Results are often less-than-successful.... BCBMMag Author book signings are hit or miss. Retailers spend time and money advertising. Authors spend time and money traveling to the store. Results are often less-than-successful. However, planning can increase your odds of success.

  • Schedule your signing far in advance and stay in contact with the store.
  • Do your part to advertise the event to your readers/community via your website, newsletter, and social media.
  • Email photos and book covers (both high resolution) and a bio to the store for advertising purposes.
  • Consider a multi-author event. Help the retailer by connecting them with other authors. Designate one of you to serve as store liaison.
  • Notify your publishers about the event in time for them to send promotional materials--or, if your publisher does not provide materials, produce them yourself. Bookmarks, postcards, posters, and bag-stuffers are great ways to advertise the event ahead of time. Check with the store so you don't duplicate each other's efforts.

Click here to read more

Source: Christian Writers Guild
]]> Best Publishing Companies to Work For by Jeremy Greenfield tag:bcbmmag.com,2012:/bcbm//1.675 2012-05-01T04:29:09Z 2012-05-01T04:29:54Z The book publishing industry is populated by intelligent, hard-working people, many of whom are delighted to have the opportunity to turn their passion - the printed word - into a paying job.... BCBMMag The book publishing industry is populated by intelligent, hard-working people, many of whom are delighted to have the opportunity to turn their passion - the printed word - into a paying job. Those working at places like Random House, John Wiley, Oxford University Press and Penguin might be a bit more delighted than their colleagues at other publishers. Those companies topped our informal list of Best Publishing Companies to Work For.

Employees at the best-rated publishing companies like working there because of strong industry brands, good communication between layers of leadership and departments and the learning experiences available.

At Penguin, "people are empowered to do things," said Paige McInerney, vice president of human resources at Penguin Group USA. "It's the best place in the world to work. I've been here 20 years and there's a reason for that."

More on working at Penguin at Digital Book World tomorrow. Other companies on the list contacted for comment did not respond before press time.

The Best Companies to Work For list (below) was generated by Glassdoor.com, a popular employee-reviews website, in partnership with Digital Book World. Each company is assigned an overall rating by its employees who choose to do so on the Glassdoor website. Ratings are on a five-point scale with one being "very dissatisfied" and five being "very satisfied." Companies with fewer than 10 ratings posted on the site by employees were not considered in the ranking.

There are hundreds of publishing companies in the U.S., many no doubt worthy of distinction as top employers, but, unfortunately, many did not have enough reviews on Glassdoor.com to be included in this piece. Further, there are companies in this ranking that aren't directly competitive with each other, like Random House and McGraw-Hill, for instance. We included all of these companies on the list because though they may not be competitive in the marketplace, they compete for talent and, as a result, should be viewed side-by-side as employers.

The average ranking for companies on Glassdoor across all industries is 3.0. The average among the publishing companies in our list is 3.08.

Click here to read more

Source: Digital Book World
]]> Barnes & Noble in Digital Partnership with Microsoft tag:bcbmmag.com,2012:/bcbm//1.674 2012-05-01T04:21:26Z 2012-05-01T04:22:18Z BCBMMag At least initially Newco will be focused on supporting reading applications for Windows 8 including the development of Nook app for the Windows 8 platform, although both B&N CEO William Lynch and Microsoft president Andy Lees emphasized they see a broad range of possibilities of development new products that will broaden the way content in created, consumed and published. Both men also repeatedly emphasized the global aspect of link with Microsoft with Lynch noting in a conference call that all of the global customers drawn in by Microsoft will be new since, to date B&N's digital business has had no global presence.
 
Lees said Microsoft is interested in both developing new ways people read in both the consumer and education areas. He said Microsoft will be more than just a "platform provider"  and intends to work with B&N to find ways to add value to content. Lees said Newco will help blur the lines between different types of content.

Newco will include asset from both B&N and Microsoft and the patent dispute between the two companies has been resolved. Both men assured analysts that they have a number of ventures in mind but said they were not prepared to discuss the "roadmap" for the future. Lynch also emphasized that Newco's relationship with B&N's retail stores will remain firm. B&N has no intention of undermining the "symbiotic relationship" between its digital operations and the stores, Lynch said as the company explores just what Newco's relationship with B&N will be.

Click here to read more

Source: Publishers Weekly
]]> The Broad Strokes of the Hachette, HarperCollins and S&S Price-Fixing Settlement by Andrew Richard Albanese and Rachel Deahl tag:bcbmmag.com,2012:/bcbm//1.673 2012-05-01T04:20:35Z 2012-05-01T04:21:12Z BCBMMag Terms: 
The agency model is not dead. However, once the settlement goes into effect, the current agency agreements, along with the "Most Favored Nation" clauses they included, are history, at least for a period of time. 

Going forward, the Settling Publishers can still use the agency model if they choose, but for a period of two years they cannot dictate final consumer prices, which was the allure of the agency model to begin with. Under the terms of the Settlement, however, e-book retailers can only  lower consumer prices up to the amount of their commission--generally 30%, under current agency terms.
 
Publishers are also expressly enjoined from "retaliating" against e-book retailers.
 
Compliance: 
This is the most onerous part of the settlement, and helps explain why Macmillan and Penguin have decided to fight. Under the Settlement, each publisher will have to engage in a number of compliance measures, including:
 
The appointment of an "Anti-Trust Compliance Officer," reporting directly to the company's general counsel.
 
In addition, the publishers must provide at least "four hours of training" for relevant staff delivered by an attorney and conduct "an annual compliance audit."
 
The Settling Publishers must also furnish to the DoJ "on a quarterly basis" electronic copies of any non-privileged communications containing allegations of noncompliance and must "maintain and furnish to the Department of Justice on a quarterly basis, a log of all oral and written communications, excluding privileged or public communications," between the publishers' "officers, directors, or employees" involved in the development of the Settling Defendant's plans or strategies relating to e-books.
 
Under the Settlement, the DoJ can also inspect the publishers' offices, and "require Settling Defendants to provide to the United States hard copy or electronic copies of all books, ledgers, accounts, records, data, and documents in the possession, custody, or control of Settling Defendants, relating to any matters contained in this Final Judgment."
 
DoJ officials can also interview "either informally or on the record" the Settling Defendants' "officers, employees, or agents." But, if you're tabbed, you do get to bring your attorney.
 
And, upon request, the Settling publishers must submit "written reports or respond to written interrogatories, under oath if requested," relating to any of the matters contained in the settlement.

Click here to read more

Source: Publishers Weekly
]]> eReaders, eBooks More Popular Than Ever, Survey Finds tag:bcbmmag.com,2012:/bcbm//1.672 2012-05-01T04:06:01Z 2012-05-01T04:08:31Z BCBMMag Fewer people are reading - but at least they're reading more, and in more formats than ever.

That is, according to the results of a series of telephone surveys carried out by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which were published yesterday.
]]> The report showed that as of February 2012, 21% of Americans had read an e-book, and that owners of e-readers read an average of eight books a year more than people without the devices (24 vs 16).

The surveys of 2,986 respondents, carried out in English and Spanish at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, also showed that the average (calculated by mean) American reads 17 books a year.

However, 19% of respondents aged 16 and over said that they hadn't read a single book in any format, over the previous 12 months - the highest since such surveys on American reading habits began in 1978. If this figure is accurate, that means more than 50 million Americans don't read books at all.

Technology ownership had shifted significantly since previous surveys. In November 2010, 6% of Americans reported owning an e-reader; the figure is now 19%, with females aged 30-49 years old the most represented group. Amazon's Kindle is by far the most popular device, owned by 62% of e-book readers; Barnes and Noble's Nook has 22% of the market. When tablets are also factored in, the survey suggests that 28% of Americans aged 18 or older own a portable device that can be used as an e-book reader, not counting cell phones or computers.

However, it remains to be seen how much more the e-reader market can grow, without a major shift in attitude: 85% of respondents who don't currently own such a device said they had no interest in ever owning an e-reader. Santa Claus, take note.

Click here to read more

Source: Huffington Post
]]> Does Handwriting Have A Place In Today's Tech-Driven Classrooms? tag:bcbmmag.com,2012:/bcbm//1.671 2012-05-01T03:54:18Z 2012-05-01T04:04:12Z The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a chalkboard is a thing of the past. Teaching perfect strokes and proper curves in cursive writing is no longer at the top of a teacher's lesson plan.... BCBMMag The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a chalkboard is a thing of the past. Teaching perfect strokes and proper curves in cursive writing is no longer at the top of a teacher's lesson plan. With the advent of new technologies like tablets and smartphones, writing by hand has become something of a nostalgic skill.

However, while today's educators are incorporating more and more technology into their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful -- both in school and in life.

Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle, says it's important to help children acquire the skill of writing by hand almost as they would a second language.

"I think it is wise to continue teaching handwriting," Berninger said. "We need to continue to help kids be 'bilingual' by hand."

The old way

In the past, the ability to accurately form all the upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet and connect them together to make words was seen as a highly valued skill that was the foundation of a child's education.

Marianne McTavish, a professor of language and literacy education at the University of British Columbia, recalls her early days as a teacher and the writing exercises she went through with her students.

"We spent hours a week teaching young students how to correctly form letters, doing stroke work, proper formation and a lot of printing practice," she said. "It was very much something that was assessed and valued."

There is still a clear emphasis on maintaining those building blocks within the education system.

Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks -- both on a computer and by hand.

The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.

In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student's writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to how well they can write.

Click here to read more

Source: Huffington Post Books
]]> How to Use Your Blog to Sell Your Book tag:bcbmmag.com,2009:/bcbm//1.16 2012-04-30T16:52:05Z 2012-05-01T04:16:50Z I've talked a bit about using a blog to make money through advertising and affiliate programs, since that's how I make my living, but what if you're an author trying to sell a book? Can a blog help you?Of course!... BCBMMag
Of course!
]]> A blog can be your personal sales machine, selling your book while you sleep. Sure, you can still go to those local book signings, hoping against hope that someone will show up so you don't feel silly all by yourself behind the stack, but the Internet means you can sell your book without getting out of your pajamas (I suppose you could go to a book signing without getting out of your pajamas, too, but it might be harder to pass yourself off as an authority in that setting).

Here's the strategy:

Start a grown-up professional blog. Just to set the record straight, a professional blog does not...

reside on LiveJournal, Blogger, or any other freebie blog hosting service (read this if you don't know why).
talk about the funny thing your cat did last night.
moan about your struggles with the writing process.
look like an ongoing conversation with your writer friends.
let people know they can contact you at wordjedi273@gmail.com.
tell everyone who you think is going to win this season's Survivor.
You may laugh, but I've seen all of these! There's nothing like a goofy email address to destroy someone's authority figure facade.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that this blog isn't about you and your life-it's about your readers' wants and problems and how you can help.

Yes, it's okay to share stories and anecdotes from your personal life, but they should serve a purpose (make a point, share information related to your niche, help people understand why your book may be a good match for them, etc.).

Your professional blog should cover the same topics as your book does. It's job is to...

attract your target audience.
provide information and advice.
establish yourself as the right kind of expert.
get visitors to sign up for your mailing list.
That was a tad terse, wasn't it? Let's go over how these blog goals will help you sell your book.

How a blog works to attract your target book-buying audience

When you wrote your book, you probably had a target audience in mind. You knew just what kind of people would be most helped by reading your book. Maybe it's people who need to lose weight. Maybe it's people who want to learn to draw. Maybe it's people with dogs that are chewing the legs off their chairs even as they browse the Internet...

These people have problems, and your book can help. Unfortunately, until you start your blog and start posting helpful advice for them, there is little chance of them finding you and your book.

However, once you start posting articles, your audience will be able to search for terms related to your niche and find your blog entries. You want your target audience to find you through the search engines, because that means they were out there actively looking for the kind of information you provide. They didn't randomly stumble upon your site. They are exactly the people you want to reach (and sell to!).

Remember, you don't want to attract everyone to your blog-you just want the people who are right for your book.

Use your blog to provide information and give advice

Okay, you're into the idea of attracting your target audience, and you're willing to write some blog posts to get them, but how much should you really be giving away for free? Should you be holding back the good stuff?

If you're trying to sell a book that teaches people how to buy land and build a home from scratch, you may find it strange to write articles that tell people how to do those things on your blog. After all, when you're trying to sell the cow, you don't give away the milk for free, right?

Or do you?

If you give away a lot of quality information for free, people tend to assume the stuff you're charging for is even better.

Also, people buy books for their permanence. Books can be taken on the road, dragged around the house, read in the hot tub, loaned to friends, etc. There are a lot of people who will buy the book just to make sure they always have access to the information you've written. You can dig around five years later and find them if you need to reference them. Good luck finding an article on the Internet you read five years ago.

If you're still worried that people won't buy your book after you've written dozens or even hundreds of blog posts on your niche, then you can take the stance that information marketers do: give them the what-to-do information for free and charge them for the how-to-do-it knowledge.

Use your blog to establish yourself as the right kind of expert

On its own, publishing a book lends you a great deal of authority. Even when you self-publish, there is the assumption that if you wrote a book, you must have some idea what you're talking about, so people may naturally assume you're an expert in your field. But within a field, different experts have drastically different viewpoints.

For example, think of all the different advice there is out there on investing. Whether you're drawn to a book by Suze Orman (invest in Wall Street for your future) or one by Peter Schiff (the dollar is collapsing so buy your gold now) is going to depend on your experience and what you believe. Getting a book by one of those experts might please you whereas you'd be rolling your eyes at some of the stuff the other says.

Click here to read more

Source: Writing for Your Wealth


]]> What Will Happen to the Book Industry? by Dan Poynter & John F. Harnish tag:bcbmmag.com,2009:/bcbm//1.45 2012-04-30T15:27:01Z 2012-05-01T04:12:45Z Brick-and-mortar bookstores are on the ropes. The independents are doing 8% of the business and sales are decreasing. Remember when they had 100% of the market? Borders is thought by many to be terminal. Traffic at walk-in stores is down... BCBMMag Brick-and-mortar bookstores are on the ropes. The independents are doing 8% of the business and sales are decreasing. Remember when they had 100% of the market? Borders is thought by many to be terminal. Traffic at walk-in stores is down and impulse buying decreases proportionately with the lessening traffic flow. ]]> If the bookstores go out of business, who will the wholesalers sell books to?

If the bookstores and wholesalers go out of business, who will the six large (NY) publishers sell to? Amazon buys directly from the publisher - regardless of its size or number of titles - and more importantly, they will buy directly from the publishing author.

If the Gang of Six aren't selling books, will they cut back even more on their advertising? Publishers Weekly is cutting staff, including Sara Nelson at the top. 

The once towering giants are also laying off editorial and support personnel as they bid farewell to the mid-list authors of books not pulling projected sales.

Some BEA exhibitors are cutting back their participation (booth space). There will be fewer book buyers because there are fewer bookstores buying books. If more large publishers cut back or bow out, what will happen to the book fair? If the BEA implodes, will the PMA/IBPA host a publishing University in New York this year?

The bright spot? The smaller, more nimble self-publisher. 

Author-publishers who are closer to their buyer. Entrepreneurs who are "participants" in what they write about and publish. Authors are more proactive in promoting their books successfully. The internet is the great equalizer of the digital age.

Self-publishers know who their clients are, what information their readers want and where their buyers are. They can look into the mirror and see a reflection of their book buyer--someone just like them. 

They can find and reach their buyers in specialty stores, at events/conventions, through special-interest magazines and newsletters, and via associations and clubs. These are the "non-traditional book markets" 

Yes, "bookstores are a lousy place to sell books." 

Self-publishers love talking their favorite subject in the social media: forums, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and so on. Birds of a feather flock together to compare notes on the topic. Social networking is the way of generating book buzz exposure in the digital age.

With crises come opportunities. The self-publisher is best able to take advantage of the opportunities. In controlled chaos there is profit.

To quote John F. Harnish, Special Projects Director for Infinity Publishing, "this is author-originated publishing." Authors are cutting out the gatekeepers in the middle and selling their thoughts, information, and research directly to eager buyers. Niche books that mainstream houses were not interested in because of the small target market and low profit potential are being successfully and profitably published by the initiative of the author.

The future of book publishing in the digital age is bright--but it will be different. 

SHARE YOUR editorial thought. Send it to DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com

Source: Dan Ponter/Para Publishing

]]> iPods and iPhones: Death for the Book Trade, by Gareth Powell tag:bcbmmag.com,2009:/bcbm//1.44 2012-04-30T15:23:27Z 2012-05-01T04:14:11Z The Apple iPod Touch and the Apple iPhone will all but destroy traditional publishing. It is already very sick. The days of the major sales when you would print a million of a book and know you would be OK... BCBMMag The Apple iPod Touch and the Apple iPhone will all but destroy traditional publishing. It is already very sick. The days of the major sales when you would print a million of a book and know you would be OK are now well over. The death of book publishing in the middle levels may not happen tomorrow.  The relatives have been informed. It is awaiting the last rites. Probably within ten years.

This is written in the first person for there is no other way to write it. John Owen is one of the savviest publishers I know. He owned Weldon Owen -- he bought out the Australian Kevin Weldon -- and from his headquarters in San Francisco and Sydney built up, in partnership with his wife, Dawn, a major publishing empire. Which he recently sold.

He is visiting Sydney and last night took me to dinner.

The conversation was all about the death of publishing in the middle levels. It survives in other areas but the glory days are well past.

The easiest way to see why and how it is happening is iPod the Missing Manual by J.D. Biersdorfer and David Pogue.

At the bookseller Dymocks in Sydney it is US$27 although in the United States it is US$20. It is 278 pages long, has a laminated cover, is professionally laid out.  Not great value for money but OK.

It was also available as a download on the official Apple site as:

iPhone: The Missing Manual, 2nd. Ed.
Thoroughly updated and teeming with high-quality color graphics, humor, tips, tricks, and surprises, iPhone: The Missing Manual quickly teaches you how to set up, accessorize, and troubleshoot your iPhone 3G.

Price was US$3.50 on special.

It seems to have been pulled from the site now because David Pogue, who is not stupid and runs the technical section of the New York Times, will have worked out he was killing his own sales.

Still it will do as an example. Although the book was printed in Canada and looks to me like printing on demand by the time it gets to the bookseller the price is, frankly, damn silly.

And the price it was being offered on the Internet was, perhaps, a little too low - $5 would have been more like it.

Tomorrow I am going to Bangkok and my iPod Touch is loaded with books for me to read on the flight. I am meeting my offsiders and there will be a book swapping fest.

Note that I publish books and have done for a very long time.

There will always, I think, be a market for superbly produced books which are a pleasure to read. But for the bottom and middle end of the market the iPod Touch and the iPhone are standing ready. They are, indeed, the Smiler with the Knyf.

Source: iphonetouch.blorge.com
]]> Cut, Cut, Cut, by Audrey Owen tag:bcbmmag.com,2009:/bcbm//1.76 2012-04-30T11:02:08Z 2012-05-01T04:37:52Z Writers often fall in love with their own words and phrases. Cutting them can feel like killing a person.... BCBMMag Writers often fall in love with their own words and phrases. Cutting them can feel like killing a person.

]]>
Cutting words from writing is like pruning in the garden. When we get rid of the dead, diseased, and ugly, we are left with a stronger, more beautiful, fruitful plant.

Be ruthless with your writing. Chop out every unnecessary word.

How do you know what can go?

Read what you've written leaving out parts you question. If the piece still makes sense, leave out the excess. Compressed writing packs a punch.

Source: http://www.writershelper.com/writingtips.html

]]> Successful Book Tours & How to Plan One, by Fern Reiss tag:bcbmmag.com,2009:/bcbm//1.12 2012-04-05T16:32:13Z 2012-04-05T17:21:34Z BCBMMag Are book tours worth the time and money? Or is it more effective to do your publicity from the comfort of your own home? Although it depends on a lot of variables, I still think book tours can be an effective way of promoting a new book, and that they can be done relatively inexpensively. ]]> But only if you are careful--and clever--about how you plan them. Here are my top ten tips for planning an effective book tour. (For 20 more pages on conducing an effective book tour, see my book, The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Day, available at (http://www.PublishingGame.com.) Here, then, is one way to approach your book tour:

Don't do your book tour all at once. The way big publishing houses send their authors on the road is by doing back-to-back cities, flying from town to town for weeks at a time. For most authors, this isn't the most effective use of either time or money. For one thing, you get tired being on the road that much, and it's certainly difficult to fit that kind of road trip around everything else in your life. For another, that's not the best way to maximize the buzz on your book. If you can, go to just one or two cities each month, to keep the buzz going and refuel in between.

Plan your cities around an anchor event. Don't put a city on your book tour unless you have one big event in the city that makes it worthwhile to go there. This could be a conference at which you're speaking, a trade show at which you're exhibiting, or a consulting gig that's paying for you to fly out. By only going to cities in which you have an anchor event, either someone else has paid for your biggest expenses (such as airfare and hotel) or at least, they are expenses you'd already budgeted for. And whatever else you're able to add is gravy, because you've already got a big event to make the trip worthwhile. (If you can't find a conference or consulting gig where someone will pay for your hotel, consider only booking cities where you have a free place to stay. This is what friends and relatives are for!)

Then, get at least three good invitations. Focus on getting at least three good invitations in that same city. For an author for whom I'm doing PR this month, I booked at least one bookstore, one library, and one other speaking event in each city. That ensured a reasonable buzz in each location.

If you can't seem to get three gigs in one city, tell the venue that is most enthusiastic about hosting you. A bookstore or library that wants you badly enough can usually convince another forum to host you.

Zero in on one logical 'natural' speaking venue aside from bookstores and libraries. One of my clients speaks at churches across the country; another speaks at women's networking groups. There's almost always a 'natural' speaking venue for a book that can be booked in each city.

Try for cities that are within two hours drive of another city. This is often overlooked even by professional publicists, but you can maximize your exposure (and minimize your airfare) if you try to book cities that are within easy access of another city. So if you're going to Los Angeles, also book San Diego; if you're going to DC, book Baltimore; if you're flying to San Antonio, book Austin. People who live in Los Angeles generally don't travel to San Diego for events--but for just an hour or so on a bus, you can get the value of two cities for the price of one.

Keep in mind that the less popular cities (Akron, Pittsburgh, Worcester) tend to draw better (local) media, but the more popular cities (Boston, DC, San Francisco) can draw better crowds and yield more book sales.

Once you've arranged the speaking gigs, hit the media. The local media is much more interested in you if you're doing events in their city. So once you've confirmed your speaking arrangements, send a press release to the print media, and a PSA to the broadcast media. (Stop by the articles section at the http://www.PublishingGame.com website in future months for more details of how to do effective press releases and PSAs.) Try to have at least one major media booking in each city; for my on-tour author, this was a one-hour radio interview in one city, a major newspaper profile in another.

Don't forget the calendar sections of each newspaper in your target cities. Whether or not your press releases and PSAs get picked up, most newspapers will run the raw facts of your appearance at bookstores and libraries in their calendar section--if you send them the details with a large enough lead time, usually about a month.

Remember to ask each of your speaking hosts for their local media list. Most bookstores and libraries have a list of journalists/newspapers/radios they fax or email for their events. Get hold of those lists--and follow up with your press releases.

Finally, keep in mind that for some authors, national publicity might be easy to get and more comfortable to do, rendering all this 'local' travel unnecessary. I do aggressive Amazon and BookSense promotions for my PR clients, for example, so they only tour if they have the energy/time/money. (To forestall the deluge of email, let me add that I only take on three PR clients each year. But I'm always available for consulting by the hour if you'd like some suggestions on putting together your own amazing book tour: (http://www.PublishingGame.com/consulting.htm.) In the end, it really comes down to how enthusiastic you are about the idea of touring; the more enthusiasm you put into a book tour, the more successful it will be.

Fern Reiss is the author of The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days (book marketing), The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days (finding a literary agent), The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days (self-publishing). For more information on Publishing Game books, workshops, and consulting, and on getting your book and business featured in the national media, sign up for the complimentary PublishingGame/Expertizing email newsletter at http://www.PublishingGame.com/signup.htm.
Copyright © 2007 Fern Reiss
]]> Six Secrets For Selling During Tough Economic Times by Carl Davidson tag:bcbmmag.com,2009:/bcbm//1.13 2012-04-05T16:29:58Z 2012-04-05T17:21:44Z If you are in sales, you have to keep selling through good times and bad. There are ways to find prospects with money, become a top priority for the money they have and close sales during tough times.... BCBMMag If you are in sales, you have to keep selling through good times and bad. There are ways to find prospects with money, become a top priority for the money they have and close sales during tough times. Choose Where You Prospect

When you rely on call-ins or walk-ins for sales leads, you deal with a cross section of humanity. Remember that credit tightens but it never disappears. There will always be people and companies who have cash and who have good credit. In tough economic times, you need to assess carefully who still has income and credit and spend time prospecting these people. There will always be people with cash and credit who will buy. Your job is to find them. Do not spend time commiserating with people who can no longer buy. It's depressing and unproductive. Through targeted prospecting, find the ones who can buy and concentrate on them. Even during the Great Depression, Hollywood and entertainment companies saw huge increases in profits. People who had bonds and not stocks avoided losses. There are always businesses and individuals who do well. Find them and sell them.

Get to The Top Of Their Priority List

When selling in tough economic times, remember that people still buy things but you have to get higher on their priority list to sell when money is tight. To do this, concentrate on asking questions to find your customers' wants, needs and fears before you start presenting. One key to success is tough economic times is doing a better job of interviewing clients and then presenting your product as the solution they need. No matter how tough times get, if you needed an operation to save your life, would you spend the money to get it? Would you borrow, sell assets and do whatever was necessary to acquire that service? We all do what we have to in order to get the things we need based on our priority list. During tough times, work harder to be higher on that list and your sales will continue.

Present Savings, Security & Special Benefits

Changes in the economy require changes in the benefits we present to customers. If times get really tough (and no one predicts they will get this bad) suburbanites may grow more food in their gardens. This will require tools, fertilizers, books on gardening, things for preserving food and much more. These new needs will become sales opportunities. Take a look at your product and services and see how you can position yourself as the answer to the fears and needs of your clients. You do this by presenting benefits that will result in security, savings and items that will get your customers through the disasters they fear are coming.

Increase Your Average Closes By One

All salespeople have a number of closes they are comfortable with. Maybe you ask prospects to buy once and then hand them your card and brochure. Maybe you are used to asking three times before you bail. Whatever your average was before the melt down, increase it by one and you will increase your sales enough to weather the storm. If you normally ask three times, try to average four times at every call. You will be amazed at the difference this makes to your closing rate.

Practice Melt Down Objections

You are going to face different objections during the crises. These may include, "we aren't buying anything right now", "our budget has been slashed", "I can't buy until I am sure I won't lose my job" and many others. Make a list of what you will face in your industry and start to practice, drill and rehearse 10 ways to overcome each objection. Having objections planned and prcaticed will raise your closing rate. Only salespeople who do not prepare and change will find their closing rate drops as the market changes.

Don't Worry Too Much

Avoid listening to the news. Avoid conversations where friends and relatives are being negative and depressed, It's hard to get a sale after an hour of depressing news or conversation. Do more of what makes money and less of what doesn't. In good times, most of us do things that cost sales but times are good and we don't notice the time and sales we are wasting. Now is the time to go the extra mile to earn more and sell more.

There have been many tough periods affecting our economy. I sold RVs (which no one actually needs) when people were shooting each other in gas stations because of fuel shortages in the 1970's. I sold cars when unemployment was 20 percent in my market and when interest was so high it was actually against the law to lend money in several states. Our economy has been through hundreds of good times and bad times in this country and we always survive. Some even prosper.

Native Americans have a saying. "Life is like a bear. You eat it or it eats you" You will decide be your actions and attitude if you will move ahead and prosper or cut your income and accept excuses. Much of our world is what we make of it. I hope these techniques will help you look back on this crisis as an opportunity to increase your skills and prosper.

Carl Davidson discusses how to keep selling and prosper during the current economic slow down. This is sales training you need for today's conditions. It discusses special ways to overcome objections and how to close in tough economic times. Learn more or order our sales training DVDs at www.salesandmangementsolutions.com 
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