New NEWS from The Book Shepherd this week / awesome book teaser tool

Book Marketing and Publishing Tips for Authors–

eZine Issue #90 September 25, 2019

Publisher: Judith Briles

Practical Publishing Advice and Guidance for Authors

In This Issue

1. Author Tools … have you played with Animoto for a Teaser or Trailer?

2. October Program … Harnessing the Power of Pinterest!

3. Unplugged … Book Marketing early bird is popping—October 18-19—be there

4. Hot podcasts for SEPTEMBER … 4 to put on your calendar

5. Question of the Week … do you need an agent to get a publisher?

6. Book Shepherd "Fun" of the Week … silly dog and who else?

I LOVE, LOVE today … It’s National Comic Book Day … my love of reading comes from the wide-wide world of comic books. And, my ability to read fast comes from the wide-wide world of comic books. As a seven-year-old, I would devour several of these gems within minutes when I roller-skated to the local store before they scooted me out. Here’s to Stan Lee who was my silent reading mentor as a kid. Then there was the time I jumped off the corner of the garage roof because I believe I was super girl … obvisously influenced by Superman, SuperGirl and WonderWoman … Sigh!

It’s been a headachy, coughing, hacking cold week for me. Finally seeing some subsiding after a few days of "quiet" for me … meaning reducing the amount of talking time on the phone—definitely nothing in person. So time for "it" to "leave my building"!

Several of our members spoke at the open mic in Central City of the weekend—here’s to Jane Pusch, Joyce Aubrey, John Maling and Pete Ritzer who shared their words in the mountain air at the first PoetryFest.

Huge congrats to Pat Morgan’s We Hardly Knew Them and Bruce Mackenzie’s The Shroud Solution for finishing their books. Pat’s got hers back from the editors and doing the final check point before moving it to layout. Bruce is done and in the book designer’s hands and eyes!

The dates are October 18-19. The Hotel is the Hilton Inverness (nice!). October is beautiful in Denver and our classroom overlooks a small pond and golf course where you will be able to view the changing colors. Perfecto for learning, a bit of escape and spending two days with me. Space is always limited. Always new info—come! Details below. The early bird registration is on through next week and I expect this baby to sell out early.

Another heavy-duty writing week for me on a variety of projects. Plus, the prepping and execution of TWO big events this month.

Do you want to harness the power
of the third largest search engine in the world?

Are you ready to use a long-term marketing plan …
a 'fix it and forget it' approach?

Is the social side of social media exhausting you?

Then Pinterest is the unique and powerful tool you need. This visual search engine allows your audience to engage with your products and each other while you focus on the creative side of your business.
If you want to break into Pinterest, then this is the class for you! Spend three hours with me learning how to navigate the Pinterest platform.

We're going to start from the ground up:

- Learn what a business profile is on Pinterest, why it's different from a regular account, and why this difference matters to YOU.

- Get a better idea of the algorithm and how to harness this powerful search engine to work for you.

- If analytics make no sense to you, they will after this class! We will be delving into the world of Pinterest analytics and pulling out the gems that you need to better understand what is and isn't working for your Pinterest marketing plan.

Wait! You say you don't have a Pinterest marketing plan? Great! How's that working for you?

If you're struggling with low engagement, suffering with scheduling, or skeptical about running ads come and pick Heather Delaccio’s brain in October’s excellent program. She is the Pinterest expert! AND, if she doesn't have an answer for your needs, she may be able to point you in the direction of someone who can help.

Pinterest answers and solutions are at the October program with AuthorYOU. You'll leave understanding what you need to do to reach your audience. See you on October 5th.

Who should attend? Anyone who is a Pinterest novice; anyone who is savvy in social media, and everyone in between!

When: SATURDAY, October 5

Where: CADA – Colorado Automotive Dealers … 290 Speer Blvd., Denver

Time: 8.30 to 11.30 a.m.

COST: AuthorYOU members $22; Nonmembers $32. Prices will increase $10 on September 28.

REGISTER:

VIP AuthorYOU Members Register Here ($22)

The Book Marketing Unplugged is Next month … Early Bird Rates Disappear in 3 DAYS … and don’t miss this!

Question: When should authors start marketing their books?
Answer: The day they start writing it.

Okay … so must authors don’t get a "pass" on this question. So, let’s reframe the question:

Question: When should authors start marketing their books?
Answer: NOW.

So … let’s talk about YOUR book … what about marketing yours? Do you have a problem? Are you doing cartwheels with your sales? If not, start asking:

· There are people who would benefit from your book, and you aren’t connecting with them.

· There are people who are interested in your topic or your genre and you haven’t reached out via social media to connect.

· There are people within social media that are interested in your topic and who aren’t engaging with you.

· There is a change you are focusing on that relates to the premise of your book … and others "don’t get it."

· You are having difficulty persuading book buyers or your target market to buy your book.

· Your ideal/target market doesn’t connect with your reasoning, rationale, solutions, or storyline within your book.

· Your social media and email contacts are less than 1,000.

· You have engaged the "BB" gun approach to marketing—just aim anywhere; push it out to anyone at any time.

Do any of the above sounds like you? If yes, you have a marketing problem.

If that is you, then how much time are you spending working on a marketing solution? What are you investing in your time, energy and money to learn and create a plan that works? Savvy authors have learned that you cannot solve your marketing problem the next day by simply repeating what you did yesterday, last week, last month … or certainly, last year.

Solution: Attend and participate in the first annual The Book Shepherd’s Book Marketing Unplugged. Successful authors have learned and practice: if my book marketing success is to be … it’s up to me. Join Judith Briles for Book Marketing Unplugged this fall. It’s a two-day intensive with just Judith. And YES, there will be hot seats for each participant.

Date: October 18-19

Site: HILTON DENVER INVERNESS – 200 Inverness Drive West, Englewood, CO 80112

REGISTER: https://thebookshepherd.com/book-marketing-unplugged

You can always listen in via our websites: www.AuthorYOU.org (click on the On the Air image on the Home page—wait for it to upload. Or www.TheBookShepherd.com (click on the Resources tab).

Throughout September, Creating a Bestselling Memoir, Integrating with the Author Brand and Tips on How to Create a 1,000 order from Amazon with author Deb Sheppard; Casey Demchak will reveal how to create killer book marketing copy, Jules Mare will walk listeners through using book awards to create a marketing campaign; and Sandra Bond will revisit the agent’s role for authors and publishing today. All happening throughout this month. ,

September 4 – Visualizing Tips for Creating a Bestseller with Deb Sheppard

September 11 – Creating a Killer Book Marketing copy, Part I with Casey Demchak

September 18 – Creating a Killer Book Marketing copy, Part II with Casey Demchak

September 25 –Gathering and Using Book Awards to Market Your Book with Jules Mare

Question: Is it possible to get a book published by a major publisher without having a literary agent … and if not, how does one get a good agent?

Answer: It is ... but it’s a big "IF" … publishers prefer to deal with agents … otherwise, manuscripts are either returned or dumped. An exception would be if you have a personal connection and an "ask" by the publisher is made directly to you. Otherwise, get an agent. A good source is Jeff Herman’s Guide to Editors, Publishers and Literary Agents … Also, Writer’s Digest posts agents who are open to submissions.

This is how each call starts: I share a few strategies, tips and tools that attendees can immediately start to use. All share … and ask plenty of questions. They get answers. Definitely an excellent way to start a Friday. Those of you who aren’t participating, you are making a mistake. I love the variety of books and authors who have chosen to participate. What’s also fun, is the energy that can be felt with what everyone is working on. Love it!

Here’s the link to take advantage of it and subscribe: https://thebookshepherd.com/product/author-friendly-fridays-subscription

About Judith Briles, The Book Shepherd ™

Book Publishing expert Judith Briles, aka The Book Shepherd has shepherded more than 1,000 authors and created 500 best-sellers and award-winning books. She knows publishing inside and out from both the traditional and independent sides. Judith is an advocate for authors within her blogs, podcasts and speaking engagements. What’s her pet peeve? Two words: publishing predators.

She hosts the podcast AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing that generates over 100,000 downloads a month. Her website is www.TheBookShepherd, email: JudithBriles.com and phone: 303-885-2207.

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