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Book Marketing and Publishing Tips for Authors–

eZine Issue #98 November 20, 2019
Publisher: Judith Briles

Practical Publishing Advice and Guidance for Authors

In This Issue
      
1. Author Tools … Discover Hootsuite

2.Holiday Gathering … on Winter Solstice-get registered

     3.  January program … it’s all about kids

     4.  New Webinars for DEC … get registered

     5.  Hot podcasts for NOVEMBER & Replays …
           4 to add to your      calendar


     6. Question of the Week … When do I do a book launch?


     7. Book Shepherd "Fun" of the Week … weird cats are back

This Week Under The Book Shepherd’s Roof:

Hello and Good Publishing Day to YOU.


It was fun to see Bobby Crew at his formal book launch of Dining with Devils. A packed YaYas restaurant of fans and friends. All 100 books were sold … congratulations … a fun evening!
John and I slipped into the movies to catch Ford vs Ferrari. Loved it.

It’s a cooking two days forward—The tea is packed and then I have my own launch in a combined brunch with Mara Purl and her new book.

Looking forward to being with authors in Palm Springs next month. This week, I did an "Ask Judith" open mic webinar for their members to prep for the marketing workshop I’ll be doing for them.

Looking at a projection of multiple snow days ahead, I was out hanging lights everywhere for the coming holidays. This a.m will be checking that the timers work—then it becomes a "set it and forget it". After the annual Authors Tea, I’ll be starting the interior decorations. All has to be done by the first of December!

Snappy Sassy Salty Cat Quotes for Authors and Writers on Pinterest adds more each week. I’ve had fun creating at least three new posters for pinning each day. Check it out and DO SHARE them on your Pinterest accounts. Yup, they are snappy, sassy and sometimes a tad salty. Find them HERE.

The end of the year months always bring in lots of events and things to do. Add these to your calendar now. Details will all be posted under the Events tab on the website.


1.
November 23 -
Annual Author Holiday Tea from 1 to 4 (food, free and fun)

2. November 24 - Book Celebration for Mara Purl & Judith Briles  10-Noon
(brunch)

3. December 14 - AuthorYOU Salons from 8.30 to 11.30 (celebrate what’s happen and plan forward)

4. December 15 - Barnes & Noble Book Fair from 9 to 6 (if you buy anything in the store, it will donate to the Authors Hall of Fame).

5. December 21 - Holiday gathering from 1 p.m. to ???  (yes, I’m the cooking

and bring your spouse/partner). New this year: in addition to our annual wacko gift exchange, please bring a NEW, unwrapped toy or BOOK for any age—baby through teen. AuthorYOU will support the Chris Alexander Annual Toy Drive for Denver’s Children's Hospital. Member MaryJo Wagner serves as our "ELF" representative and will arrange delivery.


The DECEMBER AuthorYOU Salon will be held on Saturday, December 14th – join me at my home—we call it Casa Quatar! All start at 8.30 am —we’ve moved the time up by popular demand!

The AuthorYOU Salons
if you are in Colorado—come for coffee or tea … it’s on me. It’s a perfect way to start your Saturday for author savvy and know-how.

Details HERE.  
https://www.meetup.com/AuthorYOUSalons/events/260321129/

 
Want Tips for Authoring and Publishing? Last week was Part II of Podcast Power with Kelly Glover. This week is all about Pinterest Power feature Heather Delaccio. It's hot and just Part I!

 
 
JOIN the new AuthorYOU …

If you don’t, it’s a publishing boo-boo. AuthorYOU promises its members a lot and delivers more. And wait ‘til you see the bundle of goodies and discounts we are starting to post on the website for Members only. All will be up before the end of the month. Yup, it’s a good idea. Not a paid-up member?

JOIN AuthorYOU today. https://mp.gg/e9d1o
And a heads up—hold the FIRST Saturday of each month for our live event meetings—

1
Author Tools – Discover Hootsuite

Social media posting can be a royal pain in the tush. There are a variety of tools that you can use to ease and expedite your ability to post "one and many" at the same time. The result is that you shave hours of time weekly. I’ve used Hootsuite for years—that are others. A lot of the heavy lifting for marketing can be done by these apps. Explore them.
One of the common we authors have to social media marketing is the time involved. You don’t have to spend all day glued to your computers and phones, posting content and liking every response they get. Hootsuite makes social media marketing quick and painless. It allows you to schedule content over a long period of time, across different social networks, all from a single app. Ideal for travel. You looked connected … but you are away. I like.  Check it out: https://hootsuite.com/

2    It’s time for the Annual AuthorYOU Holiday Party
Join your fellow authors for some fun, laughter, great food, interesting gifts, schmoozing and networking. No need to cook, Judith will have her chef hat on, and will be providing a buffet lunch. Of course, there will be plenty of wine and beer to go around.  

Just bring an unmarked gift to exchange in the off-the-wall Wacko Pick and Steal after lunch. If there are two in your party, bring two gifts so that everyone can leave with something. Be creative! The gifts tend to get wild and fun.

Date: Saturday, December 21st from 12:30 to 4:00

Location: Judith and John’s Home: 8122 S Quatar Cir, Aurora, CO 80016, USA

Gifts: We do an exchange–the Wacko Pick and Steal exchange to be exact; please keep your cost value to less than $20—hot items in the past: wine; nifty gadgets from Home Depot and Costco; sports stuff; movie tickets; goofy and quirky can be fun … as long isn’t is not a clear reject from something past.

Unwrapped Donation: Please bring a new toy or book for the Chris Alexander Xmas toy drive for the Children’s Hospital. Member MaryJo Wagner will be the delivering Elf to the kiddos. Collection box will be on the front porch.

Cost: $20 per person or $30 per couple

Register NOW please: https://authoru.org/events.html

3
JANUARY 4, 2020 …
It’s about the Kids … Write and Publish a Children’s Book

Whether you are currently writing books for kids … or you hadn’t thought about it … January will kick off our Author Year of Possibilities. And why not start with books for kids? If you write for the adult reader, did you know that the book you have already written speaks to all ages when presented in another format?

What message is in your book that children need to hear?

· Fantasy can be changed to be appropriate for all ages.

· Villains and Heroes softened for younger audiences.

· The plot and theme can be used to share life lessons

Because words change the world, you have an opportunity to change the lives of children. Changing your audience is simply talking to short people without big words.

· The Giving Tree- teaches about selfishness and selflessness

· Historical novels- teach about history (which our kids are not getting)

· Oh, the Places You Will Go- Can your novel teach about challenges

Your characters are already developed. By changing them to animals, dragons, trolls, or children- the novel takes a different approach

· Trolls are grumpy

· Butterflies are freedom

· An older child is a good mentor for the younger one reading

Stories for the younger crowd are from one point of view

·  The cast of characters are fewer

· Much will be shown in action

· Shorter pieces of dialogue

Scenes you have written can be shortened and enhanced with illustrations. Children’s books have the same conflict, climax, and resolution that your novel has.

· The length of the conflict is sorter

· The black moment will be midway through

· The resolution is longer because you will explain more at the ending

Most people think that you are dumbing down the story to write for children, but you are going to crank it up a notch.

·  You must fit more content in fewer words.

·  Every word must work harder to get the meaning across.

· Be conscientious about word choice

Who should attend the January 4th program? Authors who are already writing for kids. Authors who have been thinking about writing for kids. Authors who didn’t think they could or just hadn’t thought about it beyond their current book.

Show up, have fun, and learn with the guidance of multi-bestselling, award-winning children’s and adult author, Lisa Reinicke.

When: Saturday, January 4, 2020

Where: Smokey Hill Library, 5430 S Biscay Circle, Centennial, CO  80015

Time: 9 am to Noon

Cost:  $25 for AuthorYOU members, $35 for NonMembers. Price increases $ 10 on December 31st.

Register: https://authoru.org/events.html

4 All New Webinar for December is coming...
The Perfect Book Marketing Gift Awaits You …
December 5th at Noon Mountain time

Have you ever wondered ...?
·   How can I focus on writing and publishing instead of constantly promoting my books?

·   How can I get consistent sales of full priced books instead of just short-term spikes during promotions?

·   How can my book stand out when there are SO many competing books on Amazon and it feels like pulling teeth to get sales?

·  How do I get reviews and build my audience FAST if I'm starting from scratch?

·  Where can I outsource the work I don't want to do?

Note: If you want 1,001 ways to market your book, this isn't for you.
If you want to 80/20 concepts, the 20% that leads to 80% of your results ... then you'll need to check out this free live training called Automatic Book Sales System we're doing Thursday, December 5th at NOON Mountain time.


In this training you'll discover:

· The most powerful form of auto-pilot book promotion to sell full priced books consistently – this has led to over $3,505 in EXTRA book sales in less than 8 weeks!

· The 3 biggest marketing mistakes authors make that sabotage their success … and how to fix them.

· How to get reviews and build your audience even if you’re starting completely from scratch with no following.

· And more!


WEBINAR REPLAYS
November 7th Replay

Audiobooks are booming in popularity, and they're only growing.
With so many people craving audiobooks these days, if you're not providing them, you could be losing out on extra royalties every month.  

The cool thing is, unlike eBooks, it's not overly crowded so you stand a much better chance of having your books be seen and sold there.

I'm doing a free webinar training with Derek Doepker on how you can start profiting with audiobooks.


Creating Your Book Launch REPLAY of Tuesday, Nov 12

Oh boy … It’s happening… your book has arrived, and your readers want to know. It’s grand news … but what do you do to kick it off? To bring attention?
How do you shout it out? What?

-Should you create an "event"?
-Should you do a social media campaign?
-Should you have a party?
-Should you do press releases?
-Should you do ….?

REPLAY here:  https://vimeo.com/372844465


5
Hot podcasts slated for this month
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 October, I will be doing individual podcasts on publishing, dealing with rogue publishers and publishing predators, book marketing, and publicity.

November 7 Podcasting, Part I – Kelly Glover

November 14 Podcasting, Part II – Kelly Glover

November 21Pinterest, Part I – Heather Delaccio

November 28Pinterest, Part II – Heather Delaccio

December 5 Social Media Forward for 2020 – Aimee Ravichandran

7
Questions of the Week:


Question: : When do I do a book launch?

Answer: Usually, it’s when you have a physical book in hand. BUT, the grand news is that you can multiple. You can do a viral one—online for audio, eBook and physical book. Don’t do them all at once. Celebrate each format and create a social media campaign to support it PLUS how about a physical gathering? Be creative. Homes (yours and others), clubs, restaurants (think off-hours where your crowd will bring them business). rec centers, events you are speaking at—or attending, art galleries, etc. Place where people gather and are comfortable is the goal. Have food when possible. Why—people hang out. And beverage—always adds.

7
Book Shepherd "Fun" or an "Uh-Oh" of the Week

Love it when I find a fun shorty—a quick smile, a laugh out loud, a sip of tea … and back to work—perfect. When Weights matter

Get your copy today – Available in Print, eBook, Audiobook  http://bit.ly/1000000speech
You can pick my brain … minimum time is 30 minutes. If you need one-on-one-time with me, I’m always open for a few minutes to give you some quick input. But, and it’s a BIG BUT, many call and expect far more than a few minutes.

This is called a "consult" and I would be delighted to schedule time with you for "just you and your many questions" that need answers. You can book time with me it at: https://thebookshepherd.com/pick-judiths-brain


Author Friendly Friday this week …

Join Author Friendly Fridays: a fun, sharing and a dynamic closed group. You can join in the next week. It’s a full hour when you can ask questions—any question. And, I always include a few strategies to get your authoring life ahead of the competition.

It’s for paid subscribers ONLY and we do it on Zoom.


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  

Podcast expands to 7 networks … Follow us and learn … new shows every Thursday.

Here’s the master link for iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/author-u-your-guide-to-book/id493527713?mt=2&ign-Jampt=uo%3D4

And, if you have listened, support our podcast and post a review. Thank you!

The AuthorYOU – Your Guide to Book Publishing podcast is now heard on SEVEN podcast channels. How cool is that? Listeners can tune into the weekly (always new – no repeats) show on:


Get the latest #AuthorU-Your Guide to #Book #Publishing radio podcast with @MyBookShepherd via iTunes here:   http://bit.ly/PublishingPodcast


That’s my author and publishing news for today … what’s yours?
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.

The Book Shepherd
 
 
 
 


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