Latest NEWS from The Book Shepherd this week / Have you registered to have your books in grocery stores?

Practical Publishing Advice and Guidance for Authors

I create books authors never have to apologize for …

In this Issue

1. Discover and use ... Perplexity

2. Meet ... Don Sidle, Illustrator

3. Webinar … REPLAY Sell Your Books in Grocery Stores

4. Hot podcasts for April … Add to your calendar and listen

5. The Author Gatherings … April is Zoom only

6. Question of the week … What Author Conferences are good investments?

7. Smile time … The fabulous voice of Norah Jones

Today is April Fools’ Day … one of pranks and fun. And for some authors, happy surprises.

I love it when the authors in my circle hit a home book run. Last week, Joseph Caldara was invited to sign books. You may be thinking, Okay … so what’s the big deal? Good question … it was seeded when our team had a book signing at the Fort Collins Barnes & Noble bookstore. When one of the customers saw his book for middle-grade kids, The Black Walrus, it’s about a teenage superhero who uses his superhuman intelligence and gadgets to fight crime as the spandex-clad Black Walrus in Cremini City. He told Joseph about a local ice cream store called Walrus Ice Cream. And the ideas started. Joseph was encouraged to contact the store about doing a book signing. He put it together and the store became his enthusiastic partner.

On Monday, I got a photo and note, “I had a great signing with Walrus Ice Cream. Sold 30 books!"

You go, Joseph! And there is a huge reminder and goose to us all. Nothing happens unless you ask for it. He called the owner of the Walrus Ice Cream and asked if it would be possible to do a book signing with his book. They talked more … it was … and a big success for both store and author over the weekend.

Also on Monday, I got a text from bestselling romance author Deborah Armstrong. Living in Canada, and an AuthorU.org member like Joseph, two images were attached. The April edition of the Costco Connection was out in Canada … and it had a recipe from my book, Cooking with Judith. Love the cover!

And how did this happen? I reached out and did a blind ask to the president of Costco, asking him to feature me … and he did.

Don Sidle
DSidle@comcast.net
303-521-6268
www.DonSidle.com

Services: Your One-Stop Shopping for cartoons, illustrations, drawings, logos, graphics or if you need a fresh art tweak—just about any artwork you will need. We love to create fun art, serious art, and cartoons—we believe that we can find a creative solution to any graphic dilemma. Detailed, realistic drawings in a variety of mediums: graphite, colored pencil, watercolor, or pen and ink.

Contact Don to get your project off the ground or rescued.

Great evals came from yesterday’s webinar. The tech gremlins were out … but we got the core of the webinar completed before Microsoft’s update fairies decided that 3.35 pm was a good time to upgrade my computer. Here’s the replay.

The Authors in Grocery Stores program should have your attention.
REPLAY: https://vimeo.com/1176893354

Why it makes dollars and sense to add grocery stores to your book marketing mix.
How to be invited into the program.
What an author needs to have at a grocery signing event.
How to create your author book-selling tour.
How you get paid and how often.
Guidance.

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/author-friendly-fridays/

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 which generates over 250,000 downloads a month. Her website is www.TheBookShepherd, email: JudithBriles.com and phone: 303-885-2207.