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Book Marketing and Publishing Tips for Authors–
eZine Issue #103 December 25, 2019 Publisher: Judith Briles
Practical Publishing Advice and Guidance for Authors
In This Issue
1. January program … tick tock - it’s all about a book morph and marketing—a two-parter to kick off the New Year
2. Author Tools … one spot for social media ad pushes
3. Webinars Replays … enjoy
4. Hot podcasts for DECEMBER & Replays … 4 to add to your calendar
5. Question of
the Week … what works in marketing books?
6. Book Shepherd "Fun" of the Week … vending machine books
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This Week Under The Book Shepherd’s Roof:
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Hello and Good Publishing Day to
YOU.
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Oh my … what a fabulous gathering of authors last weekend to gather, eat (on boy—did they eat!), catch up, laugh and even work on the puzzle I always have up in my living room during this time of the year. All loved having the annual holiday party midday versus at night—some left to finishing shopping; others to head to another party; many loving that it wasn’t pitch dark as they drove away. I love cooking for all and just sitting down and talking … and listening.
Huge thanks to Lynn Hellerstein who was my awesome elf and delivered to over 60-gallon size of bags to new socks to the homeless and those in need. Mary Jo Wagner hauled away a few overflowing boxes of books and toys to the Children’s Hospital for Christmas cheer to the kids.
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And I love this: LIGHTS! The longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America has been transformed into a 680-foot tunnel of Christmas lights overlooking The smoky Mountains. Take a peek and ooh and aah: cnn.it/2E62pUc
Wishing you all a wonderful week.
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The end of the year always brings 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.
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1. January 4 – Author Saturday Program – creating kids books (even if you write adult nonfiction)/
2. January 11 – AuthorYOU Salons from 8.30 to 11.30 (plan forward)
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The January AuthorYOU Salon will be held on Saturday, January 11th – 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/
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Want Tips for Authoring and Publishing? Tomorrow on the AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing podcast, visualize 2020 for social media strategies.
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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?
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And a heads up—hold the FIRST Saturday of each month for our live event meetings—
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JANUARY 4, 2020 …
Be there … it’s the perfect way to kick off the year—a two-parter.
Part I: 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.
Part II: We will explore marketing strategies for the New Year.
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
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2 Author Tools – Discover Hootsuite Ads
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Use ONE platform for all your ads
Get READY to Simplify your AD
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campaign process
How would you like to close all the browser tabs that you’ve got open and manage your search and
social campaigns in one spot? Bet you would. Here’s how:
Create and launch campaigns quicker Easily create and test hundreds of Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads in minutes. Increase conversions by controlling placement, timing, and targeted audiences.
Collaborate with your team and clients right from Hootsuite Ads Flipping between clunky documents or tools is so 2007. Approve ads or share feedback, and request or give access to social platforms directly from Hootsuite Ads.
Want more? Explore ad possibilities on the Hootsuite website here: https://hootsuite.com/products/ads
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Slaying the Amazon Marketing Ad Dragon December 5th Replay
Have you ever wondered ...?
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 full-priced 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.
Replay here:
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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
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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
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Hot podcasts slated for this month
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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).
December 5 – Social Media Forward for 2020
– Aimee Ravichandran
December 12 – Why Radio Shows Hate Authors … and How to Change
That! – Wayne Kelly December 19 – Foreign Rights and Getting Noticed Outside the US – Judy Klein December 26 – Strategies to Make 2020 the Year of Your Vision – Judith Briles
January 2 – How to Convert Your Expertise to the Kids Market – Lisa Reinicke
January 9 – Essential Publishing Success Tools – Judith Briles
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Question: Which part of book marketing works? Answer: Whatever you do, it will be between 40 and 50 percent. The problem is, few know which
will work and which won’t. So … the one guarantee that I can give you is: speaking sells truckloads of books. Start speaking. Learn how to engage and connect with your audiences. Become a storyteller—presentations that are woven with stories—real stories—not jokes that have been repeated a gazillion times. Dig into your past; your childhood; your family; your workplace experiences; something that you observed; news in the media that connects with your topic … you name it, STORIES are everywhere. They enrich every presentation you make.
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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. Love this: A school in Illinois fills its vending machines with books—how cool is that? Watch here:
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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.
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Author Friendly Friday this week …
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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.
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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
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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:
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That’s my author and publishing news for today … what’s yours?
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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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