Latest NEWS from The Book Shepherd this week / discover LibraryThing

Practical Publishing Advice and Guidance for Authors

Create. Strategize. Develop. Publish. Achieve.

In this Issue

1. Discover … LibraryThing

2. Meet Author Help … Meet Foreword Reviews and Indie Awards

3. March Author U Program … Create Crystal Clear Characters

4. March & April Unplugged … Speaking and Press Releases

5. Author Talk … REPLAY Hall of Famer Dr/Commander Mary Kelly

6. Hot podcasts for February … Add to your calendar and listen

7. Author Salons … April and May posted

8. Question of the week … Are book signing worth my time?

9. Smile time … Boys and Bears

It’s Publishing at Sea time … with two full days of classes completed—it’s now full time play–three days at three ports. Along with swag bags—authors got a dozen duckies---as in You are in luck … you’ve found a duck. Participants added their names, titles to their ducks and then hid them around the ship. It was amazing to see them disappear—other passengers were collecting them and the kids were on the prowl!

DON’T FORGET … if you want a FREE spot at one of my Unpluggeds—Speaking in March or Press Releaes in April … you can get one. All you have to do is donate to the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame this week … if you support the missions of the authors inducted into the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame like I do… make a donation and win a seat at either of my upcoming Unpluggeds: Speaking and Press Releases.

Bookstore happenings coming up … Support AuthorU authors at Barnes & Noble Colorado Blvd on March 15 or in the new Superior bookstore on March 16. In April, Colorado authors will be in Lakewood on April 5 and Southlands on April 6.

The AuthorYOU Salons are posted for April and May. Remember—there must be at least five registered for these events by the Friday before. If not, I cancel and delcare the next morning my just a JB time to do whatever. March is a pass due to being at the Publishing at Sea gathering. It’s schmoozing and learning with other authors and coming aways with tips galore. Get registered here—remember this is an AuthorU.org benefit. https://www.meetup.com/authoryousalons/

Yet, it’s toasty inside and I’m excited … I finally did it … I’ve turned some of the recipes you could grab on the JudithBrilesBooks.com website into a real book with lots more recipes and now available on Amazon! Cooking with Judith – Comfort Foods Create WOW Eating. Do you love comfort food? Come cook with me. I’ve got 50 plus of my recipes for you. Here’s the Amazon link: https://amzn.to/40Yp0NZ ... available in Print, eBook, Audio.

Smart Thoughts ... This week, it’s just meon the AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing podcast. It’s all about Creating WOW Bookstore Events.. Listen in only or watch and listen on my YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@DrJudithBrilesTheBookShepherd/podcasts

1. March 2-9 Publishing at Sea

2. March 6 Podcast – Strategic Digital Marketing

3. March 12 Author Talk with Helen Thorpe

4. March 13 Podcast – Create your Characters with POP

5. March 15 Barnes & Noble book signings Colorado Blvd.

6. March 16 Barnes & Noble Book Signing Superior Colorado

7. March 20 Podcast – Write Hot!

8. March 21 ASK Judith Zoom time—Publishing and Book Marketing

9. March 21 Speaking Unplugged – In-Person

10. March 22 Speaking Unplugged – online

11. March 27 Podcast - Creating the Ultimate Press Release

12. April 18 Create Sizzling Press Releases Unplugged - Online

13. April 19 Create Sizzling Press Releases Unplugged In-Person

Get ready to discover a thriving community of everyday readers, reviewers, librarians, booksellers, authors, and other bookish people who love to connect. Started in 2005, it has garnered TWO MILLION plus users, providing a huge selection of tools designed to help authors reach readers. There’s a special feature called LibraryThing Local where you can post upcoming author events. It also posts events on your author page so that your readers are informed of your public appearances.

Readers and authors can connect through the Author Chat group and other forums. Authors can also submit their work to Early Reviewers to get reviews.
Guess what … you and your books may already be listed. Login and do a search with your name. If you find it, claim and become a verified author. If your work hasn’t yet been listed on LibraryThing, JOIN (it’s free) and add your book. I found the easiest way to copy in the ISBN of your title. It’s spiders reach out and TaDah … your title pops up. Claim it. Now it lands in its, and your, database. Another FINDABLE place is added to platforms. https://www.librarything.com/

https://www.forewordreviews.com
https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/
Foreword Reviews is a Folio Award-winning magazine, and the only journal exclusively dedicated to reviewing books from independent publishers, university presses, and self-publishers. Each issue features 150+ book reviews, in-depth articles previewing category trends, book-industry specific opinion pieces, and bound special sections covering award winners, audiobooks, and more.

Its Foreword Indies Book Awards are the premier attention getter for independently published authors and publishers.

VIP AuthorYOU Members get a free 1-year subscription to Foreword Magazine. You must contact Foreword Reviews directly to start your free subscription.
AuthorYOU Members also get

· 15% off website ads and FTW ads.

· 15% off Clarion Reviews

· 15% off Trade shows

· 15% off Subscription Renewals.

Your first hour will focus on distinctions, delineations, and dimensions using the power of color in your writing. Your second hour will incorporate the strategies of using the Myers Briggs Personality Profiles as you create characters in your fiction and the use of stories in setting the stage of a nonfiction concept.

· Your Book Characters’ Color Personality will be revealed within the “live” personality test you will complete within the workshop.

· Next, you will use the tools within the Myers Briggs Personality Type Test to expand your descriptions of what your characters think and do.

· The workshop will be recorded and sent out to registered participants.

Information and registration here: https://www.authoru.org/events

Free to AuthorU VIP members. All others pay $25

Speaking Unplugged

March 22 ONLINE

March 21 - In-Person
8:30 A.M - 2:30 P.M.

If you want to sell books ... as it LOTS of THEM? Speaking on them, and your expertise, is the #1 way to do it. Do you have my book, How to Create a Million Dollar Speech? This full day workshop is an intense and FUN interactive and woven with live individual coaching.

· Zoom is the Online meeting spot.

Space is limited to a max of 10 participants. Starts at 9 am to 4.00 pm each day. Get registered before Tuesday. Alumni participants of other Unplugged events are always discounted.

https://bit.ly/JBSpeakingUnplugged

Get my book, How to Create a Million Dollar Speech HERE: https://bit.ly/CreateSpeech

Colorado Authors Hall of Fame Inductee Mary Kelly took center stage and revealed her journey to becoming an author and trendsetter for business, self-help, and leadership books ... oh the places she has been ... and will go. Mary was inducted into the Hall in 2023.

Key takeaways include:

· Her 7 tips for Author Success.

· Her ways to aways avoid procrastination.

· How she has never been caught with writer’s block.

· How she moves truckloads of books.

· How she writes.

· Why authors must avoid the “someday” factor if you want success.

Her embracing the above has led to 20 books with another in the works. Books she mentioned during the hour included Stop Procrastinating Tomorrow and WHO Comes Next. Mary’s website is www.ProductiveLeaders.com.

Listen and watch the REPLAY HERE: https://vimeo.com/1056498476

Answer: Maybe … maybe not. It depends on what YOU do to bring people in … to make it an event … memorable … and yes, fun. If you do, they are definitely worth your time. Create a press release and send it to your weekly newspaper in your area. Make sure you add it to the ‘Events’ section. Add it to your local Next Door and post in any Meetup groups you belong to. Create multiple social media posts. Create posters with your books to “Meet you at …” And, make sure you include the Twitter handle for the host location. Shout out everywhere! Trust me, it will get behind you when they visually see the work you doing for the event. Bookstores typically order in the books. The wise author caries an extra case in their car for refills if needed.

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.