New NEWS from The Book Shepherd this week / questions to ask any publisher

Book Marketing and Publishing Tips for Authors–

eZine Issue #95 October 30, 2019
Publisher: Judith Briles

Practical Publishing Advice and Guidance for Authors

In This Issue

1. Author Tools … do you know about My Top Tweets

2. November Program … Writing Pearls and Podcasting in 3 days!

3. All New Webinars … New Webinars for NOV and DEC …
get registered

4. Webinar REPLAY … Create a bestseller for both new and old books PLUS book reviews

5. Hot podcasts for OCTOBER … 5 to add to your calendar

6. Question of the Week … what questions should I ask a publisher?

7. Book Shepherd "Fun" of the Week … Skinny Cat rocks

Burrrrrrrr … it’s cold out there in my neck of the woods. With temps dropping to 10 degrees—it’s books, scarfs, and gloves time for sure … plus the shoveling of snow—lots of it. I’ve lived in Colorado for 30 years now, it’s the most snow I’ve experienced during the month of October—and we made records for cold and snow this month. Yesterday, it snowed the entire day with temps in the low teens. Makes you wonder—are we getting it all done early on … or is this going to be one heck of a winter? Who knows …

I’ve had some fun this past week creating the Snappy Sassy Salty Quotes for a new Pinterest Board that was seeded at my Book Marketing Unplugged event two weeks ago. Cats, Cats, and More Cats will be the visual … it will be an entirely new campaign.

November 7th Noon Mountain time

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.

You can join us on Thursday, November 7th here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5824343292459092493
He'll answer all your questions about whether it's best to do it yourself or outsource.

Even if you live outside the US and UK (ACX distribution territories) you can still us ACX and another resource with some special secrets he'll share.

On this webinar you'll discover:

- How audiobooks are generating hundreds to thousands of extra dollars in royalties for some self-published authors on auto-pilot.

- How you can produce audiobooks on any budget and distribute them from anywhere in the world.

- The critical facts you have to consider before deciding whether to outsource or produce your own audiobooks that could save you thousands of dollars.

- Where to hire professional audiobook narrators if you wish to outsource.

- The exact microphone, software, and equipment you need to produce limitless top-quality audiobooks on a shoestring budget.
ü Your audiobook questions answered personally.

Date: Thursday, Nov 5th at Noon Mountain time.

Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5824343292459092493

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.

Register here:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1071043474912420365

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!

Join us by registering now—it’s the perfect gift, just for you and your book.

Writing a book is an act of passion. It takes time, energy and sacrifice.

You take something real and vibrant from within your soul and you put it on the table for the world to see. And, you become vulnerable.

                         What will people think?
                         What will they say?
                         Will they buy my book?

There is nothing more devastating for authors than to write an amazing book and put in their best effort to launch it… Only to hear the sound of crickets.

Most authors put off thoughts of publishing and marketing until after their masterpiece is written… and that’s totally understandable.

Oh-Oh, that can be a death sentence for your next book.

Here’s my truthiness: most launches succeed or fail long before the book hits the shelves. It’s the pre launch buzz and strategy that make the difference.

REGISTER: https://jonathan31947d.clickfunnels.com/replay-judith-brilesp3he1xmh

Here are just a few of the secrets you will master next week:

- Harness the PASSION CONUNDRUM: How to turn your passion into the fulcrum that turns your next book into a bestseller.

- Learn the LIKEABILITY SECRET: The secret to making every visitor FOUR TIMES more likely to buy your book.

- Beat the LAUNCH HURDLES: How to jump over the accursed book launch hurdle that trips up far too many budding authors.

- And much, much more!

Get ready to learn exactly where to turn the wrench on your next book launch (or relaunch) and once you know it, it’s going to feel like a breeze!

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.

October 3 – Building and Reviving Your Platforms – Judith Briles

October 10 – Is there a Publishing Predator in Your Midst?  – Judith Briles

October 17 – Chicken & Egg –Do You Plan and Implement Your Book Marketing First?  – Judith Briles

October 24 – Chicken & Egg – Do You Plan and Implement Your Publicity First?  – Judith Briles

October  31 – Roundup of My Favorite Tools  – Judith Briles

And coming in November—a Pinterest blitz two-parter. Get ready.

Question: I’m thinking of reaching out to a traditional publisher to publish my book. What questions should I ask one if they want to work with me?

Answer: If this is your path, here are 14 I would start with before you ever sign a single thing:

1. Do I retain all the rights to my book?

2. Is it possible to terminate our publishing agreement and what steps need to be taken?

3. Do you have a reversion of rights clause?

4. If there are any costs to me, what is the total cost and what are they for?

5. What services will you provide as my publisher?

6. What marketing will you do, and will you show me your plan?

7. What will my royalty rate be and how often or when will I get paid?

8. When will I get book sales reports?

9. Who will promote your book?

10. How long have you been in business and what books have you published in my genre?

11. How many authors and titles do you manage?

12. Can I contact a couple of authors who you have published in the past two years?

13. What format(s) will my book be published in?

14. When will my book be published and available?

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.