Latest NEWS from The Book Shepherd this week / discover the ultimate location finder

Practical Publishing Advice and Guidance for Authors

I create books authors never have to apologize for …

In this Issue

1. Discover … What3Words – the ultimate emergency locator

2. Meet Author Help … Meet BookLife

3. May Special Program … Getting Your Book into Schools – 8 spots open

4. May Webinar … Copyright in the Age of AI

5. June AuthorU Program … Digital Marketing Strategies

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

7. Author Salons … June posted-get registered

8. Question of the week … My publisher wants me to rewrite my book after it was accepted. What do I do?

9. Smile time … Happy Feet and Staying Alive!

My body is a tad sore –legs and back as I set up in the early am yesterday to plant all my pots on the porch and the front yard. DONE … now to finish the back area, get the veggies in and take care of them forward.

Today through next Wednesday, I’m looking forward for two events popping during the rest of May …

1. Author Talk with Dr. Colorado, Tom Noel on May 14 at 4 pm MT

2. Ask Judith via Zoom on May 16 at 3 pm MT

3. Saturday, May 17 from 9-3, I'll be signing books with Hilary Afshary at Colorado Blvd. Barnes & Noble. Hilary's book Dorm to Doorstep is the perfect graduation gift for the 17 to 25 group. Come and get it!

4. On Monday, May 19, a special morning program will be held at my home limited to 20 authors. Includes lunch and the book, Schools, get your book into schools expert Jane Wood will be my guest and speaker. It is half sold out. Info below.

5. On May 21, a webinar will be presented in the late afternoon—Copyright and the Age of AI. You want to be in on this. It will be recorded. Details below.

Make sure you are signed up for them.

Do you want Amazon success? I can make it happen for you. My next Amazon Bestseller Workshop will be on four consecutive Wednesday afternoons: June 4, 11, 18, 25. Details are here if you want a bestseller: https://thebookshepherd.com/create-an-amazon-bestseller/
The class is available for registration.

Whoa … did I get several emails – Judith … where are you … it’s Saturday and time for the Author Salons???? Oh, I was here … but many of you didn’t do the “rule” –register to let me know you will be there, too. Not enough did and I reclaimed the day to finish a project. The rule is the at least FIVE people besides me must register that they will be there. So, forward —there must be at least five registered for these events by the Friday before. If not, I cancel and delcare the next morning a JB time to do whatever. Get registered for June here—remember this is an AuthorU.org benefit. https://www.meetup.com/authoryousalons/

1. May 14 Author Talk – with Tom Noel, Dr. Colorado

2. May 15 Podcast – Book Marketing Timelines

3. May 16 Ask Judith on Zoom

4. May 17 Judith at BN Colorado Blvd. with Hilary Afshary

5. May 19 Special Meeting – Get Your Books in Schools

6. May 22 Podcast 10 Must Do Book Marketing Strategies

7. May 29 Podcast Flip Your Book

8. May 30 Tea at Judith's for Dorm to Doorstep Book Celebration

9. May 31 Judith at BN Southlands with Joseph Caldara

10. June 4, 11, 18, 25 Amazon bestseller workshop

11. June 7 AuthorU Monthly program – Strategic Digital Marketing

12. June 11 Author Talk – with Jeanne Abrams

13. June 14 Author Salons – online and in-person

14. June 20 Ask Judith on Zoom

Download This NOW … What3Words
If you’ve ever been stranded in the middle of nowhere with no landmarks to share to emergency responders anywhere in the world, this app can help. It could save you .. why?

What3Words assigns three unique words to EVERY 3-meter square in the world, allowing first responders to precisely identify locations. AND … It’s free. You can download it or just use it online. This is a must know/have for all. I put in my address in the Search image My three words that I could give to any first responder are Superbly.Conclusions.Library. If you have kids, teach them this trick. My two bits. https://what3words.com

What3words is a proprietary geocode system designed to identify any location on the surface of Earth with a resolution of approximately 3 meters (9.8 ft). It is owned by What3words Limited, based in London, England. The system encodes geographic coordinates into three permanently fixed dictionary words. For example, the front door of 10 Downing Street in London is identified by ///slurs.this.shark.

What3words differs from most location encoding systems in that it uses words rather than strings of numbers or letters, and the pattern of this mapping is not obvious; the algorithm mapping locations to words is copyrighted.

What3words has been subject to a number of criticisms both for its closed source code and the significant risk of ambiguity and confusion in its three-word addresses. This has resulted in some to advise against the use of What3words in safety critical applications.
The company has a website, apps for iOS and Android, and an API for bidirectional conversion between What3words addresses and latitude–longitude coordinates.

A BookLife Review is a respectful, knowledgeable, detailed review of your book that includes a variety of marketing insights and critical assessments, all crafted by a professional Publishers Weekly reviewer who’s an expert in your genre or field. The mission of BookLife Reviews is to support indie authors through one of the most challenging parts of self-publishing: marketing the finished book. An honest and detailed 300-word review from BookLife Reviews highlights your book’s strengths and analyzes its potential for reaching an audience while giving you a valuable assessment of ways that future editions or future books can be made even better.

And it’s a way to get your foot in the Publishers Weekly door.

Marketing insights help you target promotional efforts to the readers who are most likely to enjoy your book, and the review is designed to provide accurate, positive quotes and a pithy one-sentence takeaway aimed directly at the book’s best audience.

For just $399, you’re guaranteed to receive a review within six weeks (four weeks for an additional expediting fee). Marketing can be complicated and daunting; a BookLife Review will help to guide you through. https://booklife.com/

AuthorYOU members save 10%.

Authors want to know how they can market their books to schools. Award-winning author and former teacher Jane R. Wood shares the many strategies she has used since 2004 to successfully market and sell her books to schools.

During Jane’s presentation, authors will learn how to:

· Contact schools

· Provide positive reinforcement to the schools’ curricula

· Create educational resources for your book

· Develop dynamic presentations for an author visit

Author Jane Wood shows how both teachers and students can benefit from a meaningful connection with a published author. Her book, Schools-A Niche Market for Authors will be included in the price of the workshop.

Jane is the author of six award-winning juvenile fiction books and owner of Florida Kids Press. Wood says she fell in love with the magic of words in the 4th grade and has been writing ever since.

It will be a magical morning for authors. Included in the workshop is Jane’s book and lunch. Space is limited to 20 authors.

Date: IN-PERSON ONLY … Monday, May 19

Time: 9.30

Cost: $25

Location: Judith’s offices in Aurora CO

REGISTER: https://bit.ly/BooksInSchools

Copyright in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

In a world increasingly shaped by AI-driven innovation, how do we navigate the complexities of copyright law? This presentation explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and intellectual property, addressing pressing questions about authorship, ownership, and accountability.

Through real-world case studies, legal insights, and ethical perspectives, we will examine the challenges and opportunities AI brings to creative industries. Join us as we discuss strategies for creators, businesses, and policymakers to adapt to this rapidly evolving landscape, fostering a fair and innovative future for all.

Date: May 21

Time:  3 PT, 4 MT, 5 CT, 6 ET

Registration:   https://bit.ly/CopyrightAI

Get ready for plenty of tips on creating digital marketing for your author success, starting with the your website.

Your take aways include:

• Aha-digital marketing includes anything that uses technology.

• Why the author website is the most important part of a marketing strategy.

• Use Yast and Pho to post metadata.

• How to create a planning calendar.

• How SEO can improve awareness of your brand.

• Why authors need to attach keywords to every page of their website.

• When to use ads.

• Why authors should create and update Google Business Page on an ongoig basis.

• Don't do Google ads-too expensive.

• What updates authors should do now on their websites.

• And, of course, much more.

This is FREE to AuthorU members.

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.