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Book Marketing and Publishing Tips for Authors
Newsletter Issue #277 – April 5, 2023
Practical Publishing Advice and Guidance for Authors
In this issue
1. Author Tips & Tools... Discover Mockup Shots
2. Publishing Help ... Meet Mara Purl Writing & Audio Coach
3. Book Publishing
Unplugged ... Register for APR In-Person & Online Book Marketing Unplugged
4. AI Workshop for Authors ... Register for a 2-part Show and Do
5. New Unplugged ... Sizzling Back Cover & Marketing Copy Unplugged
6. Replay of AI
Revolution, Part I, Part II ...
7. AuthorYOU Salons … Posted through May
8. Hot podcasts for April … Add to your calendar and listen
9. Question of the Week … Is there a difference between marketing and sales?
10. Book Shepherd “Fun” of the Week … The Tiniest Rescue Kitten
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This Week Under The Book Shepherd’s™ Roof
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Hello and Good Publishing Day to YOU … and
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| With temps dipping here in Colorado yesterday and today into the teens, Mother Nature reminds all of us itching to get to flower time to hold off—she’s not done. There’s typically a heavy snowstorm in April, often after the
trees have leafed out. They are still buck naked in my neck of the woods. This weekend, there’s a tease of high 60s and maybe a crossover into the 70s.
But my favorite finches are back. The first yellow arrived this weekend. Red belly guys have been around for a month. And I’ve finally figured out how to defeat the dreaded squirrel that has stolen the squares of seed and mealy worms that I put in one of my deck pillar pots. Let’s celebrate the two-foot BBQ skewer that has truly nailed it in place.
The deer are another story. Study big buggers, two herds of them roam through our streets and gardens. I finished planting cloves of garlic everywhere to fend them off.
Looking forward to the Amazon Bestseller class starting today for the next four weeks. There’s lots happening. Springtime is packed with author and publishing opportunities.
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Thursday through Saturday, member Carol Ann Wilson reveals her memoir and free for eBook downloading. Throughout her nine decades of living, she has never, ever given up. At times, her life has been equivalent to a roller coaster ride. Grab your #FREE eBook today! https://bit.ly/CarolAnnWilson
I’m ready for two Book Marketing Unplugged sessions this month. Registration is open for both online and in-person sessions are open for registration. Remember, I limit the number of participants. Plus, the
new Sizzling Back Cover and Marketing Copy Unplugged workshop, plus several more options for your author success.
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| The all-new two-part AI Workshop for Authors goes live on May 1 and 8. Available to a limited number of participants, it’s not a show and tell ... it’s a Show and Do.
Details for all are on TheBookShepherd.com website under the Experiences tab. Registration links below.
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On this Friday, April 14, Author Talk Happy Hour featuring Colorado Authors Hall of Fame inductee and NY TIMES mystery author Margaret Cole goes live at 5 pm MT ... it has to be 5 pm somewhere! Learn from this master storyteller and writer on Friday, April 14th.
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My Book Marketing Unplugged is set for Friday, April 14 for ONLINE participants and Saturday, April 15 for IN-PERSON participants. IN-PERSON is limited to a maximum of 10 participants and held in my offices in Colorado.
Details and Registration here: https://thebookshepherd.com/book-marketing-unplugged/
Amazon Bestseller - Registrations are open for my Amazon bestseller workshops... the next session will be in ONLINE in APRIL: 5, 12, 19, 26. Details are on the Experiences tab on TheBookShepherd.com. Get registered now to participate in the next program. All programs are now scheduled for 2023 – a total of five through October
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And on May 3, 10, 17, I will be delivering my new Create and Write Snappy Sassy Sizzling Book Back Cover & Marketing Copy 3-session online workshop. Early bird details here: https://bit.ly/SizzlingCopy
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Have you subscribed to my new YouTube author and publishing tips channel? Always less than three minutes … a new one pops up five days a week, Monday through Friday. Become a subscriber and take a peek—there are already 190 short videos posted: https://bit.ly/Author-PublishingTips
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And it’s Woof Wednesday ... Time to stretch yourself. A new witing style. Maybe a new genre. Something new. Open your eyes and ears to something different as you read forward.
Lots of happenings below. My theme for the year, Be a DOER ... not a dreamer is off to a fast and big start. It’s the perfect few lines to noodle on and infuse yourself with inspiration each Saturday on my new blog.
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Have you ever explored the network website where I store all my podcasts? … Holy Moly … over 14 million downloads now of various podcasts since the podcast started six years ago.
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You can select which podcast is for you from over 600 shows … the latest will always be posted on top of the podcast home page: http://bit.ly/BookPublishingPodcast ... it goes directly to the Show Page, where you can view all podcasts at once—just scroll … you’ve got a lot to pick from to expand your learning and how to curve.
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Add these to your calendar now. Details will all be posted under the Events tab on the website.
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1. April 5, 12, 19, 26 Amazon Bestseller Campaign Workshop
2. April 8 AuthorYOU Salons – IN-PERSON & ONLINE - AuthorYOU members only
3. April 14 Authors Hall of Famer Margaret Cole tells all ... Zoom
4. April 14 Book Marketing Unplugged - Online
5. April 15 Book Marketing Unplugged – Denver
6. April 22 Barnes & Noble – Colorado Blvd
7. April 23 Barnes & Noble - Southlands
8. May 3, 10, 17 Create Sizzling Book Marketing Copy ONLINE
9. May 6 1st Saturday AuthorYOU program – TBA
10. May 7 Secrets Book Brunch – Judith’s home
11. May 11 Ask Judith Anything webinar
12. May 12 Authors Hall of Famer Michael Gear tells all ... Zoom
13. May 13 AuthorYOU Salons – IN-PERSON & ONLINE - AuthorYOU members
only
14. May 19 Social Media Unplugged ONLINE
15. May 20 Social Media Unplugged IN-PERSON – Denver
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AuthorYOU members … the April second Saturday AuthorYOU Salon is slated for Saturday, the 8th and is at
the ONLINE time only this month, 7 am to 8.30 and IN-PERSON 9 am to 11.30 MT. Remember, there must be a minimum of five participants outside of me if they are registered by Friday noon, the day before. If not, I will cancel. Info is below … you need to be registered to attend.
https://www.meetup.com/AuthorYOUSalons/
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I love mentoring authors, and their books, and supporting their vision. If you want intense, one-on-one time with me over a several-month period PLUS the ability to call me or email with a quick response, join my Mentor Program. There is ONE spot open —if you want an accelerated six months that deals with your infrastructure; your influence building; your what? … this may be the missing ingredient in your mix.
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Want tips for Authoring, Marketing and Publishing?
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Each month, you will get a variety of topics on our monthly podcast. Never a repeat program … always fresh, listen in. http://bit.ly/BookPublishingPodcast ...Every Tuesday, a new blog is posted. On Wednesdays, a new edition of this newsletter. On Thursdays, a new podcast. SHARE THEM with your author friends.
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Stay involved—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? JOIN or RENEW AuthorYOU today. Benefits galore. https://mp.gg/e9d1o
And a heads up—hold the FIRST Saturday of each month for our live event meetings—it’s
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#1 Love the short webinar … less than 30 minutes was yesterday’s!
#2 I so wished I had this expensive tool to support any online marketing I was doing via social media.
#3 And that’s a “ditto” of in-print marketing for flyers and brochures.
#4 Above was created in less than 3 seconds plus hundreds more!
Watch the REPLAY of the webinar here:
https://vimeo.com/328098839
Now, Get … no GRAB … the MockupShots tool to support you going forward via the link below. Right now, it will be hard to beat this as the tool of the year!
https://www.adazing.com/briles/
You will get lifetime access to MockupShots for only $80! You can add a gazillion book covers or product covers into your account. With seconds, you have a marketing and advertising inventory that you would have paid thousands to have created. And it’s yours for $80 … now how many Starbucks is that?
A lifetime of cool and effective marketing images. Get it … you won’t like it … you will love it.
It’s magic that even Harry Potter would want.
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Mara’s background: Author: Best-selling, multiple-award-winning author of the fiction series The Milford-Haven Novels & Stories; co-author of the best-selling trade book Act Right: A Manual for the On-Camera Actor. Publisher: Founder of Haven Books; former president of Colorado Independent Publishers Association; former Vice President of Women Writing the West; former Board Friend to IBPA, Independent Book Publishing Association; current Board Member of Author U.
Services for Authors: Writing: Specific author coaching including story structure, narrative voice, dialogue, story arcs, and character development; genre research and protocols; editing.
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| 3 NEW ... The all-new two-part AI for Authors Workshop
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| Part I - May 1 ... Part II - May 8
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Can Artificial Intelligence help you with your research, generating ideas, even character and story prompts. Yes, it can. For the author, it’s essential to EDIT and ALTER whatever AI generates and transition it to your writing style and voice. Otherwise, your originality
evaporates.
Whether you are a fiction or non-fiction author, this workshop is designed to let you use tools like ChatGPT to take your writing to the next level.
This workshop is perfect for authors who want to use AI tools like ChatGPT to improve their writing skills and market their books effectively. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn the basics of AI, how to use AI tools like ChatGPT to generate ideas and enhance the quality of their work, how to create writing prompts using AI, and how to use AI to analyze their writing style and marketing efforts.
Our “AI for Authors Workshop” is led by Greg Jameson and Judith Briles, two experts who have experience in both AI and writing, making it an excellent resource for authors who want to explore the latest technology in writing.
Participants in this workshop will learn the following:
• The basics of AI and how it works in the context of writing
• How to use AI tools like ChatGPT to generate ideas for their writing and improve the overall quality of your work
• How to create writing prompts using AI, which can help authors overcome writer’s block and generate new ideas for their writing projects
• How to use AI to analyze your writing style, identify areas for improvement, edit your copy, and enhance your writing skills
• How to market your books using AI, including using AI-powered tools to target their audience, analyze trends, and optimize your marketing efforts
The workshop will be hands-on, and participants will have the opportunity to practice using AI tools like ChatGPT and other writing AI programs. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a better understanding of how AI can improve their writing and be more confident in using AI tools to create engaging content.
It’s a computer intensive, deep-dive into the hour-changing world of AI.
All sessions are ONLINE and recorded. Your will have handouts.
Your cost is $297. It will increase to $397 the next time we offer it.
Dates: May 1 and 8, from 4 pm to 5.30 pm MT. Homework will be assigned to be completed between the two sessions. Because of the one-on-one work we will be doing, space will be limited.
Register HERE: https://bit.ly/AIforAuthors
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| 4 Book Marketing Unplugged
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It’s Book Sales or Bust time
April 14 – via Zoom
April 15 – in Judith’s Offices
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Calling all Authors ... are you ready to take your book to Sales Success?
Would you be willing to invest one day to get all the latest book marketing strategy and tools you need ... information and strategies that will create the Game Plan to be an awesome and seriously successful author? Either Online or In-Person.
It’s Book Sales or Bust time
April 14 – via Zoom
April 15 – in Judith’s Offices
Experience a full day with Judith ... oodles of ideas and coaching throughout—it’s just Judith Briles Book Marketing Unplugged delivering an amazing depth of publishing, authoring, and marketing information that she has derived from her 40 + years in the publishing field and as The Book Shepherd. Judith has sold over one million copies of her books—have you?
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| 6 REPLAY AI Writing Revolution, Part II
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| Yesterday’s webinar was an add-on to what you can do (and can’t do) with AI.
Informative. Fun. A WOWSA.
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AuthorYOU Salons … April - May
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Register for the next few months – The Saturday AuthorYou Salon will be ONLINE only starting at 7 to 8.30am MT. AuthorYou members will be emailed the link on Friday. Salons are a Free benefit for VIP AuthorYOU members only.
RULES …
1. You must register for this.
2. If less than 5 people are registered by Noon on the Friday before, event will be canceled. No exceptions.
If you have book marketing, writing, publishing questions, get answers. Or, you just want to schmooze a bit, It’s ONLINE and IN-PERSON on the second
Saturday of each month. You MUST be a paid member of AuthorYOU.org to participate. ONLINE starts at 7 am to 8.30 am MT – IN-PERSON at 9 am MT. Here’s the link to register and getting notices/reminders forward:
Register here: https://www.meetup.com/AuthorYOUSalons/
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Hot podcasts slated for April
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April 6 Launch Strategies – Aimee Ravichandran
April 13 The Author’s Walk – Judith Briles
April 20 Book Reviews - Patty Moosbruger
April 27 Writing Suspensions of Disbelief – Mike Gear
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| Question of the Week ... Is there a difference between marketing and sales?
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My answer: Yes, yes there is. Marketing is what you do to bring the sales in. It’s the process of
getting people interested your books, products and services that you offer for sale. It’s the strategy that sets the stage for the demand. Sales is what flows directly to you when the demand is met. It’s the activities, including the pitch that lead to the “I’ll buy” factor of your books and other services.
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Funny
of the Week Love it when I find a fun shorty—a quick smile, a laugh out loud, a learn something new, and a sip of tea … and back to work—perfect. Smile time enjoy—The Tiniest Rescue Kitten Makes the Cutest Little Noises |
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Get your copy today – it’s my life on steroids … earning a Baker’s Dozen plus ONE in book awards. Now Available in Print, eBook, Audiobook. http://bit.ly/whengodsaysno
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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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This is called a “consult” and I would be delighted to schedule time with you for “just you and your many questions” that need answers. You can book time with me it at: http://bit.ly/JudithCoaching
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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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Podcast expands to 11 networks … Follow us and learn …
new shows every Thursday.
And, if you have listened, support our podcast and post a review. Thank you!
The AuthorU – Your Guide to Book Publishing podcast is now heard on eleven 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 250,000 downloads a month. Her website is www.TheBookShepherd, email: JudithBriles.com and phone: 303-885-2207.
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©2023 Judith Briles - The Book Shepherd™ All Rights Reserved.
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