by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Dec 29, 2015
The circumstances surrounding every selling situation are different, but there are two parts essential to them all: substance and process. Substance is made up of objective elements such as price, terms and shipping costs. Process is the path you take from your initial meeting to the close.
One of the costliest mistakes in negotiating a large book sale is focusing primarily on the substance of the deal and not enough on the process and the players. You can be more successful if you understand each distinct process since it is more likely to differ than the substance of any selling event.
by Kelly Marone
Bowker | Tue Dec 22, 2015
Writers have an immortal feeling when their first books are published and the ambrosial effect would last forever. For any writer it seems that Nature has designed such glorious destiny for them and the moment is unforgettable. However, getting published is not simple and there are many conditions and procedures to cope with before your work can get into printing machines. Most amateur writers feel disappointed because their work is rejected, but one must be aware that in most cases of rejection the problem is not with the content but with the presentation. Let us learn the procedures through which a new book is dealt with in a stepwise manner so that one can understand how certain books go through while some do not.
Tools to reduce errors while writing
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Dec 15, 2015
In the first part of this series, I outlined simple ways to establish a presence online to promote yourself. Below, I offer tips to build upon the presence you’ve established online to begin networking with your followers and thought leaders in your industry.
Join the conversation
One of the most important things you can do online is to remain visible; you’ve put a lot of time and effort into establishing your presence online, so make sure to remain actively engaged with your followers and other members in your industry. There are several different ways you can stay active online – I’ve listed a few below:
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Dec 8, 2015
For most authors, the idea of having to promote yourself online can seem overwhelming at first. You know that marketing online is crucial for the success of your book, if you don’t know where to start, not to fear! I’ve created a two-part guide to make marketing online manageable.
Blogging
First and foremost, regular blogging is a great way to showcase your expertise, promote yourself, and help you rank higher in Google searches. Plan to blog at least once or twice per week at minimum.
I know that sounds like a lot of time and effort, but the following suggestions will help you be efficient with your blogging and overcome writer’s block (it happens to everyone!):
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Dec 1, 2015
Entrepreneurial book publishers are continually faced with a dilemma. They recognize the need to focus on long-term growth and they create five-year plans to achieve it. On the other hand, they understand they must generate short-term revenue to stay in business long enough to reach their ultimate goals. The dilemma? How to survive during the short term to achieve long-term success?
The answer is not to find better books to sell, but to find better ways to sell books. Create and implement an array of marketing tools that allows each to fulfill its designated function over a specific time period.
by Devorah Ashlem
Bowker | Tue Nov 17, 2015
When you write a book, you want to get it into as many hands as possible. Technological innovations make it possible to reach more than just hands by enabling you to produce audible books and accessible, portable content for a variety of mobile devices. More than ever, readers demand a high-quality user experience with content, and, through social networking vehicles, they have more ways to complain or share with others when it doesn’t go so well.
In a 2015 survey covering trends in digital publishing, conducted by Bowker and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), 72% of respondents indicated that they currently publish digital content and 79% plan to in the future. Whether you author non-fiction, fiction or technical material, you can leverage opportunities to distribute digital books via your own website, Amazon, Apple, and other ebook distributor sites.
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Nov 10, 2015
As an author, you work hard to create a book that is flawless – you write a first manuscript, make revisions, make some more revisions, and toil for a long time to finally get your book “just right” and ready for sale. Now you have your book up on Amazon, but it’s not selling the way you want it to. When that happens, it’s discouraging after all that time and effort you put into creating the best book you could. So why the low sales? And what can you do about it?
To answer these questions, let’s take a moment for a quick marketing lesson. When building a marketing plan, it’s important to keep in mind the 4 P’s of marketing: product, place, promotion, and price. Briefly, I’ve defined them below:
by Sharon C. Jenkins
Bowker | Tue Nov 3, 2015
It takes a lot of courage to be an author. Particularly in the 21st Century, when the new literary pathway to success is still being charted. I liken being an author to being a hero. The other day I happened to be looking for synonyms for the word “heroes” and the following words were suggested: Supermen, Champions, Conquerors, Idols, Brave Men, Stars, and Leads. Now all of these words speak of individuals who perform above and beyond their human ability. It is my opinion that authors fit in every last one of those categories. Here’s why:
Authors are supermen and superwomen because they can lift unusually large boxes of books and a pop-up stand with a single hand while talking to their agent on their cellphone in the other hand.
Authors are champions because they still meet publishing deadlines while suffering from acute writer's block.
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Oct 27, 2015
People like what people like. I say this a lot to the authors I work with to emphasize the importance of having reader reviews. But what about the authors that already have great reviews, or even awards? Authors often tell me their books get great reviews (on Amazon, Goodreads, blogs, etc.), receive literary awards, and still, the book sales just don’t happen. Having great reviews is just one component of having a great marketing plan; the next step is maximizing those great reviews and converting them into sales. Below are six ways to leverage your reviews to drive more sales:
1. Leverage: How are you leveraging your book’s positive publicity? Are you leveraging it at all? If not, you should be. Your first step should be to promote any awards, and there are several free ways you can do that:
by Devorah Ashlem
Bowker | Tue Oct 20, 2015
You’ve probably encountered a less-than-desirable content experience on a mobile device, like not being able to “pinch” the screen to zoom in and out, or rotating a device and not getting the content to follow suit. You were left with a less than positive impression of that content (and its author), because you couldn’t consume it your way. Time to think about what you can do to avoid giving your readers a less than optimal impression of your work.
