The Fabulist Flash

Issue 107

Shapes of Fall Framed Print

In This Issue:

1. This Week
2. Book Promotion Specialists
3. Book Marketing Tips
4. Carolyn Hayes Uber take the 18Q
5. About The Fabulist Flash

1. This Week

Let me share the most important rule I've learned about writing a book: Once you've written it, you've got to promote it...constantly! Of course, this is only a rule if you actually want to sell your books. If you're not careful though, you may find yourself in a rut with your sales techniques.

This week's issue is dedicated to book marketing ideas and tips. It turns out they're everywhere if we're open to them.

Before speaking at the NSA-LV event last weekend I listened to Dan Poynter's presentation "The New Book Model." Among his excellent advice was that author's and speakers shouldn't be doing back of room sales. (I heard that collective gasp from you, it happened in the room when he said it, too.) No back of room sales? You should be doing FRONT OF ROOM sales instead. There are great advantages to changing your sales location. Just two of these are that your books are constantly on view while you speak and, according to Dan, your conversion rate will be almost twice as high. For more tips from Dan visit parapublishing.com.

My friend Christina Katz is in the final editing stages of her upcoming Writer's Digest February release: Writer Mama. We've been having conversations about seeking book blurbs because of my helpful book Endorsement Quest: A New Method for Finding Book Endorsements. One major sales advantage to having endorsements on your cover is that the endorser will frequently recommend your book to friends and colleagues because their endorsement sentences invest them in your work. Remember, it's never too late to seek book blurbs and reviews.

Carolyn Hayes Uber, president of Stephens Press, also spoke at the NSA-LV event. She shared a tidbit that we've always known was true: yes, who you know in this industry does make a difference. Manuscripts brought to publishers by colleagues, friends and family will be looked at before work that comes over the transom. So, my suggestion to you, if you know someone who knows someone in publishing don't be shy about asking them to be your go-between connection. It won't guarantee that your work will be published, but it probably will help it be seen by the publisher.

We've tweaked the 18Q this week to get Carolyn Hayes Uber's publisher perspective. There are also a few website and newsletter suggestions where you'll find more book publicity ideas and book promotion specialist Stacey Miller shares tips on how not to be disappointed by your book promotion specialist.

Until next week,

Gregory
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Gregory A. Kompes (www.kompes.com) is a writer, manuscript consultant and author of the bestseller 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live, The Endorsement Quest, The Everyday Gay Activist and Your Intensive Care Unit Stay.

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Preview 9 essential books for writers on The Writer's Bookshelf

2. Book Promotion Specialists

Don't Let Your Book Promotion Specialist Disappoint You

When authors place sole responsibility for their book promotion campaigns into a book publicist's lap and leave it there, the results are often disappointing. Despite their best intentions, book publicists may fail to generate important reviews. Interview opportunities may slip through the cracks. Worse still, highly promotable books may languish without visibility in a highly competitive marketplace. The book promotion campaign, and the book promotion specialist, can disappoint you.

Does that mean you should give up on book publicists and wait for Oprah to call you? Or that you should give up on your book promotion campaign altogether? There is another option. You can work in partnership with your book publicist and take the following steps to maximize your chances of success:

Be clear about your book promotion expectations from the outset, and make sure there is a meeting of the minds. If landing on the front page of the Wall Street Journal would be the ideal coup for your book, make sure your book promotion specialist focuses on accomplishing that instead of pitching you to every producer at National Public Radio. Give your book publicist your wish list, and offer to prioritize your book publicist's to-do list; you'll both be happier in the long run.

Suggest news angles for promoting your book, and provide your book promotion expert with a list of buzz words and phrases. Your book publicist most likely isn't an expert in your field and will welcome your help, even if he or she doesn't specifically ask for it.

Tout your credentials and sing the praises of your book to your publicist at every opportunity. Don't worry about sounding pompous or immodest; your publicist will appreciate your self-confidence and be even more enthusiastic in pitching you to the media.

Keep an eye on the media, and inform your publicist about developing news stories and current events that might tie into your book and enhance your book promotion campaign. Ask your publicist what else you can do to complement his or her efforts. Are there professional associations or mailing lists you can steer him or her toward? Have you compiled contact information for your alumni, professional, and hometown publications?

Ask your book promotion specialist for what you need, whether it's a redirection of energies, an accommodation to your schedule, or a weekly progress report. You'll come out a winner if you ask your book publicist to communicate with you and commit yourself to doing the same. And you won't be disappointed with the results of your book publicity campaign or your book promotion specialist's efforts.

About the Author
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Stacey J. Miller is a book promotion specialist. Her company, S. J. Miller Communications, coordinate book publicity campaigns for authors and publishers. A free book promotion plan is available upon request. For more information, visit http://www.bookpr.com.

3. Book Marketing Tips

Do They Shelve Your Book?

Want to see which libraries have your book on their shelves? Check out Worldcat http://www.worldcatlibraries.org

Worldcat is part of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). Founded in 1967, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing information costs. More than 55,000 libraries in 110 countries and territories around the world use OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend and preserve library materials. Researchers, students, faculty, scholars, professional librarians and other information seekers use OCLC services to obtain bibliographic, abstract and full-text information when and where they need it. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat—the OCLC Online Union Catalog.
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Book Reviews - Tips for Getting Yours!

If you've been having a hard time getting book reviews here's a tip: don't target reviewers. Instead target media with the "beat" that covers your area. For example, if you have a cookbook, why not target food writers instead of the usual tried and true book reviewers? You can easily find out who covers what beat by reading the paper or doing a quick search online. As the media window keeps shrinking, more and more reviewers are getting inundated with review requests they simply can't fill. Targeting media with an interest in your topic will get you the media you want and it's likely they'll not only write about your book, but feature you as an expert for future topics!

Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com
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Book Marketing

There's usually lots of helpful tips in John Kremer's Tip of the Week newsletter and John has excellent info on his website: http://bookmarket.com

[From John's website:] If you are into book marketing, selling your books, book publishing, self-publishing, book promotion, free publicity, e-publishing, selling e-books, print-on-demand, POD publishing, writing books, loving books, internet marketing, online book publishing, website promotions, writing novels, or promoting books -- and you want some free information and resources to help you sell books -- you've come to the right web site. If you are tired of waiting for others to sell your book, you can now take action to start marketing your books without spending a lot of money or committing a lot of time. -- John Kremer, author, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books
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Book Buzz

Shelf Awareness: Daily Enlightenment for the Book Trade, the free e-mail newsletter dedicated to helping the people in stores, in libraries and on the Web buy, sell and lend books most wisely. http://shelf-awareness.com/

4. Carolyn Hayes Uber take the 18Q

Website
www.stephenspress.com

Bibliography
Traveling Smart: The Know-Before-You-Go Guide to International Travel
(Dragonflyer Press -- out of print)

Hundreds of articles, white papers, op-ed pieces etc.

Biography
Carolyn Hayes Uber is president of Stephens Press, LLC, a book publishing company creating a variety of high-quality books targeted, in some cases, for regional sales, and others for national distribution. The company is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

1. Did you choose the publishing profession or did it choose you?
I chose it -- initially with zero knowledge of the industry. I started my first publishing firm in 1988 as a sibling company to my advertising/PR firm. I thought the copywriters, designers, photographers and such that I employed in the agency could apply their same skills to crafting fine books. I was right!

2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.)
After 30 years in the fierce world of advertising, I sold my company to concentrate fully on publishing. Publishing is not easy either -- but somehow it seems a higher calling. At least our efforts are not tomorrow's bird cage liner! The knowledge of marketing strategy and creative development serves me well in the book world.

3. When did you 'know' you were a publisher?
I guess there is no thrill like the first time you hold your first book. But it was nice when Stephens was called "the up and coming publisher at the BEA this year" while accepting our IPPY awards.

4. How would you describe your style of writing?
I am not afraid to infuse my words with some personality. People do business with people! Most of my writing is for conducting business and I find most people work hard to excise their personality from the words -- I think there is a way to be professional AND not boring!

5. What is your publishing process?
It is pretty much the same -- but also different -- for each book. We do the usual things from manuscript prep (I should teach a class in this!) to image and factual research, editing, layout and design, proofing, proofing, more proofing, printing, binding, shipping, publicity, marketing, fulfillment and . . . whew, you get the idea. That being said, each book and author deserve and require quite individualized attention.

6. What was your path to Stephens Press?
Partnering up with local newspapers to publish some regional books, I saw the perfect match -- the alliances formed in those ventures led to my being recruited to start this company. For the past four years I have been president of Stephens Press. We are the book division of Stephens Media, parent company of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and some fifty or so other publications.

7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea?
There are so many -- and each of our authors brings new ideas in the marketing of their books. I think seeing our authors develop their speaking skills is the best. They might not think they can speak before a group, but before long they become pros -- and they just get better and better. Of course every speaking op is also a book selling op!

8. What are the biggest surprises you've encountered as a publisher?
The depth, breadth and quality of the submissions we get -- and the serendipitous way one meeting and one project lead to another.

9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity?
I have more ideas than I will ever have the days on earth to pursue, so it must be something in the air!

10. What is your proudest publisher moment?
Each time I hold our newest book in my hands for the first time.

11. What's the best advice you were given about writing?
John Jopes, a beloved friend and mentor, was one of my first authors. He is also a much respected journalist and newspaper editor. He wisely insisted I be the editor of his book -- and proceeded to teach me the mechanics of editing (great training for learning to write well). John taught me how to express more with less -- less words, more meaning. He taught me about the cadence and rhythm of writing. He is a consummate professional and is a role model extraordinaire. John taught me to believe in my writing and to trust my instincts.

12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment?
Discovering an author had made a horrendous mistake related to his own area of expertise and that no one caught it before publication. We had to reprint at great expense. It wasn't embarrassing (other than semi-confessing it here) so much as devastatingly costly!

13. What business challenges have you faced as a publisher?
The way the book world is organized is a stacked deck against all but the major mega-NY-publishers. Given the deep discounts and returns required to play in the chain bookstore's sandbox, it is a miracle we make it at all. Any publisher will tell you that sales made outside the bookstore are critical to our survival.

14. What is your writer/publisher life philosophy?
It is such a HONOR to publish books -- legacies for our future. Publishing a book is much like planting a tree -- you do it for tomorrow as much as for today.

15. When you're not publishing books, what do you do for fun?
Publishing books IS fun! Good thing, since right now that's really all I have time for. I enjoy traveling, photography, entertaining and good friends.

16. Who do you like to read?
An eclectic mix of travel essays, contemporary thrillers, and meaty titles -- fiction or non-fiction -- that will give me a lot of insight and detail about a different culture and part of the world. Because my reading time is consumed with submissions, manuscripts and proofs, I have become addicted to audio books on my iPod for my personal "reading". Classics that might be a bit of "work" to read are a joy in audio. That being said, nothing beats curling up in one's favorite chair and cracking open a brand-new book!

17. What's your advice for new writers?
Think outside the box. Do your homework. Write, write and write some more. Believe.

18. What are you currently working on?
About twenty current book projects are in some later stage of development and I love every one of 'em!

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Are you a published writer? Take the 18Q today!

To read all the 18Q responses or take the 18Q visit EighteenQuestions.com

5. About The Fabulist Flash

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