How To Make Your Book A Best Seller
Posted on June 14, 2008 - Filed Under Writing and Speaking | Leave a Comment
Turn on the light. Unlock the door. Here are the amazing secrets that can no longer be kept in the dark!
So how do books become best sellers?
Usually hyped out of this world by the publisher, if he thinks he has a good seller on his hands. But we’re not talking publishers. We are going to talk about you. I have seen books which were amazing and sold zilch. Why not? No hype.
From here we are assuming you have written a book. A “How To” type book which you fully researched before you even wrote it because we all know, don’t we? You check out the potential market first!
Read More..>>The Best Way To Publish Your First Book
Posted on June 9, 2008 - Filed Under Writing and Speaking | Leave a Comment
People ask me all the time, “Is it better to try to find a traditional publisher or to self-publish?”
My answer is always, “It depends.” It depends on your goals, your resources, your book idea, the marketplace. There are many factors to consider.
Nevertheless, there are several good reasons to consider self-publishing first.
1. It’s very, very difficult for a first-time author to get published these days by a legacy, or traditional, publisher.Ironically, part of the reason for this is precisely because the current technology makes it so easy to publish! There are so many books out there, the bookstore shelves are overcrowded (and that distribution mode is so flawed—but don’t get me started on that!). Publishers are more and more wary of publishing unproven authors.
Read More..>>Know Your Kids - From Elementary To Middle School
Posted on June 6, 2008 - Filed Under Writing and Speaking | Leave a Comment
For most – if not all kids –the change from elementary to middle school is a big deal. To begin with, transitioning students go from being “top dogs” at their elementary schools to the “babies” of the middle school.
And then comes the homework… I had no idea I was going to get so much homework or how I was going to get it all done. I imagined the endless nights that I would have to spend slaving over a piece of paper with pencil in hand while my parents ate pizza and watched my favorite TV show, Myth Busters, without me.
Read More..>>Pitching My Book
Posted on May 23, 2008 - Filed Under Writing and Speaking | Leave a Comment
After we’d finished publishing my memoir, Henry’ Daughter, Linda Radke at Five Star Publications, Inc. told me I needed to help promote it—she calls it “pitching it”. I told her I would try but inwardly I had a lot of misgivings. Selling isn’t my thing. I couldn’t picture myself going around saying, “I wrote a good book and I want you to buy it.”
On the other hand, I spent a lot of time and effort on this thing. Because I’m 87 years old, I’ve had the time to experience all kinds of excitement. In fact, almost anything you mention, I’ve been there, done that.
Read More..>>Amazon As A Marketing Tool
Posted on May 22, 2008 - Filed Under Writing and Speaking | Leave a Comment
I could write an entire book about Amazon.com and how to use it to make money. There are so many options, most are free and you should utilize all of them. Many authors complain about the percentage Amazon charges when they list their books for sale and make sales. They complain about the shipping charges and packaging specifications. I do not understand this. If it were not for Amazon.com I would not have as many sales and customers as I do. I am grateful that Amazon is there for me to utilize and make money with. There is nothing else like it, look at Barnes & Noble for example. They are not just a chain of book stores but have an online presence just like Amazon. They do not have the audience, power or free tools for authors that Amazon does and therefore are not as successful. In my opinion you are missing out if you don’t utilize all Amazon has to offer you as an author.
Read More..>>