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What's Your Biggest Challenge with Your Book?

I'd be interested to learn what authors/publishers on this network think their biggest challenges are with their book. I wonder if there's any common, pervasive challenge we all face.

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Let us know if anything comes of it. I did get about 20 responses. I wonder if today was a bad day, since the press might have been inundated with a backlog of stuff from their days off.
I also went with Bostick on Wednesday and I've received 12 requests for books from reviewers. These reviewers are basically bloggers on book sites. It would be an additional expense--$100 or so--to send books. I'm not sure what I'll get. Will these reviewers post a positive review, will they have enough visitors who actually read it? I'm thinking that since I have their blog addresses it might make more sense for me to be a guest blogger or do a blog tour.
It's hard to know which reviews will pay off and which won't. I did an interview on two of Atlanta's biggest TV News stations and got absolutely no sales. Same with a radio show. But print stuff has tended to get more of a response.

If you haven't already, you might want to download this freemAlexa Toolbar - http://www.alexa.com/toolbar so that when you check out a blog that requested your book, you can get some idea of how much traffic it gets.

But for me, even if a blog was being visited by very few people, I might look at the blogger's self-description to see if just getting a review from them might be helpful. I found that some were home schoolers, and I wanted a review from home schoolers to help me market among home schoolers, so it turned out to be a good deal for me. Some might be willing to do an Amazon review. Think outside of the box.
Sally,
Early in my book writing life, I gave a few books to requesting reviewers and did get one or two reviews in return, usually not an accurate one, but what I did get was a chance to see those books being sold on Ebay or elsewhere. This happened again last week. I seldom do this unless it is someone I have worked with for a long time. If people who request your books have a continuous flow of books, they can make some extra cash.
I believe you Paradise because as soon as someone who had requested a copy of my book from Bostick Communications, it was on Amazon for $40. I did get a review from her. I can't imagine "anyone" buying a book from an unknow author for $40!
One good thing: my publisher sent all the parties a copy of my book "free." It didn't cost me anything to send them. That saved me a lot.
No problem Albertasequeira. Just visit my profile and I will walk you through it. Happy Thanksgiving...Gary.
I had trouble finding an affordable press release company--so I did one by myself. Is this professional enough to use? Does it have all the necessary info? Any comment are welcome!

First-time author Philip Nork brings Sensitivity 101 for the Heterosexual Male to life!


Author: Philip Nork
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Distributors: Ingram Book Company
Baker & Taylor
Release date: August 2009
ISBN Paperback: 9781438967448
ISBN Hardcover: 9781438967455

Authors Website: www.philipnork.com


“The age-old “Battle of the Sexes” is still going just as strong as it ever was-and chances are it won’t lose any steam anytime soon. So rather than lament the fact that the game exists, men and women around the world are instead better off learning to play it to the best of their ability. Such is the premise behind Sensitivity 101 for the Heterosexual Male.” Tara Hopkins, Apex Reviews

“This is one of those books where the title does not adequately portray they content. Sensitivity 101 for the Heterosexual Male is not just for males, or even for just heterosexual individuals. This book can be enjoyed by anyone… If I had a son, I would want him to read this book.” G.A. Bixler, Book Readers Heaven

The journey we are on is a difficult one, even more so for those of a broken family. Follow the adventures of one such boy as he searches for the two desires we all share: the ability to be accepted by others and the right to be totally happy. Along the way he learns many life lessons that eventually lead him to discover both of these things.

“Straightforward and refreshingly candid…an impressive presentation of a life with a plethora of helpful lessons to share. Highly recommended for anyone seeking to cut through the typical façade of relationship ‘politics’ and learn the roots of true, lasting happiness.” Apex Reviews

“The stories that have emerged are ripe with feeling and diversity.” Authors Promoting Authors

Philip Nork lives in Henderson, Nevada and may be contacted at pnork2@yahoo.com.
A press release is typically in a standard format. Here was my first press release for my money book:

News Release
For Immediate Release
July 16, 2009

Contact: Stephanie Richards
For Wisdom Creek Press
678-557-2735
Stephanie@thewritewayllc.com

Personal Finance Book Helps Generation Y
Thrive Despite Current Economic Climate

Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It, by J. Steve Miller, teaches Generation Y to go “counterculture” with their money.

ATLANTA — Wisdom Creek Press has released a personal finance book for Generation Y to help them thrive in the current economic climate and beyond. Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It, by J. Steve Miller, follows the adventures of four diverse students who form “The Counterculture Club.” The club is led by an eccentric, financially savvy teacher who agrees to mentor the students on how to earn money, control expenses, and find more happiness in the process. Miller, founder and president of Legacy Educational Resources, wrote the book as a fictional story to appeal to teens and twenty-somethings who want a successful financial future.

“Although the book is well researched and documented, Enjoy Your Money! is more about people than numbers,” said Miller. “One way to help Generation Y learn critical financial principles is to package the information in an engaging story about young people they can identify with. Also, rather than telling young people what to do with their money, the book shares stories of how successful people like Warren Buffett and Sam Walton succeeded. Then, readers can adopt whatever financial management plan works for them.”

The characters in Enjoy Your Money! represent four different cultures and each character challenges traditional stereotypes. While the book targets ages 16 to 32, people of any age can benefit from the financial principles provided in the book, including how to:

• Get out of debt and accumulate wealth
• Get ahead, even when the work you love doesn’t produce big bucks
• Find your strengths and passions and make a living with them
• Live a more fulfilled life

"I've read scores of books and periodicals on personal finance. It's rare and refreshing to find a book so enjoyable, so accurate and so life-changing. I'm purchasing hundreds of copies to give away to graduating seniors,” said Larry Winter of Winter & Scoggins CPA's, certified valuation analyst, certified fraud examiner, personal financial planning specialist.

According to Miller, “My original motivation for researching and writing this book was personal. My wife, Cherie, and I have seven boys, from 14-year-old twins to a 27-year-old. I don't want my children to live their lives experiencing the misery of financial bondage. This book sums up what we're trying to teach them about finding financial freedom, and my hope is that it will benefit others across the country as well.”

For more information, visit www.wisdomcreekpress.com .

About the Author
J. Steve Miller is the founder and president of Legacy Educational Resources, a nonprofit organization that provides web-based character and life skills teaching tools for educators in every state and over 30 countries (www.character-education.info). Miller has published books, developed extensive curriculum, written numerous articles, and established an illustration database for speakers. Miller is a frequent speaker and has presented at conferences from Atlanta to Moscow. For more information about Miller, visit www.jstevemiller.com .

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I think promotions, press releases and any other publicity is good for any writer. However, the problem seems to lie in keeping the momentum going. Are writers too timid, or just using the wrong approach to getting their name and book title out? Usually, promotions either cost money or require a lot of time, which are one and the same in the long run.
R.D.,

I'd say that sometimes they're too timid, sometimes discouraged trying wrong approaches, and sometimes marketing simply seems repugnant. In general, writers like to write, not market, and assume that if their work is good, that word of mouth will somehow get the word around. Yet, as we know, this seldom happens without the push of the author.

My goal is to try to do something every day to market my book. That works for me. Doesn't mean I'm actually sending something out every day. I may spend 5 days researching different award companies, then 5 days mailing my book to the ones that look the most promising. I might spend 10 days finding newsletters, blogs and magazines that might be interested in reviewing my book. Then, I spend a bit of time each day for the next three months e-mailing each of these to see if they want a free copy for review.

I actually enjoy the marketing. It's fun to get reviews. It's fun to see people buying my books. It's fun to feel that I'm helping people by getting my book into their hands.

The Chicken Soup guys say it took them months to get over "the stigma of marketing." Once they got over it, they said things like, "If you had a cure for cancer, would you feel bad about publicizing it?" If we write a book to help people, then why do we feel bad about telling the world about it?
I think it all has to do with MONEY

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