The Book Marketing Network

For book/ebook authors, publishers, & self-publishers

I'd like to start a new forum where people can talk about what's working for you right now in marketing your book.

I think this will help other authors to prioritize their activities if they can find out what's working for other people. This would be especially valuable to new authors.

I've share the hottest tool that I'm using right now. And that's Twitter. As you will note on the main page of this Book Marketing Network website, both my http://www.bookmarket.com website and this network have been rising in Alexa ranks (and visits) because of my use of Twitter.

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Once again this site has proven very helpful to me.  Your words confirm my thoughts.
It does no good to put books in the bookstore unless other promotional activity will lead people to walk in and look for it or ask for it. If a writer gets an interview on TV or radio or a review in the paper, the best strategy is to move as quicly as possible to get to the bookstores in the area reached by the medium in question. Otherwise, while you make friends, it is a waste of time. Book store clerks don't read the books they sell. Neither do the owners. There is nobody on the premisis who is going to urge someboby to buy this book or that which is otherwise unknown. But do something! When I was trying to get my brokerage business going, I found is was important to keep stirring. Stir on the left. Stir on the right. Then maybe something will happen in the middle. It is not always possible to connect cause and effect.

Hi John,

I agree with you. Believe me, I book sign, give speaking engagements, teach workshops in colleges,and belong to a group of authors called "Authors Without Borders." I've been on plenty of media with radio, TV, and blog radio. Nothing has broke out yet, but I'm trying.

Bookstores may be on their way out. I predict that used bookstores will increase. I'm having a signing at a local used bookstore. Most of them have a mix of new and used books - which is the type of bookstore that will probably take off now that Borders and all the big new bookstores are disappearing. From my visit with the owner of this bookstore she has very good attendance and sales at book signings in her local area.

Hello,

Some of you know me with my "small" contributions to our discussions. I'm an author of Someone Stop This Merry-Go-Round; An Alcoholic Family in Crisis (2009), and the sequel, Please, God, Not Two; This Killer Called Alcoholism (2010). Both books were self-published and received the nomination of the Editor's Choice Award by Allbook Review of Canada. The sequel is inline for the winner of this award; winners announced January 2011. They are both in e-books.

My memoirs were written because I had lost a husband and daughter (Lori in the sequel) from this disease. Since Lori's death in 2006, I do speaking engagements.

Now my question is for other authors who speak.  Do you charge for the speaking events?  I charged my first alcoholic rehab five months ago with a decent priceof $100 for the hour of talk and later with Q/A, which is not really overly priced. I didn't hear back for the 5 months and thought that was a mistake.  Well, yesterday, I got another email saying they got approved for me to come in and wanted a talk in a morning session and one evening, being paid for both.

In December 2010, I had attended the Massachusetts Conference for Women in Boston, MA. I scrapped to get the $135 (thought I was nuts spending this, including my husband) to go but thought I'd come out with a lesson.

Wonderful speakers: Victoria Kennedy, Judge Glenda Hatchett, Tory Johnson, and many more.  I had 3 minutes that were allowed with Tory on where I was heading as an author and speaker. 

She told me, "Always" charge for any speaking engagement whether it's small or large. You are taken more seriously as a professional author and speaker if you do."  She also said, "Authors will not sell books in a bookstore." She meant not tons, not that we wouldn't sell any.  She continued with, "Bookstores aren't going to make you. Get seen, and known. Once you do, companies and organizations will be calling on you to talk."

I purchased Judge Hatchetts new book Dare to Take Charge at the event.  I highly recommend it to anyone because her words can help you no matter what your books are about. I found so many remarks from Glenda that I can pass on to substance abusers from this book to give them hope.  I'm going to use them with my talk at the two speaking engagements at the rehab next month; of course, giving credit to the author and her book.

Hope I didn't go on forever.  In otherwords, do you talk more for free or charge? 

 

 

No you did not go to long.  Thank you for your remarks.  I am not at the "speaking" part of my career. Though that is my goal.  I also appreciate the book recomendation.

I think $100 is a good start soon you are going to have to raise your fee. :)

 

Hi Marsha,

 

I'll stick to this until I get more calls from people. Keep going and you'll come to that stage.

Hi albertasequeira,

 

Thank you for sharing.  Last week I contacted the Small Business Administration in Hartford, CT and they suggested I go to a presentation at a local library that was being given on "Prospect Less, Profit More by Marge Piccini.

http://www.margepiccini.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=a...

 

Marge had a Q&A session at the end of her presentation and asked people for examples of "wowing" their customers. I shared that everyone who had read my book so far had said, "Wow" because the content is pretty disturbing.  I did not share the details of my book with that audience, but I started drinking at age 12 and was in rehab the first time by age 15 after I got arrested for being in a stolen car and part of a high speed car chase.  I totally understand the pain of addictions.

 

Anyway, after her presentation, a few people came up and asked me for my cards which I gladly shared. One man talked to me for quite awhile. He had just published a children's story and we swapped publishing experiences. Then he asked me about my life and I shared that I had been laid off and was writing to keep my skills up.

 

Today, I got a phone call from him. He offered me a job doing lean/six sigma consulting and writing blog type/how to articles. He asked me to quote him on doing 10 articles a month plus he asked me if I would be willing to be on call, traveling and doing consulting work with Fortune 500 companies. I said Yes but I have no idea what I should quote him.

 

I know in my last job we paid $30K for a man to come for a week and help coach our staff. In addition to the fee, we put him and his translater up for the week.  I know I won't get that kind of money but pricing myself fairly without underselling myself is going to be a challenge.

 

It is good to know I am not the only one dealing with this issue.  Cheers!

Hi KC

      Thank you so much for sharing your story. Wow, what an opportunity to have a large organization come to you and offer traveling with pay.  What a dream!

      I think we're afraid to charge too much or people won't have us. I heard on Steve Harrison's telephone seminars from a professional speaker and he said, "Not to charge under $2,500 to talk at any college or university, even if it was your first time. You come to talk on your experience and you should be paid for it. "

      I had a girl come up to me at a book signing and asked what I would charge to talk at their school.  I said $100 and she was shocked.  Her remark, "Boy, is that cheap!"  I replied by saying it would be my first time at a school and would appreciate being paid what they pay other speakers.  I never heard from her, but I learned, don't leave an interested party with just your business card....get theirs and follow through with a phone call.

      With what you would be doing traveling and being away from home, I would suggest ask the $30,000, with a large company asking you.  The worse that can happen is they tell you what they would pay if you're too high.  I think we as new speakers think we're not worth the price other people get.

     I'm going to look up the sight you sent me. Please, let me know how you do.

 

 

Well I crunched some numbers and pitched him yesterday.  We'll see where it goes, I am optimistic.  Thanks for the support.

Anytime! It's nice to see someone has doors opening for them. The few authors told me their stories about how they moved ahead with their books by not looking to promote. One author, I met who writes mysteries, told me an "agent" saw his book advertised somewhere and bought it. Loved it and sent it to a producer she knew with "movies." This year the movie will be out. Here I've been on www.inktip.com hoping a producer wants to see my two memoirs! We have to hang on to hope!

Alberta

Albartasequira,

 

I am a Featured contributor at Yahoo. I like to do interviews with people who have overcome hardships. If that is something that interests you, let me know at kaywonttell@aol.com with a subject line interview request and I will send some questions to you.  

 

Feel free to pump your books in the process by providing me with info on how to buy.  Glad to help promote and introduce my fan base to you.

 

Hope is part of it, and action is the other ;).

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