Increase Book Sales: When a Book is No Longer Just a Book for Sale
July 25, 2006
Do you have books sitting in your garage that you haven’t sold yet and looking for ways to move them? Then you will want to know about these five outrageous ideas that aren’t difficult and can be just plain out fun.
Dede Hall, author of The Starving Student’s Cookbook had very poor sales for her books. Then one day an outrageously light bulb moment appeared. She added an inexpensive skillet with the book and shrink-wrapped them. Then she took 150 of them to two stores that she thought wouldn’t sell them. Yes, to her surprise, all 150 sold in two days. Dede stumbled on an outrageous idea and it worked out big time. She sold over 100,000 copies in a few months. Where did she sell them? Thought you would never ask. Price Clubs and K-marts.
Do you have a book that could be packaged with something else and create outrageous sales for yourself? It’s Christmas time and no it isn’t too late. But before you dart off to come up with an outrageous idea for your book, continue reading so that you can get all the facts.
A Writers Glossary (Part One)
July 24, 2006
Find definitions from A to G!
~~~~~~~~~~~ A ~~~~~~~~~~~
About the Author -
usually a few paragraphs to one page that describes the author. Written in 3rd person. Used for books, book proposals and sometimes articles.
Advance -
The amount of money paid to a writer by a publisher before a book is published. The amount varies depending upon a variety of factors like: the publisher; the writer’s background; and the type of book. Advances are sometimes paid in installments as the writer works toward publication. The payments come from the projected royalties of the book.
Advertorial -
An article or copy created by a writer that is being paid for by an advertiser (or “advertiser driven”). This definition can be complicated because while they may pay well, a writer must protect herself ethically by making sure her work is marked as advertising in some way or making sure her name does not appear on it. It is also to your benefit to specify from the beginning how many rewrites you’re willing to do.
Agent -
a liason between a writer and their publisher or editor. They try to sell the manuscript to a publisher or editor and they usually take a 10-15% fee from the royalties and the advance.
Four Things Every Web Site Headline Must Do
July 24, 2006
As you know, I’m constantly making the point that the text on web sites is not given enough attention. Which is unfortunate, because the headlines on site pages make huge demands on the skills of any writer.
If you’re writing a headline or heading for a site page, here are four things you need to keep in mind, four elements that demand your attention, four separate ‘audiences’ you need to satisfy.
1. Make the reader feel he or she is in the right place
Every time someone clicks on a link and a new page begins to open, the reader is thinking, in one way or another, "Is this page going to give me what I’m looking for?" This is particularly true of first-time visitors. It is also true of any visitor on any page in your site, even a repeat visitor who is accessing a page for the first.
Matching the headline to the reader’s expectations is central to holding their attention and giving them a high level of confidence.
If the heading doesn’t match the reader’s hopes and expectations, their confidence in finding what they want will fall and your conversion rates will decline.
How to Outline your Book and Chapters with Mindmapping
July 24, 2006
Mindmapping is better than linear outlining because authors can use flexible thinking and relativity in writing their book. One can add and subtract a thought or phrase from a mindmap easily. Mindmapping is an excellent way to start, organize, and finish your book.
What is Mindmapping?
Mindmapping is a color-coded outline of main ideas, sub topics and details, printed on different colored branches connected to the center. In the center in a circle, you will list your main idea, such as your book or chapter title.
For “The One-Minute Sales Person”, Spencer’s mindmap would have had seven different colored vertical branches coming from that center, so details can be put on connected horizontal branches–much easier to read.
What are the advantages of Mindmapping?
First, a mindmap is open-ended and open-minded. No more squeezing new “ahas” or ideas into the strict, tight form of the linear outline. You can make mistakes in your mindmaps. Imperfection leads to creativity. When you get an idea for chapter one, you can just add another branch off the main one. Mindmapping expands flexible thinking, making for better writing.
Email Filters Catch Dolphins Along With Sharks
July 23, 2006
What’s the point in spending hours preparing a newsletter, message or report if it’s automatically filtered into the junk folder before the recipient even sees it?
Spam threatens to choke the communication channels promising global freedom of expression.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs), corporate server administrators and end users are increasingly using new anti-spam technology to try to stem the relentless tide of junk email flooding the Net.
The problem is: how can we prevent the dolphins from being caught along with the sharks?
The origin of ’spam’
SPAM is a pink canned luncheon meat immortalised in Monty Python’s spam-loving Vikings sketch.
In an Internet context, lowercase spam refers to unsolicited commercial or bulk email (such as get-rich-quick schemes, miracle cures, weight loss, Viagra, lotteries, loans, pornography and Nigerian sob stories) and allegedly originated in a MUD/MUSH community.
Of more practical use is the origin of the actual spam mail itself.
Where does all the junk come from?
In the mid-90s, Usenet newsgroups (also called “discussion groups” or “bulletin boards”) were the number one source of email addresses for spammers.
Today, the most common origin is web pages, especially if they’re listed in a search engine or directory.
Realize Your Book Dream In 2005!
July 23, 2006
If you haven’t realized the success you wanted last year, here’s a way to reap the harvest with 86% improvement!
Use the power of visualization.
When you see, hear, and feel your book project already manifested through specific outcomes, you’ll be in the 86% success group. It’s far easier to perceive specific outcomes as true when visualizing them as they already happened. Claim your dream as true now in specific outcomes.
This outcome, “I see myself signing autographed copies” is far more powerful than “I will autograph copies when my book is done.” It’s always easier to look back on what led to your success than look down than long road ahead to a doubtful success because it’s so far in the future.
If you’re like me and are willing to be 86% successful or more, you’ll want to use my "Book Dream Mental Rehearsal 5-Step System” below. I’ve used it for all my projects including writing compelling copy for my Web site home page.
Last January I applied this system to write two new books: “How to Market your Business Online” and "Seven Sure-Fire Ways to Publicize your Book.” In two months I had two saleable books that are helping thousands realize their book and business dreams.
How To Edit Your Articles As You Write
July 23, 2006
Increase your ezine subscribers by submitting articles once or twice a week to the opt-in ezines. Read by thousands, even hundreds of thousands, you get 10-25 new subscribers for each submission. Your articles also bring people to your Web site to buy your products. Use this checklist to edit your own work.
Knowing these benefits, you want to create and submit as many excellent articles as you can. At times, you have the articles complete, but don’t have anyone handy to edit them. While it’s best to get at least two other edits from business associates, you can edit your articles yourself with a little help.
Use this checklist to edit your own work:
1. Start your introduction with a question or startling fact. You must hook your readers with something that reaches their emotions.
2. Make your introduction only a few sentences. Your readers want to get to the heart of your article fast. They want easy-to- read quick tips. Long stories can bring a yawn to your reader.
3. At the end of your introduction, include your article’s thesis to stay on track and make your article clear and compelling. For instance, “use this checklist to edit your own work.”
Top Ten Ways to Write Like a Pro Checklist
July 22, 2006
Sure you can write, but can you write crisp, compelling copy that
ezine publishers, related Web sites, and book audiences will
clamor for?
To sell well, your articles, reports, books, and copywriting need to pass the checklist below:
1.___Make your book or article title or headlines grab your reader by the collar.
If your titles and headlines are ho hum, your prospective audience will leave you instantly. Headlines and titles are far more important than the copy that follows. A clever title is great, but an even better title is clever and clear.
Shorter titles sell better than longer ones, because they are easier to remember. Make each word count because your potential buyer will spend only four-eight seconds on the book front cover. On your Web site sales letters and your Web home page, your headlines must grab your visitors’ emotions and curiosity to lead them to buy. While some long titles have succeeded, usually the shorter, the better.
2.___Create your opening paragraph of your book chapter, your introduction, or your web copy to entice your reader continue.
Top Seven Ways to Select a Book Topic That Sells
July 22, 2006
Authors need to write their book according to their target audiences’ needs and wants. You can sell many more copies when you address these seven ways to select a topic that sells.
1. Write what you are passionate about. Write what will still interest you in the next two years. Your book is an extension of you, your talks, and your profession. If you don’t love your topic, you won’t be successful. One big mistake authors make is to put attention on writing another book before their first one has been promoted.
2. Write down five topics you are passionate about. Ask your inner author which one should you pay attention to first. After choosing, gather and organize everything you already know and want to know about that topic. If you need, research it. Read other authors’ books in your field, check out related web sites, and subscribe to newsletters. You become the expert as you write.
3. Write a book your audience needs or wants. People want how to’s and skills. Three special reports on memory and a speed reading manual I wrote have sold over 100,000 in the past 15 years. Business books sell well. People need writing, reading, speaking, computing, communication, math, sales, marketing and Internet skills. Nonfiction how to’s sell best. When your nonfiction books sells well, you can finance your novel.
Dont Be Satisfied With Your First Draft
July 22, 2006
Sometimes it’s a struggle to figure out what’s the best thing to say.
You’re writing a heading, the first sentence of an email, the introduction to a newsletter, a short description on a homepage.
But what should you say? When you have just a few words, what’s the best message?
One of the ways I employ to help me with this task is to first weed out what I DON’T want to say.
I’ll write a number of different opening sentences for an email, for instance. Then I’ll start hacking away at the ones that don’t carry the right message, or that carry the right message badly.
Knowing you’re going to cut away the bad versions, it’s easy to start a flow of different lines. You’re not under pressure to make every line brilliant, because you know that most will be discarded.
This process also applies a very useful discipline; it makes you write down a large number of different lines, different options.
This, in itself, is a good thing.
Far too often, particularly when under the pressure of deadlines, we make do with the first opening that jumps to mind. Unless you are a full-time genius, that first thought is unlikely to be the best one.