10 Best Things About Being A Writer. Just had to share this blog by UK writer Joanne Phillips. Can relate to all 10, especially the one about meeting other writers!
Top 5 PR tips for new indie authors
New indie author and PR agency owner Melissa-Jane Pouliot
By Melissa-Jane Pouliot
I am a new indie self-published author, as well as the founding director of PR firm mp|media solutions, which I established in 2000 after leaving my hectic deadline-driven world as a newspaper journalist. I work with businesses of all shapes and sizes, new and old, successful and extremely successful. Here are my top 5 PR tips for self-published authors at the start of their journey.
1. Treat your foray into the brand new world of publishing as a start-up business
You’ve dreamed the dream, you’ve finished your book. But wait, before you go any further you need to set up yourself as a business. After all, the ultimate goal is to sell books for money and hopefully one day give up your day to pursue your ultimate goal of being a world-famous author. So the first step is to set up your new business. You’ll need a tax file number, bank account, a marketing plan, an accounting program to keep track of bookshop orders if you are printing paperbacks and so on and so forth.
2. Hit publish, then make it happen
You’ve got an awesome cover, you’ve got it laid out and have hit the publish button. Phew, job’s done. No way girlfriend (or boyfriend!), writing and publishing is the easy part. But your friends and family have told you it’s brilliant so the rest of the world will think the same! Wrong again. Your book is one in millions and millions so you can’t just sit back and wait for people to buy it – whether it’s sitting in a virtual or real bookstore. It’s up to you to make it happen. You are in control of your marketing and you need to cover all bases.
3. Be realistic about what you can achieve
Just because you have written the best book ever written, doesn’t mean you can make a living from it. Don’t expect to be an overnight success – yes, this does happen but for the majority of people in business, including the book publishing business, you need to really work at it. Remember to be realistic about what you can achieve – the whole time you are marketing this book you need to be writing your next one and planning the one after that. Recognise that you are only one person so try not to get too overwhelmed when the overnight success takes more than one night.
4. Adapt to change
Embrace new technology! Always look at ways to streamline, be more efficient, maximise sales – just because you’ve done it the same way since day one doesn’t mean that’s the way you should do it on day 100. Look at what other successful self-publishers are doing and see what works for you. The important thing is to be adaptable – your product will not change but the way you market and sell it needs to.
5.Know where you’re headed and don’t get sidetracked
Okay, so I’ve told you to adapt to change, but you need to be careful that you don’t spend all your time adapting and no time reaping the rewards of being so adaptable! Every day new technology hits the market but just because it’s new and hip and happening, doesn’t mean it’s for you. Know what your business is all about and stick to your goals while testing new ideas along the way. If it doesn’t work for you, don’t bother with it. Also, don’t be adhoc. Build social media into your business plan so that it has a purpose and you’re not just pissing about on the Internet/Facebook/twitter/Instagram/Tumblr/Wattpad/Wordpress/Pininterest and so on and so forth!
6. Talk to people about who you are, the world famous author, but always remember to K.I.S.S.
I needed an extra one! This one is vital. Whether it’s online, face to face or over the telephone you need to tell people who you are, what you do, why you do it and how well you do it. You are your best form of PR and you will need to give up a bit of yourself when you’re promoting yourself as the next big thing to hit the book writing world. But you need to Keep It Simple Sally – you need to have clear strong messages that people can quickly and easily understand and connect with. Be consistent, clear and interesting while being true to yourself.
People will feel so inspired that they will go out and buy your book, review it on Amazon and GoodReads, tell their friends to buy it (and not lend it) then send copies to Ellen and Oprah on your behalf!
Write About Me moves bookshelves into mystery, thriller and crime
One of the best parts about publishing your book on Amazon is the incredible opportunities it provides for self-published authors. As Amazon aims to keep pace with the ever-changing book publishing world, authors and writers can stay on the front foot and be continually finding new opportunities to sell more books.
As a new self-published author I am learning every day and one thing I’ve discovered is the importance of which category or shelf your book is on in the biggest bookstore in the world.
After seeking advice from other authors and doing my own research, Write About Me has now changed shelves. These are its new categories which align more closely with the type of book it is.
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary
- Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > International Mystery & Crime
- Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
- Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > International Mystery & Crime
I will keep you posted about what happens from here as I roll out my new virtual marketing strategy – stay tuned!
Four techniques to take your story to the next level
Four techniques to take your story to the next level.
This is some fantastic advice for authors!
Number 1 tip for selling books
Following my high praise for my best book stockist yesterday, today I have experienced the other end of the scale – my worst.When I sold out of Write About Me books over a month ago at this particular bookstore, I was quick to replenish supplies. As part of my regular follow up to my stockists when some get low I found out today that the books were still sitting behind the counter. It’s impossible to sell books if they’re under the counter.
So although it is bleedingly obvious, my number 1 hint for bookstores to sell more books is: Put them on the shelf.
The art of selling books – hints from an author and her best stockist
I am still new to the fiction writing market. Although I’ve been writing my whole life through my journalism career and media business, I am a debutante self-published author. Since launching my debut novel Write About Me last year, I have stumbled and raced at rapid speed around the steep learning curve of selling books.
Today I had an enlightening conversation with my most favourite stockists of Write About Me as I hand-delivered their 8th order of books in 6 months. This has prompted me to share with other bookstores and stockists of books the art of selling paperbacks for new authors.
Selling books is not rocket science, but the reality is that books don’t sell themselves unless of course you are Jodi Picoult, J.K. Rowling or Hannah Kent. But until an author reaches global domination, they need to be continually working with their stockists at how to best reach their target market – readers.
Hint 1. Just because you are stocking a fantastic book which is a #1 bestseller, has been seen on television, in newspapers, magazines and every social media platform known to man (as is the case with Write About Me) – doesn’t mean your customers will have heard of it. Talk to your customers about the book, let them know you have a #1 bestseller in your store. This will immediately get their attention.
Hint 2. Ask the author for signed copies. If a customer knows it is personally signed they will be more inclined to purchase.
Hint 3. Keep in touch with your authors. Know what they’re up to. Follow them on Facebook, twitter, Instagram or whatever social media platform is your favourite. That way you can share with your customers all the excitement that’s happening around that book and any future books they’re working on.
Hint 4. Read the book. Know what it’s about so you can tell your customers a little bit more about it. Share some of the highlights and pass on what others are saying about it. Write a review and stick it to the shelf in front of the books. Invite your customers to submit reviews and stick them to the shelf.
Hint 5. Be realistic about how many you can sell. If you’ve genuinely made the decision to stock the book, it is in your best interest to sell as many as you can so you can collect your commission. But don’t expect every book to sell out on the first day. Just because your author is not Bryce Courtenay or Stephen King, doesn’t mean their book is not a great read. It just takes a little more effort to spread the word.
It makes sense for stockists and authors to work together to sell books – it’s a win win for both. You never know, your debut author might be the next big thing to hit the book scene. And you can be rest assured, it will be the stockists who went the extra mile to sell 50 books that your author will remember when she’s selling 50,000.
3 top book publishing tips
Here are 3 top publishing tips from Melissa-Jane Pouliot, an Australian self-published/indie author whose debut novel “Write About Me” has reached #1 several times on Amazon and has become a high-profile platform for raising awareness around the world about missing persons – the theme of her novel, inspired by a true family tragedy.
1. Stick to your own writing style, even if you are told it is not strong enough for the current fiction market.
I have a simple, straightforward style. Coming from a media writing background, I am trained to write in active voice and short sentences. In the media world you have to tell the story within the first three paragraphs. Flipping into fiction writing was a challenge when it came to being descriptive and filling in the blanks and you could finish my first draft in about two hours. But there is a balance between long and boring and too quick and slick – just stick to your own writing style and writing goals.
My writing goals are to minimise overwriting, be true to my characters and create a pace that keeps people’s attention and keeps them turning to the next page. Your style might not be considered as literary genius, and you do have a responsibility to your readers and yourself not to stray too far off writing that makes sense – but every writer has their own individual style that makes their writing “theirs”.
It is also important to edit your book, but it’s just as easy to over-edit your work. Be careful not to lose your characters and plot through over-editing. This is another fine balance that all writers are constantly aiming to achieve.
2. Maximise every single marketing opportunity that comes your way.
First of all you need a marketing/media plan – no easy feat when you’re trying to finish a novel! This starts well before your book comes out and can be overwhelming – even for someone like me who has a strategic marketing and media background! Notebooks are perfect for this. Scribble down ideas when they come, then don’t forget to reopen that notebook at least once a week to remind yourself of all your brilliant marketing ideas.
The marketing tools available for self-published authors are a mile long, and the options and opportunities match the number of stars in the sky. Facebook, twitter, wordpress, Instagram, Tumblr, SnapChat, traditional print media, online blogs, author groups, literary associations – honestly, where does it start and finish? So you need to stay focussed and select the tools that you believe will work best for you – and that you can afford.
Then you have to be prepared to drop everything else in your life when a marketing and media opportunity hits you in the face and make sure you get the absolute maximum exposure for your book. Because once that opportunity is gone, it’s gone. Old news is no news – new news is news.
It’s important to remember you don’t have to do everything right that very second – map out a plan, be prepared for the unexpected, and do the very best you can as that’s all you can do.
3. Keep in close touch with other indie authors – and write down every little thing they say as you’ll never know when it will come in useful for your own self-publishing journey.
Once you start looking you will find so many self-published authors trying to make it big in one of the biggest ponds in the world. Where do you belong? Is your novel best listed in mystery? Or Crime? Or Literary Fiction? Who is your audience? How do you find them? It can be likened to trying to find the missing plane from Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 – and that is not being flippant in any way. Finding your own place on the giant bookshelf where your readers have no shortage of options is one of life’s biggest challenges and for many, biggest mysteries.
So you need to seek out other indie authors and share share share – we are all in the same boat and none of us want to be left at sea.
Love being on top!
We knew that would get your attention! That’s the power of words.
But in author speak, on top means #1 and that’s exactly where Write About Me is currently sitting. And we’re pretty excited here at The Word Mint for our author Melissa-Jane Pouliot. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, pack some tissues, don your best 80s gear and enjoy the ride.
- Write About Me is available on Amazon as a Kindle and paperback
- It is also available as a paperback from a range of stockists in Australia
Write About Me hits more shelves
It is so fantastic when new stockists come online @ The Word Mint! This week a batch of personally-signed copies of “Write About Me” are making their way to the shelves of Tamworth Newsagency in NSW, who are among a number of new stockists who want this self-published book by a brand new Australian author on their shelves.
When Melissa-Jane Pouliot first published her novel and set up The Word Mint, we weren’t sure how we’d get it into bookstores but it seems that although we don’t have a huge publisher/publicist and distributor behind the book, it is still gaining significant traction and popularity having reached #1 on Amazon several times prior to Christmas and our list of stockists growing each week. Most importantly, Melissa-Jane gets at least one personal message a day from a reader who has been moved by her book, and she is getting some great reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
In terms of paperback sales in Australia, we have needed to increase print runs significantly over the past two months to meet demand – thank you! Doing all the marketing, networking, social media, research and distribution ourselves The Word Mint still has a lot to learn but learning as we go along makes the journey so much more exciting!
How an author and 2 knights make a SafeKnight
Recently I met two knights. Their names are Chris Gould and Chris Hawthorn.
Knight 1 is Chris Gould, chairman and founder of Child-Safe International. Knight 2 is Chris Hawthorn, who founded The SafeKnight Foundation and poured his life savings into developing the SafeKnight mobile phone app. This free app is BBC Click’s Best App of 2012 and was a top five finalist in a World Youth & Student Travel Conference competition in Sydney last September.
I have decided to refer to them as Knight 1 and 2 instead of Chris 1 and 2 because what they are doing all over the world for young people can truly be likened to ‘knights in shining armour’.
Knight 1 Chris Gould contacted me after reading ‘Write About Me’, my debut fiction novel about a missing Australian teenager called Annabelle Brown which is inspired by my cousin Ursula Barwick, missing for more than 26 years.
I have met Knight 1 in person and Knight 2 Chris Hawthorn via the virtual world.
It is an honour and a privilege to be collaborating with them to help prevent young people from going missing and to find missing people via this amazing technology.
The SafeKnight app is for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android. With just one click, the app enables you to take a photo then automatically stores it on a secure database, paired with your unique ID, time, date and the GPS location of where it was taken.
I wish something like this had been around in 1987 when Ursula went missing. All we had back then were phone boxes that needed 20-cent coins and letters in envelopes that needed a 37-cent stamp. It was an era when we watched ‘Back to the Future’ but still never imagined someone could create something as sophisticated as the SafeKnight app. The mystery of Ursula is now more than 26 years old and might never be solved. Something like this app could have provided a vital clue for police so they would at least have known where to start looking for her.
Prevention
If there was something, like this app, that could have prevented Ursula from disappearing off the face of the earth – she might still be with us. Or at least we might have known where to start looking. With a safety tool like this at your fingertips you can prevent situations escalating out of your control. If someone is intending to hurt you and knows you are taking a photo that can give police the exact time, date and location they might think twice – giving you a better chance of getting home safely to your family and friends to live a long and happy life.
For the young people of today just like Ursula, who are restless with their own lives and want to travel independently and follow their own paths, I have two recommendations.
- Firstly, download the free SafeKnight app onto your phone and use it as your camera. When you’re travelling take photos of the sights and send them to your family and friends and keep them for your own travel blog. And feel safer in the knowledge these photos go to a virtual place where nobody can see them but if you go missing, they will provide a vital starting point for investigators. Vital clues. Location. Date. Time. Details like this are so important, especially in the first few hours and days.
- Secondly, please read Annabelle Brown’s story in Write About Me. Annabelle is a fictional character with a fictional family, fictional friends and a fictional life. But you will find glimpses of our dearly loved and deeply missed Ursula on every page and it might help you realise how easily you can end up in a vulnerable situation – even if you are strong, independent, smart and brave.
You can download the FREE SafeKnight app at:
The Word Mint 