Do you want to make money, build wealth? If the answer is yes, then your first step needs to be learning the basics of debt management. 'A penny saved is a penny earned.' When I am mentoring small business owners, I often help them get Debt Management training and counseling.
This has helped everyone I've worked with who said 'I have no money' free up at least $100 a month to invest in their business, and expedite their debt freedom campaign. The fact is, most of the population pays $5000 a year in interest on their credit cards and personal loans. That does not include the $3000 - $5000 they pay on their mortgages, at least $800 - $1500 of this an overpayment because they chose the wrong mortgage product.
Before you say 'I have no money' contact a debt management councillor, or an online service. It is the first step toward running a successful business. You can't run a successful business if you hemorage money. The problem is - the more you make - the more you will lose, until you learn how to manage your money.
Who needs debt management councelling? Anyone who cannot pay their credit cards off each month, and has less than 3 months of bill money saved in the bank.
Scams, Schemes, And Shams: Who Can An Author Trust?
Authors in their quest to get published can fall victim to scams. Here's a few tips to help you avoid the traps.
Online Matching Services and Email Blast Programs
These services, for a fee, put your query letter, synopsis and first chapter online. Acquisition editors and literary agents then have the opportunity to peruse the offerings. You have to ask yourself if you truly believe that the average literary agent, who receives 1100 unsolicited queries a year, has the time to look at these websites.
The reverse, or maybe it’s the inverse, are services that have databases of agents and publishers. You specify the genre of your book and up pops agents/publishers who have said they are interested in your genre. Sometimes the agents/publishers have provided their acquisition specs and sometimes the owner of the database has just input the information from other sources.
Finally there are services who will email blast your query letter to agents/publishers. If the participants have agreed to receive the query letters there is a higher probability you will be successful. But, again you have to wonder, with all the unpublished manuscripts out there looking for a publishing home, why would an agent/publisher feel it necessary to sign up for these types of services.
Book Doctors…but are they quacks?
The beginning author wonders: 1) Do I really have talent? 2) Is my book ready to be marketed, or does it need additional work?
One option is to hire an editing service, sometimes called a book doctor. This is not simply a copy editor who checks for grammar, sentence structure, and spelling. A book doctor looks at the plot, characters, dialogue, continuity and flow.
It almost seems like more people making a living selling editing services—book doctors, script doctors—than writers earning a living. In screenwriting, it has become an epidemic. Producers who run out of money have even taken up the script doctoring profession to pay the rent while they are “between films.”
Asking another person to re-write your work is problematic. Who knows your story better than you do? It is extremely difficult to evaluate how talented these editors are, to determine if they are really going to improve your work.
Fees for these services can range from several hundred dollars to five or ten thousand dollars.
Remember that all manuscripts need editing. And that one of the publisher’s jobs is to work with the writer on getting the manuscript ready to publish.
Another option is a critique service; this is usually less expensive. They provide a report of their view of what is good and bad about the work, and perhaps its market potential. They are, at best, just one person’s opinion. If the critique service isn’t a publisher, how do they know what will sell and what won’t.
Marketing Services
There are many companies who provide legitimate services to authors in marketing and promoting their titles. Just because a company requires a fee doesn’t mean it’s a scam.
Having said that, if your book is not offered with industry standard terms, bookstores are highly unlikely to stock it, no matter what the marketing efforts are. Your book must be returnable to the publisher through the major wholesalers. It must be offered with 90 days for payment. It must be offered with at least a 40% discount from the retail price. These terms must be offered from the publisher not the author – unless of course the author is the publisher. Keep in mind that the author must own the ISBN, International Standard Book Number to be considered the publisher.
When a marketing company is unconcerned that the terms are not industry standard you should be concerned
About the Author:Brian Hill and Dee Power have written several nonfiction books including http://www.brianhillanddeepower.com/ebook.html Your Ebook: From Cyberspace to the Bookstore Shelves, and The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors and the Editors, Agents and Booksellers Behind Them
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5 Tips For Catching Errors In Your Writing
Imagine receiving boxes of books from the printer or publisher only to discover a glaring typo. After countless hours of editing, revising, and proofing, how did it get by?
No matter what editing procedures you undertake, mistakes can happen. So how do you prevent errors before they wind up in your book? Read on...
1 - Employ an editing service.
The most common mistakes are minor, for example incorrect word use (their, they're, there) and simple misspellings.
2 - Get a second (and third) set of eyes.
Even if you don't wish to pay a professional, anyone who reviews your document will find mistakes you invariably miss. It is a function of the brain called "cerbrainiumitis." Okay, okay, that term is made-up -- but the truth is, you're much more familiar with your manuscript than anyone else, and as a result, apt to miss obvious mistakes simply because your eyes glaze over them.
3 - Read your manuscript backwards.
Reading material backwards is the antidote to "cerbrainiumitis" because a critical view of the English language cannot be corrupted by the flowing exposition you have massaged into sparkling prose. When you read your manuscript backwards, your book becomes just a collection of words, and those mistakes literally jump off the page.
4 - Read your manuscript out loud.
When you are forced to say the words out loud, your brain is forced to slow down and concentrate on the material. Bonus - you may discover stumbling blocks like awkward sentence structures and choppy dialogue.
5 - Use the right kind of publisher.
What do you do when that 5,000 print run costs $10,000 and features a grave error that cannot be dismissed? Your best recourse upon discovering an error is typically a sticker and a sense of humor. But an on-demand publisher that allows you to revise your book after publication (for a reasonable fee) means you are never stuck with your blunders.
Brent Sampson is the President & CEO of Outskirts Press at http://www.outskirtspress.com where the future of publishing is here, today. He is the award-winning author of "Publishing Gems: Insider Information for the Self-Publishing Writer" and "Self-Publishing Simplified" which is available on Amazon for an unbelievably low $5.95 or for free in e-book form at http://outskirtspress.com/publishing
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Join The Fight To Give Self-publishers An Even Playing Field
Are you a self-published author who is tired of getting the door slammed in your face by reviewers, contests, conferences and more just because your books aren't published by a traditional publisher? Join the club! And I do mean join. If we as self-publishers don't begin to work together to combat the bias against our work, we are going to continue to be treated as and feel like second-class citizens of the writing community.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that poorly written, unedited, crummy-looking books should be given the same treatment as high-quality books. But I am saying that books should be judged on their own merits, not on whether they are published by the author or by someone related to the author, and not by the number of copies that are printed at a time. How can someone judge a book when they haven't even seen it?
People say authors only self-publish because they can't get a traditional publisher. That's not my story. I chose to publish my mystery novel, TOO NEAR THE EDGE, through my family publishing company, PMI Books. I didn't send the novel to any agents or publishers first. I made the self-publishing decision based on my experience with my two published nonfiction books—one, self-published has sold over 50,000 copies and is now in its 4th edition; the other was published by a major traditional publisher sold about 5,000 copies and is now out of print.
My self-published novel, TOO NEAR THE EDGE has gotten good reviews from online reviewers and won a silver medal for best regional fiction in the 2007 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) contest. It's available on Amazon and other online sites, and I can keep it in print as long as I want. But if I want it to sell, I have to promote it, which is harder than it should be due to the bias against self-publishers.
I understand that approximately 800 books are published every day and reviewers are deluged with books to review. But I hate that like a trendy new NYC bar, they man the door so that only the well-connected get in. Reviewers should be in the business of judging books not judging publishers. Just give our books a chance.
And why should self-published authors be given second class status at conferences? Here's what happened to me after I found out that the annual "Left Coast Crime Convention," (LLC) meeting—a mystery convention sponsored by mystery fans, for mystery fans—will be in my area in 2008. I figured this would be a chance to go to a regional conference as an author, meet fans, and maybe even get my book in the "book room" to sell. But, no. It turns out that to be considered an author at the LLC I have to either meet the requirements for active membership in the Mystery Writers of America or be shortlisted for a major mystery award like the Edgar or the Anthony. That means I have to have been paid at least $1,000 in advances and/or royalties for my book, which had an initial print run of at least 500 copies. But even then, I can't be considered an author at their conference if my book is self-published or cooperatively published. My publisher must have been in business for at least two years and publish at least five other authors per year, none of whom may be an employee, business partner, or a relative of the publisher. And my publisher must be on the MWA list of approved publishers.
Well my publishing company, PMI Books, belongs to PMA, and we are reputable—but clearly, given all their criteria, they aren't going to put us on their approved list.
So I tried to get in under award thing. My book isn't shortlisted for the mystery awards they list, but I wrote them a very polite email asking if the IPPY would qualify me to be an author at their conference. They replied that I don't meet the eligibility requirements and that awards like the IPPY are not on the list, "since they are primarily awarded to authors from non-traditional publishing houses."
Enough!! These criteria are outdated, unfair and shortsighted. They arbitrarily exclude books and authors based not on the quality of the books but on the publisher and method of printing. There must be a better way. Self-publishers need to work together to end this bias against us.
I've started a new blog—The Populist Publisher—where I hope self-published authors can come together to change our image. I invite you to join us.
Lynn Osterkamp, Ph.D., MSW, is a writer, publisher and social worker. Visit her blog, The Populist Publisher, at http://www.thepopulistpublisher.com and leave some comments, express your opinions, and tell your stories about writing and publishing. See Lynn's books at http://www.pmibooks.com.
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Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that poorly written, unedited, crummy-looking books should be given the same treatment as high-quality books. But I am saying that books should be judged on their own merits, not on whether they are published by the author or by someone related to the author, and not by the number of copies that are printed at a time. How can someone judge a book when they haven't even seen it?
People say authors only self-publish because they can't get a traditional publisher. That's not my story. I chose to publish my mystery novel, TOO NEAR THE EDGE, through my family publishing company, PMI Books. I didn't send the novel to any agents or publishers first. I made the self-publishing decision based on my experience with my two published nonfiction books—one, self-published has sold over 50,000 copies and is now in its 4th edition; the other was published by a major traditional publisher sold about 5,000 copies and is now out of print.
My self-published novel, TOO NEAR THE EDGE has gotten good reviews from online reviewers and won a silver medal for best regional fiction in the 2007 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) contest. It's available on Amazon and other online sites, and I can keep it in print as long as I want. But if I want it to sell, I have to promote it, which is harder than it should be due to the bias against self-publishers.
I understand that approximately 800 books are published every day and reviewers are deluged with books to review. But I hate that like a trendy new NYC bar, they man the door so that only the well-connected get in. Reviewers should be in the business of judging books not judging publishers. Just give our books a chance.
And why should self-published authors be given second class status at conferences? Here's what happened to me after I found out that the annual "Left Coast Crime Convention," (LLC) meeting—a mystery convention sponsored by mystery fans, for mystery fans—will be in my area in 2008. I figured this would be a chance to go to a regional conference as an author, meet fans, and maybe even get my book in the "book room" to sell. But, no. It turns out that to be considered an author at the LLC I have to either meet the requirements for active membership in the Mystery Writers of America or be shortlisted for a major mystery award like the Edgar or the Anthony. That means I have to have been paid at least $1,000 in advances and/or royalties for my book, which had an initial print run of at least 500 copies. But even then, I can't be considered an author at their conference if my book is self-published or cooperatively published. My publisher must have been in business for at least two years and publish at least five other authors per year, none of whom may be an employee, business partner, or a relative of the publisher. And my publisher must be on the MWA list of approved publishers.
Well my publishing company, PMI Books, belongs to PMA, and we are reputable—but clearly, given all their criteria, they aren't going to put us on their approved list.
So I tried to get in under award thing. My book isn't shortlisted for the mystery awards they list, but I wrote them a very polite email asking if the IPPY would qualify me to be an author at their conference. They replied that I don't meet the eligibility requirements and that awards like the IPPY are not on the list, "since they are primarily awarded to authors from non-traditional publishing houses."
Enough!! These criteria are outdated, unfair and shortsighted. They arbitrarily exclude books and authors based not on the quality of the books but on the publisher and method of printing. There must be a better way. Self-publishers need to work together to end this bias against us.
I've started a new blog—The Populist Publisher—where I hope self-published authors can come together to change our image. I invite you to join us.
Lynn Osterkamp, Ph.D., MSW, is a writer, publisher and social worker. Visit her blog, The Populist Publisher, at http://www.thepopulistpublisher.com and leave some comments, express your opinions, and tell your stories about writing and publishing. See Lynn's books at http://www.pmibooks.com.
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How To Get A New York Publisher
When you look at the numbers, it’s clear that the New York publishing scene is a tough nut to crack. The reality is that with 83% of Americans wanting to write a book, the competition for a publisher’s attention is steep. So what’s an author to do? Well, if your attempts for finding a traditional publisher aren’t bringing any results, maybe it’s time to think like a publisher, instead of an author.
Writing a book is the easy part, and while publishers look at writing style and voice, there’s a whole lot more that goes into a successful book than just how well it’s written. When it comes to success, a publisher looks at this much differently than an author does. Truth be told, a publisher gauges a book’s potential success largely by the author.
Now don’t misunderstand me, there’s market consideration as well, but the author’s “salability” is looked at very closely. What we refer to as a “platform” is something all authors need to have, regardless of their target market. A platform is not who you know, but who knows you. It’s your area of influence. A platform can be any of the following:
• Your business
• Your fan base
• Speaking gigs you have coming up
• Your email list of potential buyers (i.e. fans)
• Your website (if your site is drawing traffic and capturing email addresses)
• How well you’re known in your market
If you’re new to the book world (meaning this is your first book) you may not have a single item on the above list in your vault of marketing tools. That’s okay. Now’s the time to build them.
The next piece of this is to write for a market. Over the years I’ve seen countless authors write a book on something for which there is no market. They believe their book will create the market. This won’t happen. Ever. First, if you’re self-publishing a book you probably don’t have the funds available to you to “create” a market even if you wanted to. You may respond to this by saying, “Yeah, but new markets are created every day.” And yes, this is true; what’s also true is that while it may seem that these are “new” markets, they were in fact already existing but, perhaps, untapped. Finding these markets can cost you a fortune in consumer research, advertising, product/book placement, etc.
When a company like Coca-Cola decides to put out a brand new product, you can bet that millions of dollars has gone into this prior to the launch. When authors come to me and say, “I have a great idea and it’s never been done before,” I suspect there’s a reason why, a publisher will too. Now, let’s say that you’ve done the research, you’ve spent years working in this arena and you know there are readers out there. Millions of them. If this is the case then I’d suggest you show up armed with your (current) research and data.
The ability to self-publish your book has (thankfully) brought a number of books to the attention of a traditional publisher that might have otherwise gone overlooked. Why? Because publishers like what other people like. If you have a book that you’ve self-published and it’s done well, a publisher might consider this for commercial access as well. By “commercial” I mean consumer, trade paperback, mass market. The key is to keep a close eye on the track record of the book and document your success. This form of documentation will later become the resume you use to entice a publisher into considering your book.
I was talking to an author the other day who had a great idea. He had a hard time getting a traditional publisher interested in his book, so he self-published with the intent of getting a major house to publish him. With that he mind he solicited referral letters from bookstores. Why bookstores? Because if you can get a bookstore excited about your book and tell publishers it “flew off the shelves,” you’ll be a step closer to piquing a publisher’s interest. Why? Well many (if not all) publishers will solicit advice from booksellers on the sales potential of a book they’re considering. They do this because they know that the bookseller is front and center with the consumer every day. They see what sells and what doesn’t. Having a bookstore (preferably several) in your corner could be a tremendous thing for your future and the future of your book.
And finally, let’s be realistic. With 500 books published each day in the U.S., the competition is fierce for gaining the buyer’s attention. Your book is your resume and because of this, it needs to be letter perfect. You should never wait for a traditional publisher to come along and “polish” your book, it should be gleaming with perfection. Yes, there are always things you’ll want to change after it’s published, but having a book that’s edited with a cover that sparkles will not only get you noticed by a publisher, but by your reader as well. And in the end, it’s the reader we must reach. Once you do, the world will beat a path to your door.
Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a book marketing and media relations expert whose company has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. Visit AME
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Seven Useful Tips To Ghostwrite Books For Clients As A Freelance Writer
Serious freelance writers know their income may come from other sources, not just writing articles for magazines or clients. Ultimately, their freelance writing leads to writing books or e-books for themselves or as ghostwrites. If you decide to ghostwrite e-books and trade paperbacks for clients, consider the following:
If a client hires you as a "work-for-hire" ghostwriter, then the client pays you for your work, and he owns all rights. Make sure: 1) You receive a 50% retainer before you begin the work; and 2) You receive the balance at or right before delivery. That's it. If the book turns out to be a great success, great! That's wonderful! You should be extremely proud -- but from a distance! To be a successful ghostwriter, you must enjoy your glory as a ghostwriter in the shadows. Many ghostwriters prefer it that way.
I know a great speaker in the industry who commands $10,000 or more per speaking engagement. He is phenomenal to listen to and even more dynamite to read. However, he doesn't write his books alone. He contributes to them but he never writes any of them himself. His ghostwriter, Shelly, is known only to a few writers in a close-knit writer's group. Why does Shelly let this speaker take all the glory for her work? She is painfully shy and exceedingly talented as a writer. She once said, "I am where I need to be and he is where he should be." If you are going to ghostwrite, stay where you belong (invisible) and accept payment for the job as payment enough.
TIP #1: As a ghostwriter, you should always try to meet the needs of the true "author" of the work. Cover the content they want and do your best to make the client happy.
TIP #2: As with writing any book, ghostwriting involves lot of revisions and changes as far out as two months, especially if the book needs to go through an editor or publisher. You should make changes as needed. However, don't wait on final payment if your client hasn't received final approval from his publisher.
TIP #3: Always write your ghostwrites as if they are your own. Write with quality and professionalism in mind.
TIP #4: Never sign a non-compete contract on the subject of the book. It is crazy for the client to ask but crazier for you to do it. If a client asks for one, walk away. You have your own work to protect as well as the client's work. Remember the saying, "to thine own self be true"? Well, in writing, there's no truer statement.
TIP #5: You owe the client exceptional work and the client you work for owes you money for a job well done.
TIP #6: If your client is dissatisfied with the end result, even after he's paid you, make it right for the client. Satisfied clients usually become repeat clients; they will bring you steady work and referrals.
TIP #7: Consider using a pen name as a ghostwriter. Jeanine Anne, a freelance writer and ghostwriter, said she uses a pen name when she ghostwrites. She said, "I've written most of my ghostwrites and presented them to my clients under my pen name, Jeanine Anne. First, if someone decides to spam me, there's no harm done to the name for which I write my own work under. Secondly, when I write for a client, I have no idea what the client will do to the work, after all it is his work once it leaves my hands. The client may add content which I may not like or he may write something that is not my style of writing." This is something to remember if you write for clients as ghostwrites. The client hires you to do a job and the client owns the work after it leaves your hands.
You can find many ghostwriting gigs on www.FreelanceWriting.com, Elance.com, Guru.com, GetAFreelancer.com, Indeed.com, www.WritingCareer.com, and CraigsList.com. The other way is to create your own ghostwriting gigs by networking and marketing.
About the Author:
Learn how to become a published book author! Download Brian's free e-book, Book Writing for Fun and Profit, at www.BookCatcher.com. Visit Brian's blog, Book Publishing News.
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If a client hires you as a "work-for-hire" ghostwriter, then the client pays you for your work, and he owns all rights. Make sure: 1) You receive a 50% retainer before you begin the work; and 2) You receive the balance at or right before delivery. That's it. If the book turns out to be a great success, great! That's wonderful! You should be extremely proud -- but from a distance! To be a successful ghostwriter, you must enjoy your glory as a ghostwriter in the shadows. Many ghostwriters prefer it that way.
I know a great speaker in the industry who commands $10,000 or more per speaking engagement. He is phenomenal to listen to and even more dynamite to read. However, he doesn't write his books alone. He contributes to them but he never writes any of them himself. His ghostwriter, Shelly, is known only to a few writers in a close-knit writer's group. Why does Shelly let this speaker take all the glory for her work? She is painfully shy and exceedingly talented as a writer. She once said, "I am where I need to be and he is where he should be." If you are going to ghostwrite, stay where you belong (invisible) and accept payment for the job as payment enough.
TIP #1: As a ghostwriter, you should always try to meet the needs of the true "author" of the work. Cover the content they want and do your best to make the client happy.
TIP #2: As with writing any book, ghostwriting involves lot of revisions and changes as far out as two months, especially if the book needs to go through an editor or publisher. You should make changes as needed. However, don't wait on final payment if your client hasn't received final approval from his publisher.
TIP #3: Always write your ghostwrites as if they are your own. Write with quality and professionalism in mind.
TIP #4: Never sign a non-compete contract on the subject of the book. It is crazy for the client to ask but crazier for you to do it. If a client asks for one, walk away. You have your own work to protect as well as the client's work. Remember the saying, "to thine own self be true"? Well, in writing, there's no truer statement.
TIP #5: You owe the client exceptional work and the client you work for owes you money for a job well done.
TIP #6: If your client is dissatisfied with the end result, even after he's paid you, make it right for the client. Satisfied clients usually become repeat clients; they will bring you steady work and referrals.
TIP #7: Consider using a pen name as a ghostwriter. Jeanine Anne, a freelance writer and ghostwriter, said she uses a pen name when she ghostwrites. She said, "I've written most of my ghostwrites and presented them to my clients under my pen name, Jeanine Anne. First, if someone decides to spam me, there's no harm done to the name for which I write my own work under. Secondly, when I write for a client, I have no idea what the client will do to the work, after all it is his work once it leaves my hands. The client may add content which I may not like or he may write something that is not my style of writing." This is something to remember if you write for clients as ghostwrites. The client hires you to do a job and the client owns the work after it leaves your hands.
You can find many ghostwriting gigs on www.FreelanceWriting.com, Elance.com, Guru.com, GetAFreelancer.com, Indeed.com, www.WritingCareer.com, and CraigsList.com. The other way is to create your own ghostwriting gigs by networking and marketing.
About the Author:
Learn how to become a published book author! Download Brian's free e-book, Book Writing for Fun and Profit, at www.BookCatcher.com. Visit Brian's blog, Book Publishing News.
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Telemarketing - Another Look
Do you get calls from telemarketers? We all do, it is a part of life. But, if you are a business owner, you need to take a second look at telemarketing. The simple fact is, it works.
My friend had a telemarketing business. She also won the 'woman of the year' award for our local city. I used her services, earning new services for $55 each - much less than the $180 per client that it cost when using mailings, or the $540 it cost through media advertising.
Telemarketing is a one on one sales pitch. Yes, people don't respond and hang up, until a caller has a product they want. Then they sign up, even if they don't tell their friends later.
My friend had a telemarketing business. She also won the 'woman of the year' award for our local city. I used her services, earning new services for $55 each - much less than the $180 per client that it cost when using mailings, or the $540 it cost through media advertising.
Telemarketing is a one on one sales pitch. Yes, people don't respond and hang up, until a caller has a product they want. Then they sign up, even if they don't tell their friends later.
How To Identify Great Book Ideas And Writing Opportunities
The first and maybe the most important step in writing a book is coming up with a great idea for some really useful or interesting book. The great idea makes the writing fun. The great idea makes the book easier to sell to a publisher. In the end, the great idea means you’ve got a shot at making good money from your writing. Unfortunately, many new writers don’t have a clue as to how to do this. Accordingly, I offer the following tips based on the 150 or so books I’ve written and the three dozen books I’ve published:
Don’t pick something big and obvious…
The first thorough book on any important topic—the last war, the current big business success, the next medical breakthrough—can be a good book that succeeds even to the point of becoming a bestseller. But I respectfully suggest that you leave the big topics to the big writers. The problem with big, well-known topics is that they are well-known. And that means, very probably, that big publishers are already talking to big authors about writing books. Sorry. But that’s the reality.
Find your own space…
A related point to this idea of staying away from the really big topics is that you need to find your space. You will find it very hard to succeed—especially as a new writer—if you’re doing what’s already been done. Publishers, booksellers and readers will too easily respond to your book or book idea with the feeling, “Well, yes, but hasn’t [insert name of well-known, bestselling writer here] already done that?” By innovating, however, you may be able to find your own empty space—a niche that isn’t already occupied by some successful book or series or author.
Fortunately, you often don’t need to be wildly innovative to create the illusion of existing in a new space. Incremental innovation usually works well. All you need, sometimes, is to be just enough different that publishers, booksellers, and readers will say, “Oh, that seat is empty.”
A warning must be made, however. Your innovation can’t be to “write a better book.” And it’s not that writing a better book isn’t a good idea. It’s just that “writing a better book” isn’t innovative. Too many writers think of the idea.
Test the market appeal of your idea…
Here’s another technique for filtering and refining your ideas: You ought to write a press release for your idea to verify that the ultimate book sells well as a concept. A press release is a one-page news story that touts your book and proves to people who will help sell and promote your book—distributors, wholesalers, booksellers and magazine editors—that your book is special and unique and worth looking at. Your press release gives your book a chance to break out from the pack of other books and get noticed. Any idea that can’t be distilled into a great press release is risky.
You can see what book press releases are by visiting publisher web sites. You want to visit web sites and look for press releases for books like the book your idea may produce. While you’re doing this, look at any magazines that review books like the one you’re contemplating: Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, and so on. Get an idea about the sorts of books get people talking.
Build a list of periodicals that will blurb your book…
If you’re considering a nonfiction book, you ought to be able to come with a list of a handful of special interest periodicals (magazines, newsletters, newspapers, and so forth) that prove people are interested in the topic of your book. If you want to write a book about raising Guinea pigs, conspiracy theories concerning the last president, or monetary policy in emerging economies, for example, one of the best ways you can confidently predict people will buy and read your book is to verify that people are already buying and reading periodicals about the topic.
If you do construct such a list, include the list and subscriber count information in your proposal to a publisher. The publisher can use your list to promote your book. In fact, as a former publisher, I promise you a publisher will look more seriously at any proposal that shows this level of author insight into the marketing of a book.
Try to fit your idea into an existing series…
Here’s another technique. If you can fit your idea into a publisher’s existing series, you ought to try that approach. While of course, we writers find it most satisfying to go our own way creatively, you’ll find it much easier to sell another idea that fits in an existing successful series.
I’ve always written about how to use technology for business and for personal finance. That’s my space. And I’ve got lots of good interesting ideas for books. But my bestselling book has been Quicken for Dummies (Hungry Minds 1993-2005). Would I like to write a different sort of personal financial management book? Yes. But to date Quicken for Dummies has sold one million copies in its numerous editions. The royalties on those salve away any creative disappointment.
Focus on a small niche…
That last number I mentioned, the one million copies of Quicken for Dummies, raises an interesting point. As you manage your research time, you can make good money on a book that sells ten thousand copies. Maybe as much as $15,000. A book that sells twenty thousand copies or more is a big hit for both you and your publisher. And that means your best bet is often to go after niche. Don’t just write another whodunit mystery, write a whodunit for children. Or better yet, write a whodunit mystery for Christian children or Muslim children or Jewish children. And then promote your book not just like all the other mystery publishers do but also using religious education periodicals that go out to churches or mosques or synagogues.
Don’t worry about slicing the market too small. Few books—almost no books—sell more than ten or twenty thousand copies. If you find a group of one hundred thousand or one million people with a special interest—even though that’s a very small slice on a planet with billions of people—your book idea can produce a successful work.
Verify your idea is big enough for a book…
One final idea and this is especially important for new writers. You need to make sure that your idea is big enough for a book—the content you’ll create is big enough to fill 250 pages or 500 pages or whatever. Experienced authors can do this intuitively. I know which ideas of mine support two hundred pages or four pages of writing. But new writers often can’t gauge this very well. Ever read a book where by the third chapter the author just rehashes material already covered in chapters 1 and 2? That’s a book where the idea wasn’t big enough.
Especially for nonfiction books, you ought to try writing a couple of example chapters—maybe chapters 1 and 4—to make sure you’ve got a big topic. Your chapters don’t need to be pristine or perfect. But make sure that you can write a couple of good, rich chapters that aren’t redundant. When you’re done with those chapters, look at what other topics you want to cover and make sure that there’s still stuff left for at least two or three more interesting chapters. A bit of rehashing is okay, I think. But you don’t want people reaching for the television’s remote control in the second chapter.
About the Author:Redmond WA tax CPA Stephen L. Nelson is the author of both Quicken for Dummies, QuickBooks for Dummies and more than 100 other books as well. Those books have sold more than 4,000,000 copies in English and have been translated into more than a dozen other languages. His website is http://www.stephenlnelson.com
----------------
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Don’t pick something big and obvious…
The first thorough book on any important topic—the last war, the current big business success, the next medical breakthrough—can be a good book that succeeds even to the point of becoming a bestseller. But I respectfully suggest that you leave the big topics to the big writers. The problem with big, well-known topics is that they are well-known. And that means, very probably, that big publishers are already talking to big authors about writing books. Sorry. But that’s the reality.
Find your own space…
A related point to this idea of staying away from the really big topics is that you need to find your space. You will find it very hard to succeed—especially as a new writer—if you’re doing what’s already been done. Publishers, booksellers and readers will too easily respond to your book or book idea with the feeling, “Well, yes, but hasn’t [insert name of well-known, bestselling writer here] already done that?” By innovating, however, you may be able to find your own empty space—a niche that isn’t already occupied by some successful book or series or author.
Fortunately, you often don’t need to be wildly innovative to create the illusion of existing in a new space. Incremental innovation usually works well. All you need, sometimes, is to be just enough different that publishers, booksellers, and readers will say, “Oh, that seat is empty.”
A warning must be made, however. Your innovation can’t be to “write a better book.” And it’s not that writing a better book isn’t a good idea. It’s just that “writing a better book” isn’t innovative. Too many writers think of the idea.
Test the market appeal of your idea…
Here’s another technique for filtering and refining your ideas: You ought to write a press release for your idea to verify that the ultimate book sells well as a concept. A press release is a one-page news story that touts your book and proves to people who will help sell and promote your book—distributors, wholesalers, booksellers and magazine editors—that your book is special and unique and worth looking at. Your press release gives your book a chance to break out from the pack of other books and get noticed. Any idea that can’t be distilled into a great press release is risky.
You can see what book press releases are by visiting publisher web sites. You want to visit web sites and look for press releases for books like the book your idea may produce. While you’re doing this, look at any magazines that review books like the one you’re contemplating: Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, and so on. Get an idea about the sorts of books get people talking.
Build a list of periodicals that will blurb your book…
If you’re considering a nonfiction book, you ought to be able to come with a list of a handful of special interest periodicals (magazines, newsletters, newspapers, and so forth) that prove people are interested in the topic of your book. If you want to write a book about raising Guinea pigs, conspiracy theories concerning the last president, or monetary policy in emerging economies, for example, one of the best ways you can confidently predict people will buy and read your book is to verify that people are already buying and reading periodicals about the topic.
If you do construct such a list, include the list and subscriber count information in your proposal to a publisher. The publisher can use your list to promote your book. In fact, as a former publisher, I promise you a publisher will look more seriously at any proposal that shows this level of author insight into the marketing of a book.
Try to fit your idea into an existing series…
Here’s another technique. If you can fit your idea into a publisher’s existing series, you ought to try that approach. While of course, we writers find it most satisfying to go our own way creatively, you’ll find it much easier to sell another idea that fits in an existing successful series.
I’ve always written about how to use technology for business and for personal finance. That’s my space. And I’ve got lots of good interesting ideas for books. But my bestselling book has been Quicken for Dummies (Hungry Minds 1993-2005). Would I like to write a different sort of personal financial management book? Yes. But to date Quicken for Dummies has sold one million copies in its numerous editions. The royalties on those salve away any creative disappointment.
Focus on a small niche…
That last number I mentioned, the one million copies of Quicken for Dummies, raises an interesting point. As you manage your research time, you can make good money on a book that sells ten thousand copies. Maybe as much as $15,000. A book that sells twenty thousand copies or more is a big hit for both you and your publisher. And that means your best bet is often to go after niche. Don’t just write another whodunit mystery, write a whodunit for children. Or better yet, write a whodunit mystery for Christian children or Muslim children or Jewish children. And then promote your book not just like all the other mystery publishers do but also using religious education periodicals that go out to churches or mosques or synagogues.
Don’t worry about slicing the market too small. Few books—almost no books—sell more than ten or twenty thousand copies. If you find a group of one hundred thousand or one million people with a special interest—even though that’s a very small slice on a planet with billions of people—your book idea can produce a successful work.
Verify your idea is big enough for a book…
One final idea and this is especially important for new writers. You need to make sure that your idea is big enough for a book—the content you’ll create is big enough to fill 250 pages or 500 pages or whatever. Experienced authors can do this intuitively. I know which ideas of mine support two hundred pages or four pages of writing. But new writers often can’t gauge this very well. Ever read a book where by the third chapter the author just rehashes material already covered in chapters 1 and 2? That’s a book where the idea wasn’t big enough.
Especially for nonfiction books, you ought to try writing a couple of example chapters—maybe chapters 1 and 4—to make sure you’ve got a big topic. Your chapters don’t need to be pristine or perfect. But make sure that you can write a couple of good, rich chapters that aren’t redundant. When you’re done with those chapters, look at what other topics you want to cover and make sure that there’s still stuff left for at least two or three more interesting chapters. A bit of rehashing is okay, I think. But you don’t want people reaching for the television’s remote control in the second chapter.
About the Author:Redmond WA tax CPA Stephen L. Nelson is the author of both Quicken for Dummies, QuickBooks for Dummies and more than 100 other books as well. Those books have sold more than 4,000,000 copies in English and have been translated into more than a dozen other languages. His website is http://www.stephenlnelson.com
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Get Paid to .....
The writing industry is not perfect for everyone. There are many careers for people who want to work for themselves, or work on line. The one advantage everyone has today is their ability to learn online. Most of what I took was through online courses. I've even taught several.
I liked the fact that I could study at my own pace, and read the information over and over. I am an audio learner, so I downloaded the lessons and then had Adobe read them back to me. This helped me retain the information.
The options available through online learning are perfect for everyone who didn't do well in school. There are options, there are tools, and there are live tools to work with the teacher to help you get the most out of your educational experience.
So if you are looking for some way to change your life, then look into online learning. It doesn't matter whether you are looking for medical transcription training, Plumbing Training, or help running a small business.
I liked the fact that I could study at my own pace, and read the information over and over. I am an audio learner, so I downloaded the lessons and then had Adobe read them back to me. This helped me retain the information.
The options available through online learning are perfect for everyone who didn't do well in school. There are options, there are tools, and there are live tools to work with the teacher to help you get the most out of your educational experience.
So if you are looking for some way to change your life, then look into online learning. It doesn't matter whether you are looking for medical transcription training, Plumbing Training, or help running a small business.
Reconsider Your Mortgage Options
I spent two years writing about mortgages and financial news. It financed my career, and gave me a new niche to write about. It also gave me a new insight to mortgages. Since starting to write mortgage articles, I've cut my mortgage from 25 years to 18, without paying more each month.
One thing that many people don't know is that governments are now making the fixed-rate Mortgage more cost effective.
Responding to suggestions from the chancellor Alistair Darling that more long-term fixed rate deals be made available, the spokesperson admitted there was some demand for fixed rate mortgages.
"There is a reasonable consumer appetite for long-term fixed rate mortgages, if consumers are able to exit them more easily and at lower cost," she explained.
There has always been a demand for fixed rate mortgages, but it has always been costly to sign out if the interest rates dropped. I remember once I watched them drop enough that I could have saved $5000, but I never re-negotiated my mortgage, because it would have cost me about $3000. In the end, it wasn't worth the effort.
One thing that many people don't know is that governments are now making the fixed-rate Mortgage more cost effective.
Responding to suggestions from the chancellor Alistair Darling that more long-term fixed rate deals be made available, the spokesperson admitted there was some demand for fixed rate mortgages.
"There is a reasonable consumer appetite for long-term fixed rate mortgages, if consumers are able to exit them more easily and at lower cost," she explained.
There has always been a demand for fixed rate mortgages, but it has always been costly to sign out if the interest rates dropped. I remember once I watched them drop enough that I could have saved $5000, but I never re-negotiated my mortgage, because it would have cost me about $3000. In the end, it wasn't worth the effort.
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