How To Expose & Stop Fake News

How do any of us know what to believe is true, what is fact vs. fantasy, what’s fake vs. real?  Our media landscape – from traditional media to social media – is broken and filled with liars, manipulators, and powerful forces that push propaganda relentlessly.  Some do this for political gain, others for profit.  The stakes could even be bigger – terrorism and spy games.  The control of our nation’s mind is under threat.

It’s up to responsible journalists to take the lead, not only to do their jobs well but to educate others by advocating for truth.  One organization is taking the lead in this area – The News Literacy Project  www.thenewsliteracyproject.org  

“Today’s youth are turning to a wide variety of digital and social media sources to get their news and information,” says the organization.  “But the challenge of discerning verified information from spin, opinion, and propaganda makes it harder than ever to know what to believe.”

We co-exist with what I call “agenda journalism.”  Today the news media blends in with all media – outlets that aren’t news but that blur the lines.  Let’s look at some of the problems confronting people from fully understanding or validating the information or content that they are exposed to:

Too much information is available, overwhelming people.  Just which media outlets are reliable?  Which ones practice journalism, based on a trained staff educated in ethics, law, and media?

Can you always tell what’s an advertisement vs. editorial content?  Are things clearly labeled?

Do you know the agenda behind a media outlet?  Does coverage skew a certain way due to politics?

Are there undisclosed financial conflicts between those that report news and those that are used as sources?

Can citizens discern the difference between news reporting and analysis, or fact vs. opinion?

Do people understand how to evaluate an opinion piece and check out the claims made?

Do we check something before we share it?

Is the story relying on anonymous sources?  Who are they and what’s their agenda?

How do we know the writer/host checked facts or questioned sources in a probing way?

Are we letting news get pushed to us, based on past searches, habits or requested connections? Are we seeking out numerous and diverse sources?  Do we mix it up – TV , online, social, print, and radio?  Do we check in with media outlets that represent different viewpoints?

Do we understand that traditional media, weakened by declining ratings/circulation and lower ad revenue, have fewer staff to research, fact-check, and analyze the news, thus compromising it?

Do we understand social media affords anyone and everyone to claim they are experts – with no filtering or review mechanism for their credentials or validity of statements?

Can we see through the fluff and bullshit that’s shoveled our way?

Do we realize some information shared with us came through a paid placement, a paid spokesperson or a sponsor?

Entertainment -- sex, gossip, sports -- gets eyeballs so even major media that’s legitimate will stoop low to get more readers-viewers-listeners by coverign these topics.

We need citizens to be smarter about how they approach all content – what they consume, transmit, or create.  We also need stronger laws to crack down on true fake news, just like we have libel and defamation laws.  We also need the threat of legit media by lawsuits to silence them to be dismissed.

I come from an industry.– public relations – that far outnumbers journalists.  For every hack there may be as many as 7 or 8 flacks seeking to gain influence on the public and media.

It has to stop.  If the law can’t protect the public then the people have to take control by getting educated, being disciplined in what they share or create, and to encourage others to pay attention and call out those that truly create or share false, slanted, or compromised content.

It doesn’t help that President Trump, while lying daily, assaults traditional media outlets like CNN, The NY Times, or NBC News by labeling them creators of fake news.  The people must become not just citizen-journalists but citizen-cops, policing the lies, rumors, and half-truths that come across their smart phones, television screens, and radio airwaves.

You should check out and support The News Literacy Project an education non-profit that gives middle and high school students the tools to be smart, active consumers of news and information and engaged, informed citizens.

Its work, supported by dozens of news organizations and supporters of journalism, civics and education programs, teaches students how to implement the standards of quality journalism to determine what information to believe, share, and act on.  The group also fosters an understanding of the role of the First Amendment and a free press in a democracy.

The News Literacy Project partners with educators and seasoned journalists to deliver innovative lessons in person and through checkology™ virtual classroom, both of which can produce success and results.

Think about the world we live in and the important role, information plays in it.  If we don’t find a way to place a checks and balance approach to agenda journalism we will operate in a misinformed, manipulated, and distrustful world, a landscape filled with lies that can destroy society.

Get literate about the news – and tell others how to do the same.

DON'T MISS!

Study this exclusive author media training video from T J Walker

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/exclusive-author-media-training-video.html

What does it really take to land on a best-seller list?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-does-it-really-take-to-hit-best.html

Can you sell 10 copies of your book every day?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/can-you-sell-10-copies-of-your-book.html

Great book PR lessons from kids, clergy, women, contractors & sportscasters

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-marketing-lessons-from-kids-clergy.html

How do authors get on TV?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-do-authors-get-on-tv.html

Here’s the 2017 Author Book PR & Marketing Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/2017-all-new-book-marketing-book-pr.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs

Should Authors Go Big – Or For The Sure Thing?

As an author promoting a book and marketing your brand, how do you answer the question:  Should I put my time, resources, and efforts to covering the basics or going for the long-shot?

The good news is the answer doesn’t need to reflect one or the other; you can do both.  Consider it a one-two punch, where you first go after what’s achievable and what needs to be tackled, and then pursue the big idea, the home run.  Perhaps you can do them simultaneously.  But I don’t recommend dropping all of the core things one can – and should – do to promote a book in hopes of just leaping to the top with one big, bold, winner-take-all campaign.

Why?

Because the odds are against you of hitting it big, settle on securing media coverage and attention for your message that makes sense.  Why miss out on things simply because you are going after an unbelievable, lofty goal?

But, I’m not saying don’t try to go big.  Just do it as long as you’re tending to the things that need your attention.  Otherwise, you could be left with failure and loss across the board – no big wins and no base hits.

Once you are in a position to go big and dream, what will you do to turn your wish list into something real?

What does going big look like?  Visualize it.  See which media outlets you would pursue and how you would pitch them.  Think of how you’d creatively appeal to them and go the extra mile to make a positive impression.

Push for more.  Go for being the lead interview, front-page story, or featured guest.  Think big.  Act big.  Talk big.  Expect to have huge success – now just fill in the details.

To go for the big media hit may require time, funds, strategy, luck, timing, and lots of help.  You’ll need to get others to lobby the media for you – not just a PR firm but other influencers who can speak to the media on your behalf.  You need high-profile advocates to present you as a worthy subject for coverage.  It’s similar to needing references when on a job interview.  In this case, you want a big media outlet to receive testimonials, praise, and pressure from other leading experts, celebrities, major groups, or social media stars. 

To help the media see you as a big story, give them a big story.  Provide supportive documents, access to key people, stunning visuals, and incentives for them to cover you.  Help them see the appeal and importance of your story – and inspire them to warm up to you as the best person to tell the story.

Speak up, take a chance, invest your assets into this, and act as if you are big.  It may just work.

DON'T MISS!

Study this exclusive author media training video from T J Walker

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/exclusive-author-media-training-video.html

What does it really take to land on a best-seller list?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-does-it-really-take-to-hit-best.html

Can you sell 10 copies of your book every day?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/can-you-sell-10-copies-of-your-book.html

Great book PR lessons from kids, clergy, women, contractors & sportscasters

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-marketing-lessons-from-kids-clergy.html

How do authors get on TV?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-do-authors-get-on-tv.html

Here’s the 2017 Author Book PR & Marketing Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/2017-all-new-book-marketing-book-pr.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs

Publishers & Authors Play “Let’s Make a Deal”

Monty Hall recently died. He was 96 years old.

He was the innovative host of a very popular game show on television, Let’s Make a Deal, back in the 1970s. The show had a great premise, asking audience members if they’d trade what they have for the unknown prize. Sometimes contestants got real lucky – and other times they were wiped out.

It was a show for gamblers, risk-takers, and desperate adventurers. In some way, it was no different than how authors approach book publishing today.

Many writers hope to make a deal by trading in what they have for promises of something greater. Think about it. An author pens a book and looks to turn it into a media sensation. He or she invests money and time in to publicity and marketing. Sometimes it pays off--sometimes it doesn’t.

Some authors believe or hope their book can become a movie. Or they believe if it’s self-published, that they’ll command the attention of a traditional publisher or, if they got published by a small publisher, that they can be grabbed up by a big publisher and possibly earn a decent advance. But it’s all a crapshoot—authors and publishers don’t always know what they are investing in.

Perhaps publishers play “Let’s Make a Deal” more often than authors. Publishers will buy a book or secure the rights to an author without seeing the whole manuscript. Maybe they’ll end up with a dud?

On the other hand, many publishers will agree to publish lots of authors but offer little to no advances in the hopes that none will lose money, but that a handful of titles will breakthrough and lead to riches for the publisher.

Publishers can even hedge their bets by getting authors to pre-order a certain number of books to guarantee no worse than breaking even on a project. The authors can resell the copies at events, on their site, or through bulk sales to various groups or clients that they may have built-in access to.

Let’s Make a Deal boiled down to greed, at times, or to just the risk-taker in people. Some wanted to push limits and curiously crave what riches could be on the other side, negating the possibility that loss and junk also could await them.

It was a show for optimists. Some played it safe after winning some money, but many believed they could do better and were willing to go for it. Authors and publisher, too, continue to make a deal.

DON't MISS!

Study this exclusive author media training video from T J Walker

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/exclusive-author-media-training-video.html

What does it really take to land on a best-seller list?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-does-it-really-take-to-hit-best.html

Can you sell 10 copies of your book every day?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/can-you-sell-10-copies-of-your-book.html

Great book PR lessons from kids, clergy, women, contractors & sportscasters

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-marketing-lessons-from-kids-clergy.html

How do authors get on TV?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-do-authors-get-on-tv.html

Here’s the 2017 Author Book PR & Marketing Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/2017-all-new-book-marketing-book-pr.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs

Would Books Ever Be Sold Based On An Author’s Attractiveness?

Are authors hot?

I don’t mean those who have hot books – hitting best-seller lists, getting great reviews, winning awards – but those writers that are really good-looking.

Think sexy, pretty/handsome, and alluring.

Most industries rank their eye candy.  Instagram is filled with looks-centric images by the successful and the unknown.  Some fields are linked to beauty - Hollywood, models, athletes, and dancers to name a few. But do authors, often perceived as having beautiful minds but not necessarily the body or smile to match, possess the right looks to turn readers onto them?

Though book jackets, author websites, and press releases often feature photos of authors, these images often lack sex appeal.  Should the book publishing industry consider marketing its better-looking talent a bit differently?

People buy books because of the words in them and not the appearances of the ones who wrote them, but perhaps that will change. Should it?

There are some lists out there that rate author looks.

Ranker.com put together “The Hottest Dead Writers,” showcasing only male novelists, poets, and essayists.  Of the deceased, it said the hottest was Jack Kerouac, Ernest Hemingway, Anton Chekhov, Hunter S. Thompson, and Roald Dahl.

TheRichest.com put together its list of 11 of the Hottest Female Writers in the World and round out the top five as:  Vicki Petterson, Gillian Flynn, Kiri Blakeley, Melanie Notkin, and Katherine Taylor.

A few years ago, Buzz Feed put together hot lists of men and women, dead or alive, 33 Literary Geniuses Who Happen to Be Super Hot, Ernest Hemingway, Alice Wallace, and Rupert Brooke were the top trio.

Not to be outdone, HuffPost had a piece, 9 Famous Authors Where Totally Hot, and it featured people like Albert Camus, Dorothy Parker, Ernest Hemingway, Harriet Stowe, Lord Byron and Sylvia Path.

Perhaps we should be more focused on the sexiest erotic novels of all time, as an Esquire story earlier this year covered.  It highlighted books that included:  Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill, What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell, A Sport and a Raptime by James Salter, and The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis.

Listal.com, some five years ago, ranked sexy authors with Dita Von Teese on top, but Woody Allen was ranked 9^th so not sure how reliable such a list is.

The PoeticsProject.com cited 10 male authors who “bring sexy to the paperback,” but it was challenging to find many lists, and few by big media sources, that featured sexy authors.  People magazine wasn’t naming the hottest-looking authors.  Sports Illustrated didn’t highlight writers in swimsuits, and Playboy is not dedicating much ink to the hot authors of today.

So why don’t we have many stories featuring how hot authors are?  Because:

1.      It’s irrelevant to their ability to craft books.

2.      Publishers don’t market author beauty.

3.      Many authors are older and may not see themselves as sexy.

4.      Authors want to be taken seriously and don’t think baring body parts will help them.

5.      Society has a prejudiced misconception of the looks of people who write -- or read -- books.

6.      Many authors are introverts and wouldn’t know what to do with new found popularity.

7.      Too many other hotties seek the spotlight.  There’s no shortage of erotic images online and in our mass media.

8.      Authors may not believe that objectifying one’s body is the way to sell books or get their writing recognized.

That said, could the book industry benefit from a makeover and put a spotlight on the attractiveness of authors?  Yes!

It does this when it comes to romance and erotica, as if playing up the books of the author will make the writing better, more believable, or more exciting.

Would we be comfortable seeing an author photo for a business author featured, in a short skirt and a provocative position?  Will we want to look at the author’s photo of a historical book and see a bare-chested guy with a menacing smile?

Certainly, some books, due to their subject matter, simply would never allow an author to play up his or her beauty and sexiness.  Religious books, books on death and destruction, children’s tales, or books about suicide would not endear themselves to have authors dress provocatively or to appear in a sexy pose.

Maybe writers deserve a magazine that’s about the image and lifestyle of today’s writer, a kind of Esquire meets Cosmopolitan for writers.  Will we soon see a photo shoot highlighting.  America’s hottest authors?  For now, such a story would only focus on top-selling and popular writers and it wouldn’t be linked to looks or sexiness.  Maybe that will change. But would it be for the better?

DON't MISS!

Study this exclusive author media training video from T J Walker

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/exclusive-author-media-training-video.html

Could the media think your pitch about your book is bullshit?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/does-media-think-your-pitch-is-bullshit.html

How do authors generate article ideas to promote their books?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/how-authors-generate-article-ideas-that.html

What does it really take to land on a best-seller list?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-does-it-really-take-to-hit-best.html

Can you sell 10 copies of your book every day?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/can-you-sell-10-copies-of-your-book.html

Great book PR lessons from kids, clergy, women, contractors & sportscasters

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-marketing-lessons-from-kids-clergy.html

How do authors get on TV?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-do-authors-get-on-tv.html

Here’s the 2017 Author Book PR & Marketing Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/2017-all-new-book-marketing-book-pr.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  

Should There Be A Book Publishing Tax On Words?

What if authors and publishers had to pay a usage tax based on how many words they used for a book?  How would that change the book industry?

The tax could be used to stimulate the book industry to produce shorter books (a tax that caps total word usage per book).  Or it can inspire a varied vocabulary (tax on repeating a word too many times).

You may wonder:  Who would ever charge such a tax and could any government get away with such a stunt?

First Amendment defenders would say such a tax infringes on our right to free speech.  Others would claim that no one is stopping you from saying what you want to say in other formats -- blog posts, letters, speeches, etc. – just that the total amount of words in a book is capped.  One can write as many books as they want.

Some would question the purpose of such a tax.  What would the money fund?  Literacy programs?  Tree plantings?  Book sales for the underprivileged?  Libraries?

Publishers may like the idea of a cap – it saves them paper and forces authors to self-edit and to write more efficiently.  Maybe the potential for unlimited space is not what is so great but rather our ability to publish a concise book is.

Many books tend to come in at a certain length, based on genre.  A 320-page memoir is not unusual, nor is a 208-page business book or a 400-page novel.  Books tend to represent a genre based on length and size.  Kids books tend to be 32 pages.  Chapter books might range around 140 pages.  But with the tax imposed, perhaps that would change as well.

How much could be raised by such a tax?  It’s like the luxury tax in professional sports, where teams that spend beyond the league-designated salary cap pay a premium or a tax for the luxury of buying up so many players.  Will wealthy publishers and attention-seeking authors have the resources or the goals to publish books under the penalty of a tax?

How many lawsuits will be waged over such a tax?  Will consumers demand longer books – and be willing to pay for them?  How will this impact long books that get published here and sold overseas – will they get imported here with an abbreviated translation?  What impact will this tax have on books published here where the foreign rights are shopped to publishers in other countries?

Of course, no one is really going to tax words, but it is interesting to think of how something like that, if it were to happen, could alter the publishing landscape immensely.

DON'T MISS!

Study this exclusive author media training video from T J Walker

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/exclusive-author-media-training-video.html

What does it really take to land on a best-seller list?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-does-it-really-take-to-hit-best.html

Can you sell 10 copies of your book every day?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/can-you-sell-10-copies-of-your-book.html

Great book PR lessons from kids, clergy, women, contractors & sportscasters

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-marketing-lessons-from-kids-clergy.html

How do authors get on TV?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-do-authors-get-on-tv.html

Here’s the 2017 Author Book PR & Marketing Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/2017-all-new-book-marketing-book-pr.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs

Interview with author Margaret Dulaney

To Hear The Forest Sing  

Margaret Dulaney is the principal contributor to the spoken word website Listenwell.org, offering once monthly open-faith essays, designed to puzzle out divine themes through story and metaphor. Founded in 2010, Listen Well has gathered an international following of curious listeners, eager to spend ten peaceful minutes a month in the exploration of non-dogmatic, contemplative stories.

1. What really inspired you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and conveying it into a book?

I had been writing faith-based, non-dogmatic stories for many years before I began to record the essays for Listen Well. After several years of recordings, it was the followers of Listen Well that convinced me to gather some of the offerings into a book. I understand this. When a story is meant for teaching as well as enjoyment, one wants the chance to dip back and reread certain passages. I was happy to gather some of my favorite stories from the last seven years for my listeners. 

2. What is it about and whom do you believe is your targeted reader?

The stories in the book are designed to explore certain sacred and secular themes without expounding a specific creed, and without drawing hard conclusions. The audience for the book are those who are seeking a slightly higher view than that which they are too often unable to allow themselves, due to cultural restrictions, upbringing, religion, absence of religion. We all have hidden, and not so well hidden, restraints on our views of how the spiritual world might inform the physical world. So much of this broadening, or raising of our view is a process of unlearning: attempting to unlearn our notions of a punishing God, for instance (a recurring theme in my stories). 

3. What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book? What should remain with them long after putting it down?

I would hope that the book is a springboard into new ways of looking at how the divine might be working in the readers’ lives. I would wish that their sense of mystery and miracle would be alight after reading these offerings, and that they might be more inclined toward communication with whomever it is that they feel guides their lives, and trust in a spirit of loving kindness behind life. 

4. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers?

Please keep writing, our lives were meant to be creative. And, when doubt raises its ugly head, and it will, try and stare the thing down with a fearless respect for yourselves.

5. What trends in the book world do you see and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?

I try very hard not to follow trends. I like to follow Emerson’s suggestions, “Insist on yourself!”

6. What great challenges did you have in writing your book?

The greatest challenge to writing of any kind for me is wrestling with the voice that is constantly looking ahead and warning me that what I am writing will never be read. It is a very boring voice, and I don’t wish to give it any more power than it already has over me. The only true antidote to this kind of thinking is to simply keep writing.

7. If people can only buy one book this month, why should it be yours?

The book is essentially hopeful. I don’t think there was ever a time in the history of the world where people did not need to be lifted into hope. One could argue that these times are particularly void of hope, and a book of this positive nature is almost like medicine to those seeking more joy in their thinking. I have searched for such medicine in the writings of wisdom teachers for all of my life. I hope to offer to the reader my own bit of medicine from that great pool of sacred reading.

DON'T MISS!

Study this exclusive author media training video from T J Walker

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/exclusive-author-media-training-video.html

What does it really take to land on a best-seller list?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-does-it-really-take-to-hit-best.html

Can you sell 10 copies of your book every day?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/can-you-sell-10-copies-of-your-book.html

Great book PR lessons from kids, clergy, women, contractors & sportscasters

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-marketing-lessons-from-kids-clergy.html

How do authors get on TV?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-do-authors-get-on-tv.html

Here’s the 2017 Author Book PR & Marketing Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/2017-all-new-book-marketing-book-pr.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs

How To Increase Book Sales: 16 Ways

If you want to know how to go about getting a lot of book sales, all that you need to do is write a really good book, that’s better than others in your genre, on a topic that’s not over done or obscure, that is published properly, distributed well, and promoted endlessly. Easier said than done!

But there are many things an author can do to generate book sales. Here are a mere 16 things you can and should do to garner sales of your book.

1.      Write a book that’s timely, on a subject that’s not overexposed. The writing must be sharp, with tight editing, and a creative approach should be taken. Rethink how to make the book’s packaging—format, style, visuals, supplemental resources, paper quality—top notch.

2.      The book needs a catchy title and subtitle that accurately reflects what the book’s about. It shouldn’t be too long nor use slang or terms that readers won’t understand.

3.      The cover image draws people in or turns them off. Test yours before going to press.

4.      Price it right or no one will buy it but the wealthy or those passionate about your book topic.

5.      Consider making the book available in multiple formats at multiple price points—ebook, trade paper, mass market, hard cover, deluxe gift edition, audio.

6.      Have strong testimonials on the book’s cover, back-cover, or first few pages.

7.      Make sure the catalog copy, book cover copy, and online descriptions at Amazon, bn.com, and other retailers draw you in. Don’t merely tell what’s in the book- give people an exciting reason to want it or show why it’s needed. Highlight its uniqueness.

8.      Employ smart advertising campaigns, especially digital ones where you don’t just pay for ad space or even clicks, but actual sales. Sign up with affiliate programs and turn others into your commissioned sales reps.

9.      Get well-known people or established authors to write a foreword, preface, introduction, afterword, etc. Or have someone guest-contribute a chapter to the book.

10.  Arrange for speaking engagements with organizations, businesses, schools, government agencies, and nonprofits. Conduct book signings at bookstores and libraries. Connect with temples, churches, chambers of commerce, government agencies, and anyone who will give an opportunity to present to a built-in audience.

11.  Execute a social media campaign, using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Google +, or the other popular platforms to get your message out.

12.  Create your own podcast, blog, and YouTube channel and push original content to induce interest in your book and brand.

13.  Seek out bulk sales with institutions, groups, schools, etc. Offer a fat discount. Perhaps combine it with a workshop or some type of give-away..

14.  Execute a best-seller campaign where you recruit friends, followers, family, and incentivized strangers to buy your book on a certain date/time frame through a specific channel, such as Amazon or BN or bookstores that record sales for best-seller lists. Your best chance will come with pre-orders months in advance of your official launch date.

15.  Initiate a PR strategy and utilize an experienced book publicity pro to collaboratively pitch all relevant media -- local and national TV, radio, and print; and digital media (podcasts, blogs, websites, social media). Be creative, assertive, and persistent. Reach out, follow through. Change your pitches, try new people, go to new outlets, and keep at it. A good book --and a good story -- will eventually be discovered with your full-court press. Little happens accidently or passively.

16.  Act out of desperation, but not fear. What I mean by this is act as if you have nothing to lose and be of the mindset that you must act now and often. Have a sense of urgency. Act as if people must be persuaded by you, that to convince them is akin to saving a life or changing the world. Be hungry and desperate—be willing to do anything legal to get the job done. Trade favors, beg, borrow, work hard and long, and take a gamble. But never let fear creep in. Don’t think about failure or loss or being denied. Only visualize opportunity, optimism, and success. You can make great things happen, one day at a time, by pursuing and creating situations that can lead to a breakthrough.

Above all, you must believe in yourself. Don’t be a slave to your ego. Greatness comes from merit, not mere desire. But if you believe you have something special and worthy, fight tooth and nail to help others see the light.

If you think about it, you only have to get 10,000 books sold -- in a certain time period through certain channels- -  to make a best-seller list or be considered successful. In a world of 7.6 billion or a nation of 321 million, you really only have to persuade a tiny fraction to part with a few bucks. The numbers are in your favor.

Ask yourself what it will take to sell more books. Act on that answer -- daily -- and you will enhance your chances of success.

DON'T MISS!

Study this exclusive author media training video from T J Walker

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/exclusive-author-media-training-video.html

What does it really take to land on a best-seller list?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-does-it-really-take-to-hit-best.html

Can you sell 10 copies of your book every day?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/can-you-sell-10-copies-of-your-book.html

Great book PR lessons from kids, clergy, women, contractors & sportscasters

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-marketing-lessons-from-kids-clergy.html

How do authors get on TV?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-do-authors-get-on-tv.html

Here’s the 2017 Author Book PR & Marketing Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/2017-all-new-book-marketing-book-pr.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs