Happy Booksgiving Day!

 

Every Thanksgiving we reflect on who or what we are thankful for. Naturally, we quickly think of the loving people in our life and then look at what we have — whether it be a possession or an ability. Perhaps you are thankful for your wealth and health, or where you live, your pets, or even a hobby. Yes, express an attitude of gratitude for all of that. But there is also surging support (well, there should be) for an idea that must come to fruition: Celebrating Booksgiving Day!  

Yes, let us celebrate, dare I say worship, our books. On this day, it is declared that books should be enjoyed and treasured. Reflect on the joys and benefits of what you have read while relishing with anticipation of the books to come.   

Here is how you can participate: 

* Buy one or many books, especially from an indie bookstore

* Gift books to one or more people

* Donate a book to libraries, schools, senior centers, prisons

* Read a book — or two today

* Sit with a child or a blind person and read a book to another

* Teach another to read a book

* Volunteer at a library

* Post a book review

* Read about books

* Donate funds to literacy organizations

* Fight censorship and support free speech

* Speak out against banning books

* Display your books proudly to inspire readers

* Talk about books to others

* Join a book club

* Attend an author event

* Write a book — and market it  

Take a moment now to reflect on how thankful you are to be able to experience books and how books have been or can be integral to your life. Books inform and educate. They inspire and motivate. They enlighten us. They entertain. They allow us to discover so much — about the world and ourselves. They help us think of the forgotten, the dead, the historical, and the living. They let us ponder the future and fantasy worlds that we could never really live in except for when a book constructs it for us. Books alert us to what is possible and encourage us to pursue what is even the improbable.  

Put down your phones and step away from mindless and soulless social media. Tuck away the television remote control and silence the endless streaming. Close the laptop and tell work to wait another day. Pull away from tome-wasting web surfing on your desktop.  

It is Booksgiving Day, so honor it by living it. 

Yes, take this time to thank a parent, sibling, child or friend for being in your life, but also thank books for being in your life.   

Thank God or the powers of the universe for your life — and for books.  

Be thankful and feel lucky for being an American — and for being a book reader. 

Be in gratitude for all of the help and support you have received from strangers, charities, volunteers, and the government — and for libraries, authors, bookstores, publishers, printers, and freelance editors and cover designers, book marketers, literary agents, English teachers, and literacy instructors. 

And be aware of all the setbacks you returned from, challenges met, and injuries of mind, body, or wallet that healed or were averted. Heck, be thankful for what gives you pleasure and for the forces that give you the ability to see hope beyond a hopeless situation.   

And give thanks to books by buying, gifting, reading, and/or donating them today. Every day.  

Happy Booksgiving Day! 

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).  This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Journalism Retires With This Anchor

 

When a New York City television fixture, WNBC News Anchor Chuck Scarborough, called it quits a few days ago, I could not but help feel that a piece of journalism will retire with him.

For those who are not familiar with this piece of local treasure in the nation’s largest market, Chuck lasted a half-century at the same job! Yes, 50 years with the same employer in the same position. That is unheard of in any industry. In fact, he even outlasted NBC’s parent company — not to mention any other journalist at the station.

The thing about him is that he was remarkably not special, even borderline bland. He actually did his job — he read the news, and reported on it; he did not become the news. No one asked for his opinion, nor did he give it. He was not a flashy personality. He has a good voice and spoke in a measured tone. He was on point and gave you the facts. You respected him, but you did not focus on him. That is how it should be.

Today’s news on television is a joke. Cable is horrible. The network evening news is formulaic and maybe 60-40 neutral where cable is 90-10 opinion and skewed in its voice. The network morning shows are just entertainment with a pinch of news. Local news is still good at doing crime-local politics-weather-sports, but it feels like it is run by the under-40 model class. I have little confidence that I am getting all of the news out there, nor do I feel what is reported is accurate and devoid of bias or opinion.

But Chuck exudes believability. He seems trustworthy and so passionate about doing his job in a way that doesn’t get him noticed. Except for when he played the straight man to co-anchor Sue Simmons.

They teamed up for 32 years until age, drinking, f-bombs, and behind-the-scenes rancor caught up to her. Anyone who lived in NYC in the 80’s, 90s, and 00’s would say they gave the best local newscast.

Chuck debuted as the news anchor on NBC in November 1974. Ford was president a few months removed from Nixon’s Watergate scandal, and Abe Beam was the unpopular mayor of a crime-riddled New York City. The Twin Towers opened a year earlier. SNL would debut a year after Chuck came on the scene.

So much history and news since then flash before me: Mayor Koch, Son of Sam, Studio 54, Crack Epidemic, AIDS, 80’s Wall Street, law-and-order Mayor Giuliani, 9/11, Covid… and thousands of other big personalities, disasters, scandals, storms, murders, sports and championships littered the screen for 50 years with a competent truth-teller helping us know and understand our reality. 

My friend, David, and I, went to NBC studios when we were 15. We just went right in, got upstairs and met Chuck Scarborough and several others who were on the newscast back then. We interviewed him for a good 15 minutes. He was generous with his time. I don’t recall if I ever got the interview published in our high school paper. 

Chuck, we are going to miss you.

Journalism is dying.

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).  This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Where Did Language Originate?

 

When did language appear on Earth? How did such linguistic diversity develop and evolve?  

We may take the idea of speaking a language for granted. After all, just about everyone speaks a language, except for those who have physical problems or those who choose to remain muted. Humans, first appearing on the African Savannah 2.8 million years ago, evolved into several different species until contracting some 40,000 years ago into Homo Sapiens. But it wasn’t until the advent of farming some 10,000 years ago did society really flourish. Populations grew and people dispersed to new lands. From this point on, language use grew and became crucial to society’s growth.   

In a fascinating book, The Language Puzzle, author Steven Mithen pieces together a fascinating look at how words evolved over time.   

He writes: “Some argue for a sudden emergence of language from a genetic mutation at 100,000 years ago, while others suggest phases of ‘protolanguage’ or a slow emergence of language over millions of years; some propose language evolved from singing, while others promote social bonding, storytelling, tool making and hunting; some cherry-pick a feature of language and claim its evolution was the transformative event, such as ‘displacement’ (the ability to talk about the future and the past) or ‘recursion’ (the way in which we can embed multiple clauses into a single utterance). No one seems to agree with anyone else.”  

But it was some 10,000 years ago that human languages flourished. He writes: “Population growth, technological innovation, economic change and social competition coalesced into the early civilizations of Mesopatamia, China and Mesoamerica. Within these a further step in the evolution of language occurred: the invention of writing.  

“The earliest writing took the form of marks imprinted onto clay tablets known as the cuneiform script of the Mesopatamian civilization. The marks begin at c.5,500 years ago as iconic signs known as phonograms and gradually became more abstract to represent the sounds of speech. This is the first definitive proof for the presence of a language capacity equivalent to that found in the modern world. Writing was independently invented in China and Mesoamerica, indicating the linguistic capacity was a feature of Homo sapiens throughout the world.”  

There are some 7,000 languages still spoken in the world. Some 96% globally speak 40% of the languages. Mithen says: “A quarter of existing languages - about 1750 of them - have fewer than 1,000 speakers. Some have no more than a dozen speakers and others may have a lone survivor… Much has already been lost: half a million languages may have emerged, flourished, and become extinct since people began to talk.”  

English, the most spoken language in the world, has 150 dialects. Mandarin, like English, has over a billion speakers. Spanish and Hindi have over a half-billion speakers each. French, Arabic, Bengali, and Portuguese are also quite popularly used. “The majority of the world’s population are either bilingual or multilingual,” says the author, though only 20% of the U.S. is.   

The book never really answers the compelling question: Where did language come from? However, it offers an interesting look at language development beyond the point of creation.  

So why do we have so many different languages spoken in a multitude of ways? He provides the following analysis:  

“One reason is because any language is constrained by the anatomical and cognitive features that everyone shares by virtue of being a member of the same species, Homo spaiens. There are only so many sounds that can be generated by the vocal tract and distinguished by the auditory system we possess: the 144 sounds of the Taa language in Botswana are likely to be close to the upper limit; languages with fewer than ten sounds would struggle to communicate effectively and may be unfeasible.”  

He also says: “Second, while the vocal tract can generate over 300 distinct phonemes, only a fraction of these are required for a language. As we noted in chapter 3 when exploring linguistic diversity, the number of sounds (phonemes) within spoken languages varies from around a dozen to almost 150. There is nothing to say that a language with more phonemes is better or more advanced than one with fewer. English has forty-four phonemes, lacking a range of clicks and guttural chocking sounds that are prominent in other languages.” 

Language for humans is unique. Our last common ancestor -- chimpanzees of six million years ago -- do not speak like us, though they have communicated via the use of sounds.   

He concludes: “It was during the long duree of language evolution that we became entirely dependent on words for every aspect of our lives. To maintain such dependency, evolution not only gave us the joy of words but made language the life force of being human.”    

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

With 365 New Books Published Hourly Can Authors Still Buck Lottery Odds

 

The odds of winning the lottery are one in 292 million fir Powerball and a slightly worse one in 302 billion for Mega Millions. But that does not stop millions of people from spending over 100 billion dollars this year for a slim shot at a pipe dream. Writers should be able to relate, for the odds of getting a book published and getting it to become a sales success are quite slim as well.

Over three million books were published last year, according to a recent Publishers Weekly article. That equates to roughly 8,767 new books released into the marketplace every day. This includes weekends, holidays, and snow days. That is 365 books per hour – or one new book every 10 seconds. If it took you a minute to get this far into my blog post, six books just got added to the competition.

It breaks down to 563,000 books coming from traditional publishers and 2.637 million from the self-published class, which includes hybrid publishers. That is a ton of books. Don’t forget, the year before that saw three million books produced. And the decades prior to that saw tens of millions of more books published. In the digital era, nothing goes out of print.

However, just because getting an ISBN and making a book available for sale on Amazon as a print-on-demand product, an e-book, or an audiobook technically qualifies you to say your book is published, it is another thing to say it is marketed. The number of books actively marketed shrinks that three million number to well below one million. Still, that is a lot of books.

Now, to what degree one markets — for how long, spending how much effort or money, and how smartly one does it, further cuts down the number of active books by probably another two-thirds. Still, that lives you competing with 350,000 books, or almost 1,000 new titles a day.

Of those 350,000 books that are marketed effectively, there still may be deficiencies plaguing them. One could be the book’s price. It might be too high. Or maybe the title stinks or the cover is ugly. Or worse, the book is mediocre or even bad. Yes, books can be marketed effectively, even if they have warts, but eventually word-of-mouth catches on to sink a book if the criticisms are rampant.

So, what is the take-away here? The marketplace is flooded with books, many of which do not get marketed much or effectively. Of those that get the time and money to be marketed properly, many of those books aren’t that good. The great book with a great marketing campaign still has a chance to breakthrough.

I have said it across many of my 5000 blog posts over 13.5 years: For a book to have a chance at success, it must be marketed. Your book could have a cure for cancer, but it won’t get discovered without marketing it intentionally and forcefully. A so-so book outsells a great book if it is marketed better, but a very good book marketed aggressively and wisely will have the best chance to succeed.

Don’t be daunted by the number of books out there. Merely let the fact that you have competition provoke you to take marketing seriously and give it your all to find a path to your targeted readership.

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).  This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Ex-Con Martha Stewart Releases 100th Book With Enduring Brand

  

I did not particularly care for Martha Stewart when she became famous for dictating to Americans how to prepare meals and entertain guests. Once she went to jail for essentially insider trading, I openly disliked her. But she refused to go away and is a great branding success story that no one can ignore.  

She just released her 100th book and it hit No. 9 on the Amazon Best-Seller list. Her publisher pumped 200,000 copies out, hoping to capitalize on the holiday cooking and gift-giving period.   

Now 83, she has been in the public eye with her books, TV show, and products for over four decades. Martha: The Cookbook is filled with classic American recipes. It is hard to believe people are still buying the octogenarian’s cookbooks but she has been around for so long that a new generation is discovering her.   

Why aren’t there new talents out there to rival the former jailbird? Do people even cook anymore? And just how many versions of recipes for some vegan dish could there be?  

Stewart is bucking a trend. According to data reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, cookbook sales declined by double digits in 2022 and again in 2023. So why are people going gaga over her $40 book for what they can already get for free on Instagram?  

She has loyal fans, likely an older crowd with disposable income, and likely a woman who feels the beauty queen, Barnard College grad is a role model for women, sans her prison time.  

As her amazon bio notes, it is an amazing career: “Martha Stewart is the author of dozens of bestselling books on cooking, entertaining, home keeping, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the Emmy-winning daily syndicated television program, and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which publishes several magazines, including Martha Stewart Living; and produces Martha Stewart Living Radio.”  

Maybe she is exceptional — and she is certainly enduring. She managed to rebuild and reinvent her career and somehow remains an iconic figure. Her branding story is one to be studied and marveled.   

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).  This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Mulch Your Book Marketing

 

 

In New York, autumn is in full force, with colorful leaves falling off of trees everywhere that you look. My house gutters may need constant cleaning, but there is something pretty about it all right now. In a few weeks, most trees will be barren, and that is not so pretty. This stage where the trees are void of leaves is how most authors feel when they launch a marketing campaign for their books.  

Whenever April approaches, it is time to mulch, at least here on the East Coast. Living in an apartment as a kid in Brooklyn, I knew of nothing house related, but as a proud homeowner for the past 20+ years, I have come to appreciate the act and art of mulching. The process actually mirrors many aspects of an author’s book marketing efforts.

As time goes by, and the ravages of winter weather take hold of the land, the seasonal need to mulch arises. One must tend to their garden if they hope to grow it and make it look beautiful. The same is true of an author’s book marketing efforts

When it is the spring phase of your book marketing, like a lawn or garden, you need to:

* Survey the landscape and assess your needs

* Tend to your garden in order to grow it

* Know thar your labor bears fruits

* Work hard and get your hands dirty 

So what does this mean for authors? 

* Plant the seeds now so you can harvest your plantings later. Way before your book is out, do your research, follow advance deadlines for book review submissions, and establish your website and social media platform. 

* Do the pro-active things not just once, but over and over. You need to water a lawn daily. Same with your marketing efforts. 

* Some things will grow naturally and look great; other things will need outside help and the able hands and knowledgeable touch of a professional gardener. Similarly, authors may be able to execute some marketing tasks on their own, but they also may benefit from a professional book marketer to coach them or to execute parts of your PR campaign. 

Bundle up, winter is coming. This is the time to prepare for your spring book launch. Before you know it, you will have a beautiful garden and lush, green lawn — and perhaps a successful book. 

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).  This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Does Every Author Have A Brand?

 

When I say the word “brand,” you might think of big corporations, like Coca-Cola, Amazon, Google, Delta, and Apple. Or, perhaps you think of sports teams and influencers, celebrities, and politicians. All of them have a certain persona, look, or sound to them. We identify with them., on some level, seeing them in a light that sticks out. Do authors have brands, like these famous people and businesses? 

Sure do.  

The authors with a known brand are usually ones who have written best-sellers or had their books turned into movies. Their brand is likely linked to the genre or subject matter in which they write. But make no mistake, every author needs a brand. 

A brand can define a writer, maybe even seduce you into reading their works. Writers have distinctive writing styles, unique backstories or origins, and they represent - or speak for - certain voices or types of people.  

Author brands form in one of two ways -- they are either self-created or are crafted by the public. Many authors try hard to establish their brand but only a handful really succeed at becoming known to the masses. 

 What exactly is an author brand? 

It’s several things. First, it’s your books. Secondly, it’s you, the writer. 

When it comes to your book, there is a style to your writing that defines your brand, from theme and subject matter, to plot patterns, language, character development, pacing, and setting. Eventually, you can tell the writer apart from others based on these things.  

There’s also a certain look and feel to the books of a writer, from the type of cover art to the text font to the length of the book. Perhaps certain colors are used on the cover that tie the books together. A distinct look can develop.  

When it comes to the writer, as a person, their brand can come from their personality, looks, hometown, political views and social activism, and careers beyond authorship.  

Authors should consider these factors when developing a brand:

• Understand that a brand will exist, with or without your intentional action. Own it and craft it. 
• Compare how you can carve your lane out against rising competition. 
• Be mindful of all the branding tools available to you -- from the news media, social media, and influencers, to advertising, public appearances, and testimonials. 
• Strive for consistency, but if you are failing to stick out, abandon your strategy for a new one.
• Know the difference between what people will care about and find interesting about you vs. what you care about or assume others will like about you. See yourself through the eyes of others. 
• Express your brand with every social media post, every press release, on fliers and postcards, your website, business card, and wardrobe.
• Determine what type of lens you want people to perceive you through - and then take actions and make statements that serve that image.  

Yes, dear author, you need to have a brand, and you’ll have one. Whether you create it -- or not. 

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).  This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.