Friday, January 31, 2025

$14M SB Ad? Yes! $100 Amazon Book Ad? No Way!


One minute of advertising during the year’s most televised event is $14 million. It is a steal for most corporate advertisers, but for authors looking to spend just a hundred bucks for digital advertising, or even a few grand on print ads, it is a lost cause for the vast majority.   

Why is that?

The Super Bowl clash between two-time defending champion KC Chiefs vs the Saquon Barkley-led Philadelphia Eagles promises to be a big game, likely to be viewed by at least 100 million Americans. It will be the most-watched moment on television this year — more than the World Series, Stanley Cup, and NBA Finals combined. Commensurate with the high eyeball count are skyrocketing commercial costs. But for brand-name companies and aggressive upstarts, the ad pays off — assuming the commercial is not boring. 
 

Companies that have higher profit margins — cruise companies, automobile makers, or investment banks and the like — or, where they can have repeat customers or multiple product/service buys — can actually use the ad to increase sales by an amount exceeding costs. But even if it initially does not do so, the long-term impact of being recognizable from a SB appearance can help immensely. 

When a company announces it will buy SB air time, it receives:

* Pre-game discussion hype on line and in the news media

* In-game watching

* Post-game analysis on TV and in the news

* Social media re-airing

* Monday morning water-cooler talk everywhere

But when authors try to advertise their books, they often regret the decision.

All of these ad formats will fail more than 90 percent of all authors:

* Billboards

* Magazines

* Newspapers

* Newsletters

* Paid Eblasts

* Direct Mail via Postal Service

* Radio Commercial

* TV Commercial

* Infomercial

* Paid Product Placement

* PPC Ads: FB, Amazon, Google

* Display Ads: Print or Online

* Sponsor an Event or Newsletter 

For an unknown author who has fewer than three published books, especially if fiction, poetry, short story, essay, or children’s books, most ad spends are a waste. Here is why: 

Books that are not non-fiction are tough to advertise. What word or groups of words will people search for? For instance, if it is a non-fiction topic like relationship advice, people can simply search for terms that are straight forward: 

* Relationship advice

* Marital problems

* Dating advice 

If your book is about how to have a happy marriage, and people search for marriage advice or marital problems, your book should come up in the ad. If people wanted free advice or to find a marriage counselor, they may click on your book and pass on it, but there is a chance they can buy it.  

However, if you wrote a thriller about a serial killer who knocks off men who are in abusive relationships, how do you advertise it? You likely buy ads for: 

* Thriller

* Crime Drama 

And then what happens? 

A zillion books in your genre pop up. Maybe movies and TV shows, too. A discerning customer could click on 10-15 ads before deciding to buy a book, if any at all. You end up going through too many clicks before you get someone to buy. 

The authors who can benefit from ads are as follows: 

Someone who has name recognition that wants to announce their latest book so the built-in fan base is alerted to buy it. Think Stephen King or Colleen Hoover. 

Has other products or services to sell. Let’s say you wrote a non-fiction book on weight loss. If the people who buy the book, some may also buy your online course, pay for one-on-one coaching, or purchase your supplements, exercise videos, or gym equipment. The ad gets some books sold at a loss but you recoup on your investment when the book feeds you customers of high-profit goods or services. 

Has a series of books. Think of a novelist with a five-book series. Sell one book as a loss-leader and hope to woo enough readers to want to buy the other books in the series after buying and liking one book. 

Wants to build a mailing list and may give something, like a book, away. Whatever content you give away you will capture email addresses and audition yourself by allowing people to sample your work. Ads promoting a free book have a higher conversion rate than an ad selling something. 

Trying to hit a best-seller list. You can spend your way to the best-seller list. You may spend tens of thousands of dollars to hit on something as big as the NYT list or a couple of thousand to be a sub-genre amazon best-seller for an hour. You will lose money on every sale, but the buzz of being a best-seller may alert other people to give your book a look. Or you may get attention from the news media or even Hollywood. Or, the best-seller status helps with your branding to sell other things. 

So, now you understand when and why ads do and don’t pay off for an author.  Invest wisely. 

 

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four 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

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.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity 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.

 

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).

 

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. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

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.

 

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.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum

 

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Interview With Author Ta Byrne

 


 



 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

I wanted something to change my world, a painting that would make that happen. I wanted something Id never seen before in the art world. I used to sit for hours late at night thinking about what to paint that would make that change. It was Egg lady wearing a scarf that made that change.

 

When my husband first saw Egg Lady, he said Ta, you’ve gone mad nobody will buy that, later that morning, I put it on sale, and it sold within 10 minutes, and I could have sold it ten times more. Now my Eggs are hanging on walls all over the world.

 

I always thought of my Eggs as real people and I imagined them living on a deserted island but I wanted more than that which is where Captain Thomas and his crew come in.

 

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for?

In the middle of a great ocean was a small Island that had never been discovered; at the turn of the century, when the great sail-ships were plying their trade across the seas, a small shipping company in London operated by Captain Thomas was in decline. There was a chance he would have to sell the business to pay the growing debts after seven generations.

 

 Captain Thomas set sail from London with seven crew and cargo that could save the company. It’s attacked by Moon Black, a vigilant monster and protector of Egg Island and its people. For some unknown reason, Captain Thomas and the crew were the first crew ever to survive and wash up on Egg Island, but unfortunately, the valuable cargo was lost.

 

Both parties are shocked when the crew and the people on the island see each other for the first time. Both are perfectly normal; apart from their faces, the Island people's faces look like fried eggs the crew had just eaten for breakfast.

 

The Island is full of characters and strange things, but do not be alarmed because it’s normal here. Apart from the Egg people, dolphins, including a giant one as big as a ship and one even bigger who, sleep at the bottom of the sea. Baboons who think they own the place; firebugs as big as coconuts who light up the village; giant turtles who protect the kids when swimming; coconut crabs, bright orange with cat-like habits who like their belly scratched; little bees with big eyes always sharing honey and mushrooms that produce eggs.

 

Captain Thomas and his crew live with the Egg people for eight months while they rebuild the ship to return home; there are many stories, including a court case held by talking baboons. The ship is ready to return home; it is loaded with a chest full of treasure (unbeknown to Captain Thomas, as is Sabo, who is stowed away on the ship): London, stories of treasure, greed, evil and kidnapping. A chase back to Egg Island, another attack by Moon Black. Justice prevails, Sabo returns home, Egg Island is destroyed, another Island is to be found, and an Egg family return to London for more adventures.

 

I think it’s a book that will appeal to all ages 2 of my best review are from an eight year old girl to a 71 year old lady.

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?

Enjoyment a couple of hours in a beautiful place and a story of friendship and kindness of greed and betrayal, but how doing the right thing in the face of adversity can bring reward.

 

4. How did you decide on your books title and cover design?

The tittle was fairly obvious and the cover I wanted to show Sabo on the Island and in London so people would look at it and think whats that?

 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?

Never give up I wrote in on my phone in Thai my husband and daughter helped to translate to English it took months the translation was not right it was not capturing what I had in my mind so I sat with my husband who has dyslexia and we went through it line by line at times I thought one of us is not going to get out of this alive. I was not happy until it was exactly as I wanted it to be and luckily we are both still here.

 

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

I think the book world is like the art world going from strength to strength. I left school at twelve to work in the rice fields I now live on a small Island in the South of Thailand with the internet I can showcase my artwork and sent to all round the world the I’m doing the same now with my book. People will always want beautiful things art & books that they look at and feel NFTs was to be the biggest thing but I sold a lot of real art to an NFT collector who said he wanted something real to look at.

Beauty will never die.

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? 

I remembered my school days; when I was a kid at school, we would have to take our lunch box as there were no kitchen or cooking facilities. When the dinner bell rang, we would all sit on the floor to eat our lunch.

 

Almost every day, I had a fried egg on rice, and the other kids would say, ‘Ta fried egg again, you will start looking like a fried egg’.

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?

I only know my own style when I was a kid, we never had books so I don’t have a lot of experience with books and how they are written.

 

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?

it was only later in life when I met my husband he got me reading books, some years back we went to the UK and I couldn’t believe how many people were on busses and trains readings books and book shops and art galleries everywhere especially with the art galleries I was like a kid in a sweetshop.

 

Getting it out of my head onto paper, getting out of my head was the easy bit translating it to English was a challenge and it would have been easy to give up and concentrate on my paintings I was making a good living and thought more than once do I need this hassle but I am glad I persevered and I'm very proud of the book and the feedback I get from people who have read it.

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

Because Egg Island is full of characters and strange things, but do not be alarmed because it’s normal here. Apart from the Egg people, dolphins sleep at the bottom of the sea, including a giant one as big as a ship and one even bigger. Baboons who think they own the place; firebugs as big as coconuts who light up the village; giant turtles who protect the kids when swimming; coconut crabs, bright orange with cat-like habits who like their belly scratched; little bees with big eyes always sharing honey and mushrooms that produce eggs and of course Captain Thomas and his shipwrecked crew and you can’t read about that anywhere else.

 

About The Author: I am Thai and an international best-selling artist I paint people they may not look like your normal person. One day I was frying eggs for my husband and thought that would make a great face so my Eggs were born and I’ve sent my Egg people all over the world I have sent my art to 68 countries. For more info, please see: https://www.instagram.com/taartist/

                 

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four 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

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.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity 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.

 

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).

 

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. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

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.

 

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.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum

 

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Do Best-Selling Books Reveal Reader Preferences For Writers?

  

According to Publishers Weekly, four books sold over one million copies last year. When it published the list of 2024’s Top Ten, I noticed a number of patterns.  

First, fiction is way popular than non-fiction at the top. Nine of the 10 biggest sellers were fiction.   

Nine of the 10 are for adults; one was a children’s graphic novel.  

No poetry, books of essays, or short stories made the list.  

The solo non-fiction book, Atomic Habits, with global sales topping 20 million since its release in 2018, has shown durability.  

Several of the books on the list are not even new. For instance, It Ends With Us, came out in 2016. The romance drama movie aired this past year, and then a lawsuit involving celebrity sexual assault with the principle actors kept it in the headlines.  

Three authors had multiple books on the list: Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros, and Colleen Hoover. People love a good series.  

Only two books on the top 10 were written by guys—the children’s graphic novel and the non-fiction book. Women writers clearly own the adult fiction/YA lane. And younger women. Hoover, at 45, might be the oldest of the ladies on that list.  

PW reported the number of unit sales for books rose slightly last year, to 782.7 million copies. When you add in e-books, about one billion books were purchased last year. Audiobook sales revenue keeps rising annually by double digits and surpassed the money produced by e-books but I don’t have a unit number figure.  

 

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four 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

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.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity 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.

 

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).

 

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. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

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.

 

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.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum