Last week Book Marketing Buzz Blog introduced 10 insightful publishing experts to you. Today you will find a treat – seven interesting book publishing specialists share their views on the state of book publishing.
Interview With Writer and Editor Debbie Russell
1. As an independent writer and editor, what do you enjoy about practicing your craft? What do I enjoy most about being an independent writer and editor? Well – I write fiction. With that, I can create an entire universe that is tailored to my specifications. Then, as I write, I can get lost in that world. In reality, we don’t have complete control over what happens in our lives. As a writer, I get to make the decisions. Does the girl get the boy at the end of the story? Well – she does if I want her to! Does good triumph over evil? Again, it usually does in fiction, but the fun part is to show how it will. There is no story without conflict, but I believe readers want some reassurance that everything will work out by the end of the story. In the meantime, it is my job as a writer to create characters that the reader can identify with. Then the reader can share in the victory when those characters get their happy ending.
2. Where do you feel the writing industry is heading? Where is the writing industry heading? Well, I think we have seen some of it already. My neighborhood Borders Book Store just closed. As a writer, that made me sad. However, I have to admit that I would buy my books from Amazon. It was cheaper and easier to buy online. Now, with devices such as Kindle, more people are opting for the E-Book versus a hard copy. Why have book shelves full of books, just taking up space, when you could hold one compact device with all of your books? It just makes sense that this is the way that the industry is going. In addition, E-Books are cheaper for the consumer, and they pay higher royalties to the author. So both sides are financially incentivized to go in this direction.
As far as new authors are concerned, I would warn that it is very hard to break into the “business”. Before I started, I never thought of writing books as a business. I thought that I could be creative, sitting behind my computer writing wonderful stories, and then you hand it to the publisher and smile as everything else is done for you. I was completely naïve. For one, I would recommend coming up with a marketing plan. A good story is great, but if it doesn’t sell, then the only one who is impressed by it is you. Then, make a name for yourself. Publishers like to pick up books from famous people, because those books sell. A book by an unknown is definitely harder to promote. Lastly, please be aware that it is the author’s responsibility to sell the book. This is true whether you go with a traditional publisher or you self-publish. If you understand this fact from the very beginning, then you will be better prepared when the time comes to put your marketing plan into action.
3. You must love words. How do you choose the right ones? Do I love words? I think we have a love/hate relationship! I am just kidding of course. When I first write out my book, I am just free-flowing. I am doing everything I can to just capture the scene in my mind. Then I go back and look at what I wrote. Sometimes I used the same word multiple times in one page. So then I have to really think: What am I really trying to say here? So I have to admit that the free-flowing is the most fun for me. Then you have to go over it many times and try to make sense of what you just wrote, and find the very best way to express it in written words. After that, you send it to an editor that says, “Um, are you serious?” I read that comment and think to myself: Yes, I was …. And then, you get to think of even BETTER words than you had used before!
4. You are working on young adult novels at present. How is that going? I am currently writing a series of Young Adult Novels called, “The Eye of the Goddess”. The first two books in this series are complete and I am currently writing the third one. I am in the process of self-publishing the first book with Balboa Press. Since my books deal with Crystal Children and Angels, I thought that the affiliation with Hay House would help the book’s chances of finding its audience. I am almost done with the website for the book, and have started Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In campaigns to alert potential readers that it will be available soon. I was told to start the marketing machine now, before it was even published, so that there will be a built-in demand on day one. It is a full-time endeavor, but hopefully the hard work will pay off when the book finally arrives.
5. Which is harder – to write a book or edit one? I already answered this one. It is infinitely harder to edit a book than to write it. Again, I was naïve at the beginning. I thought: Wow! I wrote a book! What an accomplishment! Now I am done. I didn’t realize that was only the beginning. I went to an editor who marked it up – and believe me – it was brutal! But the editor does not rewrite it for you. The editor simply points out areas that you could do better. So now, I was back to the drawing board. I had to rewrite quite a bit of a story that I already thought was perfect. That took some time. Then I had an editor look at the story – and her comments were too soft. That didn’t help me at all. However, I did make the revisions that she suggested. Now, Balboa is going to edit it again. They already said that they want more description, which means that I will be rewriting for the third time. Throughout, this has been a multiple year process. So you can imagine how happy an author is when the story is finally published. A lot of blood, sweat and tears (not to mention time, money and research) has gone into that little book!
Interview With Carole Chouinard
1. As a reviewer of audio books for Audible.com what do you look for in a book? My job is to review the listening experience and, specifically, the work of the narrator or reader. In many cases the author has also read the audio book, so that’s fun. However, it has been a real joy to become familiar with the various folks—some well-known actors, others not—who frequently read audio books. It is a difficult task but there are people who are simply excellent at it.
2. What do you love most about the book publishing industry? Well, this is a no-brainer. I love books. New books, old books, I just love them.
3. Where do you think it is heading? Towards more ebooks and audio books, I think. I am not an expert in the business of book publishing but I have worked around it for the past 30 years. What I have always seen is that book publishers are looking for one thing: a way to sell books. If the current movement is to offer books on hand-held electronic devices, the industry will go in that direction because they want people to read books. I cannot foresee a time when hardcover or soft cover books would not be published—I just can’t see that happening. There’s just too much to be gained by picking up a book and looking through it.
4. What role do you feel technology is having on the book industry? I think I answered this previously. An added aspect to ebooks and audio books is that they make it easier for people with disabilities to be able to enjoy a good book. Any way that the industry can make the joy of reading part of someone’s daily life is something to be promoted.
1. As a reviewer of audio books for Audible.com what do you look for in a book? My job is to review the listening experience and, specifically, the work of the narrator or reader. In many cases the author has also read the audio book, so that’s fun. However, it has been a real joy to become familiar with the various folks—some well-known actors, others not—who frequently read audio books. It is a difficult task but there are people who are simply excellent at it.
2. What do you love most about the book publishing industry? Well, this is a no-brainer. I love books. New books, old books, I just love them.
3. Where do you think it is heading? Towards more ebooks and audio books, I think. I am not an expert in the business of book publishing but I have worked around it for the past 30 years. What I have always seen is that book publishers are looking for one thing: a way to sell books. If the current movement is to offer books on hand-held electronic devices, the industry will go in that direction because they want people to read books. I cannot foresee a time when hardcover or soft cover books would not be published—I just can’t see that happening. There’s just too much to be gained by picking up a book and looking through it.
4. What role do you feel technology is having on the book industry? I think I answered this previously. An added aspect to ebooks and audio books is that they make it easier for people with disabilities to be able to enjoy a good book. Any way that the industry can make the joy of reading part of someone’s daily life is something to be promoted.
Interview With Lisa Hagan, President, Paraview Literary Agency
1. What do you do you love most about being a part of the book industry? The most important thing to me is having a positive impact on the life of the reader with each book. While I always hope every book reaches a wide range of readers, I am thrilled to read affirming reviews from my core group of cultural creatives which is expanding exponentially every day. I love reading a query and thinking, oh my gosh, I have to have this right now, to pitching the editors, to making the sale and then of course seeing the book on the bookshelf. I love that I make a new friend with each author; I have a great big family of very smart writers. I still after 20 years will walk around a bookstore holding one or more of my client’s books in my arms raving about how good the books are. I don’t care; I love my authors and their books. Life is good and reading is great.
2. Where is it heading? After the economy tanked in 08, I got nervous and I thought for sure everything would turn around within the year. Then in 09 I heard on NPR that library usage was up 13%, I thought well at least people are still reading so that’s good. Well when our royalty statements started shrinking I got a little more worried, thankfully things have leveled out now in 11. Those of us who read are not going to give up our books no matter what form we read them in. E-books are the future, I wasn’t happy about it to begin with but life is all about change and I’m all for it. As long as publishers continue to acquire books, I’m happy. Like most agents and editors, I feel that there will be a fallout with self-publishing, how many bad pod’s and e-books will someone have to read before they become more discerning? Is a .99 cent e-book worth buying if you can’t or don’t want to read it? I don’t think so.
3. How do you help writers become published authors? Tell us about the process. Once I decide that I want to represent an author, I help them form the proposal to make it the most outstanding and appealing proposal that it can be. We work on the table of contents all the way through to the sample chapters together. The first impression has to be perfect. I walk with them through the exacerbating process of waiting to hear back from all of the editors that I have pitched them to. I have always said that this is a business in which you hurry up to wait. It helps to have a lot of patience with your authors, I like being the go between the authors and the editors. I am there for my clients to answer any and all questions from the proposal to the marketing after a due date is set to of course the royalty statements.
4. Which genres are hot right now? Since the last election politics never seemed to stop being hot which is unusual. What is hot right now won’t be hot next week. I was giving a talk recently and this was one of the questions. I was reviewing the questions and writing up my notes on the Sunday before the talk on Wednesday and “what is hot’” had completely changed according to the trend watchers from Sunday to Wednesday that is a short period of time. Readers are a finicky bunch, myself included. Fortunately, I am able to sell what I consider important to me, spiritual self-help, science, travel, business, health and current affairs.
5. How are e-books changing the landscape? I think the e-book revelation scared a bunch of us but once we embraced it and realized that people were still reading and the authors were still receiving royalties, it all worked out. It is a wonderful business and can be quite altruistic but we do still have to earn a living, whether it is through e-books or books in the traditional sense. I’ve not looked into it but I have to wonder what the consensus was when audio books came out? That was before my time….
6. When should someone consider self-publishing as a viable option? I still tell some business authors that approach me that they are better off self-publishing and selling their books at the back of the room. They are not as attached to the product, it was just another arm of their business and they look at it in an entirely different manner. If you have the money, the talent or can hire the talent to take care of every aspect of producing and marketing a good book then you should go for it. Relinquishing control is not easy for everyone. For the rest of the authors, traditional publishing is certainly the best way to go, let the professionals do what they know how to do best. It’s a win-win deal!
Interview With Johanna Vondeling, Berrett-Koehler
1. Johanna, what can you tell us about the challenges of securing international sales for a book? The primary challenges in securing sales are the same internationally as they are in the US. The global book market is glutted, and books sell primarily to an author's dedicated community. If an author has not cultivated an international following, her book won't sell well overseas. Authors who travel regularly and speak internationally generally see good results with book sales in foreign markets, but not all authors can afford to do that or have the professional relationships necessary to make extensive international travel worthwhile. Price points, especially in developing markets, are also a big challenge. US prices are simply out of reach for many in India, for example. I am hopeful that developments in the print-on-demand arena will eliminate this obstacle—or at least offer some creative alternatives to traditional distribution--in the not-too-distant future.
2. Should writers think more about the global market when they are writing their books? Absolutely. I agree with the many publishing professionals who believe the biggest growth in print sales is likely to occur beyond US borders. Authors who hope to reach an international audience should be sure to include international examples in their books. If the stores are faced with choosing between a book that has local applications and one that’s just US-centric, they’ll go local every time. If the book is already published, authors should consider creating an online supplement showing international applications and case studies illustrating their ideas in action. Similarly, international endorsements can certainly help a book sell overseas. Space on any book's cover is limited, of course, but the US publisher can share endorsements from overseas luminaries with their international partners, to help build buzz and sales in those territories. This blog entry offers other tips for helping your book sell overseas.
3. What do you love the most about your job and being a part of the book industry? I feel very fortunate and energized to be working in international sales and business development. Given the size of the planet and the rapid pace of change in the industry, I have an infinite number of ways to fulfill my goals on behalf of BK. The challenge is not too little opportunity, but rather how to make the best investments of time and other resources. That's an interesting job to get up for, and I learn new things every day. In terms of the industry, I deeply appreciate the collaborative culture. Every book is its own unique creation, so industry professionals aren't (usually) pitted against each other in a fight for sales of the same commoditized product. I love how my colleagues in publishing share their thoughts and frustrations and innovations openly with each other, and how they celebrate each other's successes.
4. Where do you see the publishing world heading? My father, who passed away 10 years ago after 30 years in publishing, departed the world feeling very discouraged about the future of publishing. His era was one of great consolidation and capitulation to a corporate approach to publishing. I doubt he'd recognize the publishing world we inhabit today, one characterized by innovation, disintermediation, and creative entrepreneurship. This world is fun! In terms of the future, I think digital publishing gets all the media glory, but I predict "sleeper" trends in self-publishing and print-on-demand technology are likely to transform the industry in equally dramatic ways. I'm proud that BK is embracing, rather than fighting, the growth in self-publishing with the launch earlier this year of Open Book Editions, our self-publishing partnership with iUniverse.
5. Being in SF, you have a West Coast vibe for publishing. How different is the book world by you from the East Coast/NY setting? I actually work from Perth, Australia. My husband and I moved here in 2010 for a 3-4 year assignment his employer offered him. Having worked in Berrett-Koehler's San Francisco office for six years, I can say that the proximity to Silicon Valley is a big boon. It's highly convenient for us to meet with our collaborators at Apple, Google and other local partners, and we live in a region that has long embraced digital innovation. Combine that digital inclination with the typical West Coast disregard for precedent and you get a great culture for trying new things. Plus, we get better weather, which probably improves everyone's mood.
For more information, please consult: http://www.bkconnection.com/static/10%20Awful%20Truths%20About%20Book%20Publishing%206-20-11.pdf and http://bkcommunity.com/profiles/blogs/advice-for-bk-authors-help?xg_source=activity and http://www.bkconnection.com/open-book-editions.asp
Interview With Mike Haedrich, President and CEO of Pen and Post
1. What does your job entail and how do navigate through the ever-changing publishing and media landscapes? My job…At this stage it is not an easy answer. I have created Pen and Post and launched it as a beta site. My role is designer, developer, marketer, advertiser, community member, writer, blogger and a contact to many of the members on Pen and Post. Pen and Post helps the writing community connect, create and collaborate. The industry has traditionally been an old boys’ network where getting your work published by a traditional publisher was considered a miracle. If a traditional publisher did take on your project, it was years before it made it to the book shelf. Next, Amazon came along and started allowing anyone’s published work to be sold on Amazon.com. This has been a fantastic opportunity for the self publisher. Now, you don’t need to rely on a traditional publisher to have your work placed on the “shelf” of the largest book store in the world. Now the problem is marketing and getting your work noticed.
Electronic books are the next step in the evolution of books. Paperback books will not go away any time soon, but it will be tough for brick and mortar stores to stay in business. As more readers purchase electronic reading devices, they are buying more and more on line. Stores that rely heavily on book sales, such as Barnes and Noble, are being challenged as their business model begins to erode.
I am really excited by the new publishing model. Knowing anyone can be published for a nominal fee is game-changing. No longer do writers need to rely on traditional publishers to be successful. There are numerous online bookstores to promote the author and their work. The publishing model has been stagnant for decades. Along came the internet and Amazon and the industry changed overnight.
A real promising element of the new publishing model is the method by which books are printed. Before, you had to have a book run of thousands of copies. If your book didn’t sell you were stuck with a garage full of paper. This was a huge investment for many writers and could have been the hurdle they just couldn’t overcome. Today, you have Print on Demand (POD). You can put your book on Amazon.com and print copies as they are sold. No wasted inventory. This is a fantastic model for new, unproven authors. Before, POD was considered second class and not a viable means to printing a quality product. POD has come a long way and now the quality is outstanding. Don’t hesitate for a second to use POD.
As the industry changes, writers must decide the best means to bring their product to market. In the end, it is all about marketing. You must market your product whether it is being published by a traditional publisher or a subsidy publisher. Think about it; if you have the greatest product in the world and it is sitting on the back end, bottom shelf of Wal-Mart will it be successful? You need to bring it to the front shelf at eye level to get the views. It is no different with a bookstore. Getting published is only one step in a very difficult multi-step process.
2. What do you like most about being a part of the book publishing industry? Being part of this industry is amazing. Everyone reading this blog has probably written a book or knows someone who is writing a book. Writers are all around us and there are countless tools out there to help them succeed. There are great people in the industry and there are also sharks. If you are a veteran, you can easily navigate through industry waters, but if you are new it can be a struggle.
The industry is evolving from a who-you-know industry to a what-you-can-write industry. We are seeing more best sellers coming from unknown publishers than ever before. More self published books are finding success. The model has evolved and will continue to evolve.
For as long as this industry has been around, it is the most dysfunctional I have ever seen. That’s what I like least about this industry. The industry needs help…lots of help. New writers need an opportunity to be seen and heard. They need a low cost means to build a writing team and prepare their work for publication. Every writer believes their work will be the next best seller. How can they find out before they make a large investment?
What I like most about being part of this industry is the opportunity to make a difference. When I started my hunt for an editorial team, I figured the internet was the best starting place. Wow! Who is good? Who is bad? Who really wants to help me be successful? Who just wants my money? I had no idea. For this reason, I decided to do something about it and created my company.
The industry is full of interesting, creative people. They just need the means to be heard. Getting out their message can be challenging, but not impossible. I love knowing there is a manuscript out there about to knock my socks off; I can’t wait to read it.
- Where do you feel the industry is heading? People love to read. That is not going to change. With that being said, more and more young people are playing video games versus snuggling up and reading a good book. Books need to evolve and become more than just words on a page. They need to become interactive. A great story will draw readers in, but we need to draw in the person who likes visual stimulation as well. Years ago, we had music and no videos. Music videos hit the scene and added a new element to music, a visual element. We need to do the same with books. There is no better venue than on-line book stores to provide an opportunity to add a short video to the book to pull in a future reader and sell the product.
I expect to see additional smaller publishers and more self publishing. I expect the larger publisher to push more of the marketing costs back onto the writer. Brick and mortar will continue to contract and publishers will continue to downsize. Electronic book sales will surpass paperback within the next ten years…maybe five. When that happens, the way we market will change dramatically. This is a very exciting time and I am proud to be part of it.
Interview With Amy Hertz, Founder of Tangerine Ink
1. Amy, when you were a book editor at The Huffington Post, what did you look for in the books you decided to review? We hardly ever had books reviewed. As I wrote in an early post, it wasn't an accident that book reviews were closing down--they had been since I began working in publishing in the 80s. As Arianna used to say, we had entered the age of engagement, and to my mind, book reviews were often conversation enders when people are looking for conversation starters. So I did what I had done for my books as an editor: created features based on individual books that I thought would get traffic. It wasn't always the most literary tome. On the other hand, we also went after bloggers who were really willing to put their ideas on the line with controversial slideshows about the problems with MFA programs and overrated contemporary literary authors. We also showcased what we thought was the best of indie and university presses. We wanted a closer dialog between writers and readers, taking the middlemen out.
2. As an editor for several years at The Penguin Group, what did you enjoy most when collaborating with authors? I spent most of my career as an editor and what got me out of bed in the morning was the brainstorming process in the early stages of discovering what a book was declaring itself to be. It was almost never what was on the page in the proposal or first draft. That process, when you and the author are groping in the dark for the idea is incredibly rich and unsettling and wonderful.
3. You’ve been in publishing for two decades and worked with several houses. Where do you think the publishing industry is heading? I think we have to face the reality that was declared 15 years ago: that we are a few years behind the music industry, but are mirroring their process. Like everybody else, I think ebooks will become more dominant and the print book will become the premium object. What we need is massive creativity--a sense of adventure and humor: because while the internet won't kill books, boredom, earnestness and despair just might.
4. What do you love most about the world of books? I love the sheer proliferation of ideas, the fact that each book is a unique product, that you can find something of depth on almost anything you want to know. But mostly, I love the long conversation that begins when you sit down alone with the mind of another human being as represented by the book. I love that a book can change the way you think and that it can change the world.
5. You are the founder of Tangerine Ink, a year-old company that does media consulting with clients such as Barnes and Noble, Vook, Penguin, and The Huffington Post. What are the needs of today’s media companies? Each of the companies I've consulted for have needed different things. Some need more focused strategies for the web, some need a bit more courage, others need to think out of the box for content acquisition.
6. When are you writing a book? That is a deep, dark secret.
Interview With Freelance Book Editor Elizabeth Lyon
- As a freelance book editor of two decades, how do you go about making someone’s book better? Whether a book is fiction or nonfiction, most of the time I follow a similar process:
- Seek to understand the project, the writer, his/her goal once editing is complete, and to reach an initial assessment regarding how best I can help.
- Read a synopsis and a first 50 pages for a critical read-through followed by an evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses, directions for revision, and potential, or
- Read and edit a synopsis and first 100 pages of the book. This service involves heavy comment and correction on the pages (or using track changes and comments on the document file) and includes a comprehensive and instructional evaluation, often running 30-40 [single-spaced] pages. I like to address the elements of craft and style, take excerpts from the book to model techniques for revision, and brainstorm solutions to problems, then
- Reread and edit a revised synopsis and first 30–50 pages, as well as edit a query letter, or
- Read and edit the entire work, or
- Support a writer’s interest by advising how to find an agent or publisher, or pursue an alternative route to reach his/her goals.
My focus in editing is in two areas: command of structure and anchoring the story in the deepest meaning of the narrator or protagonist. Nearly every book has areas of weak structure or holes in the writer’s knowledge of and skill in craft. A good story is robbed of power when structure is weak.
If a writer is unclear about the deepest force driving the narrator in memoir or the protagonist in fiction, which arises from the inner or psychological story, then the book will be shallow or ineffective or both.
I rely upon intuition, a sense of deep listening, to enter the story in a way that puts me into the writer’s shoes, and helps me to figure out what may have been intended but did not make its way onto the page.
For prescriptive and information nonfiction, I look for organization, specificity, definition of terms, clarity of expression, diction, and vocabulary that matches the audience, and correction of punctuation, grammar, spelling, and so forth using guidelines from the “Chicago Manual of Style.”
- What do you love about being in book publishing? I love the creativity and the creators, the original works and the fascinating people who conceived them. I sometimes see my role as a midwife. I’ve always held books in great reverence. They often outlive us. They safeguard our legacies for however small or great an audience. They reflect our individual lives and perceptions. They communicate and they have the power to change the world. Although writers are often frustrated when the “industry” thwarts their desire to complete the circle from creation to audience, the access to completion through self-publication is greater than ever, and my perception is that the stigma has lifted. Writers are once again empowered.
- Where do you feel the industry is heading? We’re headed toward a transition from only “books on trees” to co-existence with books in digital forms leading to a time when only a small number of books will be printed on paper. It’s a thrilling time of transition. I believe we’ll see more readers, a global audience, and a freedom for writers to share their works without gatekeepers telling them they can’t. The quantity of books sold will always depend on word-of-mouth sales. The cream will rise, and if corporate forces don’t seek to bully individuals out of access to buyers, we’ll live in a healthier climate of greater creativity and more widely shared ideas.
- As an author, how did you market or promote your books? My first book was a self-published biography of a midwife from Ghana, Africa who had moved to Oregon and was doing home births in the town where I lived. This introduction to publishing was as addictive as it was instructional. I sought reviews, wrote articles, and secured several TV interviews for “Mabel: The Story of One Midwife.” I contracted with small companies offering mail order book clubs of family and birthing books and I pounded the pavement to place the book on consignment with regional bookstores and libraries. I quickly sold out 200 hardbacks and then agonized over how to sell off the remaining 2300 paperback. Luck struck when I met a woman in a writing class who had teamed up with another woman to start the magazine, “Midwifery Today.” They took over the distribution of the book. After 10 years from the 1981 publication date, most of the copies had sold. Soon, I will revive this book, originally produced on a typewriter, in digital formats for e-readers.
My six books for writers were published by three different publishers—a small press in Oregon, a mid-sized publisher in New York, and an imprint of Penguin. I soon learned that promotion is the author’s joy (tongue in cheek). My first two books, “Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write” and “The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit,” published by Blue Heron Publishing, had strong promotional support from the co-owners/editors, Dennis and Linny Stovall. They arranged book talks/signings throughout the large cities in the Pacific Northwest and in L.A. They used their contacts to help me become a presenter at several large conferences. They solicited reviews while I pursued publication of excerpts or articles in “Writers Digest,” “The Writer,” and various newsletters. My first book, “Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write” became their bestseller, eventually to sell over 10,000 copies for them. Now published by Perigee/Penguin, it has sold over 25,000 copies and the ‘Toolkit’ has sold over 10,000.
My entrée into presentations at writers’ conferences expanded into regular participation at dozens of conferences and sometimes into offers to be a speaker. Since writers are the targeted market for my books, conferences are an ideal venue for selling my books. I developed private weekend workshops for writing organizations and clubs throughout the country and in British Columbia, which offered more channels for sales.
I realized how book promotion was entirely on my shoulders after Perigee/Penguin published “A Writers Guide to Fiction” and “A Writers Guide to Nonfiction.” I added Internet promotion with the publication of my sixth book, “Manuscript Makeover.” For this book’s launch, I went to the clearinghouse website for writing events, www.shawguides.com. I followed every link, then searched websites for a newsletter editor or other officer, then sent a personalized email offering a free review copy and requesting an announcement. From these contacts, I received at least 25 reviews from organizations all over the country, and invitations to conferences or requests for my private workshops. I considered this effort a highly success Internet launch for my book. A review in “The Writer,” selecting it as one of the “8 Great Writing Books for 2008” was a great boon.
In 2012, I plan to activate WritersRock, a blog that will feature reviews of self-published print-on-demand and e-books, with emphasis on how the authors promoted their books and reports of their sales.
I love LinkedIn and have developed a file system to keep track of people according to their job in the industry. I have used this network to find other freelance editors for subcontracting, and will use it to advertise a book editor mentor program I am developing. I’ve used Facebook to advertise a workshop that popped up with little advance time for promotion. I know that I’ve utilized a fraction of what is available to writers or freelancers in the industry. I also recognize that Internet promotion is the challenge of the present and the wave of the future.
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.
