You Couldn’t Write A Book Better Than This Story

There was a story in the news recently about a man who lived a secret life, or actually, a secret lie, who escaped exposure for more than a decade.  Now he’s going to jail.

It may seem like a simple story of man lies, pockets resources, and gets caught, but upon closer examination this tale is much more than that.

The guy worked for a government agency, the EPA, for many years.  At some point he told his boss that he was also working for the CIA.  He said he needed every Friday off to carry out his secretive work.  It was so secretive that the boss never verified his employee actually worked for the CIA.

Then the imaginative worker said he needed six months off to carry out a mission.  Oh, and he’ll need a 25% pay raise that exceeded the salary of his own department’s commissioner.  He also took numerous trips on the dime of the EPA to pursue his covert operations.

Even after retirement, he managed to stay on the payroll.  Finally, not sure how, he was caught and prosecuted and convicted.  Between the paid time off, travel perks, and other resources, it was estimated he stole about one million dollars.

You have to admire his nerve.  Perhaps there was no grand scheme here, at first.  He just wanted a reduced schedule, without reduced pay, so he spun a yarn that got believed like Madoff did to investors.

Then one thing led to another. Like a drug habit, it fed itself.  He wanted to see what else he can get away with.  The more he asked for, the more plausible the story seemed.  It was a great cover—no one could ask him anything about anything.

But why didn’t someone confirm he actually worked for the CIA?  There must be some protocol for this, otherwise we’d all make such wild claims.

Or maybe he does work for the CIA and this story of his arrest is part of a cover-up?

You never know what to believe with the world of spying and lying, of disinformation and mass fraud.

Maybe it wasn’t even about the money.  This guy just wanted to feel important, to feel like he was living a secret life.  But it was a secret lie.  Could the lie be even better than being a CIA operative?  After all, no work or risks are necessary to be a faux agent.

We love to use our imaginations for profit.  It works for creative types—writers, artists, musicians, actors, dancers—and it works if your job needs a thinker.  But when we use our ability to dream to become the grounds for lying, we cross a line.

Still, something about this guy seems embraceable.  He got to live a secret lie, to act as if he was someone else, and to enjoy the benefits of it for so long.  We all want to be someone else, if not for a moment at least.  Now he’ll assume a new identity: jailbird.

What an extreme shift—from a crime-fighter to a convict.  Maybe, if he’s willing, he’ll use his imagination to survive this next phase.  He’ll convince himself he’s on another undercover mission.

You may forever look at your colleagues differently.  Perhaps one of them is not who he says he is, or even more interestingly, thinks he is someone he isn’t.

DON’T MISS THIS!!!

Here is my 2014 Book Marketing & Publicity Toolkit: Based on 20+ years in publishing --

Master Publishing PR Toolkit

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

Why Some Books Receive A Lot Of Media Coverage

We may think we know why a book receives media attention but it may not always be for the reasons we have assumed.

Books get media attention for all kinds of reasons, including:

·         Who wrote the book (credentials)

·         Who published it

·         The subject matter in the book

·         News connections to the book’s content

·         Personal connections between the author or someone connected to the author—and specific members of the media

·         Media begets media

·         Social media numbers of the author are too big to ignore

·         Timing of the book is associated with an event

·         Luck

·         Controversy surrounding the book’s publication

Did you notice I didn’t say the book had to be well-written, interesting, or even good?

The truth is a book’s notoriety is not always in direct correspondence to its quality.  Indeed, mediocre, even bad books, can garner a lot of media attention.  Books that meet the demographics of a publication’s or site’s demographics—or those of the book reviewer or journalist certainly stand a greater chance at getting media coverage.

Writers are driven to write what they know, what they like, what interests them—and that’s fine.  It comes from their heart and imagination.  It’s pure.  But it may not sell or get media coverage.  Authors will need to gear the contents of their books to the needs and desires of the media and marketplace if they hope to increase their odds of success.

So what would appeal to the media?

·         The media loves to write about the media, so include characters or subject matter relating to writers, the news or the arts

·         Books that go where other books have not yet gone.  Is it time for a lesbian terrorist or a baseball-loving Martian?

·         Set your book in a time period or location that hasn’t been given a lot of exposure.

·         Have a character that is deeply likeable or loathsome.  No one cares about the ordinary, the mediocre, the indifferent.

·         Make sure your book covers a dialogue trigger, such as wealth, power, sex, religion, politics, or sports—or life and death, family, love and hate, or tragedy.

Whatever your book is about—and whomever ends up reading it—enjoy the practice of your craft.  Writers write with a message and purpose in mind.  Your story adds to the life experience of others and is a success whether it sells or not.  But wherever possible, position your work to garner as much media exposure as possible.

DON’T MISS THIS!!!

Here is my 2014 Book Marketing & Publicity Toolkit: Based on 20+ years in publishing --

Master Publishing PR Toolkit

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

How Much Should Authors Earn?

What should authors receive as fair compensation for their works?

The industry norm dictates the following:

25% of the net e-book proceeds

10-15% of the hardcover net proceeds

7.5% of the trade paperback net proceeds

8-10% on mass market net proceeds

One might ask why different percentages come with each format, especially since each format has a different cover price.

There’s a lot of debate about the e-book royalty since so many copies of an author’s work are now sold in that format. One day it may become the dominant format.

Maybe the publishers should do away with the percentage scale and instead have a scale based on total revenue coming in. For instance, let’s assign a core cost for a book to be acquired, edited, sold, and printed at ,ssy, $12,000. Everything after that is pure profit.

So maybe of the first $12,000 in net proceeds, the publisher gets 75% and the author gets 25%. On the next $12,000, it’s a 50-50 split. Maybe on the next $12,000 or more, it’s a 60-40 split in favor of the author. What one tries to balance is a publisher’s risk and costs with the author’s efforts and creativity. Who should be rewarded for doing what here?

Authors can always self-publish if they choose to. There are pros and cons to publishing on your own, as there are with going with a traditional publisher.

Perhaps royalty rates should also be based on the marketing budgets/efforts of publishers. This goes back to the publisher’s fixed costs/risk and investment taken.

No formula will be perfect nor please all sides, but the goal is to reward success and to be fair to all those involved. It’s a collaborative effort between author and publisher, each needing the other in order to get what they want. 

Excerpted: The Humanist, January/February 1984, by  Frederick Edwords

“We humanists think for ourselves as individuals.  There is no area of thought that we are unwilling to explore, to challenge, to question, or to doubt.  We feel free to inquire and then to agree or disagree with any given claim.  We are unwilling to follow a doctrine or adopt a set of beliefs or values that does not convince us personally.  We seek to take responsibility for our decisions and beliefs, and this necessitates having control over them.  Through this unshackled spirit of free inquiry, new knowledge and new ways of looking at ourselves and the world can be acquired.  Without it, we are left in ignorance and, subsequently, are unable to improve upon our condition.

“We practice our ethics in a living context rather than an ideal one.  Though ethics are ideals, ideals can only serve as guidelines in actual situations.  This is why we oppose absolutistic moral systems that attempt to rigidly apply ideal moral values as if the world were itself ideal.  We recognize that conflicts and moral dilemmas do occur and that moral choices are often difficult and cannot be derived from simplistic yardsticks and rules of thumb.  Moral choices often involve hard thinking, diligent gathering of information about the situation at hand, careful consideration of immediate and future consequences, and weighing of alternatives.  Living life in a manner that promotes the good, or even knowing what choices are good, is not always easy.  Thus, when we declare our commitment to a humanist approach to ethics, we are expressing our willingness to do the hard thinking and work that moral living in a complex world entails.”

DON’T MISS THIS!!!

Here is my 2014 Book Marketing & Publicity Toolkit: Based on 20+ years in publishing --

Master Publishing PR Toolkit

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

Interview With Author Paul Winters

What type of books do you write? I write thrillers. My most recent novel, Deepest Doors, is a psychological thriller.

What is your newest book about? Deepest Doors is a story about a man who felt his life was perfect until a chance collision with a beautiful woman in Central Park. He receives a head injury that forces him to ‘break routine’ and his life begins to unravel as he learns that every memory he has had, and his entire past as he knows it, was planted in his head.

What inspired you to write it? I have always been an avid reader of thrillers. Often, in moments of boredom, I would start to play out storylines in my head. Many years ago, I started writing them down. 

What is the writing process like for you? It starts out fast. When an idea catches hold, I move quickly to develop the ideas and get them out. Many times I have found that when I hit a ‘block’, I just need to take a break and then go for a long jog the next morning. It is amazing how many times I could work through a mental block during a long run. When I was writing Deepest Doors, I was running two or three times a week but with an iPod. One morning, my iPod’s battery died. I had about 10 miles to go and started working one of the storyline points in my head. Amazingly, I had it all figured out by the time the run ended. Now, I do not even know where the iPod is anymore.

What did you do before you became an author? I worked in insurance.

How does it feel to be a published author? It’s wonderful. It is such a long (and often painful) process that there is a sudden sense of relief and accomplishment when you see it in book form and on the major seller’s websites. Obviously, that is not the end of the road but it is certainly a great feeling to know that something in your head is now out there for others to read and enjoy.

Any advice for struggling writers? Probably what everyone says over and over: Don’t give up. For some, writing the book is the easy part. Then comes the seeking of an agent and/or publisher. For many, that is far harder. Lots of rejection along the lines of ‘not for me’. Don’t take it personally. These folks are getting hundreds of submissions a month and some are rejected based on one simple sentence in a query letter. With that in mind, do go to the agent and publisher websites and read IN DETAIL, their submission requirements. Given the number of items they have to review, it’s real easy to whittle that list down by instantly kicking out those who cannot follow simple instructions. For example, if they say ‘no attachments’, don’t attach something. 

Where do you see book publishing heading? That’s the billion dollar question. I think that with the growth of e-Readers, self-publishing has become very easy and also it is much easier for smaller publishers to get books out. Unfortunately, this means that the market is becoming saturated. I see big publishers as the only ones to put any money behind a book and everyone else will be on their own to market it. The big publishers will almost hand groom writers to be successful, first pairing them as co-authors with someone who sells well and then peeling them off on their own after establishing the name as a brand. They will almost never take a chance on an unknown by themselves. This is unfortunate but those can cut their teeth at the smaller houses or self-publish. This will just require more work from the writer. Many writers just want to write. Unfortunately, that model will likely lead to failure 99.9% of the time. It’s nice to say you are published. But, it is better to say you are published and the book has sold a lot.

DON’T MISS THIS!!!

Here is my 2014 Book Marketing & Publicity Toolkit: Based on 20+ years in publishing --

Master Publishing PR Toolkit

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

Publishers To Develop Books That Confess To Crimes?

There are books written and published on seemingly every conceivable topic, but it seems the one thing that’s missing is the sale of books that tell truths we couldn’t imagine to exist.

What if a book provided a forum for an author to confess to a hideous crime, perhaps of murder, rape, or the abuse of a child? What if a politician admitted to corruption? What if an athlete admitted to taking steroids?

I’m not talking about books that are written after the fact, by people who no longer are in a position to be prosecuted or harmed by their admittance of a crime. No, I would like to see someone in the middle of their career or at the peak of their prime years to write a book detailing what they’ve done against society or another human being.

We get a glimpse into this when people write comeback books, confessing their sins after they’ve fallen, hoping to redeem themselves with a campaign to win over public sympathy. Usually their books are about doing illegal drugs, cheating on a spouse, and living a life of lies and misdeeds. That’s soft stuff.

I would like to see a line of books called, “I confess,” and each week or month we’d be introduced to a new scandal, one bigger than the next, where each book’s publication launches a public outcry and the law seeks to impose punishment.

It’ll never happen.

What we have now is the convenience of what I call, “immunity publishing.” People write books about past wrongs, none of which are prosecutable or as relevant as they were when they happened. These authors, though they seemingly further tarnish their already damaged images, hope to somehow rehabilitate their lives.

We’ll feel empathy for the sex addict, the raging alcoholic, the abusive spouse, the out of control cokehead, and the people who abuse their position of power for personal gain. We love to hate those who screw up. And we love to give them a second chance. Books allow for those who are losers to re-launch their careers.

Books that admit to wrongdoing often come out after scandal has broken and the news media has exhaustively examined every facet of the story. The only thing left for the author to do is fill in the missing details and put a stamp of approval to the swirling rumors.

America likes its reality shows because it deludes itself into believing it is watching a real life car wreck unfold. We know these shows are scripted, self-serving, and completely manipulated scenarios. Still, people like the drama and the emotions that heat up. Imagine how society would react to an explosive book that breaks a story – not follows one. Imagine what it’d be like to read a book and see the handcuffs go on the author.

Publishing is always looking to recycle what used to be the next new thing. But if they can pay someone enough of an advance, maybe they can get a good confessional published. The industry could use an injection of a hot book. There certainly is not a lack of qualified candidates – but are any brave enough (dumb enough?) to come forward?

Why leave all of the good stuff for celebrity rags, scandal blogs, or the evening news? Books should break the news every so often.

Do you have a crime in you? Are you a known entity? Please submit your book proposal to me.


RANDOM BOOK EXCERPT: Our Unitarian heritage by Earl Morse

"It has been central to our tradition to understand truth as an evolving, growing reality, and to understand that no one person, church, science, or generation can grasp the whole of truth, or define it once and for all."

DON’T MISS THIS!!!

Here is my 2014 Book Marketing & Publicity Toolkit: Based on 20+ years in publishing --

Master Publishing PR Toolkit

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

Why Can’t Self-Help Books Fix Us?

Is real change possible – for anything?

Sometimes it seems possible to change an industry, a government, a life – and yet too often it seems so many obstacles stand in front of the reform of one’s ways. If people could simply stop doing what harms them, we wouldn’t have people dying from obesity, we wouldn’t have marriages broken by cheaters, we wouldn’t have people bankrupt from gambling debts, and we wouldn’t have people hurting themselves or one another to the degree that they have. New Year’s Resolutions are all about making commitments to change but what separates one from making an unachievable wish list from one who makes a scorecard of upcoming accomplishments?

Thousands of self-help books are written and published every month and yet the problems they seek to resolve go untreated. We have more information out there about health, addiction, and stress – and yet we have record numbers of overweight people and millions of people who can’t control their actions – and such a failure of restraint leads to death, disability, broken hearts, emptied bank accounts, and broken families.

Why do we behave badly?

We think it won’t catch up to us.

We hope we can change our habits some day.

We believe some cure will come from outside ourselves.

We like what we’re doing – it feels good.

We don’t know of another way.

We don’t believe change is possible.

There are many reasons – excuses – why we do what we do. Maybe we’re just lazy, stupid, or genetically disposed to screw ourselves up. Maybe we are angry, depressed, or lonely and grab whatever alleviates short-term pain even if it has a long-term consequence. Economics, genetics, environment, and other factors no doubt influence our behaviors, but at some point we become adults who can choose to control our destiny. Often, we make no choice at all, and let things just be as they’ve been.

What would it take for people to change their lives? Maybe start with something small, almost inconsequential, and then succeed at making a change. Then build on that success and begin to tackle more significant things. Join a support group. Read motivational books. Avoid loser friends and relatives who weaken your spirit. Or simply substitute one problem with a smaller one.

I have no idea what it takes to make a real change in one’s life but I find hope when I look at my mom. She just turned 73 and is in reasonably good health. Seven and a half years ago, at the age of 65, she was told she had lung cancer.

After 48 years of smoking a pack a day, she quit cold turkey. No patches. No drugs. No gum. No switching to food or some other crutch. She just walked away from it as if it meant nothing, even though it had been her passion for five decades.

I estimate she smoked 350,000 cigarettes – and now none. Amazing. In the time she’s given up her habit, she did not smoke what would’ve been another 50,000 cigarettes.

It turns out she didn’t have cancer. The test was an error and a retest 10 days later showed pink lungs. She was lucky.

She didn’t go back to smoking once she learned she was cancer-free. She had a new lease on life and now serves as an example that people can change and they can control their desires.

So why do self-help books fail us?

-          Some are not well-written or filled with no real strategy other than to change one’s frame of mind or attitude.

-          Some are contradictory about what needs to be done to kick a habit.

-          Books may inspire us, at first, and then reality hits us and life’s challenges win out.

-          Books alone can’t change us permanently – we need coaches, support groups, and good friends to help us.

-          Society needs to change – not just individuals. For instance, if schools serve junk or families only celebrate birthdays and special moments with alcohol and food, how do we expect to encounter good eating habits?

That said, some self-help books are better than others. Anthony Robbins is still my recommended motivator – check his books out. But remember, books can only awaken you, inform you, even inspire you. It’s up to you to change.

Will you make a real change in 2014? If you do, let me know what it takes to succeed. For all the books out there on change, our population is still without resolve and strength. Keep reading – don’t give up. And then master the action and conviction to change.

DON’T MISS THIS!!!

Here is my 2014 Book Marketing & Publicity Toolkit: Based on 20+ years in publishing --

Master Publishing PR Toolkit

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

Interview With Marketing and Sales Director at Pubsoft

Interview With Heather Wied

What does Pubsoft do?

Pubsoft is a software company that develops software for the publishing industry. Our company is committed to bringing software solutions to an industry that is in a current state of disruption and turmoil, and people are unsure where to look for answers. We believe we have real solutions to real industry problems such as discoverability and developing a platform. 

 How did you come to get involved in book publishing?

Aside from the executive management team’s love affair with learning, literature, and stories, as a software company with many years of experience developing products for the hospitality and medical records sectors, our co-founders saw an opportunity for innovation in the book publishing realm. When we started the company there was a real outcry for help and solutions in the publishing industry, and we saw pockets where software could solve some of the current dilemmas. 

 Who should use it and why?

Publishers who want to regain control of their customers. As the publishing industry grows and changes, many experts leading the pack advocate that the way for publishers to regain a competitive foothold in an industry where the world’s largest retailer all of sudden decided they would offer direct distribution, is to reconnect with readers directly. Our platform enables publishers of all shapes and sizes to do just that. 

 How does it impact book sales?

The Pubsoft system impacts book sales by providing users book level data. Data is so important to strategic decision making and planning effective marketing and sales campaigns. The combination of a direct connection with an audience coupled with book level data that shows real consumer behavior patterns relating to the consumption of books is an unstoppable formula for success. When you know who your prototypical reader is, marketers or authors, whoever is actively promoting the book, can go out and speak to the right audience. We’ve taken the core fundamentals of target marketing and leveraging analytic data and applied it to the sale of ebooks for anyone who understands how important it is to have that information.

What advice do you have authors?

Know why you write, and set SMART goals.

How is technology transforming the publishing marketplace?

Technology is making it easier for authors to find and connect with their audiences to create lasting relationships that translate into future sales both by having an audience to sell directly into, as well as stimulating the all-important WOM demand across all downstream retail channels. Having a direct connection with an author’s influencer readers is critical because they will always be the product champions out in the world advocating for your work, and will always have more influence and credibility than any paid marketing activities. 

What is next in book publishing?

There are a couple of things that we see trending in publishing. The first is that we think there will be a fundamental shift in how the publishing industry accepts manuscripts. Instead of sending people away, we think technology will enable publishers to take on more authors and to help more people get their work to market with higher quality products. It seems the self-publishing craze has leveled off, now that authors see the extent of the work that goes behind promoting a successful self-published work. Conversely, publishers now see that it’s entirely possible for an  author to completely cut publishers out of the equation and still see huge success. So now it’s time for everyone to work together to create a publishing industry that serves the needs of authors to retain more creative control and their rights, while at the same time allowing publishing companies to mitigate upfront risks investing in new works, but still use their experience and expertise to support distribution, marketing, and sales.

The second trend we see coming up is an interest in developing transmedia story worlds as a new way of consuming content. We’re working on an upcoming project, but with explosive growth in casual gaming as well as steady trends in social media usage, there is real potential to create immersive story worlds from the outset that could be highly successful. 

DON’T MISS THIS!!!

Here is my 2014 Book Marketing & Publicity Toolkit: Based on 20+ years in publishing --

Master Publishing PR Toolkit

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013