Post #53 – Women’s Memoirs, Book Business – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
I love books. I know you love books. And yet, almost every day, I see, hear, learn about new encroachments on the world of traditional books. And while I have a home full of books, I find myself increasingly turning to the alternate media. So true is this that I have to share some of my observations. While I try to keep these link lists diverse, this week I have weighted it a bit on the side of the alternative media.
I’ll start off with a link to an article in the Sacramento Book Review. Apparently Meredith Greene and her husband have discovered the world of PodioBooks, a free service that invites you to convert your books and ebooks into audiobooks and serializing them for customers to download. I’ve long thought PodioBooks to be an excellent way for aspiring fiction authors to break in and begin developing a following.
Not convinced? Then try this: On August 23rd, marketing guru and prolific, bestselling author Seth Godin, on his eponymous blog, declared that Linchpin “will be the last book I publish in a traditional way.” This post is an interesting read. He talks about the traditional customer for his books–the publisher–and the fact that for so many years audiences were anonymous. But technology has changed that. Today he knows his readers. He communicates directly with them. For their part, traditional publishers are not contributing to the process, and so, as he explains, he’s “moving on.” Godin serves as a petri dish of sorts for those who watch the worlds of publishing and marketing.
This from the LinkedIn group Writing Mafia: You know you are a writer if…
Here are a few of the responses from members of the group:
…You critique your dreams based on the quality of the storyline.
…You write plot ideas on your hands, front and back, while waiting in the checkout line at the supermarket…actually a great way to stay focused OFF the candy!
…You have to mark up the novel you are reading.
And while on LinkedIn, I found this on the LinkEds & writers group: What’s the best advice you’ve received on writing?
Here are a few of the responses:
- Start your story as close to the end as possible.
- Write what you know but don’t be afraid to learn new things. Follow your heart.
- Write a page every day.
- And the 10% rule of thumb: a manuscript is ready to submit when a full rewrite changes less than 10% of the content.
I’ve pulled a lot from LinkedIn this week. I have to admit that I find real value in the discussions going on in the groups. If you’re not using this resource yet, I encourage you to get involved. There’s a strong community of writers on LinkedIn. It’s very different from Facebook. More serious and, I think, more useful. Once you create your profile, start exploring the 1000s of groups.
Creative Writing Now–a resource for writing prompts, how-to articles, contests and resources–is branching into the memoir genre. Well maybe it’s better to say they are sticking a toe in…just to see how the water is. Matilda and I are being interviewed for an upcoming article on memoir. We’ll let you know when it’s up on the site. In the meantime, you might enjoy what they have for poets, novelists, journalers and scriptwriters.
Women writers…you might like to visit WOW! That’s short for Women on Writing. You’ll find classes, articles, contests and an extensive resource list. One of the sections is called “Author Sites.” If you have a blog or website for your book, you might want to submit your name and URL…it can’t hurt. Notice, too, the opt-in form where you can sign up for the WOW newsletter.
At last!! Cameron Dodd has created classroom writing assignments with real-world application. You might call these Writing Prompts for Living. Here, try this one on for size: “10. Write a cover letter to a bank manager that claims your B.A. in literature gives you advantages that people who have degrees in business, finance or economics simply don’t have.” You can check out Dodd’s entire list of excuses, outs, apologies, etc. by clicking here.
@alisonbolen on Twitter: “Somebody should start a blog called Bad Writing Sample of the Day. You could populate it almost entirely from spam email samples.” She’s got a point.
Are you using EzineArticles.com? Matilda and I started using this resource a couple of years ago. We posted articles for awhile, but then decided to focus on our blog. Still, I think EzineArticles.com has a place in a well-rounded promotional strategy. Getting back into posting regularly is on my To-Do List. Rather than write original articles, I’m thinking of converting the scripts from our Writing in Five videos into text…with a link to the video. It’s another way to connect with prospective readers. Here’s a link to an article by Stephanie Chandler, entitled “22 Ways to Increase Your E-zine Subscriber List.” She, too, recommends EzineArticles.com as a way to connect with (in her case) prospective readers for her digital newsletter.
Video book trailers are a very popular means for reaching prospective readers. If you’re writing a book, you should plan on creating a short book trailer. In fact, you should include your intention in the marketing section of your book proposal. Better still: Start early. Create a series of videos–even while you’re still writing. Success on YouTube doesn’t come overnight…at least not to most of us. You need to build a collection of work that will eventually bring you to the tipping point. We recently saw this with one of our authors, Dr. Greg Martinez, DVM, and the author of Dog Dish Diet: Sensible Nutrition for Your Dog’s Health. He just keeps posting about animals and veterinary procedures. I learned yesterday that he has more than 90,000 views on his YouTube channel. And those views are leading to book sales.
Bonus: I’ll leave you with a wish for a wonderful weekend. Get out and enjoy the last vestiges of summer. And here’s a video trailer for Mary Karr’s Lit. I find this one interesting because it’s posted on her publisher’s Harper1817 channel on YouTube, but it’s not a high-production creation. Personally, I think that makes a stronger statement…especially for a book like Lit.
book marketing
getting published
writing tips
