Author Platform Building, One Plank at a Time, part 8

PART EIGHT: Estimating and Limiting Expenses

If you’re anything like most writers, when you reach into your pocket, moths flitter out. Empty, nada, poor. You have responsibilities. Perhaps you have children, maybe you’re single, between relationships or worse yet, between jobs.  You’ve figured out the time management thing so the dog is walked and the cat is fed, hell, even the laundry occasionally gets done. Your primary focus has been to get your book written. For whatever reason, it looms and demands and you follow the call of characters and plot, nuance and surprise. So here you are, finally thinking about putting together a marketing budget and you realize … there is no budget. This is especially the case if you haven’t taken a serious look at lesson 2 in this series, the one that taught you to treat your writing like a business.

Yes, a business. Writing is a business and your book is the product your business has produced. We want to sell our products and it does take investment to do that, but before you begin to hyperventilate, there’s investment, and there’s investment – investments of time and creativity as well as investments of cash.

Things to Watch Out For

If you’ve crossed into the circle of writers who’ve finished a book, fiction or non-fiction, and begun to discuss this within various universes – writing and critique groups, online author groups and social networking venues – you will notice that suddenly you’ve become very popular. You’re receiving emails from businesses and professionals you never heard of. They’re offering free workshops and seminars, as well as workshops and seminars that cost a few (or more than a few) bucks. Someone has a plan, a system that can catapult you to the top, whether it’s a self publisher with a shiny, mesmerizing website, or a person with the right contacts to get you seen. Some are selling services they themselves implement, and others are selling a package of techniques that, though not complicated, are extremely difficult for the novice to use. No, they’re not all scams and I don’t want you to think everything that pops into your email box is a scam. Just be careful of the short cuts because guess what? THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS.

Be careful to avoid the luring bells and whistles, at least at first. The key to this part of the process is to be like a choosy shopper, read every label, think about the “value” over the “cost” and be smart.

How to Avoid the Bad Juggling Act

Your book is written and you’re about to move ahead onto the next phase of the journey. Whether it’s to choose an e-publisher, a self-publisher or traditional publishing process by going the query route, you still must begin your campaign toward success NOW. Just as you wouldn’t query or submit a badly written manuscript laden with typos, you shouldn’t assume marketing solutions will magically become visible and work for you. Don’t think it’s not your responsibility to plan or implement marketing strategies until after your book is represented, printed or sold to a well known publishing house. You must think and do NOW.

Publishers want to see that you are on top of your game, that you have taken the reigns and begun the journey toward being noticed, recognized and desired as an author and for the book you wrote. This is how you get noticed in the first place. If you don’t think the first thing an agent you’ve queried does is Google, go on, send out your queries and set up Google alerts for your name. You’ll be amazed. The bottom line? Goggle only recognizes you if you’ve been active. Active represents seeds of marketing. Marketing represents visibility and voila! Now you have shown the big boys who control your destiny that you are not only ahead of your game, you’re in control of it.

Avoid juggling, it can go bad. Bad juggling is when you vacillate. When you choose one path or image for your plan then change gears halfway through. It’s like shifting lines in the grocery store because the other one seems to be moving faster and damned if it’s not going slower and slower. This is why your plan must be solid and clear. Waffling is a no-no. Be sure of your path and walk it. You can’t be dropping all your balls.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that new and exciting possibilities will never tempt you. Being tempted is okay, just remember to be careful.

How to be Tempted the Smart Way

You must set a budget for several reasons, if nothing else, to control your trajectory. At most, to control your cash flow as it goes out the door. Here are a few words that should be burned into your brain as cool, exciting and tempting promotional concepts cross your eyes.

• Free
• Cheap
• Reasonable
• Effective, High Visibility
• Effective, Target Visibility

Free – First of all, nothing is ever really free, so always be watchful. Everyone wants something and if a professional or friend offers you something for free – time, a reading eye, suggestions or contact names – they will always want (and deserve) something in return. Field these opportunities carefully. Obviously you can’t get every service you need to market your book for free, but you can make good use of those offerings of free help, as long as you have something of value to the person doing the offering. Are they secretly writing a book too and might they want your good eye as a reader? If they’re stepping up to help with a book event, don’t forget to ask what special events they might have coming up and offer to help. There’s a mutual give-and-take that makes free services work. Never totally discount an offer of free service, but always look closely and consider the returned favor.

Cheap – Ouch, there is no uglier word in the budget language. Think about it. When something is cheap, it obviously is only a semblance of what it should be. It has holes or only works a short time, it functions only during the full moon or it only for left-handed users. When the price for a service looks too good, it usually is. Bait and switch is firmly planted into these offers too. Of course, you get what you pay for but hey, you can get so much more if you just pay so much more. If the service is significantly cheaper than the others, be a detective and find out why before you chance losing some of your precious budget.

Reasonable – Good word, reasonable. But what is a reasonable price for a promotional service? Let’s take book videos. Your genre and following have qualified this as a viable avenue for promoting your book. How do you know the best price? Think value. Look at every sight offering the service, write to the contacts at those companies, ask questions and never forget to inquire what additional services they offer that makes them better than the competition. Making a book video is cool, but what about marketing it? Does the company offer proven effective strategies for exposure of your book video? What is the added cost? How does it compare with other similar companies? Can you negotiate? Mix and match production packages? Does it fit in the budget? This takes some time but think about every element of this process the way you’d think about buying a house or a car. Reasonable is only reasonable if it has value.

Effective, High Visibility – Okay, this one gets a little complicated but let me simplify it for you. You have determined a budget. Let’s imagine the overall marketing and promotional budget is say, $2,000 and not a penny more. How you use and distribute that budget should depend on your strategy. A high visibility strategy is very different from a targeted strategy. It’s like shooting a bunch of pellets from a shotgun and watching them spray everywhere … or shooting an arrow aimed for the center bull’s eye target. Both approaches work for their specific goal, but what is your goal?

If you’ve chosen high visibility as your strategy, you’ll need to be very creative and careful with your pennies. Look for and at every free exposure you can get from book reviews to setting yourself up as an expert on something within your book. Connect with groups focusing on that subject of expertise, be willing to get on a plane where ever you need to go and speak to these people. Promote yourself online, use your strong platform then … and only then … start spending your budget wisely. Press campaigns can be free or they can be expensive. Release services rage from $25 to thousands. Be aware of when, how and where these services distribute your release. Choose one that allows attachments (i.e. book cover, author photo, etc.) for when you need them. Only use a service that reports that the press release did in fact go out and how many targets received them. Keep track of responses. Aside from a press campaign, budget for promo campaigns. Is your book one that should have tee shirts and mugs? What will you do with them? Will you sell them on your website? Give them away at events? Are they creative enough to be successful? Will you advertise and purchase ads?

High visibility means big exposure and while your book is waiting for publication, you need to be very vigilant about assuring that you are building a following that is waiting for the book. Keep in mind, you may need to expand your budget and hire a professional to assure your bucks get all the bang possible.

Effective, Target Visibility – Big difference here, and sometimes this is the most powerful way to build your following as it begins early and in your own back yard. You will focus your energies in your local exposure and expand it out. Speak at local book stores and libraries on your subject hook, and belong to local related groups you can easily participate in (i.e. vampire and fantasy lovers groups, foodie groups, gardening groups, whatever relates to your book will work). Create your own “completely” free press release contact list by calling local newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations and finding the correct contact. Make sure they know your name, so that when you email press releases, they recognize you. Get visible everywhere. If your book is coming out soon, announce it on a simple flyer posted at your dentist’s office, your vet’s office, your insurance man’s office, even on those local market and grocery store bulletin boards. Reach into your community and get some face time by helping with trash cleanup days or gardening days or even holiday local parades and picnics. It’s the original social marketing and it still works. Now you’re all friends and it’s no big deal to tell them you have a book coming out. Plan a big launch party and make sure you invite all your new friends in addition to the media. Celebrate the old fashioned way.

Now, combine this with online social marketing. Reach your fingers out further and further with a really powerful blog (updated at least twice a week), strong facebook and twitter presence and all along, keep building an email list. Notify all your subscribers of any news. Keep the excitement growing.

All this and you have yet to spend a penny, so plan your $2,000 strategically. Expand into purchasing broader press release services as you get closer to your book launch. Use your budget wisely. Choose the perfect professional to help you push through.

The Bottom Line and the Budget

Now, time to dust off that Excel program and get down and dirty. You have determined a realistic overall budget figure, now break it down.

Don’t forget the obvious. Your general expenses count too. Phone, postage, printer ink, internet service fees and phone expenses all count.  Next comes the professional services you are willing to contract for, this includes an attorney, editor, webmaster, publicist or assistant to help make everything happen. Now on to the PR, marketing and promotional expenses, book videos, advertising in book publications, audio books, book signing events and launch party. Also in this category would be banners and signage you may want for your book events, book plates or even posters. Next, travel expenses. Yes, travel expenses, even if you are targeting your promotions primarily to a local or statewide market, you must include travel expenses. Gas, meals, tolls, parking and the occasional hotel room. Don’t forget gifts and gratuities, for example, if someone is kind enough to reach out and invite you onto their talk show, nothing makes a better impression than a small gift. Chocolate works every time. Let’s talk about Donations. Will you be purchasing or ordering books to donate to an organization to help raise money for a charity? Remember to add the cost of those books or at least the postage into your budget. Yes, it will be tax deductible but you must pay first, right? Now we should consider education. As part of your budget and your book business plan, you should always be open to ongoing education. When there’s an author your love coming to speak at a conference, you will want to attend and learn what you can from him/her. Not only have you seen an excellent speaker, but the other attendees have seen you. Budget for it. And finally, the all important slush fund. This is a little bit of budget set aside for the absolute perfect service or promo that has tempted you and passed the “great value” tests.

Now, this obviously represents a full budget, not just your $2,000 for promotion, but do not be intimidated by all this. A well planned budget works within the parameters of reality and stretches things a bit. Naturally, you shouldn’t create a budget for $100,000 when you only have $500, but a dream budget as an addendum to the real budget is a perfect way to open your imagination to creative thinking. For example, if there’s no way you can afford a professional publicist, surely you can afford a few wonderful books to teach you. If hiring a book video company is too far out of budget, you can learn how to make a video yourself.

Be smart. Budget not only your money but your time. Create a timeline that will take you from finished book to book launch date and beyond. Know you’ll get there and just put one step in front of the other!

Last and most important, watch and monitor you budget like a hawk. Be honest, be realistic and get value from every penny.

Next week is the final in this Platform Building Series: Time is on Your Side (Go on, sing along with the Rolling Stones in your head. I know you want to.)

Platform Building, One Plank at a Time

Lesson one, The Rhyme and Reason

Lesson two, Creating Your Book Business Plan

Lesson three, Developing Your Unique Hooks

Lesson four, Getting Attention

Lesson five, Knowing Your Market

Lesson six, Planning an Effective Pre-Launch

Lesson seven, Understanding and Using Professionals to Help Build Your Career

Snacks for Every Writing Project: Plotting Polenta Diamonds

Woo hoo, life is grand! My plan was to do comfort food recipes to help survive those rejection letters but I’m in too good a mood today!

Last week I finished a heavy duty Paranormal Romance rewrite. Of course, this doesn’t mean things are quiet and calm, not by a long shot. This week I’ve begun a number of new projects. I’m querying the finished book and researching a series of non-fiction books while plotting a new Woman’s Literature novel I’ve been antsy to write. This can make a girl exhausted and I need to keep up my strength, right?

I love wonderful homemade things that I can just pop in my mouth while working at the computer. Yes, cookies and candies are easy but sometimes I just want something savory.

This is a recipe I developed when I was a chef in a country club back east. We were looking for a substitute for fresh made crackers or bread to accompany some of our signature luncheon salads and I remembered my mom always pushing polenta on us. My siblings and I hated the stuff, we called it “mush”, but it had the starchy qualities I needed to fill the bill. Polenta is like a blank canvas too, it lends itself to any flavor profile I needed so I started making savory Polenta Diamonds and they were a hit.

Of course now that I’m no longer slaving in a hot professional kitchen and get to sit at this keyboard to create, problem solve and write all day, I like to call these my Plotting Polenta Diamonds. I make them when I’m beginning the plotting process, season them to match the genre I’m working on, and like comfort food, they instantly put me in the mood to rock and roll with a plot to die for! Hope they do the same for you!

Savory “Plotting” Polenta Diamonds

2 C Milk

1 C Water

1 ½ C Yellow Cornmeal

½ tsp Salt

½ C Parmesan Cheese

¼ tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Minced Fresh Rosemary

¼ C Olive Oil

Bring milk and water just to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Slowly add cornmeal, stirring constantly. Add salt and lower heat. Continue stirring until polenta thickens, (this is kinda like roasting a turkey, it can be done quickly, or take a while). Stir in the parmesan cheese, garlic powder and rosemary.  Remove from heat.

Cool for a few moments then spread mixture ½ inch thick into a baking tray with a spatula and your fingers. Chill overnight. Slice into diamonds about 1 ½ ” wide by 2 ½” long.  Brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with S&P. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, turning the diamonds over halfway through. YUM!

Variations

For plotting a YA adventure, Lemon Garlic Plotting Polenta Diamonds – substitute ½ tsp lemon zest for rosemary.

For plotting a Spicy Romance, Caliente Plotting Polenta Diamonds – substitute ½ tsp chili powder for the rosemary and dip the Diamonds in picante sauce.

For plotting a Romantic Comedy, Counterpoint Plotting Polenta Diamonds – eliminate the Parmesan and substitute ½ tsp dried tarragon for rosemary.

For plotting a Historic Romance, Mama Mia Plotting Polenta Diamonds – eliminate the rosemary, and add 1 minced roasted red pepper plus an additional ¼ C parmesan cheese.

For plotting a Murder Mystery, Red Herring Plotting Polenta Diamonds – substitute Old Bay Seasoning for the rosemary and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top before baking.

Enjoy! Next week: Comfort food snacks to survive the rejections … maybe … if I’m in the mood.

Author Platform Building, One Plank at a Time, part 7

PART SEVEN: Understanding and Using Professionals to Help Build Your Career

Here they come! The Professionals. You know who they are, they’re all over the place, on your Google searches, in your email inbox, in the grocery store, your church, writing class and even in your friendships, because someone always knows someone who knows someone who can – you fill in the blank. Some are pounding at you on twitter either to get your business or tell you how hard their job really is.

They’re recommended by your critique group, your writing/author group and often they pop up when you least expect it. (You mean you didn’t know that the woman who walks her dog past your house every morning is a marketing expert? The paperboy heard from the neighbor’s kid who baby-sits your niece that you’re writing a book and told his auntie, Margie Marketing.) News travels and there are days when these connections seem opportune. At times these professionals seem like gods, at other times, we imagine them to be money-sucking monsters. One thing is sure, there is a need for them. Gird your loins, here they come!

• Literary Agents
• Author’s Liaisons
• Promotional Agents
• Publicists
• Marketing Experts
• Consultants and Advisers
• Editors
• Published Authors

All experts, all professionals … and all over the place. How can you, the author who’s just about to be either published or discovered, really and truly know who to use, who not to use, who you need and how to control your project through all the craziness ahead? How much of their services are strategic enough to make or break your success? What does YOUR career require, as opposed to that other writer over there with a different book in a different genre? How much can you really do on your own and how do you know it’s time to hire a professional?

Instinct. Sorry, but it’s true. Let’s take the above list of wonderful professionals and run through their benefits or downfalls.

• Literary Agents – if you’re seeking traditional publishing you need one, unless you’ve chosen an independent publisher. You don’t hire an agent, you sort of woo them with your query, then they woo you back with their interest and it isn’t until they say they’d like the represent you that it’s time to take a serious look at their services and success rate. Literary agents are the backbone for the traditional publishing industry as it has been for a very long time, but as you know, the industry is changing and so is this particular part of it. Be sharp, keep an eye out for scams and never pay a literary agent a dime for any service. An agent earns their payment through a percentage of your success … this is why they’re so careful about the authors and books they choose to represent. Only with success will they be financially rewarded, thus, only the cream of the crop get represented – those genres or styles the particular agent has seen success with. These professionals need to back the right horse. Don’t forget – just because you weren’t Agent X, Y or Z’s right horse doesn’t mean you can’t be represented by a literary agent. Seeking out, contacting and connecting with the perfect agent for you is a challenge and takes serious, committed effort. Do your homework, be realistic about your work, never give up. When you’ve made the perfect bond, they’re ready and you’re ready, then you’ve made a major step toward your success. Read contracts carefully and ask questions.
• Author Liaison – This is something new and exciting for those seeking self-publishing. These professionals know the self-publishing arena and can connect you with the perfect publisher for you and your project. There are things you need to know. Author Liaisons often will charge for services, and in most cases, they will also contract for a percentage of book sales. The Hiring Professionals Strategies below is vital here.
• Promotional Agents – Do you know what these people are? Often even I’m not sure, this kind of service often smears in with Publicists, Marketing Experts, Consultants and Advisers. You seriously need the Hiring Professionals Strategies below to field through this group of pros.
• Editors – Don’t even think twice – you need editors. Don’t wonder, don’t look back and don’t pinch pennies. Often the editing is part of a publisher’s standard service. A good author’s liaison will recommend one or more. Many writers hire editors to do an edit on a manuscript about to go to a literary agent, and all self-published authors must have a full edit or risk looking like a fool. If you find yourself in a position where you will choose or hire an editor, the Hiring Professionals Strategies below is for you.
• Published Authors – How wonderful is it when a successful, published author is willing to share his/her trials and tribulations with you? These are the warriors who have conquered the dragons, found their way and continue to venture onto the battlefield! It’s not easy to find, you can’t just walk up to a successful author and ask for advice, but if you find yourself in a situation that smoothes that path, don’t be shy, slip and slide along. At a writer’s conference, sitting at the bar, munching peanuts and Mr. Author is sipping a beer on the next bar stool? By all means, smile and talk. Don’t bombard him, just be friendly. Another place to learn amazing, valuable information about the process and life of an author is on twitter, by following author blogs, or friending and following authors on facebook. Don’t be a nuisance, just absorb. An author won’t be charging you for his or her advice, but you do need to take it all with a grain of salt. Be smart about your choices because your time is valuable too. Follow or chat with authors who write the same genre you’re writing or authors who have approached the market with interesting twists or bold strokes. Be inspired or seek someone else.

Now that we’ve covered the professionals, it’s time to talk about how and when to use them.

SERIOUSLY GOOD HIRING PROFESSIONALS STRATEGIES

• The “Hope is Not a Good Strategy” Strategy – Authors are writers who love writing and in most cases, don’t want to do anything but write. Hoping the perfect champion will simply come along and stumble onto your doorstep to whisk you to success is lame. If you build your author’s platform early and reinforce it all along your journey, you have inadvertently pushed the tentacles of your project out into the world and now you have a better shot at grasping the interest of the right professionals. I have a client who caught the eye of an independent publisher simply by chattering on twitter and having his novel excerpts on his author site. The indie-publisher Googled the author, found his website, liked the concept and, voila. That’s not hope, that’s action, and a strong author’s platform is the flip side of just wishing victory into being.
• The “Just Like Magic Doesn’t Mean Real Magic” Strategy – Wow, I’ve heard a hundred of these stories. Authors have met author liaisons in grocery stores and publicists at the dry cleaners. They’ve discovered cool promotional avenues over a glass of wine at a club or overheard an editor talking on the train and struck up a conversation. How serendipitous! Or is it? Serendipity is a twist of fate, but is it destiny? I’m not saying that the publicist you met over cocktails is a fraud or incompetent at all, what I’m suggesting is to step back, take a breath and think it through. Too many writers just finish a manuscript and suddenly have a chance meeting with a professional perfectly poised to catapult them to heaven. It could be a golden opportunity or just a red herring. Be a writer, if this plot twist came into your character’s life, what would they do? A little research at the least. Take some time and learn all you can about the professional, be sure they’re right for you. Ask to talk to their other clients. Have them do a presentation and explain what they can do for you.
• The “Comparing Apples to Apples” Strategy – Now that you are finished with your novel or non-fic book proposal, maybe you’re ready to hire a professional to help get you to the next level. It may be an editor, it may be a marketing expert who can assist in building your platform, it might be a publicist who knows what you should be doing now to assure a serious attention later. You might be at the point where you want to hire a consultant to guide you toward which steps to take next. Be sure to look deep when hiring anyone. After all, you don’t hire a plumber who arrives without his tools, or a doctor without a diploma. Your lawyer and dentist have credentials and so should your career professionals. Compare value for your buck, and compare quality based on success rate.
• The “Do I Really Need that?” Strategy – Oh the bells and whistles are so exciting! Everything calls to you from fancy-dancy book-videos to imprinted tee shirts. Time to be logical. 1) Do you really need it? 2) Does your budget allow for it? And 3) will it advance your visibility or make you look like a goof. Sorry, but I laughed my butt off when I saw that an author with a serious novel about addictions had his book cover printed onto a massive coffee mug. One the other side it said, “Coffee, my addiction of choice”. I am certainly not saying you should ignore all the bright sparklies out there that might get your book the attention it deserves, I’m just suggesting you think it through first.
• The “Down and Dirty” Strategy – So maybe these magical appearances of professionals everywhere hasn’t happened to you, so you have to plan, think and choose for yourself whether you need a professional and what kind will serve best. Do your homework. Check out websites, compare expertise and price. Know what’s out there and understand what kind of professional can truly guide YOU. There are a lot of cookie-cutter plans and services available and a hundred how-to books on the subject, but remember … the industry is changing. You need to determine the kind of professional you need for this shifting landscape. Locate one who moves with the changes and sees these vacillations as opportunities. It’s a lucky time. Just because things have been done one way or another way for years does not mean it’s the only way to do it from now on. Look for professionals who are willing to break new ground and personalize their service to YOU and YOUR BOOK.
• The “Careful, Careful, Careful” Strategy – It’s one thing to look at websites, but another thing altogether to really get a grasp on a professional. These are people. Some of them have amazing websites and work out of their small home office. Some have large staffs and corner offices in high-rise buildings. Is one better than the other? You will need to keep one thing in mind at all times. This process isn’t about getting the absolute best of the best, word renowned “name” professional to handle your progress to success … this is about getting the absolute best professional FOR YOU. After checking out all the online information you can get and asking around about a particular professional, it’s time to take the next step. Contact that person and ask for a phone chat. Yes … a phone chat. A conversation where you can hear that person’s voice and they can hear yours. A thousand things can be learned by the inflections in their voice, the passion in their words and the questions that they ask. Don’t forget to have your questions ready too, because this isn’t a one-way road, it’s a relationship where both parties will benefit. Trust your instincts and know when the discussion is over. Don’t get railroaded into agreeing to anything until you’ve had time to think. And above all … do not ignore your pocketbook. No matter how great a professional and their service sound, if you don’t have the budget for it, it’s not a good match.
• The “Follow Your Gut” Strategy – Okay, you found the perfect pro to get you where you want to go. They have the right attitude and your instincts tell you that you can work well with this person. You like them and they like you. Now, take a day or two, set it all aside and see what happens next. If you’re still sure, explore any concerns. Is the cost a bit pricy? Perhaps you can negotiate. Is the timing perfect but the market soft for your particular book? Toss it out as a challenge for answers. Test yourself and the pro to assure everything is up front and clear. Your gut knows more than you think.
• Avoiding The “Wannabe” Strategy – Dan Brown’s last book was released in the American and the European markets at the same time. You want that. Barbara Kingsolver was interviewed in several cities and spoke live in Los Angeles when The Lacuna was released recently. Oh, you want that too. Charlaine Harris makes appearances at many conventions that features supernatural or paranormal stories in print, television and film. Yes! You want to do that too! An aspiring author you met online has created a dynamic, powerful and exciting website with all the bells and whistles to expose her work-in-progress and … you want that too. Let’s take a moment and look in the mirror. You’re not Dan Brown or even the hopeful writer with the fancy website. You are YOU and you can’t lose track of it. How and where and when you get your exposure simply can’t be based on what another author is doing. Be sure you’ve outlined your goals and the path to attaining them is purely based on you and your book.
• The “Back Up and Punt” Strategy – Everyone has setbacks. Not every professional we think will be perfect for us, is. Sometimes we just have to bite the bullet, say “uncle” and move on. Be careful. As you move along in this visible world, many people will come out of the woodwork to give you advice, free or for a cost, and that unsolicited advice isn’t always necessarily right for you. If a person states that your author’s liaison, agent or publicist should have done “this or that” for you, take a moment to think on it. Was “this or that” considered and determined not the correct strategy for your project? Has your pro never suggested “this or that” and why? Ask. You’ve been working with this pro for a while and should be on the same page, should have gained respect for each other and found a comfort zone for exploring things … even “this or that”. If in that exploration it’s determined that there’s no longer a good match, shake hands, share a hug and move on. Burn no bridges because now you’re back where you started and the last thing you need is a reputation for being too difficult or hardheaded to work with. Use a line I use about one of my ex-husbands (and yes, I have two, long story). Simply say that the professional was really a good publicist (or marketing expert or author’s liaison or whatever), just not good for you. This way, no one looks bad. This time you should be armed with even more important questions to ask as you search out a new professional relationship.
• The “Track Record” Strategy – This one is just a warning, it should help raise a red flag. Keep a sharp eye on your track record for success with any professional you hire. Set up a monthly telephone conversation to discuss performance (in fact, if your pro is a good one, they may have already begun this practice as a standard performance check with you, the client). This is an honest, up front way of keeping an eye on your path toward success. Things should be moving ahead in increments acceptable to both you and your professional. Another track record to keep track of is your own. How are you doing with the professionals you’re working with? Are you meeting they’re requests for information or materials? Are you compromising their efforts by implementing suggestions some of those unsolicited experts gave you? Are you firing and hiring a new editor or marketing expert again and again? Are you imagining you are the victim? Or can you do what it takes to streamline your focus and truly move to success. What’s your track record?

Which strategy works best? Sorry … all of them. Together. Print this out and tape it on the wall. Remind yourself to seek out and hire professionals who listen to you AND who you are ready and willing to listen to in return.

But don’t forget, there are many things you can do without professional help … but that’s another blog series altogether. *wink* Stay tuned, same time, same channel.

Platform Building, One Plank at a Time

Lesson one, The Rhyme and Reason

Lesson two, Creating Your Book Business Plan

Lesson three, Developing Your Unique Hooks

Lesson four, Getting Attention

Lesson five, Knowing Your Market

Lesson six, Planning an Effective Pre-Launch

Snacks for Every Writing Project: “Sweet Success” Balls!

The trials and tribulations of going from visionary to writer to author are daunting at best but along the way, there are oh-so-many reasons to celebrate. Small successes lead to big ones and taking a moment to recognize and shout out a success, even just to yourself and the computer monitor, is very important.

You must celebrate the successes that mark your journey!

• Realizing that you have developed a unique approach for a unique story
• Creating a wonderful plot outline
• Finishing your first draft
• The ah-hah moment that comes during the critique
• Starting your rewrite with enthusiasm and promise
• Getting half way through the hated rewrite
• Finishing your WIP
• Writing the perfect query letter
• Getting your first request for more
• Signing with an agent
• Signing with the perfect publisher
• Getting your book deal
• Selling your first international rights
• Realizing that you’ve just developed a unique approach for a story
• And so it goes …

There are a thousand reasons to celebrate this blessed life of a writer! And I suggest you enjoy them with a tiny sweet taste of “Sweet Success” balls! Quick and easy to make, no baking and they last as long as you can keep from scarfing them all down. Don’t miss the variations on this recipe. Oh, and don’t get drunk. It may hinder the road to your next success, LOL.

“Sweet Success” Balls (Amaretto Version)

1# Vanilla Wafers ( most boxes hold 12 oz. so you may need 2 boxes)

1 C Fine Chopped Walnuts

3 tsp Cocoa

½ C Lt Corn Syrup

¼ C Amaretto

1 C Powdered Sugar

Using a food processor, fine chop the Vanilla Wafers and pour into large bowl. Fine chop the walnuts, then add to the same bowl with the Cocoa, Corn Syrup and Amaretto. Mix by hand until completely blended and tight enough to roll into a 1” ball (if not wet enough, add a little corn syrup and/or amaretto at a time until nice balls will form. Roll each ball in powder sugar and place them into a container that seals tightly.

The “Sweet Success” balls are delicious right away but oh-so-much better if left to sit, sealed in the container for a day or two.

Variations

“Sweet Success” Rum Balls – substitute dark, Spiced Rum for amaretto

“Sweet Success” Orange Balls – substitute Grand Marnier for amaretto

“Sweet Success” Mint Balls – substitute Crème de Mint for amaretto

“Sweet Success” Hazelnut Balls – substitute Frangelico for amaretto

“Sweet Success” Mexican Balls – substitute Kahlua for amaretto

“Sweet Success” Peanut Butter Balls – substitute Peanut Butter for amaretto

“Sweet Success” Raspberry Balls – substitute Raspberry Jam for amaretto

Enjoy! Next week: Comfort food snacks to survive the rejections.

Author Platform Building, One Plank at a Time, part 6

PART SIX: Planning an Effective Pre-launch

I once met an author whose book was coming onto the market in three short weeks, and she’d been incorrectly told not to promote it until it was out and available.

Don’t mean to sound brazen or mean but … SHHIZBUTT*HOG*WASH*ARE*YOU*CRAZY*YOU*CAN*NOT*BE*FREAKING* SERIOUS!

Okay, now I feel better and so should you. You see, there’s a certain madness that overcomes authors when they get close to seeing their book in the flesh. It makes them forget all the good sense that got them to that point in the first place. I call it The Dreaded Almost Famous Syndrome. It causes all kinds of crazy things to mix and mash in your head until it’s a pulverized tomato soup, you know the kind I mean, right out of the can and tasting like nothing … not even tomatoes.

But never fear, there is a cure for The Dreaded Almost Famous Syndrome and it’s far simpler than you think.

Ready?

Here goes.

COMMON SENSE

Told ya it was simple. Common sense. See, as the circus rings tighten around you and everything in the big top is bright and shiny and distracting, there’s a very simple way to extract yourself from those terrible “squirrel” moments and stay on track. Just use your head. All the experts in the world and all your friends and all those strangers who come out of the woodwork to give you advice (some out of caring, most for money) are going to start sounding like an off-key brass band tuning up. If you use your head and categorize all the ideas that are being lobbed your way, you will see things clearly. You are smart. And you are definitely smart enough to instinctively know when a piece of advice seems wrong.

That author I mentioned in the beginning? Well after we chatted a bit, she said the words I knew were coming. “Oh my God, I thought that might be wrong! It didn’t seem to make sense, I just didn’t know what else to do but follow the plan and wait until after the book came out. Now what do I do?”

I told her not to panic, and I suggested that from that day forward to always remember: No matter the advice, if it doesn’t smell like apple pie and it doesn’t look like apple pie … it probably isn’t apple pie. In other words, she needed to trust her instincts and promote her book.

A successful pre-launch campaign for any book hinges tightly to your platform. Who are you talking to and where are you visible? How many audiences have you created? If it’s your mom and that nice kid at the Home Depot, you don’t have a platform. If you’ve built your platform carefully and developed a visibility, your audience – all those followers who never miss your blog, chime in on twitter, support you at the critique groups and asked to be on your mailing list – has been there through it all. They’ve watched your initial struggles with writing or rewriting or editing your book. They’ve stood and cheered when you got an agent or found a publisher perfect for your book. They’ve listened to you talk about the book cover and shouted rousing congratulations when you finally showed them how it looks. They pop in at your book website often to see what’s new and get the skinny on your progress. And if you’ve done this well, that group of followers has grown and grown.

T MINUS 90 DAYS

Now, time for the countdown. Three months before your book comes out (two weeks before if e-published) you begin your hype. Using every venue you’ve cultivated with your social and professional networking, you announce when the book will be available. You begin promoting pre-sales of the book. You send out your first of six well crafted press releases, making sure to target local papers and publications, radio and television stations. Go the distance by sending that same press release to your friends, family and associates. Arrange a book Launch Party with a local independent bookstore or library and begin compiling an invitation list. Be sure to include other authors, friends, family members, business associates and local media (newspaper, television and radio) on that list.

T MINUS 60 DAYS

Two months before the launch, you strike again, but make sure your message is bigger, denser and more powerful. Now you take any early copies of the book and seek reviews. You begin booking yourself to speak and have events at libraries, coffee shops, bookstores and book clubs. Another press release, this time attaching your photo, the book cover and announcing the venues where the book will be available and where it is already available for preorder.

T MINUS 30 DAYS

Books in hands from the publisher? Get them out and visible. Carry them to the local independent bookstores and libraries and show them off. Arrange for book events. Keep your ears perked for major book events you may want to participate in.

T MINUS 20 DAYS

Get your Launch Part invitations out. Send out another press release about the Launch Party. Respond immediately to RSVPs. Hopefully you’ve already begun speaking at groups and libraries and by this point, have most likely been interviewed for a few radio shows or online shows. You’ve been invited to guest blog and have hyped the coming launch on your book website, your own blog, twitter, facebook and every email groups you belong too.

T MINUS 10 DAYS

Now you can hear harmonizing circus music, but don’t let it distract you. You’re very close, be sure to keep the momentum up. Continue to contact and schedule speaking engagements, even if it’s at a local high school writing class. You need to be as visible as your book. Continue to let everyone know where they can preorder a “signed” copy of your book, and keep telling everyone the launch date.

D-DAY

Send a press release announcing everything important, that the book launches that day, where it can be purchased, where you have been interviewed and the great reviews you’ve gotten. Get over to your blog (there’s time before the party, honest) and give your followers your heartfelt thanks for taking the journey with you. Get to your book website and splash that banner that the book is now available! Keep your site media room up to date and loaded with activity so everyone knows where they can see you or hear you speak.

Now, go to your party, have a glass or three of champagne, enjoy the crowd and pat yourself on the back for making the day what it should be. Doing an effective pre-launch you’ve accomplished several things.

• You’ve pre-sold books
• You’ve become visible and created a demand for your book
• You’ve made yourself media available and created a buyer following
• You’ve eliminated the stress of worrying about failure because you’ve done your part to assure success.

Now, of course, every book and every pre-launch will be different. Some topics may easily lend themselves to exciting, highly visible exposure. Others may take a bit more push. The level of push is all on your shoulders though. It’s you’re choice. You’re the author and it’s your baby. Up to you.

(Want to know more about press campaigns? I’m considering a series on it, so let me know)

Platform Building, One Plank at a Time

Lesson one, The Rhyme and Reason

Lesson two, Creating Your Book Business Plan

Lesson three, Developing Your Unique Hooks

Lesson four, Getting Attention

Lesson five, Knowing Your Market

Snacks for Every Writing Project: “Rewriting” Balls

I’ve just gone through a serious rewrite, a rewrite that taught me more about writing than any brand-new-original project or how-to book ever has. It started with a mentor (wait, let me adjust that, I started with AN AMAZING MENTOR), several honest, outspoken readers and a crapload of determination. It ended in a four month struggle to open my eyes. It seemed hopeless and more than once I thought about just giving up on the book. Then suddenly, like pixie dust had sprinkled from the heavens onto my thick head … it all clicked … leading me into a frenzied re-rewrite that has truly helped this writer turn the corner. My novel now has powerful plot and character development, several twists, and a writer who actually feels completely great about it.

And if you’re a writer, you know exactly what I mean by that. We’ve all felt good about a piece of writing, we’ve even felt real good about it, but how often can you honestly say you felt completely great about it? Completely great doesn’t mean I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’ll be discovered, fought over by several agents and catapulted into the upper echelon of successful authors. I mean, sure, it could happen, but when I say I feel completely great about this final rewrite, I mean that my personal best has jumped the wire, and that wire was set higher then ever before. I succeeded and know that this book, or the next (which by the way, I’ve already excitedly begun), or the one after that has a much higher chance of success.

The next steps? “Cold in California” will be entered into the 2010 ABNA competition next Monday, and I will be querying the novel and series over the next few weeks. Scary stuff but you know what? I really do feel completely great about it.

YAY FOR ME! I had the balls to face my writing, plotting and character development demons and during it all, I did what all writers do when they write. I ate to keep up my strength.

This blog is about snacks for every writing project, so today’s recipe is savory, to reflect the aromatic experience facing the rewrite dragons in your closet. Time to bring the tropics to your desk!

Caribbean Langostino Balls

1 lb. Cooked, Cleaned Langostinos (at the grocery store, frozen case or seafood counter)

½ C Red Peppers, small diced

1 T Scallions, thin sliced

¼ C Mayonnaise

½ tsp Jamaican Jerk Seasoning (more if you like spicy/sweet)

S&P to taste

2 Eggs, whisked with 1 T water

1 C Breadcrumbs, dry, unseasoned

Preeheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop langostinos and combine with diced red peppers, sliced scallions, mayo and Jerk seasoning. Mixture should be tight enough to form into small (1”) balls. If not, add a little dried unseasoned breadcrumbs to tighten – if mixture is not wet enough, add a little mayo. Roll balls in breadcrumbs, then egg mixture and then breadcrumbs again until well coated. Set balls on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

Langostino balls can be refrigerated and reheated for munching later. Yummy hot or cold.

Pirate Trunk Dipping Sauce

½ C Apricot Preserves

1 T Dark Rum

¼ tsp Dry Mustard

Mix and heat

Variations:

Substitute lump crab meat for langostinos.

Substitute ¼ t dried mustard, ¼ t Old Bay seasoning and a dash of cayenne pepper for Jerk Seasoning.

For even more spicy Caribbean Langostino Balls, add another ½ t jerk seasoning to the breadcrumbs for coating.

A variation on the dipping sauce is to mix equal parts Raspberry Jam with Dijon Mustard.

Enjoy! Next week: Sweet balls, for that sweet feeling of success after reaching your writing goals. After all, it’s common knowledge that it takes a lot of balls to do the job well.

Author Platform Building, One Plank at a Time, part 5

PART FIVE: Knowing Your Market

Who are you writing for? What do they look like? Where do they live? Where do they buy the books they read? In an independent book store? At the big chains? Wal-Mart? Amazon? How do they like to get their stories? Hard backs? Paperbacks? E-books? Audio books?

Let’s go further. Where do they learn about the books they like to read? Is your prospective reader viewing book videos? Does s/he read the New York Times Best Sellers list to find what they want? Do they frequent the library? Belong to reading groups? Only purchase books recommended by friends?

What genres do they prefer and are you writing for them … or for you?

Big, confusing questions, but all important and serious as a heart attack. If you don’t know your reader as intimately as you know yourself, you just may be talking to yourself and no one else.

Yes, a literary agent may sign you because they adore your style or idea and feel strongly that they can sell it, but never forget who they’re selling your manuscript to … publishers who follow the proven formulas for sales. Yes, you may have friends and fans who love your online work and follow your platform to the ends of the earth, but are they really the ones who will cough up the cash and buy your book? Say you’ve chosen the self-publishing route and bypassed a lot of the traditional publisher choices regarding your book’s printing or distribution … you still MUST KNOW YOUR MARKET.

Let’s simplify this a little. Say you are a chocolate lover. Where do you go for your chocolate? As a chocolate lover myself, I’ll happily explore this sweet path right along with you. I might start at the local convenience store where they display the popular candy bars. I’m a real fan of Snickers. For something a little different, I’ll go to the grocery store and check out the boxes of chocolate chip cookies, or the package brownie mix. Okay, maybe I’m not in the do-it-yourself or prepackaged mood and I want something a little higher quality. Look for me at the local bakery where they’ve got chocolate slathered éclairs and freshly made moon pies. All right, maybe I’m looking for something more classy and ready to step it up even higher. Godiva Chocolates. YESSSS.

Now, what I’ve just demonstrated for you is that a prospective buyer can be reached at a number of different places, wanting a number of different qualities but still desiring the same satisfaction for their sweet tooth. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that the person loves chocolate.

Translated, chocolate represents your genre. The various venues represent your prospective buyer’s reading requirements, and the quality levels represent the buyer’s moods and level of loyalty to you as the author. This is called market branding and only you can control, expand, or define it for your specific product.

If you write romance you can write several specific subgenres of romance from historic romance to paranormal romance to chicklit romance and still … marketed correctly, you can span a wide range of readership and create loyalty. You can carefully direct your target markets the way the big houses do, starting with hardback to reach those who keep books on their shelves to re-read – then to paperback or soft backs for those who prefer to spend less, read on the plane, train or during vacations – schedule an e-publishing exposure to reach a whole new audience who prefers to screen read, then generate loyalty through aggressive social media and start all over again with the next book.

It’s all fun and games when you play the format game … but there are no games if you don’t know your reader, because every detail about that reader represents your market and all the colors of it.

Where to start? At the end of course. Take a bottle of water (and a Snickers Bar) and go on a nice full day of exploring in say … Barnes and Noble. Stroll the aisles and take notes. Yes, take notes. How many books of a specific category do they have on the shelves? How many people beeline directly to those particular shelves and how many patrons meander around until something catches their eye? Yes, we all like to think we’re writing something that’s so unique it’s never been done before but if it’s not on those shelves, it’s not going to have a current market. If you spend your research time in small independent bookstores or online, it will tell you the same thing. This is the market that exists … now where does your book fit into it?

Naturally you could research sales numbers for specific genres online, but I highly recommend you do it live and in person. There’s a strong impact gained from watching the prospective buyer in the wild, doing its hunting and gathering thing and making choices based on the touch and feel (and the dust cover blurb) of the chosen book.

Knowing your market is about knowing THE market. Understanding it and facing the fact that changing it may take some doing. To build a new market for something unique and unusual, it takes a whole different strategy. For our purposes, it’s most important to find that very clear vision of exactly who will read your book … and talking right to that reader.

Next week we’ll talk about speaking to that reader. For now, it’s more important to identify and know your market. Have fun defining your audience, and watch out for the sugar high.

Platform Building, One Plank at a Time

Lesson one, The Rhyme and Reason

Lesson two, Creating Your Book Business Plan

Lesson three, Developing Your Unique Hooks

Lesson four, Getting Attention

Snacks for Every Writing Project: Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut …

Over the past few days, as I chatted in my favorite distraction place on earth, Twitter, I noticed a trend among January writers, editors and authors. This may be something that happens all year round, but after the Holidays it seems a little more prevalent. After all, snacks have been readily available, from Christmas cookies to candy and cheese balls with crackers, so having a bowl of munchies on your desk as you work is a natural. In fact, even without the festive goodies, I’m thinking it’s probably a really good idea to keep nutrition close at hand during long writing projects. One must keep up ones strength, right? Serving our “hunter and gatherer” nature, I’ve seen people tweet about potato chips and cold pizza, cheese cake and tim tams … and the desperate need to run out and get some if the cupboard is bare of such delicacies. They chatter about the aroma of dinner cooking in the crock pot and the excitement of grilling steaks outside in the snow. There’s no escaping it and I’m certainly one of the biggest culprits.

No, this isn’t a blog about gaining weight (I say as I look over my shoulder at my widening behind). This is a blog about staying sharp and alert while coping with that major rewrite, edit, new novel plotting, or non-fic computer research ahead. Euell Gibbons was right about one thing, it’s natural and important for humans to snack regularly, but what Euell Gibbons used to eat, I hardly recognize as food.

Writing is a creative process, so I propose we feed our bodies and minds with creative food … snacks that are easy to prepare ahead of time and perfect for refueling the mental and physical machine … refreshments that won’t make the keyboard sticky or require assembly attention. Simple, yummy, energy designed tidbits to keep your momentum high and reach your deadlines!

So, I’ve decided to do a Thursday blog to address this issue of “Writer’s Munchie Mania” and share a few of my culinary skills along the way. I promise the recipes will take little time to prepare and be ubber satisfying too. Here goes!

I thought we’d start with Caramel Coffee Nuts, as most of us are still suffering the Holiday Saber Sweet Tooth. What else does a writer need? Caramel because it’s luscious, coffee because it’s vital, and nuts because … well, just because. I see these nuts as a delicious way to remind us to put a little sweetness and humor into those antagonists, keep the bad guy interesting and then, of course, be creative. At the end of every recipe will be suggestions on how to pump it up and make it a little different.

Caramel Coffee Walnuts

1 C Brown Sugar

½ C White Sugar

½ C Sour Cream

1 T Instant Coffee

Combine and cook all above ingredients to 260 degrees or until a drop of mixture, dripped into a glass of cold water, creates a soft ball.

Remove mixture from heat and add 1 tsp. Vanilla

Fold 2 ½ C Whole Walnuts into hot mixture then distribute individual coated nuts on wax paper. Let dry for 24 hours. Store in sealed container. Caramel Coffee Walnuts will last as long as your willpower to avoid them lasts and not a minute longer.

Variations:

For Spicy version, add ½ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes before cooking mixture

For Apple Pie version, add ¼ tsp. Cinnamon before cooking mixture

For Tea version, substitute Powdered Chai Mix for the instant coffee

For texture variations, use mixed nuts or your favorite nuts. Note: cashews create a unique flavor profile and pecans add even more sweetness.

Enjoy!

Next week: balls, a yummy variety of finger food for facing the dreaded rewriting projects. After all, it’s common knowledge that it takes a lot of balls to do the job well.

In the meantime, if you have a great recipe or favorite snack that gets you through a long day at the keyboard, please share. We’re all starving to hear about it!

Platform Building, One Plank at a Time, part 4

PART FOUR: Tricks to Perk the Prospective Buyers … Getting Attention!

Attention! Attention! We just love attention, but only the best kind. It’s a scary proposition, putting a few hundred pages of your soul out there for the world to see. But even more daunting than that, is the prospect that maybe no one will look. Shiver!

Fear not, that’s what we’re here to talk about today. Last lesson, we discussed your unique hooks and what makes you so special. This lesson goes a bit deeper and hopefully seriously gets the point across that without a platform, you will drown.

There are a million tricks out there to perk a prospective buyer. You’ve seen it all, from “wall-to-wall carpeting bait and switch” to “test drive and get tickets to the All-Star Game”. Just like car dealers and carpet companies, you are in business. Your product is your book. There are classic and bizarre ways to attract attention, but whatever you do, it must point favorably to the bottom line … sales.

Getting attention for your book can require nothing more than a kick-ass cover, or it may require something special to tip the scales. Let’s explore deeper.

• FICTION – Suppose you’ve written a novel about an amnesiac woman whose life is saved by a werewolf on a self destructive mission to end his own life.  You know you’ve got a great twist and wonderful story but you also know that there are hundreds of supernatural romances on the shelves and you must find a way to draw attention to yours. Solutions abound, sublime to absolutely stupid but because you’re aware of the importance of “attention”, you examine them all. For example, your book cover can be fur. You may include a CD collection representing the music your supernatural hero used to help the heroine recover and hold her memory. Their songs. You may even develop a folded map to be inserted in the book that shows the route your main characters trekked during the adventure.
• NON-FICTION – Now, let’s imagine you’ve written a non-fiction how-to book about the care and maintenance of a person’s social media image. Of course you’ve done all the homework, researched deep and hard and already know that your subject is something people want and need to know. You’ve even presented it in a creative and entertaining way. Now what? To the drawing board. Should there be a downloadable program available to assist with the information? Maybe an attached workbook that helps the reader implement your advice?
• FICTION & NON-FICTION – Strange solutions after the reality of your book’s availability can get crazy too. Honestly, what book really needs imprinted mugs or tee-shirts to boost visibility? The book is already on the shelves … real or virtual … and frankly ladies and gentlemen, it’s too late.

Enter: The Platform. The reason we build an author’s platform is to give us a solid ground to stand on so we can hold our book(s) high over our heads and listen to the roaring cheers. The best way to fail, is to be down in the crowd shouting about your book while the rest of the world is looking up at another author’s platform! So, building your platform before the book is launched … while the book is being written … and as you conceptualize your success IS VITAL.

Here are a few free or very inexpensive ways to get your platform in line so that you and your book get the attention you need to assure sales.

1. Be aware of your audience even as you begin imagining your book. Get down and dirty, do the research and clearly understand your prospective reader. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a client with an already published book and yet totally unaware of who her readers are. This is especially prevalent among self-published authors. If you aren’t sure of your reader’s demographic, you’re treading water and may just go down for the count. Know clearly if you’re primary audience is young adult, children or a coming of age piece of adult literature. Urban Fantasy is not Paranormal Romance, and Erotica is not Mainstream Romance. If you don’t know exactly what you’re selling, how can you know who to sell to? Only you can determine this and only you can tweak it to reach the audience you really want.
2. The computer age is marvelous! USE IT. Just as many authors are queasy about standing in front of people and speaking about their book, some are afraid to have a voice on the internet. Simple advice … get over it. You have tools, free and at your command right in front of your eyes.
3. First, your website. If you don’t have one, get one. Build it yourself or pay someone to do it but you really should have a website. What’s on your website? Your book, of course. But I’m not talking about simply having a site, I’m talking about having a living, breathing site that attracts attention and is always changing. For example, aside from your main page which shows the cover or your book (or what you’d like to see as the cover of your book), you should also have a page that talks about how you developed the book. A page that explains the reason for your book. If it’s a fiction, you might want to have a page that features your characters, some of their background or even a few words from them. Have fun with this and UPDATE OFTEN. Make sure everyone you know gets an email every time you update. Constantly expand your email list. If you’re writing a non-fiction, join clubs and organizations that focus on your subject. Get people talking about your book and your website and …
4. Imbed a blog. Yes, a blog. This should be updated at least weekly, preferably more than once a week and your blog should chart your course from concept to finish. Again, make sure everyone you know is informed when there’s an update. Keep your installments interesting and related to the process of writing your book or of being a writer. Make friends and when someone comments … be sure to respond … every time.
5. Social Media. Don’t be scared. If you’re not already Twittering, FaceBooking, Linkedin or otherwise visible, I strongly suggest you do it. An Author’s Platform is built with followers, not hope (and as we all know, hope is a terrible strategy). The more friends and relationships you create, the stronger your following.
6. Writing Groups, Reading Groups, Libraries and Organizations, OH MY! Become a joiner. Where ever there are readers and writers there is support, camaraderie and book buyers. Be careful though, don’t become that used-car salesman you hear about all the time. Be subtle, be honest, and above all, be supportive too. Make sure a few of the groups you join are targeted toward your buyer. Sit back and do some serious listening. There could well be a few successful authors in the group, or brought in to speak to the group, who have some great gems of wisdom for you. Let your mind percolate. When people talk of their ideas, imagine them working or failing and then focus on your own. Check out books on creativity. One of my favorites is The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. There are a thousand ways to start thinking boldly and way, way outside the box. The Artist’s Way also has facilitators who do live workshops all over the country. Check it out and strap in for the creative ride of your life. Imagine knowing your target and finding the most amazing way to reach them. Sounds like sales to me.

In conclusion, Getting Attention is by far one of the most critical and important planks in your Author’s Platform. It’s a plank you must develop early and well to assure success whether you’re planning on traditional publishing, self-publishing, independent publishing or e-publishing. Whether you’re writing fiction or non fiction.

Stand up and shout NOW and get some well deserved attention!

Platform Building, One Plank at a Time

Lesson one, The Rhyme and Reason

Lesson two, Creating Your Book Business Plan

Lesson three, Developing Your Unique Hooks

Platform Building, One Plank at a Time, part 3

PART THREE: Developing Your Unique Hooks. What Makes You So Special?

We’ve all taken a stroll through Barnes & Noble and gotten that shiver of terror. Even if you’re already published and about to launch your second or tenth book, that fear trickles in and without warning you start to wonder. Who is going to buy my book when they’re bombarded with all these other books? Yes, you’re writing is wonderful and your story kicks butt, but one twirl around and you see thousands of other author’s offerings and can’t help but feel the pressure.

An already published author, no matter the publishing arena, has fans and that helps, but what can be done to keep those readers waiting with bated breath for your next book? A first time author can easily become paralyzed with the prospect of sitting along side best selling authors and hoping for a good showing.

Nope. Not if you’ve done your job right. Seriously. Building your Author’s Platform correctly is about not only knowing your prospective readers, but knowing where, how and when to reach them. AND … it’s all about doing it very early in the process. VERY EARLY. Like, yesterday.

But where ever you are in your platform building process, it’s never too late to sit still, develop your unique hooks and polish everything that makes you special.

For this exercise, I’m going to choose three different kinds of authors and genres and simply push the envelopes a little. You are the writer, you know your project and yourself better than anyone, but hopefully this will help break down a few walls and help you imagine a bigger, wider landscape for hooking your prospective readers better.

Who knows about The Six Thinking Hats? This is a management solutions process developed in Japan to help determine the practicality of a suggested business solution. Since being and author is a business, I always like to refer to this process. It’s simple and very productive. Get a piece of paper and get ready. Sometimes this process works well alone, sometimes it’s especially effective when you pull together a few more minds. Either way, you want to follow this procedure.

• Hat number 1, White Hat. Choose an issue you wish to explore. For example, whether it might be wise to pitch your soon to be published book, Tropical Murder, to pet stores that sell tropical fish.
• Hat number 2, Yellow Hat. This is the sunny outlook. Imagine putting a bright yellow hat on your head and only seeing the brilliance of the idea. For example, there are tropical fish in your book; you have seen books sold in the pet store; people who love fish will love your book.
• Hat number 3, Black Hat. Now change hats. Put on the black one. This hat represents everything negative about the idea. Go on, get brutal. For example, you’ve never seen anyone buy a book at the pet store; there are no fiction books at the pet store; when someone is buying a fish, they’re not thinking about reading a book; fish people like to look at their fish, not read.
• Hat number 4, Red Hat. Now it’s time to tap into your emotions. Thoughts may surface that say how much you love fish and how everyone should love fish. Or maybe, your emotions go the other direction and you decide that most fish lovers are boring and probably wouldn’t understand the nuance of your murder mystery. You may really like the guy who owns the pet store and want your book there, or you may have some negative emotions about the man who works the counter and never smiles.
• Hat number 5, Green Hat. Okay, now your Thinking Hats are going to really begin working for you. You’ve explored the stupid and the sublime and now you can examine the real possibilities. The green hat is the super creative hat. All the yellow, red and black ideas have been written down and now you can turn it all into gold. For example, now you’ll recognize that just because the pet stores don’t carry or feature novels, doesn’t mean that they won’t. You may begin to develop a few fun and creative ways to present the book to the pet store owner. You can explore his possible objections and develop ways to counter that negativity. If he says he never carried fiction before, you must be armed with statistics about the number of books sold every year. Take it further, tell him how many tropical fish lovers are also avarice readers. Tell him about the common psychology between reading and watching tropical fish.
• Hat number 6, Blue Hat. All right, now that you’ve taken creative steps to think the problem into submission, now you need to get down and dirty practical. The blue hat is a lovely blue sky that says it’s going to be a great day. You can make it possible but you can only do it with reason and logic. This is where your idea becomes something extremely possible and prospectively profitable. So, you’ve convinced a pet store to carry your novel on his shelves. Now what? Take it to the moon! Now make your proposal and plan for pet store chains. What about aquariums? They sell books there too. How about the pet stores that don’t sell fish, but they do sell fish food. And … what if your idea slides further. How about travel agents who book trips to tropical places. What a shoe-in! Travel and reading! Let this go, let the practical ideas grow and let them filter into possibilities. And remember, you also have some leverage here. Your publisher will be helping you get exposure, so perhaps you can give a little nod to the pet stores carrying your book. Maybe you can blog about each store or chain, giving a nod to not only the fish but the store owners. Everyone likes a little tit for tat. Remember your bargaining tools.

And all this came about because the main character in your mystery novel happens to love tropical fish. The story doesn’t have to be about tropical fish. The Six Hats Process is about taking standard business and pushing it further. Now you have an entire new avenue for book sales you simply didn’t have before.

THAT’S building a strong platform.

Your unique hooks can be about anything in your fiction or non-fiction book. They must relate to some passion within you. The hooks are what make you special. Let’s explore another genre.

Non fiction books are easy, or are they? Suppose you’ve written a non-fiction about the startling high growth of rat population in the inner city. Ugh, right? But, what can make people want to buy a book about rats?

• White Hat – (fact) Author requires positive exposure for The Rat Book.
• Yellow Hat – (sunny outlook) There’s a fear factor about rats, so there is an audience in need of this knowledge. Also, there are several historical and creative, informative segments featured in the book that make it somewhat entertaining.
• Red Hat – (emotion) Rats are not loveable creatures, they carry disease and can be dangerous. They’re creepy and ugly.
• Black Hat – (negative) No one but the scientific or educational community will be interested in The Rat Book. What’s the point in trying to promote it further?
• Green Hat – (creative) If the creative elements of the book are entertaining enough, using an entertaining speaking platform could garner readers. Libraries might love to hear the author speak, as well as inner city radio or television shows. Perhaps the book can hook in with humane groups trying to evacuate rats from the inner city and they could co-promote. Maybe a few promotional items like a poster showing the noble rat in his habitat or tee shirts stating “Rat Book Rules” are a possibility.
• Blue Hat – (practical) Begin a press campaign for effective exposure of the author as a speaker/expert on the subject. Book events at book stores, libraries, radio and television shows. See The Rat Book become a subject talked about on the daily train commute.

One more? Okay, How about the big mamajama right now – Paranormal Romance. How do you find your unique hook? A vampire? A werewolf? You have to go further than that, much further. This is where building your platform and creating your unique hooks are developed right along with the plot. Exactly what makes your supernatural (or human) character different than every other character in a paranormal romance?  Get out your hats and let’s explore.

• White Hat – (fact) Author requires a unique hook in the paranormal romance genre.
• Yellow Hat – (sunny outlook) Well, everyone’s reading paranormal romance right now so maybe no unique hook is required? Everyone loves vampires, the fae and shape-shifters, so you’re cool. Right? Right?
• Red Hat – (emotion) Paranoia sets in. You love your book, really love your book and your characters but … what if your supernatural creatures aren’t as interesting as Charlaine Harris’ or Yasmine Galenorn’s? What if the readers just don’t get you? Of course, they’re all crazy if they don’t, right? Right? You love this book and so will everyone else. Who doesn’t love supernaturals?
• Black Hat – (negative) There are a thousand paranormal romances on the shelves. What’s the point in trying?
• Green Hat – (creative) Is there something unique about your paranormal character? Something that makes him stand out? Does your vampire love to sing opera arias or maybe your werewolf has a penchant for pasta? Is your story set in a unique town or does your protagonist love old black and white movies? Find the hook. If protagonist and werewolf, Ben Woofer, loves linguini with marinara sauce you just may have located a twist to your hook that can find you a broader readership. Ben Woofer might have a few recipes to share, he may even have a cookbook in mind. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to connect your paranormal romance with an Italian restaurant chain or play Italian folk music behind your book events? Find the hook. If pasta is the hook, make it stick and use it to the hilt.
• Blue Hat – (practical) Take this from idea to practicality, from doing signings and speaking engagements at The Olive Garden restaurants, to chef’s hats with your book title on them. Build an entire culture around your werewolf with a pasta love to match his romance with your human character. These are the kinds of things that make your hook as strong as your competitor’s.

Okay, I’ve given you the tools, The Six Thinking Hats. You’ve written or are writing the book. NOW is the time to find and develop your unique hooks. It’s the third step in creating a great Author’s Platform!

Oh, and we can’t forget to add a little inspiration to keep you going with this construction process, right? Okay gals, is he a werewolf or isn’t he?

Platform Building, One Plank at a Time, part 1, The Rhyme and Reason

Platform Building, One Plank at a Time, part 2, Creating Your Book Business Plan

Lessons to come:

• Tricks to Perk the Prospective Buyers
• Knowing Your Market
• Planning Effective Pre-launch Exposure
• Understanding and Using Professionals to Help Build Your Career
• Estimating and Limiting Expenses
• Time is on Your Side!