Note from Cathy: For more on how to build your platform, get my audio program, Build an Effective Author Platform. It's free when you sign up to get my free Selling Books newsletter. One of the most significant changes in publishing in the past decade has been the shifting by publishers of the responsibility for promoting authors’ books from themselves to the authors. In the … [Read more...]
Creative Branding Techniques for Introverted Authors
Introverts are people who live on the quiet side of life, who would rather sit at home and draw or read than go to a party. They’re not the ones who readily schmooze a meeting, shaking hands and nudging shoulders with everyone or squeeze their way into a huddle of strangers at a business conference. Instead, introverts thrive by making the most of their talents, such as … [Read more...]
Increase your Marketability by Getting Published in your Area of Expertise
Marketability = Market Value Perhaps it's more accurate to say…marketability = perceived market value. Take a house for instance. Its "base" market value is established by several factors — the condition of the home and land that it’s on, what other homes are selling for in the area, and proximity to schools, stores, libraries, etc. There are also a lot of intangible … [Read more...]
From Published to #1 Amazon Bestseller in 3 Months
My husband and I recently launched our book, “Forgiveness Formula: Finding Lasting Freedom in Christ” on December 6th, 2011. In preparation for our book launch we designed a four month book marketing plan. This plan included a website as our main hub, including a blog, as well as several key social media outlets: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. I won’t lie to you – book … [Read more...]
Tips for Authors: How to Build Your Author Platform
If you’re an author, I’m sure you’ve heard by now about the ‘author platform.’ Every book publicist, publisher, distributor, literary agent, etc. will tell you – a book’s success depends largely on the author’s platform. So what is the author platform? And, more importantly, how do you build yours? The author platform is often the heart of a book publicity campaign. It is, … [Read more...]
When Should You Build Your Author Platform?
One of my consulting clients asked me if it were better to build your platform before you write your book or after. This reminds me of the old saw: When is the best time to plant a tree? Answer: 20 years ago. When is the second best time to plant a tree? Answer: Today To be successful, you must have a platform. In fact, the bigger the platform, the greater the … [Read more...]
How Publicity Closed A Million Dollar Book Deal
There is a woman who has done the talk show circuit for years. She's been on just about every TV talk show you can name. She's gotten millions and millions of dollars worth of publicity. Now, for the rest of the story. Even though she's gotten on all of these major league shows, she has absolutely nothing to sell. No book. No tapes. No home study course. … [Read more...]
Stay in One Field…And Own It
Once you select your subject. Stick to it; stay in one field. Too many authors and author-publisher-speakers write a book on a subject they know well—aimed at their own (reachable) field. With this formula, the book is a success, and they suddenly think selling books is easy, so they write about a totally different subject. It flops because they do not know how to reach the … [Read more...]
Experts Should be Seen AND Heard
Recently there has been a lot of talk about ‘visibility’. For the purposes of this article, though, I’m not talking about whether you can see out of your windscreen when it has frosted over. The kind of visibility that has become a trendy subject is about being seen in the marketplace. We all know about information overload and how much competition there is for your … [Read more...]
Doctors Should Write a Book To Get Speaking Engagements
As a doctor, it is important to gain speaking engagements to promote yourself and your practice to both your peers and to gain new patients. Here are the top ten things you can do to get more speaking dates. 1. You need a terrific website that is informative and grabs the viewer’s attention as soon as they click to your page. A website is one of the first things someone who … [Read more...]