First Word

For the next few months, I'm going to do a series of blogs titled "50 Tips to Market Your Book" ... so let's start. Tip 1: A critic's one-sheet flyer Take all of your one-liners (great lines only, please) and create a single sheet flyer (AKA one sheet) and add all of those positive comments. Insert your book's cover as an image. I always encourage people to hire a graphic designer so I will hold to that policy. And that will be another tip for another day. Always remember: you should hire a professional to do your book marketing and PR. You don't know what you don't know, right? For more information, visit my website at www.3LPublishing.com .

Last night's joke was about how so many writers say, "I'm writing a book," and then nothing is produced. Do you know any writers whose books have never been published or finished? I often get asked if I'm a serious writer, too. I think it's because so many would-be writers never write or finish what they write. The other common cliché about writing in general is: don't we ALL have a book we want to write ? The part about that comment devalues my profession. Truth is we cannot ALL write a book. Another woman walked up to me (she was an English teacher) and said, "I bet you've seen some of the worst writing." Funny thing is I typically don't see horrible writing too often. Why? you ask. (And I told her this answer.) By the time a book comes to my desk it generally isn't written by a high school student trying to pass an English paper. The English professor was quickly enlightened and acknowledged that seemed like it would be true ... an...

I am being tested, and I decided to take the challenge. Mindset and belief in one's self are important. Keep a positive mindset every day. Believe in your own ability to be responsible for your life. Be a beacon of positivity to attract everything you need for your highest good. I have several mantras I use when I meditate to help point my life in a positive direction. I make a lot of money easily and frequently and I am grateful for everything I have. I am attracting everything I need now, and I am grateful for my abundant life. The flow of life brings me everything I need to achieve success. Today I surrender to the Universe and trust it to bring me whatever will serve my highest good. And I wrote these for the blog to share with you. For everything that happens you can see a reaction as either positive or negative. I choose to see it all as positive. My life is opening to serving my highest good. Today I surrender and believe all that is amazing, wonderful and positive...

This morning is my own self-pep talk. I am almost finished with my new book Body in the Trunk , but I have procrastinated on getting it finalized. I don't know why I have been so reticent about releasing my own book. I give other writers the positive talk and the push -- and yet I can't seem to push myself? What is up with that? I'm the CEO of a publishing company. And what is the lesson for other writers? Even the power behind the publishing gets insecure! ;) Do you know I have never met a single writer who doesn't get insecure? Not a single one. Why is it writers have "insecure-syndrome"? Crazy I know. So if it makes any of you feel any better even the publisher on her 6th book gets insecure.

As an entrepreneur and business owner, I have a lot of freedom. With great freedom though requires discipline. Some people need accountability to get their work done. People like myself do not need anyone ruling their schedules. My own drive and ambition rules my schedule. So how do you keep yourself on tasked and focused when there is no force behind you? Keep a routine. Routines help you define your activities for the day. For example, I get up and blog every morning. Then I do public relations activities, promotion and marketing. I like to edit and project manage in the afternoons. If I have a meeting this, of course breaks up the schedule and gives me some variety. Discipline . A routine actually helps maintain discipline since you know your schedule. You'll find many distractions and temptations, but maintain your discipline. Don't let the distractions, well distract. For me I go directly and get a cup of coffee and then go right to my desk and start my routines. Per...

I've watched many authors and recognize their fail points when it comes to marketing and promoting their books. Most authors are not businesspeople. So I can't fault them for not knowing what to do to spread the word about their books. First and foremost, authors need to recognize that in being an author it's one part writer one part businessperson . Authors who believe their "craft" should be enough to sell a book typically don't sell any books. Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, please know the rule remains the same: one part art one part business. As an author/businessperson what do you need at your basic foundation to the promote and sell your book? Publicist : do you know book promotion? I doubt you understand it. It's an entire profession. Seek a book publicist. It's the best investment you can make in your book. Your publicist will use media contacts and lists to promote your book to the book reviewer media. Marketing tools : your publi...

We just launched Fates Thread: A Memory of Jesus at the Metropolitan Club in San Francisco (check out that dining room). Why should ALL authors do a book launch? Here are the top reasons: Enjoy the support of friends and family who are proud of you . Early sales from friends and family give your book that quick cash infusion. Of course your friends and family want to support your endeavor, so it's a great way to push the book forward and get readers. Spread the word . You can promote the book launch to the regional media in the area. You may be fortunate and get some early coverage. Promote reviews posted on Good Reads for those who buy the book early . Get those who purchase copies at the event to post reviews on Good Reads to get wider promotion. This early exposure to readers could propel the book forward to go viral.

Are you an author? Are you trying to sell your books. I have some unconventional, hands-on tips for you today that come directly from our success at the Tucson Festival of Books . Author Scott D. Roberts whose book Vengeance is Now was being sold from the Author Pavilion - West joined me. We worked as a team to sell his book. All of the authors, who sold virtually nothing that day, all looked at Scott in amazement as he had lines of readers buying his book. Now you want to know what we did that the others didn't do? Here you go... One-Sheet Flyers : We made up one-sheets with reviewer quotes and Pavilion-signing information. Then we did two critical things with those one-sheets: 1) Scott and I got in line for the Scott Turreau signing (author of books like Presumed Innocent , which is also a thriller and in the same genre as Vengeance). Two important points: 1. the people in that particular line like thrillers (obviously) and 2. we had a captive audience of readers who were bor...

One of the best ways to invest your marketing dollars is in book festivals. You can't look at a festival as a singular marketing strategy. Festivals return on investment (ROI) comes from the outreach and networking done to promote your book and get copies right in the hands of readers. When attending a festival as an author, here are some activities that will deliver precious ROI: Reviewers --hand the book and pitch it right to book reviewers. Meeting and talking about your book directly to a reviewer is much different than an email pitch. Make it memorable. Have you elevator speech prepared and deliver it effectively in 30 seconds or less. Make sure you collect the reviewer's business card so you can follow-up. Readers --try and useful trick to build your following; do book giveaways with the request that the readers post Amazon reviews in exchange for the copy. If you have a series you're working on copy giveaways are worth it. Fan following equals bigger sales for t...

The archetypical hero in fiction: good guy or girl who goes on some kind of journey (the story) and comes out the other end even a bigger hero and more white than white. The hero is a vanilla character -- and most vanilla characters don't have striations of chocolate ... unless they are flawed. Flawed characters are, in my opinion, way more interesting to read. A flawed character is a good character at heart who is a little misguided and makes bad decisions or has weak judgment. Flawed characters are more complex. They are more interesting to read about and try to understand their motivations. To write a great flawed character, here are some considerations: Not too flawed -- avoid going over the top in character flaws. Why? Because there is a fine line between a hero and a villain. An extremely flawed character can make him or her not likeable. The key is to write a likeable hero or heroine who while flawed in some way has something you enjoy about him or her. In my first book C...

Are you a procrastinator? I can be at different times. Do you realize procrastinating is harder to do than actually doing what you need to do? So many do's in that sentence ... DO is the operative word, friend. Expending time and energy "avoiding" something is harder than just doing it. Now for some creative people that so-called procrastination time often isn't at all. I know when I have a project brewing in my head it's because I'm thinking about plot lines and subplots. The time spent meditatively thinking is actual work. Some meditative thought time is work. Sometimes people don't realize that being up in one's head is a part of the process, too. BUT that is the exception. If you are a procrastinator who lets everything get in the way of the task at-hand my best advice: quit avoiding it and just do it ! If it's something you didn't want to do, think of this way: the sooner you do it the sooner you get to do something else you want to do. An...

I'll never forger this: I was at a networking function and this woman was discussing her blog. She said she had 5,000 page views a month (heck I struggle to get 2,000). She was an average business person. Here is what surprised me: her blog was about knitting . Realizing that I my blog was well under her page views, I suddenly had blog-envy. How does a blog about knitting get 5,000 page views per month? I randomly ask myself that question all of the time. Actually the question I really ask is: how do I increase my blog readership? Hmm ... My blog is about publishing, business and marketing (and I occasionally sprinkle in humor) -- check. I write about broad interest and general topics, too -- check. I include pictures when I have them to post -- check. I think over my "labels" very carefully -- check. I "think" my writing is good LOL (insecure writer syndrome) -- check. So, what's the deal? How can I increase my blog readership? Why does knitting get...

Eight years ago on my 40th birthday (my birthday was yesterday), I had quit my corporate executive position. After spending my final year in corporate working for the absolute boss-from-hell who was literally crazy and used to send me a hundred emails overnight during her insomnia hours, I quit the rat race. I had come unglued in the nightmare of the 9-to-5 and working for people who either didn't appreciate me or treated me like a personal slave put on earth to make them money. I was quite literally mentally exhausted and ready for my "next" in life. So on my 40th birthday I started my own business -- and here I am still thriving! I never imagined I would own a publishing company (www.3LPublishing.com). I had been in this business since I graduated from college. I am passionate to this day about every single book we produce. I love what I do. I thank the passion gods for leading me in this direction. Yes, I've had a few tough times, but the key is I survived thro...

All right some I'm now one year older. I don't want to write a serious blog today so I thought once more I would regale you (meaning the single guys) with ideas and assistance to help your online dating styles. As a "semi-single" gal (I'm dating just not sure who will win the crown of "boyfriend"), I do have an online profile. I do get dozens of emails a day. Yet of those dozens of emails, I have to date only answered one. "Why is that?" you ask with interest. Because of the following approaches that fall completely flat (and don't try this at home). 1. I've shared this so many times but it obviously doesn't work so here we go again ... just saying the single word "Hi". It doesn't work. Don't bother if that's the only syllable you know how to utter. How can you even start a conversation from "Hi"? You can't do much with it. Hi back? I don't think so. If your only original conversation start...

Why do I always know the answer to that question? Want to know the number one blunder smaller self- and traditional publishers make? (I can actually name the offenders, too, but I'll be polite.) Littering the books with editorial mistakes. I can't tell you how many authors (and this applies to the big overseas publishing houses, too) show me their books only to have earmarked dozens of mistakes. In my opinion though the worst mistakes are the egregious and "ew-producing" back-cover mistakes. I'll be fair, a small handful of interior mistakes I can halfway accept, but the minute I see a back-cover with mistakes galore, I am always flabbergasted. The editors couldn't even take two seconds to ensure the most-read part of the book and THE most important part of the book didn't have mistakes? The only word that comes to mind is "sloppy" ... well, I can think of some other words too like "lame," but you know let's not digress. Why does th...