First Word

  I encounter two kinds of authors: those who want to jump in with both feet planted on the ground and go for it, and those people who want to meticulously plan and execute. Is either approach better than the other? No, and here’s why…   Enthusiasm and excitement are powerful energies to sell books . When you’re chomping, ready, and can’t wait to sell your book that enthusiasm bleeds right over to sales. Every person you meet on the street you will present your new author status and show him/her your book. Your sheer joy and happiness will bleed right over into making that sale. When I released The California Girl Chronicles , I was so excited about the book. It’s a fun book, and it was easy to gush about the fun of it. I remember one woman said, “I’m going to buy it just because you’re so excited about it!” When an author gets so caught up and engaged in his/her selling process it can’t help but show. People are attracted to happy, enthusiastic people. ...

You’ve worked with me for months on your pet book project. We’ve finished, and it’s ready to go to press. Now it’s time to consider the future of the book, and for many authors their writing and speaking careers. Some authors want to try it on their own. Perhaps they have budget considerations, which is understandable; however, when you’re factoring your publishing costs, especially for those authors who want to expand their speaking careers and their books are part of their platforms, you have to think about the PR and marketing portion.   In fact, if you’re considering working with a hybrid publisher like 3L Publishing, I strongly advise you to consider the PR and marketing with equal weight to the publishing. I can point to book after book in my catalog where the PR investment wasn’t made and the sales never took off. Authors often mistakenly believe that once the book is released, it will generate sales on its own. They hope for strong word of mouth, and yes, wor...

  The audiobook industry is rapidly growing. In our mobile, fast-moving society, many commuters enjoy listening to audiobooks while they drive. The audiobook industry is projected to grow to a $15 billion industry by 2027. Huge opportunities exist for audiobooks, and many authors have asked about how to create them. Since I had to do a little research on the subject, I thought I would share what I know and learned.   Question no. #1 – Are there programs to help me?   Yes, there are many software applications created specifically to record audiobooks. Google: How to create an audiobook , and dozens of applications and providers appear. I don’t know that much about them – yet. So, you need to investigate which one sounds like a good solution. As we always want, ensure your selection is easy-to-use and doesn’t require taking a class (unless you want to take a class).   Question no. #2 – What is Audibles (Amazon’s platform)?   If you don’t have ...