Obie Joe Media

Yes, you do want to sell books.

2010-11-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

On your web site most especially.

Most author websites include the obligatory amazon.com button; a few others process to their publishers. For the most part, the convenience and price are OK; the cut amazon takes from your publisher is a dent in what the publisher will eventually grant you.

But there are other benefits to making your site the point of purchase:

• Money. If you buy a standard of 200 copies from your publisher, expect about a 40% discount. That's decent enough for your website sales to clear a modest profit after S&H costs.

• Audience connects. This is another way for your fans to connect to you direct. Especially for capturing their e-mails for future updates on your next project.

• Popularity proof. The best book promotion for your current book sets up your next book; by showing your publisher the e-mail lists, sales and other direct connects, you're drawing out that much more of the dollars your publisher is willing to spend on the next go-around.

For those of you wary of taking on the hundreds of orders, Mr. Obie Joe advises use of a fulfillment house. One of the best, and willing to scale for a few dozen to more in orders is BCH.

Books in the Street

2010-11-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Book Tent at the world-famous New Orleans Jazz Festival. At this week's NOLA Book Fair, readings in the street, a screening of the documentary about John Kennedy Toole at Snug Harbor, and author panel discussions at Three Muses. In many ways, NOLA native brothers Ronald and Bryan Williams, owners of music company Cash Money Records, and kingmaker of Lil Wayne, learned streetside the worth of selling books like music. Much has been made of lessons learned from the dramatic shifts in music promotion and sales as predictors for the book industry. Use more digital, expand to unconventional venues, reward your fans consistently....with one exception. As access to products collapse their profit potential, music acts can still make a moola by touring. Authors can't, for the most part.

Their first line of the Cash Money Records books suggest the Williams brothers strategy rests with impulse buying. Plus, their backing from Atria/Simon & Schuster should grant decent production oversight and distributorship. But much of their list -- Raw Law: An Urban Guide to Criminal Justice; Justify My Thug; and Pimp, a memoir by the late Iceberg Slim -- trend toward street lit, a successful genre, but not one that encourages fan loyalty. Mr. Obie Joe will be intrigued to see the pricing. Will fans be tempted to spend $10 on Raw Law, or put it to the $35 tour t-shirt?

Love this quote from Vernon Brown, the Williamses' attorney and business manager: "Our books will also be sold at our concerts. When you're out in front of 18,000 people, some will buy books, some not. But right now many of those fans aren't being told what books are great. We'll do that."

Told. Interesting verb. Not asked, not invited. Still, if they've got first dibs on Lil Wayne's post-Rikers memoir, our cash is ready.

Wasting money on your ARC?

2010-10-10T11:02:00.001-07:00

An ARC, or Advanced Reading Copy, has several uses. For garnering reviews, especially in media intended to create buzz or library sales, a large scale mailing of ARCs is essential. Most ARCs have the last-to-final edit, though rarely an index or TOC, and a plain cover. The emphasis really is on the quality of the writing and/or information.

For all of the attention on the production of the ARC, authors and publishers often forget the most important step: distilling which publications get the ARC, and which get the book.

Go see the Midwest Book Review, and inhale their excellent list of Pre-Publication and Post-Publication advice, and places to get reviews. Make your Excel sheet to carefully denote the submission guidelines.

If you don't believe in the worth of this, instead of wasting your stamps, just send to Mr. Obie Joe.

Book reviews your own mother would love

2010-07-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

So just how discriminating, skilled or objective are the blogger book reviews you can get from newly launched booksneeze? Judging by the Browse Reviews section, fandom seems to inspire most of the book reviews. Categories in children's books; entertainment; conservative politics and Christianity have the most reviews. Many of the books are from small publishers; The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield is the only title we recognized as major.

That said, the number of reviews is impressive: most books garner on average 50+ reviews. Even more killer is the SEO booksneeze does for your title. On searching for The Chronological Study Bible, the first five google results were reviews by bloggers coordinated by booksneeze. It didn't replace amazon.com, but it gave another layer of conversion possibility for a new reader. Plus, there seems to be informal cross-posting with Amazon.com and other sites; each review gets around.

TIP: Make your own audio book

2010-07-14T22:00:00.001-07:00

Not every book get to be an audiobook, but every book gets ito be heard. Check with your publisher on their policy on excerpts, and if their definition of "fair use" is generous, get out the iPod. Make an excerpt of your book as an audio feature on your site; a podcast on another site; or a download via iTunes. If you're comfortable with your voice, go do that, but if not, look for a volunteer via your local college drama departments. Why do the audio and not just the book trailer? Because an audio recording is stickier in the task of familiarizing a new reader to your work. (And definitely check out LibriVox for free recording software, hundreds of free downloads of books in the public domain.)

Ready for the Fall.

2010-07-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Obie Joe Media is ready for new business. Just in time for the August slow, and the Fall feast.

Give us a call. Let's catch up. Truly, Obie Joe Media is eager to hear what's new with your book.

On hiatus

2010-01-23T00:14:00.000-08:00

The Obie Joe particles and people are booked full, and won't be able to take on other projects until the Summer. We hope to see everyone later this year.

Picking on the cover

2009-12-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

A good cover can convey the content inside, whatever the story.

But the best covers entice, making the task to crack the spine to see inside an irresistible impulse.

Much will be continue to be said about Publisher Weekly's cover. (Loved that the arresting photograph by Lauren Kelly came from the new book, Posing Beauty by Deborah Willis). That the cover's connotation detracted from the necessary conversation inside, etc.

Perhaps. It's been too long of a day since an interesting cover on the issues faced by Black writers and the marketplace came along -- especially for PW -- and if anything, the cover made readers look inside (read the excellent essay by fellow Baltimorean Felicia Pride). It would be different if Mr. Obie Joe suspected cynicism in the cover choice, but PW is often not that creative. Rather, the choice of this photo for this dedicated issue was representative of the sometimes clueless nature with which the traditional parts of the publishing industry approach the voices in the Black community.

And, c'mon, the amount of puns inspired is too irresistible.

TIP: Letting readers be the editors on your book's outline

2009-12-13T16:49:00.000-08:00

Mr. Obie Joe is of the opinion that the greater involvement a reader has in the author, the book's subject, or the book's hype, the better the chance an author wins the lottery: the reader buys the book, tells friends & family, and goes to the event.

What if your reader could collaborate with your book? As in, say somethin' about the way you put your book together? A new site, a book outline Wiki, posts a book's outline, and then allows registered users to give their notes on your genius. (also good for books still under development.)

Ms. Obie Joe is liking the Act One by Moss Hart book.

Sales, accolades, sales again

2009-11-16T08:56:00.001-08:00

Recognition, gathered via awards from officious places, or premature death, always bring sales of your book.

Many authors spend their entire careers unjustly unappreciated by awards and/or sales. Trust that you are not alone, and that every sale is worth something. Mr. Obie Joe was intrigued to read of the book sales for the five nominees for the prestigious National Book Award:

(winner) LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN, by Colum McCann 17,200 copies
LARK AND TERMITE, by Jayne Anne Phillips 15,250 copies
IN OTHER ROOMS, OTHER WONDERS, by Daniyal Mueenuddin 8,750 copies
FAR NORTH, by Marcel Theroux 1,275 copies
AMERICAN SALVAGE, by Bonnie Jo Campbell 1,100 copies

Sidenote: A hearty congrats to McCann, a fav around Obie Joe Media for his book, Zoli, about the Romany, and the struggle to be left alone by the dominant culture. Best line: "I still call myself black, even though I have rolled around in flour."
(Photograph: Tina Fineberg/AP)

TIP: Fancify your online invites

2009-11-15T16:02:00.000-08:00

Sure, fancify is only a word the littlest Obie Joe could conjure, but the intent for online invites is the same. How best to match the online invitation to your event? There are a fair amount of these services, and nearly offer the same points:
• Ease of design. Some offer more options in clip art. Most offer templates for any occasion; Constant Contact is known for their range.
• Tracking. Evite pings you by cell phone; all services notify you by e-mail as the yea/nay/maybe somedays roll in, as well as tell you how many opened the invite at all.
• Cost. Only Evite is free, and scrolling through the ads can annoy. Constant Contact does offer e-mail management; those authors with multiple e-mail lists arranged by niche audiences can find this service a life-saver.

We're also been intrigued by a new player, paperlesspost. Still in beta, and not offered for free (yet), there are aspects of using an online invite system that looks more at home with a wedding planner. When we received an paperlesspost invite from Love Is a Mountain author Mozella Perry Ademiluyi for appearances in London, we paid more attention because the look, and suspense of "opening" the invite gave a larger sense of exclusivity to it.

When designing your next evite, try for a personal, formal look. It might not work for an event in an institutional setting (library, bookstore), but for a more intimate setting (book club), where you want to guarantee close to 100% confirmation, something along the lines from paperlesspress might work.

Perhaps an author tour is worth the time...

2009-11-12T13:55:00.003-08:00

Not a fan of Wal-Mart, and probably should know more about Mr. King, and yet this event located just miles from the Obie Joe Media home inspires much love for all involved. Hundreds of fans showed up to meet the man, many of whom camped out the night before.

Get out there and tour! Surprise yourself with the possibility of fans. Maybe not King-size, but surely well enough for building to the same.

(image courtesy of The Baltimore Sun)

2009-10-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

Just like the Alien vs. Predator fight, we don't know who will win in the Amazon vs. Wal-Mart fight to sell bottom-priced books. We do know the loser: those who love books. Sure, the price wars are limited to the blockbusters, so what's the damage for 95% of the other books?

Lots. Those blockbusters also shore up the independent bookstores, authors, and the publishers by subsidizing the more modest sales. That's Mr. Obie Joe's opinion. Pudd'nhead Books found a few other opinions, including the first comparsion of books to pork chops.

"It's a totally different market. If Wal-Mart started selling pork chops for $1.79 a pound, they're not going to put Whole Foods out of business. There is plenty of room for everyone."
Barbara Meade, co-founder of Politics and Prose, Wash., DC

"I'm tickled pink (that Wal-Mart and Amazon.com are fighting), and I'm hoping that they lose a lot of money."
Jane Kessler, owner of Appletree Books, Cleveland Heights, OH

"Bestsellers are not the strength of independent bookstores," Klein said. "We don't live and die by the bestsellers. . . . What goes on between Amazon and Wal-Mart affects them more than it affects us."
Richard Klein, co-owner of Book Revue, Huntington, NY

"It's the chain bookstores and the readers that are going to be hurt by this the most. Chain bookstores can't do what what independents can do, not can they pay their bills by selling toothpaste and electronics. Readers will suffer the most, however. If the general public learns to expect cheap books, publishers won't be able to afford to take a chance on new writers, so quality, story, research and expertise will slowly disappear from new books, and we'll only have those most commercial and bland books to choose from. Again, you get what you pay for."
Nikki Furrer of Pudd'nhead Books, Webster Groves, MO

TIP: Memorize these terms

2009-10-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Ellis Weiner's new piece, "Subject: Our Marketing Plan," would be funnier for Mr. Obie Joe had we not realized we knew most of the terms used in marketing books the modern way. Even tab-skimming your blog's comments.

Sigh. (And the image is inverted to push the point.)

How u doin', MySpace?

2009-10-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

At this point Mr. Obie Joe wonders if the old becomes the new in the ever dizzying swirl of social networking tools. All of advertising appeals to the fantasy within, and we are driven by similar desires by choosing which social network to use for ourselves and our book.

So, Facebook is in, MySpace is out. Facebook is for younger, hipper, richer, more active people. MySpace? Sniffed one social media researcher to NPR this morning: MySpace is too brown and too poor. How does she know this? "Because, she says, low income people are more likely to click on ads, in MySpace," notes NPR.

If social networks are like our neighborhoods -- welcome to only those who live there -- then how to expand your book's presence within social networks? Well, for one, don't believe the balderdash of these "social media researchers." There are a few teenagers in the Obie Joe family, and judging by the average 1,000+ count of friends on their Facebook accounts, we'd say teens are a lot more open to new ideas and friends than we think.

So, start up a MySpace page. Use MySpace's wonderful capacity to post calendar, audio clips, and segments of your book. Granted, it's more difficult to filter in MySpace to find your prospective readers (try typing in names of your favorite authors to see what MySpace groups they are placed in), but not impossible.

Plus, you know those fickle teenagers: if you think they'll be on Facebook by graduation, they have a Tweet for you.

Biting the hand

2009-10-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

The good and bad about the latest throw-down over what is the new paradigm of book publicity is found on Huffington Post by Jonathan Fields, whose new book Career Renegade benefited from his techniques.

Best closing line: "There's a new world order in arena of buzz and it's called conversation."

Best comment: Left by Time correspondent and author, "Going on Leonard Lopate's radio show in an hour. I've decided to make book publicity a full-time career."

Worst use of comment section in article about clueless nature of publicists navigating online publicity: "Authors? Contact me!"

TIP: Managing your Facebook popularity

2009-10-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

In using Facebook as a publicity tool, many authors prefer to keep their publicity among their friends. Which is an admirable, but limited goal.

Keep your friends, and keep up the creative talk on your personal page, but also create a Fan page. An aside: there is a difference between Fan Page and a Group Page. Mr. Obie Joe is of the opinion a Fan Page might work best for a book, as membership is unrestricted. That said, authors should consider building a Group Page, because the discussions on these type of pages are more involved, and the chosen members more willing to help you with your viral marketing.

OK, here's what a Fan Page can do for you and your book(s):
• Manage, at a more professional level, those announcements distinct to your book.
• Expand your circle to include other Friends whose influence might help your book in different ways, and independent of whether they've your "friend." This would include reviewers, book clubs, libraries. Asking another Fan Page to join your Fan Page is easier than Friend2Friend.
• Increase the focus: on a Fan Page there's no talk of "OMG! I saw a bluebird." Instead, it's about you, and the book.
• Allows you to let almost everyone in. For the most part, the focus eliminates nonsense, and you don't have to worry if you do, or don't know, the new Fan.
asked you; on the other • Even though you might want to share the same info. from your Friend page to the Fan, it's best to keep the content feeds separate. Friends don't want to what strange Qs the bookclub had, your Fans would thrive on that tidbit.
(the pic is of Ms. Meyer, because she holds the record for the number of Fan and Group Pages)

TIP: Put your books in the trunk

2009-10-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

But don't drive them off the cliff.

Having a few copies of your book is an essential marketing task, whether you're the author from a big or little or no publishing house. Best of all, these techniques are evergreen, and can be done well after the book's publication date. A few ways those books will come in handy:
• Sell-outs at a reading. Particularly if it's a non-retail setting, i.e., library or reading series, chances are the few copies the venue pre-bought might not suffice.
• Chance conversation with a co-worker who knows someone in charge of booking that killer venue you've been seeking.
• You ran into Jonathan Yardley in the grocery store parking lot and he agreed to review the book. True story.
• Last-minute inspiration to put on the preacher persona, and hand-sell your book at the Farmer's Market. Or along a traffic jam. At a subway station.
• On a day-trip, see that cozy independent bookstore, and decide to drop off 5 copies on consignment.

Would you let B&N bully you?

2009-09-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

Some of the more loyal readers to Obie Joe note the, uh, primitive nature of our blogroll. In some ways, the intent reflects the loyalty to a few sites, and in another way, it's an avoidance of paying the devil its' due for return favors.

If you're an author with an involved site/blog intended to gather your audience and move sales, you've had to consider the bargain of referral links. As well as the balance of these referral links to your own e-commerce goals. Does the inclusion of an Amazon button take sales from your e-cart? Plus, the heavy-handed suggestion from B&N to include their button has worried several more of the entrepreneurial authors.

The answer is do a bit of both. To place your book in the most comprehensive marketing plan, it's best to include all buttons, including, Indiebound (to refer to a local bookstore to handle your sale). But here's the thing: make your deal the best. Grant the best discount (at least 40% off retail price), throw in swag (free bookmarks, gumballs or stickers), and decent customer service. Most people don't mind clicking on your shopping cart, if the price and convenience is about the same. So, go ahead, welcome all buttons, but make sure to make yours the prettiest.

Blackhatting your book on FaceBook

2009-09-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

Technically, this could be another Tip from Mr. Obie Joe, but since it's just evil, perhaps not.

Tag the name of every one of your FaceBook friends on your book cover, and just like that, your book cover appears on hundreds of pages in FaceBook.

How cool! What little time needed on a nifty marketing technique.

Except -- leaving aside the possible revulsion your friends feel -- it's a get rich quick kind of promotion. If you're in the game of developing your career beyond one book, it's not a technique used for gathering an audience for keeps. Tagging doesn't cultivate your audience; other, more content-rich, individualistic techniques do.

Remember, most social media tools are only enhancements, not the thing. Use FaceBook to cultivate your already burgeoning audience (which probably got its start with your real-life F&F). FaceBook can't create your audience; only you can.

(The icon is from "booktag," a Shelfari type application in FaceBook, which might be a good way to build new FaceBook fans for your book.)

Swing by the Salon today, why don't you?

2009-09-24T23:54:00.000-07:00

Obie Joe Media is sponsoring two panel discussions, both possibly essential, at the 14th annual Baltimore Book Festival. Check out these conversation makers on Friday, September 25:

Black Money-Why the Urban Genre is Remaking the Book Business
3:30PM - 4:15PM, Literary Salon
• Troy Johnson, founder, aalbc.com
• Christopher Herz, publisher and author, Canal Publishing
• Tracie Howard, Random House author, urban marketing expert
• Ellis L. Marsalis, III, founder, Obie Joe Media

• Will Online Save the Printed Word?
4:15PM - 5:00PM, Literary Salon
• Kevin Smokler, noted as a founding father of online book promotion, founder with WIRED editor Chris Anderson of booktour.com
• Ami Greko, digital marketing, MacMillian
• Brad Grochowski, Director of Baltimore-based AuthorsBookshop.com, a nationally acclaimed online bookstore, or alternative to Amazon.com, dedicated to selling self-published, independently published and small-press published books.

No time for a F2F book club?

2009-09-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

At minimum, you as the author have received the advice from your publisher, publicists and friends: contact book clubs. Not only do clubs buy in bulk, the word-of-mouth generated by book clubs is unmatched in content and effectiveness.

The truth is, book clubs -- at least the ones of some stablilty and open membership -- are swamped by review requests like elephants to a pumpkin feast. Tapping the cane, Mr. Obie Joe asks you to open your eyes to other ways to promote your book in ways similar to a book club.

Susan Larson the inestimable book editor for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, compiled a list of sites where you and your friends can go into depth why your book is everything.
(Excerpt from 8/12/09 Times-Picayune)

GoodReads.com
This site is a great place to recommend books you've read and see what books others are reading.

It's easy to sign up, and one way to build your virtual bookshelf quickly is to rate the books you've read, from such classics as "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee to contemporary favorites such as "The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Nighttime" by Mark Haddon. In no time at all, I had a virtual shelf of 90 books. There are also categories for books you're reading now, and a place to list books you want to read.

This is also a good place to post quotes, your own writing, or publicize literary events. GoodReads also sends out a monthly newsletter, and there's a group for almost every taste.

The top five "must read" books on Good Reads this week are "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," by Junot Diaz; "The Host, by Stephenie Meyer; "Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse No. 2)," by Charlaine Harris; "Olive Kitteridge," by Elizabeth Strout; and "Outliers," by Malcolm Gladwell." GoodReads also runs an ongoing, fun-to-follow poll of the best and worst books of all time; Stephenie Meyer's bestselling vampire novel, "Twilight," appears on both lists.

Librarything.com
I became aware of this personal book collection cataloging site during a visit from my old college roommate, who, like me, has too many books. Just type in the title, author or the ISBN number on the back of the book and the description will appear. Users can enter 200 books for free or as many as you like for $10 a year or $25 for life.

Currently, the site has more than 700,000 users with more than 40 million book listings. One user has more than 30,000 books listed. The top five authors on Librarything are J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Neil Gaiman.

Shelfari.com
This Seattle site, founded in 2006, became so successful that it was purchased by Amazon.com in 2008 (so naturally, every entry features a "buy from Amazon" link).

Another virtual shelf-building site, it offers readers a variety of groups. Top postings on the current Shelfari blog are entries about children's summer reading, hilarious parodies of children's literature in "The Runaway Mummy" and "Where the Mild Things Are," by Maurice Sendup, and fond reminiscences of Frank McCourt and Walter Cronkite.

Bookcrossing.com
This site is for the booklover with a generous streak who wonders what to do with books that they have no room for in a permanent collection. "Help make the whole world a library" with more than 700,000 members in more than 130 countries.

Here's how it works: Take a book from your collection, put a note inside the cover about Bookcrossing.com, register the book on the Web site, and release it "into the wild" -- leaving it behind in a hotel room, airport waiting area, restaurant booth, park bench, wherever. Whenever I travel, I take books I can leave behind, and so far I've released books in Louisiana, Maine, Georgia, Florida and Texas. Happy reading, you lucky people who found those books.

You can also find out where books have been released in your geographical area if you want to go book-hunting. Currently there are 18 books "in the wild in Louisiana," 2 in New Orleans, and 8 in Pineville..

My Space and Facebook and Twitter
Those social networking megasites are also must-stops for booklovers. Many authors have their own pages now, and local bookstores such as Garden District, Maple Street Book Shop, and Octavia Books have online presences. It's fun to check out the stats of such best-selling writers as Anne Rice, who has more than 30,000 fans, and Rebecca Wells and Michael Lewis, who each have more than 400.

"Facebook is a networking tool, but it is not a substitute for the face-to-face communication with our customers which we value above all else," said Tom Lowenburg of Octavia Books, which also posts YouTube clips of author visits.

Twitter recently came in handy when Maple Street Book Shop only had a day's notice for a visit by best-seeling author Dave Eggers. "About 150 people follow us on Twitter," said owner Donna Allen. "We had a great turn-out."

TIP: Be a cultural filter

2009-09-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

Several decades ago -- well, it seems so -- Ms. Obie Joe was a new parent, and unwise to procuring the good influences for children. As in, what were the actual good books for kids. Ones that entertained without pandering, intrigued without scaring, and soothed without boring.

This being the 90's, without the web, recommendations were gotten piecemeal from librarians, other parents, or something heard. Then Ms. Obie Joe got her hands on the Chinaberry catalog. It was, and remains, one of the best filters for the surfeit of children's books in the library.

Beyond reading with some satisfaction of the predictable drama of someone's life, most of us read blogs for the type of information that's a quick tip, a secret, a new crush. Like Chinaberry, your blog can be an essential filter for readers, inspiring them to return repeatedly. Tell readers about the new book, the best hat, the spiciest sauce.

Entertainment on the brain

2009-08-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

After Hurricane Katrina, Obie Joe decided to load up the minivan for a trip to the hometown. What better bulk than dozens of books slated for one of NOLA's recently reopened schools?

A woman in the neighborhood responded to our call for donated books. In her living room, boxed and labeled, were hundreds of books.

"What can I say? I'm a romance novel junkie. I love a good story," she shrugged. Turns out she bought and read about 30 books a month, which is about the average for romance novels.

Pulp fiction, romance, sci-fi, historical fiction....all easily derided as detriments to "true" literature, yet for the readers of these forms, the story is key, and they could care less about the aspirations of the form.

Ms. Obie Joe loved today's Lev Grossman's editorial in The Wall Street Journal reminding us that literature shouldn't exult in distancing itself from the reader. Perhaps one of the reasons why Young Adult as well as graphic novels are gathering huge contingents of new fans might be a response to the lack of good stories found in grown-up lit.

(credit: Jon Krause, Wall Street Journal for graphic)

TIP: Start your own book club - online

2009-08-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

Some books are tougher than others as candidates for book clubs.

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace would qualify. Fans of the books, unwilling to be the pariahs at their own book clubs, have formed an online book club to scale the 1,000-plus page book. Readers gather at 75-page benchmarks every week for three months. Community, complex discussion, and the thrill of suffusing one in a worthwhile book.

So, why not start an online book club of your own? If you think of it, your Reader Guide is one step forward to your own online book club. But make the content matter, and follow-through. Peruse the structure of the Infinite Jest site in its straightforward blog format:

• The last 10 Posts

• Archives

• The last 10 Comments (many in the wonderfully DFW loquacious way)

But the site's searchability is what Ms. Obie Joe likes best. The search box rocks, but the categories section is particularly astute.

TIP: Cultivate your live line cranks

2009-08-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

The news was startling: President Kennedy was reported shot during a motorcade in Dallas. Walter Cronkite of CBS Evening News was having trouble finding a clear phone line for an outgoing call. In the newsroom, he picked up one of the lines, but a caller was already live. From his autobiography, A Reporter's Life:

I reported (ed: can you imagine how many times that word appeared in his book?) that she had reached our newsroom.

"I want to complain," she complained, "of your having that Walter Cronkite on the air at a time like this, crying his crocodile tears when we all knew he hated Jack Kennedy."

With all of the outraged dignity I could muster, I told her: "Mrs. Llewellyn-Arbuthnot, you are speaking to Walter Cronkite, and you, madam, are a damned idiot."

One of the first jobs a J-school grad gets is triaging the calls from the newsroom's live line, be it newspapers, radio or TV. What happens on the journey from live line to the news editor is an expression of what was wrong with traditional media, and why Ms. Obie Joe has trouble shedding tears for newspapers who refuse to update themselves to the new media. As in, allowing, and welcoming input from their audiences. The type of derogatory comments and dismissive responses from editors who received the message slips from the live line exampled the 1,001 reasons why traditional media lost their audiences.

Many authors and publishers snapped on to blogs and other social networks as a way to reach out. But regardless of your format, watch your live lines. Treat those who e-mail you, leave comments, and generally reach out with a welcome mat. Many times their feedback and accolades will fuel your own literal lifeline. Granted, sometimes the life lines -- comments, generally -- do get out of hand. The battles among commenters have been brutal for Stephenie Meyer, Haven Kimmel and Jacquelyn Mitchard, and each has either frozen or shut down the participatory parts of their sites in the past year.

But if you are willing to start your line, push that Cronkite button. Gently.

Why Friends & Family need to show the love

2009-07-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

In the attic of the former home of the Obie Joe, sat a box of PartyLite candles. At double the normal retail cost, Ms. Obie Joe bought these hallowed candles because she was at a party of friends all engaged in loving the PartyLite.

There's been a long-running debate whether books and/or authors would benefit from traditional advertising. Arguments against include: too difficult to do justice to a book's complexity; book audiences are too niche to risk wide advertising; ads depend on namebrands, only known quantities like Jodi Pincoult go. Plus, advertising is not the same as marketing, which are the tasks most suited for books. Think. When was the last time you saw an ad -- in any of the standard media -- for Avon, Amway, Personal Chef? These brands depend solely on the exploitation, uh, invitation, skills of friends and families. This method is not to be underestimated; Obama's presidential campaign was cited as Internet savvy. Perhaps. Internet was the tool, but Friends & Family was the campaign.

You know your Friends & Family love you, and your book. As your book premieres, give them a nudge to show it. After you send out a postcard via online and mail about the book, shout to your people to do these tasks:
• Request the book at your local book store and/or library. The request will prompt an order, and in some cases with libraries several copies.
• Boost your book to book groups via local bookstores, or readerscircle.com, and libraries.
• Post a review on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, shelfari.com, goodreads.com, or anywhere that takes reader reviews. Speaking from Obie Joe experience, e-opinions are powerful motivators for a new reader.
• Leave an anecdote, cheer, or good wishes on the author's blog, facebook, or elsewhere.

On the postcard, or flier, help your Friends & Family out by including:
• Publisher's name
• ISBN number
• Order information (if self or small published)
• Contact information, w/ reminder that author is available for any event, in-person or electronically.

And...of course, you can always ask ya Friend/Family to host their own book party in your honor. Promise them a pink Cadillac if they sell 1,000 copies.

Teachers and your book

2009-06-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

As recommenders and buyers, teachers are the bunch worth cultivating. Unfortunately, they can be an elusive bunch, reticent to provide direct contact with their classrooms and core curriculums. Too often teachers are asked by authors to do in-classroom presentations; that might work if you're an author with acclaim, but for most authors, a teacher's interest needs to be attracted in other ways.

In a recent BookExpo discussion recounted on Shelf Awareness, several tips on building relationships with teachers, were suggested by Kristen McLean, American Booksellers for Children:
• Subject-based book talks with teacher-only invites at libraries and bookstores.
• Offer teacher in-service.
• Form creative partnerships with local schools. As in, a course on Sioux Nation, taught over span of weeks, involving several authors.
• For bookstores, create an in-store education information center.
• Spearhead buy-local programs using attractive discounts and delivery systems.

Shelly Plumb, owner of Harleysville Books, in Pennsylvania, noted that children's books are her bestselling category for which she has developed several programs:
-- Participation in the Pennsylvania State Certification Program and offering PSCP courses to teachers. (Most attendees are private or parochial schoolteachers.)
Establishing eight types of book fairs for schools, from preschool through middle school.
-- A contest with schools where they earn "book bucks" and a prize goes to the school that's read the most books.

Ms. Obie Joe really loved how the Little Shop of Stories in Decatur worked with parents to originate a book fair to counter the mass market titles and "gimmicky things" offered through Scholastic Book Fairs. That kind of book fair may be modest in profit, but big on profits in goodwill and name recognition among teachers.

What? I can't do book promotion for free?

2009-06-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

Book people, because of their affection for literature and ideas, tend to do a lot of free work when moved. And that's cool, because many of us are both beneficiaries and philanthropists (thank you, Michelle, for my latest book edit!).

But sometimes it goes too far, as it does in many service sectors. Just because you adore what you're doing doesn't mean you have to tolerate the attitude that it's not worth much.

Bella Stander of Book Promotion 101, sent the apt link of how many Vendor-Client relationships go.

Beware the duck-handled umbrella!

2009-06-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

As fellow blue collar workers, parents, and of course, book promoters, this anecdote of a book appearance gone awry prompted much laughs.

The temperament of author Alison Uttley didn't quite match the sentiment of her classic “Little Grey Rabbit” children’s books.

MobyLives, the blog for Melville House Publishing, caught the best part of a anecdote from Uttley's publicist:

"...the release is also prompting some who worked with her to come forth with their own stories about her that are even juicier. For example, in a remembrance at the Fotolibrarian site that’s worth reprinting nearly in full, Gwyn Headley recalls:

When I worked for Collins (the predecessor of HarperCollins) I was detailed to accompany Alison Uttley to the Children’s Book Fair at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster. She was a sour little old woman, with no small talk, and I was clearly merely a minion.

But I was quite good at publicity, and I’d arranged for everyone attending the fair to be invited to COME AND MEET ALISON UTTLEY. At half hourly intervals the PA system hollered out ‘ALISON UTTLEY!! LITTLE GREY RABBIT AUTHOR!! HERE AT 12!!’

Teachers were whipping their charges into a state of frenzy. Me, I just wanted to sell some books.

We’d placed Uttley on a curtained daïs, and on the dot of 12 the curtain rose. A howling crowd of excited children stormed the stage.

As Uttley hadn’t bothered to listen to a word I’d told her, she was completely unprepared for this. Dimly she perceived an overwhelming mob running at her and with British pluck she unhesitatingly grabbed her duck-handled umbrella and waded into the attack, felling infants right and left.

The kiddies paused, briefly regrouped, then broke up and ran off, screaming in terror. Uttley strode among them, lashing out freely."

Tweeter is the super blog?

2009-06-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

In reading the hash tags from the first 140 characters conference, held this week in NYC, Ms. Obie Joe is struck by the possible over-enthusiasm for the Twitter as a building and disrupter in promotion campaigns.

Twitter works not because a new brain wiring distills our attention span into further squashed increments. Rather, Twitter works because, at its best, it provides a consistent stream of information, or with authors, observations that feed into a story. People leave 4,000 and counting congrats on dooce.com when the newest participant is born because her blog has reliably produced content for years.

Online is the fancy tool, but really, people, we keep returning to the same thing used for eons to transfer and translate information: the narrative.

"The fin de siècle/industrial revolution gave us stream of consciousness, the nuclear age gave us post-modernism, and now the information age has produced what? Writers need to experiment with narratives across media in the same way that alternate reality games have experimented with the video game." (@chapmanchapman Ryan Chapman, Macmillan Internet marketing manager)

Use Twitter -- absolutely -- but don't forget the story.

Strategize for the scatter

2009-06-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

Everybody's online, huh? You might be hearing that from your publicist, publisher and friends.

Certainly, the range of options seem so vast as to start hitting anything that moves.

Moving the cane to the tip of his boot, Mr. Obie Joe would remind you to not chase, but to strategize. Perhaps your book, or your personality, would not match a Twitter campaign. There are authors who work with "only" a web site. Think through your choices, and then commit fierce. Few things are as disappointing as a blog with no entries. Or a web site with just a landing page. Or a Facebook page with no friends.

A few steps at the dance:
• Familiarize yourself with all tools.
• Determine the typical time commitments for each tool. Twitter is daily, blog tour is intermittent, and so on.
• Use tools to track your progress: how many hits, your search engine position, direct feedback/comments on your sit, etc.
• Coordinate original content. Use you Author Q&A for a blog tour; send a blog essay for a press release; and so on.

Online publicity changes the game from traditional marketing is that you, handsome you, chase the consumer in a way that engages them over the long-term. Not for the one-time product buy. Many of Mr. Obie Joe's people work with us not just to sell their book, but to to build their career so their next book sells, too.

Another way social networks sells your book

2009-06-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

There's a general sense that the participation in social networks sell books in a vague, sort-of by association way. Feeding into the "you have to hear it 8 times before you buy the new detergent" advertising theory.

Sure, it can't harm to put a jpg of your book cover on your Facebook, or to troll for other Facebookers who love the same things you do, therefore lining up to buy your book.

There are several social networks for professionals. These are proving to find profitable products for their members. Recently, one of Obie Joe's authors, a physician, was approached to direct a CME course in partnership with Sermo and a respected medical school. His book would be included as well as compensation for his presentation.

TIP: Which to choose first: general or niche audience

2009-05-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

When putting together a marketing plan, the first task (besides budget) is figuring out who is your audience. Not necessarily who your reader is -- wonderfully, one could make the case none of us really knows what type of reader will find our book -- instead, what audience most interested in the book promotion tasks. Who will show up at your book reading? Who listens to your radio interview? Don't always assume the reader and the interested party are one and the same.

Why choose one? Why not develop a marketing plan to include both? Well, sure, except an author does risk diffusing the sharpest aspects of their platform, issue, and book. Instead try these steps:

1) Choose your buddies: Niche or General. Remember that the one not chosen will get its turn later.
2) Develop tools, venues and goals specific for the side picked. The Today Show for the General; Popular Mechanics for the Niche.
3) Go do.
4) As you go do, take notes of the places suited for buddy left waiting. In a hotel lobby, see the niche magazines. In your readings, get the name and number of the Polish dancing organizer for later contact for their e-ail lists, events, publications.

Ms. Obie Joe has a preference to pick the General buddy first, because it gives her time to develop new places and tools exclusive to the Niche. But with Fiction titles, it is a challenge to pick General first, unless the author has a killer author platform (hopefully not literally). In Fiction, Niche (the Author's hometown, quirk of personality, etc.) always pushes first.

Which ones would you prefer?

TIP: Coordinate your content

2009-04-12T18:43:00.001-07:00

For those authors struggling to prioritize pertinent bits of information as they use online tools to promote their book. Mr. Obie Joe knows it's tough to figure ut which ones go first, and which ones can go monthly (never your blog, right?).

Some online tools make better matches than others:
• Twitter to FaceBook: Same amount of words, and same depth of content. Perfect for updates from book tour. Just don't forget to sprinkle in a few event photographs.
• MySpace video to YouTube: similar audience attention span, and similar stan possibilities on topics.
• Your blog's podcast to your own channel on Vox or YouTube. When you build your own channels via YT and Vox, you build audiences based on people who like your audio style. Plus, you can mix in excerpts from other artists to explain a larger point.
• Eons to Gather. GoodReads picks to Shelfari.

In these efforts, you're not only connecting with an increasing audience, you're also pushing up your Google spot, both for your book, and your name as an author.

Ha, ha, ha. Ahem.

2009-03-26T07:54:00.001-07:00

"We'd like to publish it, do nothing to promote it, and watch it disappear from the shelves in less than a month."

TIP: Cloud compute your next novel?

2009-03-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

The shazam speed of success for the free, online publishers like scribd.com and issuu.com have inspired many to post full copies of their zines, manuscripts and books.

There's another reason why authors looking to increase their fan base might consider using these sites. Say you're a writer fascinated by the Gilded Age ruins, you can bet many share your fascination (like Ms. Obie Joe). Use these sites to post elements of your book in progress. Think of it: what could be cooler than posting the latest finding in your research? For nonfiction books, posting research bit by bit is akin to Dickens' posting chapter by chapter the rivets of Nicholas Nickleby.

For finished books, authors should definitely post a chapter of their book, as well as post links or aspects of other works that influenced your book.

When musicians and singers are interviewed about their latest work, the first question is often about the influences of other artists and other art. Given that books and authors are suspectible to even more infuences, here's your chance to draw in your fans with similar connections.

(Obie Joe's preference? Both sites are easy to use, but scribd.com is a bit better suited for visual, and has more visitors to boot).

Twasn't the name, it was the game

2009-03-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

One of the more unique aspects of the hit book, The Convenant with Black America, edited by Tavis Smiley, are its back pages. These resemble the last pages of a program from a high school graduation: pages and pages of names. Each name resembles a thumbprint of someone who helped to include valuable, and from the ground up, stories in the book. People contributed through many forums: church seminars; black literature study groups; writer edit sessions and political discussion coffees.

Thanking each contribution in the book may have been seen as unusual or generous, but Ms. Obie thinks it was a savvy investment. Including each name inspired each name to become a champion of the book. After the book was published, each contributor was encouraged to host a Convenant party. Across the country, there were hundreds of these parties to discuss the ideas, and to buy the book.

While this book was certainly one of the biggest successes for small press Third World Press, publisher Haki Madhubuti must have sensed the buy-in was already there. In its first month of release, over 300,000 copies were sold.

For those authors and publishers, particularly in nonfiction, make sure to not forget your first customers: those in the book. Some audiences are right there waiting; look no farther than your own address book.

Her name means commerce

2009-03-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

She's two sides of same coin. Found without request. Runs on sweetheart setting until wrong car or any dog crosses her path. Shares her couch with generosity. Misunderstood like the rest of us.

TIP: Candy makes them stickier

2009-03-10T11:04:00.001-07:00

On one of those ridiculous hot days when brains are sodden, Ms. Obie Joe listened to campaign staffers worried about getting coverage of the next evening's rally.

"Send every newsroom a cake. Preferably sheet cake, with the time, date and place spelled out in perfect icing," said Ms. Obie Joe.

"Cake? What does cake have to do with moving them tomorrow?," said the earnest staffer.

Ms. Obie Joe, having worked in many a newspaper newsroom, knew the arrival of cake shook the staff awake. We'd descend upon the cake, curious or hungry, and before the knife sliced many pieces, you can bet a few of us knew the date, place and time (as picked up a copy of the news release).

True, the cake trick worked a bit more effectively for a nonprofit's event rather than a political event (maybe a bottle of whiskey would be better suited), but the truth is the same. Sweets are sweet.

At your next book signing, put out a bowl of candy -- make sure it's the good stuff, not the Dollar Store lead filled junk -- and watch as many more stop by to take a look at the book. Our advice may seem simple, but it's an extension of how each Author can approach any event: with an appreciation for the fans and those yet to be your fans.

TIP: Share your bookstore's blog

2009-02-27T09:58:00.000-08:00

One of the more wonderful parts of generating content to connect with your audience -- via blogs, e-mail newsletters, podcasts and perhaps all of the above -- is the creativity to find new homes for the same content. Trading with other author blogs is one standard source, but Ms. Obie Joe counsels to find unconventional, or un-obvious (can that be a new word?), source:

• Bookstores blogs. In anticipation of her appearance at Book Passage bookstore in California, Meredith Norton (Lopsided: A Story About Breast Cancer) posted an entry not entirely relevant to her book, but very much so to Meredith's world view.
• Expert blogs: Given the specificity of his book's topic -- concierge medicine -- Dr. Steve Knope could easily jump from one blog on CM to another (and did). But given that CM is a response to the crisis with primary care, Knope found other places within expert blogs in primary care, nursing, senior health, etc.

More later...it's Friday, and the hours are once again outmatched by the tasks....

Read-aloud words assault?

2009-02-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

An earnest suitor, riding on the crosstown bus in New York City, reads aloud to his beloved. While she is besotted with the caress of his words, many on the bus register outright hostility. Why is reading aloud akin to hoisting a blaring boombox on that same bus?

Robert Gray was on that bus, and he shares our curiosity. While the bus situation was a bit extreme -- reading aloud like that is more of a performance than a shared pleasure -- there does seem to be divides in the literary community on standards of reading aloud. In poetry, there is a segregation between what Mr. Obie Joe calls the "slow" or formal poetry readers versus the spoken word poets whose words reflect both the paper and the poet.

Then there the readers, often nonfiction, who depend on a colloquial, barstool approach. Each anecdote they tell seem like a great story. Rick Bragg is like that, though he is also an unusually good reader of his own books, too.

The worst? Those who read with an affected or theatrical voice. Look, unless you have the silky smooth of Chip Kidd, just read in your regular voice. Like the suitor on the bus, leave it at home.

Be an early adjuster: cell phone your next novel

2009-02-02T10:04:00.000-08:00

For publishing to survive -- not by cost cuts, but by attracting new customers -- the stories and insights will have to go in places beyond paper and ink.

Why are we book lovers so afraid of new technology? Why is there the sense that another technology displaces the importance of the story? Perhaps the dread comes from the last go-around with a new technology: movies. We all know how well those literary translations worked out.

Ms. Obie Joe has been reading with great amusement of the Dickens-type of storytelling in Japan. There, over 86 Percent of Japanese high schoolers are great readers of the modern novel -- on their cell phones. The novels are delivered, in many cases at no additional costs -- in segments. Interestingly, just as a book's sales shoot after a movie version is released, many teens buy the book version. Not so surprisingly, 10 of Japan's print bestsellers in 2007 were based on cell phone novels--successfully selling about 400,000 copies each.

Mr. Obie Joe was intrigued at the saturation of the cell phone novel; beginning in 2002, the first edition came from by Yoshi who wanted to experiment with a new market for Deep Love: Ayu's Story. The book was an instant success, and beget print books, cartoons, and a film. Each installment is Twitter-length, 70-140 words, with segments timed for delivery several times a day. (Always with cliffhangers, one supposes).

Not only does this prove technological advances will help publishing, these also reach the so-called "nonreader," ages 10-20.

No one is asking any of us who love books to be an early adopter for technology, but at the very least, let's be an early adjuster for the technology already here.

Back from bacteria

2009-02-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

Now that each Obie Joe member has emptied out the pharmacy, we're in good health. Returning to the joy of surveying publishing and the promotion therein.

Good Books blog rewards readers

2009-01-08T08:24:00.001-08:00

Even though Ms. Obie Joe can sometimes squirrel a skeptic's eye at books of spirituality and so forth, she greatly celebrates the effort to establish niches for readers of genres. Writers and fans of romance and sci-fi have always managed to generate numerous blogs to filter what new books are coming out, and how they relate to other older titles.

From HarperOne, a house that publishes titles in religion, spirituality and personal growth, a new blog, Good Books in Bad Times. As the founder of the blog, associate marketing director Laina Adler said the blog includes titles from all publishers on those topics (including those from self-published market?)

Good to see a publisher interested in rewarding readers of a genre with collaboration possibilities.

TIP: Play poker, not Oprah

2008-12-31T12:38:00.000-08:00

Got this from from Obie Joe fellow friend Max Nomad of Bohemian Griot Publishing. He saying what we've been saying about the old ideas about book promotion have got to change. As in, time to do the heavy lifting people.

"If it's any consolation, not too many publishers outside of the Top 10 publishing houses dedicate any time or effort trying to get on Oprah's book club list. Consider this:

• Since 1996, there have been 66 books to make Oprah's Book Club Book List. Even though that averages out to be about 5.5 books a year, it's actually closer to a couple of titles each year when you look at the entire list:
• According to RR Bowkers, there are about 275,000 new titles published each year.
• Do the Math.

To put it into perspective, the World Series of Poker currently hosts somewhere between 8500 and 10,000 players. Believe it or not, your chances of winning their multi-million dollar jackpot are much better.

I'm not saying to not make the attempt -- ahem -- just that you'd probably be better off dedicating your efforts to getting reviews like with the Midwest Book Review or the New York Times.''

Should you offer your book for free?

2008-12-30T11:50:00.000-08:00

Mover of ideas Seth Goldin says yes. His last three books at various times, were given out gratis. Why? Perhaps to convert new readers for his line of thinking, but Ms. Obie Joe suspects the free run also rewards his long-time fans.

If you, or more likely, your publisher (an author who pirates his own work!) is squeamish about the free store, try one of these options:
• Before the final edition is completed, offer a free preview via an e-book format.
• Make elements of your book “go live.” Place podcasts of your interviews with your subjects, or in the case of a fiction title, put up a podcast of your thoughts on discovering a country road elemental to a plot twist.
• Go with a book trailer, with an offer to download a free chapter at the end of the trailer.
• Offer a free chapter, and with an offer for standard industry discount of 30% for complete book, in e-format or regular.

Listen when you work

2008-12-20T16:01:00.000-08:00

Writing is a solitary business. Rare is the verse composed without other sounds in the room. Ms. Obie Joe is convinced the writing community invented iTunes, Pandora, or any of the other music quilts.

Add this one: the podcasts from the Author Talks at the Free Library of Philadelphia (by the incomparable Andy Kahan).

277 podcasts of authors, sometimes alone, other times in packs. Always interesting.

And, no, smarty-pants, Chip Kidd is not the only one Ms. Obie Joe hits on replay.

TIP: The care & feeding of your blog

2008-12-19T07:36:00.001-08:00

Some of y'all, well, spicy talkers have given Ms. Obie Joe grief for the limited blogroll set up for this here conversation. Blogrolls, particularly for those in the book line of work are often, and wonderfully, quite lengthy. Which is good, because the conversation should never be limited to a few.

That said, when thinking of your blogroll, after you decide the size, theme and scope, make sure to keep it up to date. Which is one of the main reasons the Obie Joe blogroll is limited to the dozen or so sites we read on a regular basis; there are countless others we read, but just not as regularly.

Use the MySpace "Top Friends" approach, and list those dozen sites of greatest importance to you. From there, have separate categories for the blogs less visited by you; categorizing your blogroll will help you say yes to the bloggers who ask to be added to your blogroll.

Keep the blogroll specific to your book or genre. Save the link to I Can Haz Cheeseburger for the homefront.

Consider using an external source to manage your blogroll. Even though your site and/or blog has a spot for your blogroll, using an external source -- as an addition -- helps with your SEO goals. Obie Joe uses blogrolling.com, even though they've had some technical issues of late.

Absolute, unquantifiable heartbreak

2008-12-18T09:57:00.000-08:00

Irvin Mayfield, Jr. and Ms. Obie Joe agree on one thing: a library system is one of the breathing manifestations of the Constitution. A city's greatest measure of success is its library system.

Within weeks after Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Public Library staff plunged their hands in the muck to retrieve what books could be cleaned, and make space for what books were needed. The libraries were one of the first municipal systems to open after the disaster, and in large part to these knowledgeable, passionate people within the library system.

Well, most of them have been canned, courtesy of the NOPL chairman of the board, jazzman Irvin Mayfield, Jr. In today's Times-Picayune article, the questions being raised about the health of the library system just make Ms. Obie wanna pitch a mud-caked book at a certain pint-sized player.

There are few greater sins than limiting access to the written word, sez Ms. Obie Joe.

TIP: How to be a good guest blogger

2008-12-14T16:27:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, matters are spelled out with such detail you cannot avoid reading it. And printing out a copy to read in the car at red lights.

How to be a gracious guest...blogger, that is. The pioneer of online promotion, M.J. Rose (and oh look, is her latest book The Memoirist the hit it deserves to be?), features an excellent essay on a task you should be doing, which is be a guest blogger. So your name gets out there on more established blogs.

After you go to mjroseblog.typepad.com/buzz_balls_hype/, scroll down for the essay posted on Dec. 10.

TIP: Aw, just send it already

2008-12-14T13:02:00.000-08:00

If the book moves us, many times Obie Joe Media will take on a book most publicists would consider small fry, by audience, or potential sales.

If you're an author unsure about hiring your own publicist, because you had faith your publisher would take of everything, or because you worried about affording the costs yourself, or other reasons, don't worry. We've happy to work with you.

There's just one thing. Sure, it's great we can talk about your book via e-mail or phone, but nothing can replace the sight of the book. If you are that interested, and we say we might be interested, send us that book. Too many times Ms. Obie Joe has struggled to send an estimate of services w/out seeing the book, and it's an odd and ultimately unsuccessful experience.

Ya want to know if we want u? Send the book. (P.O. Box 24610, Baltimore, MD 21214)

Even the President-Elect saw the importance of friends...

2008-12-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

...when it came to selling books. In the sense that the first customers should always be your friends, and then thereafter, start the momentum of the wonderful "and she told a friend, and then she told a friend, and so on, and so on..."

If you are an author still clinging to the delusion that your book will sell once you, (or your poor publicist), gets that one big media hit, expand your thinking. Successful books are the result of campaigns that build audiences among many sectors. Some will be from media, sure, but many more will be from the friend-of-a-friend strategy.

Plus, you can always tell your friend that throwing you a book party (or coffee as they say in political campaigns) is fantastic networking. Back in 1995, Chicago-based attorney Valerie Jarrett threw a book party for a little known State Senator.

The book was Dreams from My Father, and Jarrett's party drew just 10 people. But even then Jarrett went the extra mile, and personally hand-sold dozens of copies.

Well, Mr. Obie Joe guesses you all know what happened to Jarrett, and her fav author, President-Elect Barack Obama.

TIP: Hire or borrow a media coach

2008-12-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

In a recent interview on mediabistro.com, one of the top book publicists spoke about her effort to catch the attention of Oprah for her client's book on financial savvy.

In pitching the book, Heidi Krupp viewed the book as a vehicle for many other tasks.

One of the first steps is to polish your media presence. As in, how well do you speak, look and interact? In your budget for book promotion, consider throwing in $200 for a media coach. Outside major cities, you can find media coaches by calling your university's speech, theater, media departments. After the coaching, make sure to put together a demo tape. As Krupp noted, "To get on national broadcast television, you must have a very good tape. National shows won't consider having you on without a demo tape. It would be great to do something first in your local market."

Your appearances on local TV can serve as your demo tape, too.

Reading series are the new Oprah

2008-12-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

(yes, Ms. Obie Joe is aware that's an ungrammatical title)

Look, there are two ways to attract audiences to your book. One is the new audience, often moved to buy your book because of hype built from some money-loaded project. Another way is to expand your circle of friends to include people who probably would love your book if you just set it in front of them.

Other authors are good bets. That's why a reading series is essential to your tour. Especially for first fiction. Ms. Obie Joe loves ferreting out a city's reading series; ferreting is the right word because many reading series have low-key presences, and often change their locations, names and focuses. Check around your town for a reading series. And make sure to solicit a reading spot at least 3 months before your book's publication (if you can).

But consider going to a reading series for some hella fun. Writers are a witty bunch, and their commentary -- sometimes loosened by a reading series' location in a bar, for example -- expands on the book immeasurably. Our favorites:

• Gist Street Readings in Pittsburgh
• 5ive:Ten Readings in Baltimore
• New & Emerging Writers Series in Boston

Wikipedia manners

2008-12-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

If your book is a nonfiction title -- with the exception for memoirs -- one of the tenets of your online promotion is a Wikipedia page. Few other pages get higher SEO bounces than a Wikipedia page. Even if you don't generate your own page, or or wish to not replace a page similar enough to your topic, find other ways to participate in Wikipedia. Comment on a page; add a few lines to fill out a topic; or even send in a correction.

Just know one thing: Wikipedia is a world unto itself, and it is wise to know your Wiki manners. The administration of information on Wikipedia is taken very seriously by its unpaid volunteers. Ms. Obie Joe's toes still wince at some of her missteps, so take heed:

• When you sign up as a member, remember your true status is low. Even though you have access to the same options to generate, edit or dispute copy, in reality, the administrators rule.
• Know your administrators: these are the volunteers who are the creators of the base article. A good one will appreciate your e-mail, and might even engage in a lively discussion on the topic before determining which additions or corrections will go through.
• Be patient. Depending on a whole host of reasons - the administrator's whim, personality, etc. -- your suggested edits may take time to be included. Don't fuss.
• Do not, whether it's because you've lost your patience or manners, hit the Edit button in the upper right-hand corner. "This is considered very bad form, and the article administrators will usually (and arbitrarily) remove your edits the moment they find them," notes E. Keith JB Howick, Jr. of Wind River Publishing Company
• Instead, Howick says the proper form for submitting a correction is to click on the "discussion" tab, and then enter your requested change. "It will be reviewed by the admin and others, and if found worthy (yup, pretty subjective), it will be added or you will be given permission to "edit this page." Don't bother trying to find out who the admin is or how to contact them, it's intentionally and tremendously difficult. It's what the "discussion" page is for," he says.

(and yes, Mr. Obie Joe, that keychain is yet another addition to my wish list!)

No friends on Facebook

2008-12-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

Because Obie Joe Media emphasizes online promotion of books and authors, we get this Q frequently:

"So, you think I should be on Facebook?"

While we think many social networks are innocuous at worst, and interesting at best, we haven't declared a preference for one form over another.

Except for Facebook. Here's why.

One of the beauties of independent bookstores is their familiarity with their customers, and to respect that familiarity by making recommendations for new books we're sure our customer might love. Not every recommendation is a hit, though, and when our customer declines, no hard feelings. We all move on.

Facebook has taken that type of familiarity and perverted it for profit that serves only someone else, and never you. Look, being the aged wonder that Ms. Obie Joe, she appreciates that her sense of privacy may not suit the modern version. Information is free in a sense that's never been seen before. When Facebook premiered its News Feed feature -- which broadcasts users' activity on their friends' home page -- there was a huge outcry over the perceived affront to privacy. Now? News Feed is one of the most popular features of Facebook.

When the bookstore employee "harvests" your preferences to recommend the next book, it's a limited use. Once you decline that recommendation, the bookstore ceases use of the information The bookstore does not share it with another bookstore, or a sneaker shop, or even your credit card company.

Facebook, on the other hand, mines every single aspect of you, save your actual DNA. "Most Facebook users have no idea their personal information is being commercially harvested and sent out to the thousands of third-party developers whose applications populate the site," notes Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy in an interview with GQ.

And even better? Your digital identity -- all of it -- will be further snagged by Facebook's newest collaboration with "connect." You log into your account on Facebook, and then, everywhere you go -- everywhere -- is captured by Facebook for their use and profit.

People trust Facebook because of that one little feature: the ability to say who is a friend, and who is not your friend. And Facebook’s defense for shirring away their users’ privacy is that these new systems afford greater connection between us (heh. depends who the “us” is). But what we should really pay attention to is the biggest friend-enemy of all: Facebook.

What a vision

2008-12-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

Check out the auction now at PhotoNOLA.

TIP: Make sure your press release has a home

2008-11-20T10:04:00.001-08:00

What's an arrow without a target?

Earlier this week Ms. Obie Joe viewed a new company promising all of the tools needed for a successful book promotion campaign. $100 for a press release (spell-checked and all!). $50 for bookmarks (also known as placecards). $200 for a web site. $125 for a book trailer.

All very well and nice, but without a strategy for these tools, what's the use? Meaning, you have a press release, but where is it going to land:
• Wide broadcast online via PRWeb, CSWire, etc.
• Mailing list to trade magazines, major media, TV/Print/Radio
• Online and mailing list to optimal vendors.

It's interesting to note that it's cheap to have a press release written, but twice the price for a customized list of targets for that press release. You could hire a firm to customize, but even after that, you should take your own chop at the list and customize it as you go along on your book campaign.

This is one of the reasons Ms. Obie Joe has lukewarm feelings for the enthusiasm for book trailers. (With the marked exception of any book trailer by Chip Kidd, of course). Book trailers just seem to flail at any old target, and unless your trailer features a sharp-shooter hamster, dressed like a Disney Princess, good luck on having your trailer seen on YouTube.

Freshening the sheets

2008-11-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

Cobbler's children go without shoes, and publicist's web sites lie stale.

We've finally gotten around to updating the web site for the magical entity for book promotion & production that is Obie Joe Media.

Check us out.

Do the independents book more authors than chains?

2008-11-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

Sure, all books and authors hold equal weight when we construct a campaign of venues, media and online. But truthfully? You know when you're really loved when your publicist emphasizes independent bookstores on your book tour.

Why the love for the independents? A few coins:
• They know how to bring the audiences. Not only through regularly scheduled salons which in turn encourages people to take a chance on an unknown author, but also through a relationship between bookseller and client which in turns tells the bookseller which books might be a bigger crowd drawer.
• They grant generous sale splits for smaller publishers, as well as flexibility in stocking.
• They talk with their customers with regular e-mails, newsletters, and even phone trees, all of which saves an author tremendous stress in publicity efforts.
• They welcome diversity; for authors with controversial topics, independent bookstores are one of the few remaining town halls to debate topics.

Best of all? When you call the person at the independent bookstore to request a booking -- they actually return your call or e-mail.

So. Don't forget. Shop local. Give your thanks during this holiday season for this cornucopia of generosity: your independent bookstores.

Some libraries like you more than others

2008-11-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

Forgive Ms. Obie Joe's near-obsession with libraries as a market; it's just that, for many small publishers, libraries are rich Uncles for granting visibility and sales for your book.

Even though an author or publisher can connect the Acquisitions Editor for an library system, one can also move copies by contacting the sole Acquisition Editor or Head Librarian for a particular branch. Ms. Obie Joe thinks each branch has its own flair, and some might match your book more than others.

This morning, Ms. Obie Joe escaped the home office for the library's quiet. Of great distraction, though were the shelves of the new books. Dozens of photo narrative books. Like candy for Ms. Obie Joe's other obsession. Apparently the orderer at this branch loves photo narratives.

Sure thing Ms. Obie Joe will ferret the name of this fellow fanatic the next time Obie Joe Media represents a photo narrative book.

(photo by Rebecca Lepkoff, from Life on the Lower East Side, Princeton Architectural Press)

Book people offer the kindess of strangers

2008-11-09T16:23:00.001-08:00

You know that old scraw that doctors and lawyers never escape a dinner party without a inquiry about a rash or ex-wife (or both)? Most often, however, these inquiries are met with hesitation.

Given that nearly every one of us thinks a book waits to be called from brain to paper, us book people can be popular people at parties, too. But here's a difference: with some exception, most any book person will offer free help when asked.

Today, as Mr. Obie Joe watches the game with the Miss Obie Joe, Ms. Obie Joe is working on a manuscript given to her by the friend of the neighbor on the hill. Some of the changes will be stylistic, others reside with defining the author's vision. Did the writer want to emphasize his growing up days, or with his time overseas as a mercenary soldier? We'll never be this author's agent, official editor or publisher, yet the impact of these early decisions will move the thing.

And that's why an acknowledgments section on a book can resemble a Christmas Card list with its sentiment and size. Not only does mean the author is a grateful sort, but is also an author smart enough to ask for help from all corners.

Which we're always happy to front free of charge.

TIP: Don't cheat when trolling for readers

2008-10-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

While yesterday's post about Mr. Ritchie seemed a bit out of place, and even though one of the Obie Joes shares his grin, the real reason we stuck our nose into his business was for an experiment.

Turns out our hypothesis was true: feature a celeb on your page, and your web traffic goes up. Even if said celeb has nothing to do with the flavor of your blog or site. Yesterday's statcounter.com for this blog count quadrupled.

For those wanting to increase traffic, you could use celebs, but such contact is fleeting. To build true, consistent traffic, you want readers who like you, your book, your topics.

Light for the day

2008-10-15T11:03:00.001-07:00

About a decade ago, we shared Mr. Ritchie's sentiment.

OH! Something for your Friday

2008-10-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/14636

Love this! Great to listen to in the background.

I can think of a half-dozen authors who need to be kidnapped and placed in front of just so.

Any one else have experience with this format?

Frankenstein, uh, lives again

2008-10-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

Book authors should be so lucky to have a character like Frankenstein live on as a name and representation of certain ideas.

Plus, Frankenstein got his author, dead for over a century, a booking in a hip L.A. bar. Ms. Obie Joe loves the contrarian mix of the "Dead Authors" event: a performer impersonates an author, with commentary on current events, and reading of works.

Ms. Obie Joe's only suggestion would be to match a Living with a Dead Author; the two could share a similar vibe, subject matter, or even just similar looks (well, why not? Who wouldn't want a double bill of the high-hair twins, Malcolm Gladwell and Mark Twain?)

Wanted: a financial book

2008-10-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

These are interesting times, especially if your book is about finances, the war or politics. Any other book? Not such interesting times, at least when it comes to the competition for media bookings.

The past few months have given all book publicists fingertip calluses as we struggle to find media bookings in one of the most memorable news cycles Ms. Obie Joe has ever seen. The tip sheets we get from journalists used to have 5-7 genres (finances, health, parenting, cooking, etc.); today, we're lucky if financial only takes up 20 of the 25 journalist requests.

TIP: To PDF your clips, or not?

2008-09-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

After a bit of time you'll have a section for the press appearances. Book reviews, feature articles, and radio/TV interviews, your community association newsletter.

For those press appearances in print, you have a choice on the format featuring these articles. The most familiar format are the links. But, if an author is technologically adept, Ms. Obie Joe recommends the PDF version. Too often links expire, or reference another article, but the PDF can be perpetually viewed on your site. See this site for an example.

What a coincidence dancy!

2008-09-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

You ever noticed the helpful nature of the 1-star and 2-star reviews of a book on Amazon? Not only do these reviews take delight in detailing the many flaws of a book, they go the extra mile, and suggest other books. Whose worth of course, is much better than the book reviewed. Ms. Obie Joe would classify this as a less-than-scrupulous book promotion method.

(BTW, this book here, Lopsided, most certainly does not deserve anything less than 5 stars. Whether you're a survivor or not, this book's mix of humor, education and outrage is compelling. Plus, is that book cover not one of the best EVER?)

TIP: Your Google Alerts whisper secrets

2008-09-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Many authors seek that standard measure of success: a media hit. An article in a major magazine, spot on a TV show, or radio interview. Fine and well, just don't forget the other media: online. As in online content, and online references to mainstream media.

To see who's telling your secrets, of course, Google Alerts is your best tool.

A wonderful measure of success is how often your book, your name, or your attachment to an issue appears in Google Alerts. Particularly in the midst of a push for media, online and otherwise.

Google Alerts can be a bit messy, and to avoid flooding your in-mailbox, Ms. Obie Joe recommends:
• Sign up
• With each sign-up, make each term as specific as possible, and with quotation marks:
-- Book title
-- Your name, particularly with initials
-- Title of an article relevant to your book
-- The name of your site and/or blog.

Also, make sure to choose "comprehensive" for the type of Alerts; you never know if a media hit will come from news, blogs, sites, or groups.

Most of us choose once-a-day Alerts; but if you know you won't respond to a Alert frequently, set aside a time once a week to go through the Alerts to see which ones need a response.

Who has the best voice?

2008-09-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

Each time Ms. Obie Joe drives through the tunnel under the Baltimore Harbor, on her way South, she thinks of Haven Kimmel. Now while any thoughts of Ms. Kimmel are welcome, rather it's the memory of Ms. Kimmel's audiobooks. The distinctive voice of Ms. Kimmel (think combination of North Carolina twang, stretched by Indiana flats) read She Got Up Off the Couch, and A Girl Named Zippy. There's this one story in She Got Up the Couch, where Haven's mother races to a university President's Tea, dressed in clothes 20 sizes too large, and on a bike not her own. As we listened to it, whatever we were looking at become seared with the memory of that passage.

Now that's what a good audiobook is capable of. And given that the sales of audiobooks are one of the few sectors in publishing with huge gains, there'll be more of us appreciating the vivid ride. Except, those audiobooks that fall short. Or cringe. I guess, when in doubt, go with the Read by Author designation.

What is your favorite audio book? And how can we inspire Mr. Obie Joe to lend his fine voice to the same?

Computer literacy will never replace book literacy

2008-09-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

Libraries, like many other public spaces, should offer grand designs to support grand ideas. Walk inside the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue, and you glide with a purpose.

In the main branch in Obie Joe's hometown in Baltimore, there's this beautiful, 60's-style reference desk to greet all visitors. Well, used to be. Recently, Ms. Obie Joe walked into the main branch in Baltimore, and saw the desk now dwarfed by approximately 100 computers (not even Macs!), with dozens slaving over clicks-upon-clicks.

No surprise when your library director, one Ms. Carla Hayden, freely admits that:

BC: Isn’t it interesting that you’re talking about computers, but the library is full of books.
CH: What’s interesting is that when we talked about libraries in the past, books were the main vehicles for getting information and also for entertainment, but definitely for information, and now it’s beyond books in terms of getting information. Most of the entertainment types of literature are still in book format, like Harry Potter.

Hayden then goes on to describe how her library system now emphasizes the ease of the digital: free DVDs, filling out government forms online, using the computer as a replacement to a doctor, and every way except this point: that a library fosters ideas via guidance to a literacy not considered by the patron.

Small wonder this library director picked "Solutions and Delights" as the logo. Of course.

Deep, deep, sad, sigh. Since when is a library, ideas, books, literacy about delights?!

(Photo credit. Look! Desks with no computers!)

A suggestion for Mr. Obie Joe

2008-09-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Ms. Obie Joe is mighty impressed with this dress. Isn't her birthday coming up?

TIP: Google drilling into your subject

2008-09-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

Finding your audience online is an essential element of any publicity effort for your book. Particularly for nonfiction titles. But lots o' luck finding, via Google or any other search engine, the discussion group, blog or site specific for your subject. Type in, say, coal mining tools, and you'll have to sift through sites for equipment, unions, history, and so on and on.

Here's a tip from Ms. Obie Joe: Be more specific. "Oh, really?," you'd say. Like this:
Instead of: "coal mining tools."
Try: "coal mining tools discussion groups."
Or try: "coal mining tools blogs."

Once you start to collect sites of use, bounce off each site's links, or blogroll. When you google, type in: www.(the link):the site.com. Or via Yahoo, it would be: www.search.yahoo.com, and then enter link:http://www.thesite.com.

Of course there's also the personal approach: e-mail the site's author and ask them for best links to sites that love...coal mining tools.

TIP: Why blurbs don't always matter

2008-09-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

'"Fantastic! The best since the Magna Carta!"
"Words previous to your brain will fall out once you read this book!"

Ah. The book blurb. Often on the back cover, on the jacket leaf, and sometimes, before the title page, blurbs are designed to pimp the sale.

But do book blurbs work? And what kind? Ms. Obie Joe counsels authors -- who can get more wound about blurbs than their publishers -- to think about what KIND of blurbs one would seek:

Log-rollers: You liked her book on the murderous mother-at-home, and now she likes your book on murderous stay-at-home dads. Tit for tat, these are the type of blurbs from authors closely connected by genre, friendship, agent, or other. These type of blurbs can be a bit inauthentic, reflecting less of the blurbist's true feelings about the book, and more about noting a favor completed.

Celebrities: While some celebrity blurbs can make a cover pop, the truth is, unless the blurb has good content, the blurb is often limited to, "Great book! Must love!" Plus, the time suck of chasing after celebrity endorsements is ridiculously out of proportion for the worth.

If You Like This, You'll Love This: We have to confess, these are our fav type of blurbs. If I see a blurb by Thomas Friedman on an obscure book of microeconomics, or Elizabeth Berg on a women's fiction title, I will try the book. Though these blurbists are often well-known, the difference in the depth of connection.

Frenemies: The blurb that hurts the book rather than hurts. Now who would do that to a book? A publisher, with a book that got lousy pre-pub reviews; the only option then is to run the glowing blurbs from the author's last successful book. See Amy Tan. Jennifer Weiner. And a whole bunch more authors who seem to be flailing with their mid-career books. (Sorry, but we love you gals, and it's killing us what has happened).

Never Too Many: Hardback editions usually get no more than 3 blurbs on the back cover. Paperback editions? They get all of the love: cover, back cover, inside, and even at the end of the book. As Eat, Pray and Love proved, many times the paperback editions outsell the hardback, so don't be shy in loading up the praise.

Or, for that matter, asking for a blurb that matters. Course, there's always the option to blurb your own book. What? You think it's not done?
"Packed with good things, like ink, full stops, and paper with words on it." (Spike Milligan)

To those who make fun of those with mental illness

2008-09-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

Few writers have affected those in the Obie Joe family as did the writer David Foster Wallace. Today's news is a reminder of the wretched toll mental illness takes. Treatment is difficult, and often fraught with inconsistent progress. Many of those who suffer shirk from treatment because of the shame factor.

TIP: Is that a Tag Cloud on your horizon?

2008-08-27T12:15:00.001-07:00

As more and more material begins to grow on your web site, you'll want an introduction for your new readers to orient them to what's important on your site. One way is to have a mission statement in the header; a search engine for topics on your site, and so forth. A Cloud Tag would be good, too.

A tag cloud describes the content of web sites, using single words listed alphabetically. In a field of about 50, a few of those words will host heightened status, with larger font size or type color. The tags are usually hyperlinks that lead to a collection of items that are associated with a tag.

Now. Don't make your Cloud Tag a mess. Avoid these storms:
• Use of multiple colors and font sizes. Use two colors, two sizes, and leave the distinction at that.
• Putting ALL tags in one cloud. Consider a 90-day cloud on the landing page, and then a gigantic cloud tag on the Archives page.
• Forgetting the importance of choosing the right word. A Cloud Tag is a visualization of the words you would say, or think. Consider the semantics. Make sure one word can do the work of 4.
• Being messy with the housekeeping of the Cloud Tag. Every month, take a few minutes to combine some words/meanings, add some new words, and do a general check for the misspellings, etc.

All book publicists produce worthless work

2008-08-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

What is the worth of a book publicist's work? Number of books sold? Accolades and fame and gold-encrusted champagne bottles delivered to an author's door?

Ms. Obie Joe asks this after musing aloud with a client obsessed with solving the algorithm of which promotional tasks equal success. While she counseled the stressed author to think of the big picture -- efforts means something, but not guarantees -- Mr. Obie Joe slid over the new copy of Poets & Writers magazine.

In an interview with the incomparable literary agent Molly Friedrich:
Q. Did you like doing publicity?
A. In my opinion, the two jobs that are the most exhausting in this business are the jobs of the foreign scout and the publicist. The reason is that there is never an end to the job. If you're a scout, there is always another book you can cover, another house you can do well by, another report you can write. If you're a publicist, for every eighty letters you write, and eighty ideas you try, there are seventy-nine that don't work. But the only ones that the author hears about—and the editor hears about and your boss hears about—are the ones that work. It is a thankless and really difficult job. But I did it.

What a lovely ratio: 1 out of 80 ideas fly, garner a result, go anywhere.

Daunting odds, yet book publicists press on, mostly because we adore books with a passion that rivals food and sleep for necessity.

TIP: Face to Face beats Facebook every time

2008-08-16T10:00:00.001-07:00

For those of you who've heard of WIRED cover girl Julia Allison, it is a marvel the speed and agility of her entrance into traditional and online media.

So what does this have to do with books, says Mr. Obie Joe to Ms. Obie Joe? Well, for those authors who wish to sell their books via personality and author platform remember this: for as much we love online marketing to cultivate and keep an audience, especially via blogs, Facebook and MySpace, nothing beats face to face when building a new relationship, market, or media stream.

When Allison -- with no discernible skills, talent, or products -- moved to New York in 2004, she went online. Set up a blog about her shopping, her boyfriends, her vacations. Predictably, her site hits were countable. Given that her goal was to become a cult figure, she needed not only readers, but people to talk about her and her musings. "Discover a niche, position herself at its choke point, and stay there until people start to notice."

She wanted gawker.com to be her friend. She tried every castle window: sent tips, links to her articles, left comments, e-mailed the editors. The turning point, though, was as low tech as it gets. Allison crashed the Halloween party thrown by Gawker's owner, Nick Denton.

Shazam. Gawker wrote about her, sometimes unkindly, sometimes with respect. But all publicity is good publicity.

Allison's choice for a face-to-face was brilliant. "Timothy Ferriss, whose skill at reaching bloggers helped turn his book, The 4-Hour Workweek, into a best seller, says it can be effective. "It's a matter of ensuring you have the channel with the least competition," he says. "Email is by far the most crowded channel, followed by phone. The least common is in-person."

Ironic summer reading

2008-08-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

Did the teacher who assigned Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 smirk, just a little, when assigning this book for summer reading for Obie Joe's second son?

While discussing the advent of Montag's shift from book burning to book saving, said son, snapped up his neck and exclaimed, "Wow. It's like Bradbury is talking about how we're all about entertainment and fun and not about ideas."

Yep. Although there is the second irony that the teacher had to force a student to set down the world of warcraft game long enough to arrive at this insight.

Who shot this bookstore?

2008-08-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

The news of Decatur-based Wordsmiths Books' dance with disaster has many shaking their heads at the possibility of another independent bookstore closing. Many of the specs are familiar to all: undercapitalization; unlucky gamble with shift in locations; downturn in the economy; unfair competition with online sources...but there is one other reason that fascinates Ms. Obie Joe.

And a big name author who did not bring in the crowds.

There are bookstores reluctant to sponsor author events -- even when the only costs are fixed -- lights, space and chairs -- and it's been one of Mr. Obie Joe's challenges to work with bookstores to conquer this fear. In the case of Wordsmiths, the costs for that killer appearance must have been way out of the norm, and must have included advertising, printing costs, transportation, non-returnable books, and most interesting, an author's reading fee.

Anyone want to take a gander as to who that author was? Looking at Wordsmiths' recent calendar of past events, some of the suspects could be...Kathie Lee Joel? Carl Hiassen? Or...Barbara Walters? Who?

Confidence game is right

2008-07-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Instead of reading the betting sheets, Ms. Obie Joe decided to read Publisher's Weekly round-up of the Fall offerings from publishers illustrious. Because the books listed represent some of the publisher's biggest bets, we've been interested in a few trends:

• Blond, beautiful, famous, and old: Suzanne Somers' new book, Breakthrough: Changing the Face of Medicine, is printing at 600,000 copies.
• Bald, famous and know-it-all: Dr. Phil's Real Life: Preparing for the 7 Absolutely Worst Days of Your Life at 1 million.
• Smart, rich and contrary: The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life at 1 million copies.
• Connects with fans as you should: Debbie Macomber at 600,000.

Numbers we don't understand, but comprehend: Bill O'Reilly's memoir (1 million); Ina Garten's new bookbook (800,000); and Nicholas Sparks (1.5 million).

And Annie Proulx's new book at only 150,00. For shame! Ms. Obie Joe thinks a copy should be pressed into the hands of everyone, and not just 150,000 of us besotted fools.

So! The lesson in all of this for striving authors? Get famous, or write well, but in any case, make connections with your audience.

Of course, nonfiction would be first

2008-07-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know any better, there is the conceit that an author scurries to the small publisher, or self-publishing route, because of a rejection from the big publisher. Perhaps. But Mr. Obie is fascinated to see more authors check out the small publishing route for more money, quicker profit sharing, and more collaborative publicity.

The business press has made about the innovations of the business model from the new imprint, Harper Studio, part of Harper Collins. Bob Miller is the new head of Harper Studio, and formerly of Hyperion. Elements like increased online marketing, no or low author advance, no book returns, and increased profit sharing (50/50 split!!)...is this "Engineering the Risk Out of Business?"

Kinda of, sorta of, says Ms. Obie Joe. Miller just announced the first set of Harper Studio's titles; 16 are nonfiction and one is nonfiction. Let's see, with nonfiction titles you have the following advantages in book promotion:
• Author platform with strong name recognition.
• Author with other income, so more willing to delay book income.
• Locked in audience, tied to author, and/or topic.
• Wider swath of venues for presentation by author.
• Large scale drilling into several niches in online communities interested in the book's topic.

Hmm. Sometimes the little teaches the big.

Do school summer reading lists kill or create?

2008-07-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

In the Obie Joe household, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is king. With four teenagers, and one soon-to-be, and of course, one wanna be (she's still a toddler, though), the Hatchet is a story memorized.

And while the story features Paulsen's excellence in Young Adult literature, Hatchet remains a bit of a sore topic in the household. Why? Because it's required reading. Hatchet is one of those perennials on the summer reading lists from teachers. Just try to get your hands on a copy from the library or bookstore in the weeks before summer's end.

Which makes us think about the usefulness of summer reading lists. Mr. & Ms. Obie Joe adore any spark to encourage young readers. Yet we can't wonder as to their wisdom when so many of the lists are copycats, uninspired, rigorous for no purpose and just plain unfun. In a world where the increase in YA readers is now outpacing every other book sector, do we really need reading lists to dictate every aspect? How about one suggestion, and then let the kids roam as they like.

Just like the kid in Hatchet -- he'll find his own way.

Listening to librarians

2008-07-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

For those authors and publishers waiting for national distribution and media, or big box orders, it is wise to cultivate the interest of libraries. Each library system can be worth an order of an average of 20 copies.

There are a few essentials in catching the interest of libraries:
• Make sure you garner a prepublication review in the Library Journal. Your review might not appear in the print edition, but an online review is still worthwhile.
• When you get media -- a review, a feature on you, or whatever -- make sure to send a copy of the clip, along with your book, and a request for a speaking engagement. Granted, the speaking engagement is a dim possibility (libraries have become even reticent than chain bookstores in setting up events), but you probably will get a book order.
• Read blogs by librarians to vibe their language and their zeitgeist. One of Ms. Obie Joe's current favs is the peeping from this former librarian. Gotta love the industry language: Copies of The "Condition have been received in most libraries; holds to copy ratios are ten to one in some libraries." Apparently how many holds are ordered display interest, but Mr. Obie Joe wagers how long the book circulates is the long-term view.
• Participate in a co-op mailer. This involves sending about 1,200 fliers to the major library systems, using the mailing list and distribution system of a small publisher. Sam's got one we've used, but make sure to take care with the design. Librarians received an onslaught of book marketing materials, and it can be tough to catch their attention.

But not impossible.

Why you plow every cent into promotion

2008-07-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

Say your first book, sold a decent amount of copies in the first three months after publication. Decent, meaning, about 15,000 copies.

Time to prop the Adirondack chair next to the mailbox and wait for the royalty check, right?

Nope. In many regards, now is when you really plow into the bank account and pony up for time off from work for a publicity tour that includes media, venue bookings and online promotion. Here's why: selling half of a typical print run is cool, but selling OUT the print run is like diamond ice.

Why? Because you do want decent royalty checks, but more importantly because you want to build your career as an actual author. After former Arizona Republic reporter Tom Zoellner published his first book, The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit and Desire (St. Martins Press), his publisher procured a few bookstores dates. Zoellner wanted to make sure his first was not his last, and on his own did a few more dozen bookstore dates, sleeping in his truck, across the U.S. See www.slushpile.net/index.php/2007/03/15/interview-tom-zoellner-author/ He ended up investing about $22,000 -- nearly the whole sum of his first royalty payments.

His first book was a hit. For his second book, Zoellner negotiated a much more generous advance and royalty rates. (His next book is Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World).

Take it from Mr. Obie Joe who speaks from painful and wonderful personal experience: do not expect to get rich from your first book. Instead, think of the experience as an investment in your career. Put that money and time into publicity; it will reap what you sow.

TIP: A twitter about Twitter?

2008-07-14T06:35:00.000-07:00

Connecting with your audience, in specific and consistent ways, is the best way to sell books. Episodic promotion and marketing -- think ads, big events, one-time media hits -- rarely work to build an audience awareness for author, book or subject.

That's one reason Ms. Obie Joe has been recommending Twitter, a mini-blogging service; authors send out 140-word updates throughout the day, with whatever frequency is preferred, to subscribers. Your subscribes - many of whom will sign up via your blog or personal invite -- can follow the live life feeds via multiple channels: the Web, IM, SMS, etc.

"Great," says an author. "More content I gotta put out."

Well, yes. But the informality and real-time aspect of the very short posts might be easier to write.

Mr. Obie Joe can see some of the limitations of Twitter. Fiction writers, particularly those with a more staid profile, might find the Twitter an annoyance. But for nonfiction writers, particularly those in the midst of research, Twitter is a gold mine for readers who would love to hear more about an author's dive into Victorian train stations, or the jewels of 50s-era bombshells.

Twitter should only add to your audience; Twitter fans tend to be blog fans, too.

If you could pick only one media outlet....

2008-07-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

What is the Holy Grail of the media bookings? One of the amusements clients give to publicists are their ideas on what media hits they want, and which ones will make all the difference.

Generally speaking, a good media booking can be a turnkey to a jump up in sales, and even better, create a cascade of other media bookings. Coverage from a major newspaper (The Washington Post, The New York Times, etc.), any one of the national morning show, niche radio, and some national magazines are gold.

Mr. Obie Joe has made many clients happy with placements like The Today Show, The Martha Stewart Show, The Wall Street Journal, and the Martha Stewart Show, and so on.

But if Mr. and Ms. Obie Joe had to pick only one media outlet for a spot to sell books: NPR. Any one of their programs, any day of the week.

Which media outlet is your number one? The Daily Show with Jon Stewart? People Magazine? Guns & Ammo?

TIP: How to avoid hiring the "Bad Publicist"

2008-07-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

In most professions, results are rarely guaranteed. Doctors cannot guarantee the cancer will never return. Lawyers cannot guarantee an acquittal.

Publicists cannot guarantee publicity, or exposure, will sell books. Mr. Obie Joe knows that is heretical to say, especially among book people, many of whom ascribe publicity to a lottery ticket approach, and wait for that perfect media exposure to make millions of sales.

A more practical approach, and one that looks at a book sale as part of building a brand, a career and an idea, is to think about what kind of publicist works best for your goals:

1) Open ended publicist: You'll work with this publicist on retainer, with a contract duration usually lasting 3-6 months. Your goal is to build a brand recognition. Mr. Obie Joe can think of a few authors who benefit from this type of long-term relationship: 1) an author with several books in store, now or later; 2) an author with zeal for live appearances, with a book on spirituality, business, parenting come to mind; 3) an author very new to the game, and needs to sort out the options for both marketing and promotion of the book. Depending on the scope of exposure planned, retainers can range from $1-$5,000 per month (not in New York, though). Define goals -- i.e., how many bookings for media or live -- but also be flexible to change goals as other opportunities arise. This type of arrangement requires a lot of collaboration between author and publicist; authors willing to be humble, hardworking, and relentless most welcome in this arrangement. An author can expect results, but know the results are sometimes not as immediate as hoped.

2) Project based publicist: This type of arrangement might give you the most direct shot at tracking results. An author picks a very specific goal, and hires the publicist most experienced at arranging that goal. There are publicists who do only one task, and do it very well. Examples include generating/sending a press release; setting up a radio tour; or researching professional development venues. Success is easy to measure, of course, but only in the short term.

Ms. Obie Joe's recommendation is to interview both types of publicist. Present your goals, your book, and your background, and see if the publicist thinks she will be a good fit to your project. Make sure -- and this is a very important step -- that the publicist you do choose agree on expectations before any task is done.

That way, you will be the Good Author, and your publicist will be the Good Publicist.

TIP: I Spy: How to find the places for your tour

2008-07-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

Like most things in life, there's the official list, then there's the real list. In working with poets -- whose ability to find a port to read their work in any storm is unparalleled-- Mr. Obie Joe says an author can do a lot to scope out places for their next appearance.

Try these steps to success:
• Once you decided upon the city, get the zip code(s) for a range of neighborhoods.
• Go to Booktour.com, type in the zip code, and see a wide range of venues for authors, including the local V.F.W. Hall (really).
• For finding those more traditional book-oriented venues, check out the Events sections of the city's newspapers. Ms. Obie Joe is a big fan of the listings in the alternative newspapers, both for breadth and address details. Good search terms include: Literary Events; Spoken Word; Book Festivals; Readings; and Politics/History.
• Definitely stop the by the MeetUp for the zip code you're scoping, 1) to find a standard book club, or 2) to find one centered on a subject matter matching your book. We've found authors who've gotten dozens of sales in niches like cooking, military history, and politics.
• Stop by that city's Main Library web site, and see what type of events they like. Do note, though, that libraries often require the longest lead time for a booking; a year is not unheard of.
• If your book has a subject matter that matches with a retail store -- cooking, fashion, toys, anime, alternative healing -- make sure to call the stores and see if they'd be interested in a presentation for their customers. Anime stores are famous for welcoming these kind of events.

TIP: Own your list

2008-07-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

As a scalpel is to a surgeon, a media list is to a publicist. Often the strength of a list can supersede a publicist's overburdened schedule or lack of creativity. Many publicists who move on from stints with a publisher have a distinct advantage because they take with them lists of journalists carefully cultivated by many within a publishing house.

There are those lists, and authors are wise to consider this when interviewing publicists. But. You might want to consider those publicists who customize a media list for your project. For a parenting book centered on the younger mother, Mr. Obie Joe compiled a media list that started with parenting magazines, and then delved into regional parenting magazines, and then went to online communities/magazines.

Another tip: when negotiating the contract, ask for a copy of the media list used for your project. Not all publicists will share the list with you, but at the least, most will give those aspects of the list most relevant to your project. From there, take that list and make sure you keep in touch with those on the list, via e-mail regular mailings, or personalized pitches.

TIP: Write your Discussion Guide

2008-06-30T09:23:00.001-07:00

Often, and especially if the story is very good, at the end of a book, Ms. Obie Joe has lots of questions about the plot and characters of a book. Absent a book club meeting, or even better, a direct line of questions for the author, the only way for a reader to find answers may be a discussion guide. Also known as a reading guide, or book club guide, these guides illuminate many aspects of the story.

The level of detail can vary:
• Questions designed to spark group conversation only, usually no more than 15-20. Wendell Berry and Andre Dubus are spectral experts at the construction of these type of Qs.
• Paragraphs of explanation, followed by questions. Mary Doria Russell, with her intriguing brand of fiction, spirituality exercises and outright science fiction, has beautiful discussion Q&As at the conclusion of many of her books.
• Character sketches and questions.

Many authors have their Discussion Guides written for them. But if you're an author with the opportunity to write your own, please do so. If it's not to be included in your book, post it on your web site, include it in your press kit, and send it out as a great enticement for a presentation before a book group or school.

It's just another way to draw in your audience. And keep them for your next book.

TIP: Kill or Keep: what to do with a negative review on your Amazon page

2008-06-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

Beyond the staving the staying sting of a one-star nasty-word, heartless review deposited on your Amazon page, what strategy should an author adopt about these reviews?

Some authors petition Amazon for removal for all sorts of reasons (none, of course related to the personal heartbreak). The author could point that the reviewer used inappropriate language (misspellings, defamatory, profane). Or, that the review gave away too much of the plot (to which Mr. Obie Joe says, have you SEEN the way Amazon usually summarizes the plot?). There's even the Reboot method, where an author deletes his page entirely, and starts fresh.

Mr. Obie Joe cautions authors to not worry the reviews. Instead, enjoy the attention, and that it will spur you on to encourage colleagues and friends to post their own more interesting and positive reviews.

Unless, of course, the review mentions yo'mamma.

TIP: Check out this blog

2008-06-26T08:45:00.001-07:00

Savvy book fans know that when it comes to book promotion and production, Mr. Obie Joe's motto is "Find Your Audience."

Part of that search for actual audience members is sussing out what your audience likes. Part of this sleuthing is simple: if you have a YA novel, your book trailer had better find its home on mySpace, your FaceBook page and of course, YouTube with killer search terms attached to it. If you're published a travelogue for the recently retired, for Lawd's sake, make sure you blog continues with frequent posts from life on the road.

Check out this author blog/site by new author, DeAnna Cameron (The Bell Dancer, Berkeley Books): www.deannacameron.com. Ms. Obie Joe discovered Ms. Cameron on M.J. Rose's blog (also a must read, daily, at www.mjroseblog.typepad.com/buzz_balls_hype), and loved her advice about finding which method works for you as author, and for your audience, and then sticking to it.

DeAnna starts off each interview of an author, with the line, "How'd You Find Your Audience?"

Indeed.

TIP: What's your widget?

2008-06-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Adding a widget to your site is an essential. Even though most of the widgets you see are ones standard to most blogs and sites, an author should consider constructing a personalized widget. A personalized widget can tout a football team, your kid's nickname; others can emphasize function, for example, tracking how fast you can type. Do a few web searches to find a widget already made, or how to make your own, and start the process.

Mr. Obie Joe's widget preference? The Saints' 2008-09 schedule, of course, and Ms. Obie Joe would be inclined to agree.

TIP: Call your library

2008-06-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

One of the best ways to juice your Amazon ranking (beyond writing a good book?) is to solicit your friends, family, work colleagues, and perhaps neighbors to place an order the first week of a book's release. Or, soon after a huge media appearance.

Don't forget to solicit friends and families for placing orders that won't cost them a dime. When a library orders a book, they tend to order many copies. For a recent title in poetry promoted by Obie Joe, we hit the jackpot with each library order, usually averaging 20+ books.

Ask your friends and family to call their local library to place a hold on the book. If told the book is not in stock, ask to have the book ordered. It may take a few calls before the library orders the books, but eventually a library will.

TIP: Put ya domains on auto renewal

2008-06-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

If you own the domain name of your web site (this advice does not apply to blogs), make sure to put the annual renewal on automatic. Whether it's godaddy.com, register.com or whomever, the company should offer an auto-renewal function. Take it. Not all domain hosts will notify you of an expiration date.

Many of us in book promotion have stories of authors whose domain name lapsed. And either they did not get an expiration notice, or they did not remember to renew, but the sad day came when they learned someone else now had their domain name, either by auction or smart picking up.

TIP for the day: stop by and say hi

2008-06-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

One of our large goals for this log was to post more tips on book promotion.

Here's a tip for Mr. Obie Joe: stop being so slovenly on the posts.

A tip for everyone else:
Optimally, your site's blogroll contains links to your favorite sites. Treat these sites like your favs, and give them a little bit of love every now and then. Meaning, make sure to visit these sites and leave a comment. If you more time, take a bit of something you learned from this site, and post a snippet on your site.

The advantages? Your friends will feel loved, and with some active blogs, your post will boost your Google position.

Why bother?

2008-06-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

The author and the publisher is king(s), respectively, so their word is go when it comes to book promotion.

That said, like any other service provider, Mr. Obie Joe finds the situation a bit vexing when an author or publisher takes a direction not of sense to the goal of finding an audience for a book.

A lot has been hyped about online promotion. Get a MySpace page. Throw thousands of dollars for a web site. Do a blog tour. Put on podcasts. The focus is always on the wrong thing: a successful book promotion is less about the tools, and more about the actual CONTENT. Sorry to shout, but Mr. Obie Joe must remind authors and publishers to choose their online tools carefully. Few of us are as charismatic as Chip Kidd (sigh), or as funny and prolific as Haven Kimmel in their book trailers, websites, blogs and podcasts.

Make the commitment stick when you choose your tool for online promotion. Don't scramble all over. Pick one or two tools, and show up regularly. The bookmarks Mr. and Ms. Obie Joe bookmark are ones with regular posts; that's all, and that's enough.