Obie Joe is headed to the Book Expo.This year it's in New York City, just up the road from our hometown B-more.
We're looking forward to seeing old and new friends. Just be awares that Mr. Obie Joe always brings the cane. It makes a handy bookmark and crowd clearer.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Zooming your book's Amazon presence
Though there are some publishers who would prefer their customers to circumvent Amazon and bring their sales direct to their web sites, fact is, Amazon is one of the easiest ways for your potential reader to find and buy your book.
That said, Amazon is the king of the hill in search engines, so it does behoove you, dear author, to maximize your position on Amazon:
• Add a blog. Or as Amazon calls it, a "plog." It's connected to Amazon Daily, and an author can add many features: author photo, RSS feed, comments block, and of course, links a mile.
• Make sure to include all of your industry reviews. If not Publishers Weekly, how about Midwest Book Review?
• Add more reviews. Don't feel hesitant to ask friends and family to contribute reviews. Ideally, Obie Joe likes at least 8 reviews, enough for two pages' worth.
• Add a "search suggestion." To increase the likelihood that your "search suggestion" will be approved by Amazon, don't submit more than 2-3 yourself; have your husband, family submit others.
That said, Amazon is the king of the hill in search engines, so it does behoove you, dear author, to maximize your position on Amazon:
• Add a blog. Or as Amazon calls it, a "plog." It's connected to Amazon Daily, and an author can add many features: author photo, RSS feed, comments block, and of course, links a mile.
• Make sure to include all of your industry reviews. If not Publishers Weekly, how about Midwest Book Review?
• Add more reviews. Don't feel hesitant to ask friends and family to contribute reviews. Ideally, Obie Joe likes at least 8 reviews, enough for two pages' worth.
• Add a "search suggestion." To increase the likelihood that your "search suggestion" will be approved by Amazon, don't submit more than 2-3 yourself; have your husband, family submit others.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Ya got a speech in that book?
Last year, several publishers announced the formation of Speakers Bureaus, including HarperCollins and Penguin.
There was some grumbling amongst authors about which author would be asked to speak, and who would pocket any speaking fees.
While those are details of some relevance, Obie Joe is focused on the expansion of venues, and the customization of appearances for authors. Plus, for elderly books older than six months, the Speaker’s Bureau expands a book’s life and audience reach.
This again highlights the importance of authors, particularly those in nonfiction, to develop two or three topics on which you, dear author, are the speaker.
Write them down right now. Perhaps start with a chapter title, and then write down the bullet points, and then the relevant facts on each.
If your publisher does not have a Speaker’s Bureau, or if your publisher does not open the Bureau to your book, then start your own Speaker’s Bureau. Once you’ve developed that topic, put together a flier, and mail to your a target audience. Friend of Libraries groups. Lions Club. Conventions. Your only limit may be geographical.
There’s your speech. There’s your next book promotion.
There was some grumbling amongst authors about which author would be asked to speak, and who would pocket any speaking fees.
While those are details of some relevance, Obie Joe is focused on the expansion of venues, and the customization of appearances for authors. Plus, for elderly books older than six months, the Speaker’s Bureau expands a book’s life and audience reach.
This again highlights the importance of authors, particularly those in nonfiction, to develop two or three topics on which you, dear author, are the speaker.
Write them down right now. Perhaps start with a chapter title, and then write down the bullet points, and then the relevant facts on each.
If your publisher does not have a Speaker’s Bureau, or if your publisher does not open the Bureau to your book, then start your own Speaker’s Bureau. Once you’ve developed that topic, put together a flier, and mail to your a target audience. Friend of Libraries groups. Lions Club. Conventions. Your only limit may be geographical.
There’s your speech. There’s your next book promotion.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Even book-promoting tchotchkes are cute
Seen on the wall in Octavia Books in New Orleans: a switchplate advertising the book, “The People of Sparks,” by Jeanne Deprau (Random House for Young Readers).
Cute. And effective. The book came out in 2004, and yet the switchplate still reminds a bookbuyer of the book each time one walks by.
Do tchotckes matter in book promotion?
In Obie Joe’s days in the newsroom of her city’s daily newspaper, there was a slop desk for the numerous press kits, books, products, folders, and so on. The stuff was ignored. But bring in a cake -- a very large sheet cake with Baltimore’s best icing -- and space was made, and attention was paid. Smart book publicists would spell out the author, date, time, and bookstore, and before the cake was ate, that author was sure to jump onto the page. Maybe the cake couldn’t guarantee a feature, but it did sweeten the deal for some coverage.
Another time Obie Joe was sent a huge jug of molasses. The book was written by a first time writer, and came from a small press. Plus, the topic -- about a huge molasses spill in Boston about 100 years ago -- was not guaranteed to move many outside Massachusetts.
Yet. There on Obie Joe’s desk was the book, the jug and the press release.
Oh what the hey, said Obie Joe the journalist. We gave it a book review. With photo, too.
Think about the tchotcke possibilities for your book. A heart shaped box? A book wrapped in lace? Do these work -- for eliciting a review, event coverage or feature?
Cute. And effective. The book came out in 2004, and yet the switchplate still reminds a bookbuyer of the book each time one walks by.
Do tchotckes matter in book promotion?
In Obie Joe’s days in the newsroom of her city’s daily newspaper, there was a slop desk for the numerous press kits, books, products, folders, and so on. The stuff was ignored. But bring in a cake -- a very large sheet cake with Baltimore’s best icing -- and space was made, and attention was paid. Smart book publicists would spell out the author, date, time, and bookstore, and before the cake was ate, that author was sure to jump onto the page. Maybe the cake couldn’t guarantee a feature, but it did sweeten the deal for some coverage.
Another time Obie Joe was sent a huge jug of molasses. The book was written by a first time writer, and came from a small press. Plus, the topic -- about a huge molasses spill in Boston about 100 years ago -- was not guaranteed to move many outside Massachusetts.
Yet. There on Obie Joe’s desk was the book, the jug and the press release.
Oh what the hey, said Obie Joe the journalist. We gave it a book review. With photo, too.
Think about the tchotcke possibilities for your book. A heart shaped box? A book wrapped in lace? Do these work -- for eliciting a review, event coverage or feature?
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Drink This New Book!
(from the incomporable MJ Rose on Buzz, Balls & Hype)
"One line I can't argue with, is this one from Jim Warren, The L.A. Times managing editor, "The last industry in America to go to for any wisdom about marketing is book publishing."
And as anyone who reads this blog knows, that's a pet peeve of mine too.
As someone who spent so many years in the advertising industry and knows the value of marketing research, I continue to find it appalling how little our industry does.
For instance, why aren't we test marketing bookcovers - which are the one and only ad for 90% of all books published. It would cost so little money to set up bookcover tests via an online service and find out if the covers convey and conote what the pubisher hopes. Nope, the powers who be rely on the people who are entrenched in the business, who already know what the book is about, who are not in any way objective.
That's just one example.”
Amem, sister, amen.
"One line I can't argue with, is this one from Jim Warren, The L.A. Times managing editor, "The last industry in America to go to for any wisdom about marketing is book publishing."
And as anyone who reads this blog knows, that's a pet peeve of mine too.
As someone who spent so many years in the advertising industry and knows the value of marketing research, I continue to find it appalling how little our industry does.
For instance, why aren't we test marketing bookcovers - which are the one and only ad for 90% of all books published. It would cost so little money to set up bookcover tests via an online service and find out if the covers convey and conote what the pubisher hopes. Nope, the powers who be rely on the people who are entrenched in the business, who already know what the book is about, who are not in any way objective.
That's just one example.”
Amem, sister, amen.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Speak Up, Author!
At a recent writers conference, Obie Joe waited with anticipation to see one of our favorite online journalists. Her wry and insightful observations about her area of expertise -- the Supreme Court -- are welcome reading during the session.
Once she began reading, though, our bewilderment began. The content didn’t match the delivery. Though her commentaries often have wit, the fun was zapped with her childlike tone.
This is not the first time Obie Joe has been baffled by the missed opportunity. We publicists spend a great deal of time on media coaching, but Obie Joe wonders if authors would benefit more from presentation coaching.
So. Obie Joe’s pointers on effective author speaking:
• inflect, but not too much, otherwise you sound like nursery rhyme time
• lose the monotone, of course, but don’t worry about that as much as misplaced inflection
• slow down. Soak in the silence, let it build the anticipation for your next paragraph.
• allow for momentum to build by sensing the audience’s mood, and allowing that to feed the next rhythm. We all know to wait for the laughter to subside, but it’s just as important to wait for audience’s interest to begin.
• use pauses.
• if you’ve got lots of dialogue, make different voices. It’s a tricky thing, though. Don’t replicate Robin Williams.
• above all, speak as though you’re telling a story -- funny, interesting, and with a point -- to your good friend.
Once she began reading, though, our bewilderment began. The content didn’t match the delivery. Though her commentaries often have wit, the fun was zapped with her childlike tone.
This is not the first time Obie Joe has been baffled by the missed opportunity. We publicists spend a great deal of time on media coaching, but Obie Joe wonders if authors would benefit more from presentation coaching.
So. Obie Joe’s pointers on effective author speaking:
• inflect, but not too much, otherwise you sound like nursery rhyme time
• lose the monotone, of course, but don’t worry about that as much as misplaced inflection
• slow down. Soak in the silence, let it build the anticipation for your next paragraph.
• allow for momentum to build by sensing the audience’s mood, and allowing that to feed the next rhythm. We all know to wait for the laughter to subside, but it’s just as important to wait for audience’s interest to begin.
• use pauses.
• if you’ve got lots of dialogue, make different voices. It’s a tricky thing, though. Don’t replicate Robin Williams.
• above all, speak as though you’re telling a story -- funny, interesting, and with a point -- to your good friend.
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