Just the Facts

History (to me) is dry, tedious, and complicated. Who can remember all those names, dates, and places? And who cares? But historical research for a book I’m writing—now that’s different. Suddenly those names, dates, and places have meaning. They involve my characters. 

The Sacred Flame is a story of love and betrayal set in ancient Rome in 216 BC. The main characters include a Vestal Virgin and an Equestrian commander. Who were the Vestal Virgins and Equestrians? What were the levels of government? What did the average house look like? What kind of food did they eat? What clothes did they wear? How did they get around the city? In short, I needed to find out anything and everything that dealt with daily life in Rome.  

The common language for that time was Latin. Many of the words of that era have stayed intact: atrium, centurion, praetor. Citizens walked down the Via Sacra and along the Via Appia (the Appian Way). They shopped in the Forum Romanum and Forum Holitorium (vegetable market). They rode in carpentums (a two-horse open carriage). And they ate a special pastry called placenta (made from cheese, egg, and flour, topped with honey; similar to baklava).

These are just a few of the facts I discovered through research. Sometimes the work was fun. Sometimes it was frustrating. Looking for “food in ancient Rome” brought up more information than I could ever wade through. Narrowing that search to “cherries” produced several hours of reading conflicting reports.  

One source of information is usually not enough. History reports details tinged with the reporter’s bias, prejudice, and/or emotions. How much is actual fact is difficult to tell. Often there is a common consensus around battles, presidents, even the myths and legends. But if you’re researching a lesser known subject, the details may be more muddied. Determining the Vestal’s hairstyle led me to a fascinating debate. Some scholars purport that the Vestals cut their hair and kept it short throughout their service (according to statues of Vestals in the Uffizi). Other scholars maintain that the Vestals wore their hair in the sex crines or bridal style: divided into six parts and wound on top of the head. I preferred my character with long hair and adopted the bridal style for my story. You may make similar choices with your own book.

The web is a warehouse of wonder at your fingerprints. If you can’t find what you need on Google (or elsewhere), try looking in Google Books. I found a marvelous book on Vestal Virgins which turned out to be a doctoral thesis. Then I ordered a used copy through Amazon for a very reasonable price. The Online Etymology Dictionary is a great source for word history and easy to use. And don’t forget your library system. If your library doesn’t have what you want in stock, perhaps another branch does. Or use an interlibrary loan to bring a volume from a university library right to you.

One last note. Beware of Wikipedia. I use it often, it’s easy to read, but the information is not 100% trustworthy. Anyone can upload text and people don’t always check their facts.

History is fascinating. Research can be too. Readers love gleaning new ideas and bits of other cultures, other times, other places. The facts you find will make your story come alive.

___________________

Nanette Livingstone

Freelance Editor

Words of Passion

http://www.wordsofpassion.com

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/nanette-littlestone/3/b92/115

http://www.facebook.com/nanettelittlestone?ref=tn_tnmn

The Secret to Publishing Success: A.I.R.

Ask 20 published authors what their secret to success is and you’ll get at least 20 answers. Some might say focus, while others will say planning, and still others will suggest that a month spent at their favorite locale is just the ticket to spark creativity and cause the words to flow.

My suggestion is that there is absolutely, positively one thing – only one – that is needed to become a successful published. Whether you’re in the beginning stages of writing your book, or you’ve got what you hope to be a best seller in the palm of your hands, what you need to make a success of this publishing thing is plain and simple: A.I.R. No, I don’t mean the stuff that you inhale and exhale unconsciously every single moment. What I mean is this: Action Is Required. That’s it! Action Is Required.

Recently, while reading the book The Success Project: The Making of a Worthy Ideal by Belinda Mays (she was my guest on “Book Your Success” yesterday), I read about Parkinson’s Law. The law states that “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” In essence, however much time you give yourself to do something is how much time it will take (if not more). Think about that. So if you never set a deadline for completing your book or creating a blog, or doing the virtual book tour, you'll never get around to doing it.

Deadlines and due dates are dreaded by most everyone. No one wants to feel the pressure of having to finish something by a certain date. What if something comes up to prevent you from making the deadline? Yet, a better question is, what are you missing by procrastinating and making one excuse after another for failing to accomplish your goal of getting your book published, promoted and sold? How much visibility could you have gained? How much money could you have earned? How many more customers could you have landed?

Well, there’s no sense in thinking about that now. My point here is that you must take action on your book project TODAY! Set some deadlines and due dates. Create a timeline for when steps one, two and three will be accomplished. Even small steps matter. But deadlines don’t matter if you don’t take some action. By the way, this goes for practically everything else in your life. Whether you wish to take a trip, own a house, lose weight, read more, learn to play an instrument, clean your office or complete your business plan, taking action is a necessity if you want to see some progress and results.

Don’t get stuck thinking and wishing and planning. That can become a lonely hole you dig for yourself. It suffocates the goal. You watch others achieve their goals and then you renew your commitment to get yours done. Then something comes up; another distraction disguised as an emergency that eventually becomes nothing more than an excuse. What you don't realize is that you're still stuck in the hole. Do yourself a favor – come up for A.I.R.!

You don't have to have the entire thing planned out, but take some action. You don't have to have all the answers, just take some action. You don't need to know how much and how many and how often, just do something. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” In other words, Action Is Required!

What action will you take this week towards accomplishing your goals for your book project?

Pick A Date And Promote

There are special dates every month — traditional holidays, an assortment of odd observances and awareness campaign themes. Choose a special date that relates to your book topic or to you as the author as an opportunity to send press releases to newspapers, magazines, radio and TV contacts. Write a guest post for a targeted blog or submit an article to a cause organization. Create buzz by generating content to share on social media sites or pass along links that relate to this date with comments of how it connects to your book’s content and/or your story as an author.

Here are some examples:

Sandy Weaver Carman’s book, The Original MBA: Succeed in Business Using Mom’s Best Advice was launched during October — Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Sandy’s mom died from breast cancer and a percentage of sales from her book are donated to breast cancer organizations. In addition, the genesis of the book was a Mother’s Day gift from Sandy — a framed list of life lessons learned from Mom’s advice through Sandy’s childhood. Mother’s Day is May 13^th this year and a prime opportunity for promotion and additional book sales. www.sandyweavercarman.com

May is also Lupus Awareness Month with May 10^th being World Lupus Day. Author Kim Green and Morgan, the lead character of her debut novel hallucination, share the distinction of living with the chronic disease of lupus. One out of every 200 Americans suffers from this disease and its effects, and African-Americans are three times as likely to get lupus as Caucasians. There are many published statistics around prevalence, prognosis, symptoms and economic impact that could be used to catch the attention of media and create a special promotion.  www.hallucinationthenovel.com/

Co-authored by Echo Garrett, My Orange Duffle Bag is Sam Bracken’s memoir of overcoming homelessness, poverty and abuse by radically changing his life. Initially self-published, the book has been picked up by Random House and pre-sales are being promoted in May for National Foster Care Month. Proceeds from book sales benefit the Orange Duffle Bag Foundation, an organization providing coaching, training and ongoing mentoring to at-risk youth. www.myorangeduffelbag.com

My first book, 30 Days of Gratitude, was a collaborative effort with my friends Dr. Robin Kirby and Carolyn Buttram. We launched the book in October 2009 with a social media campaign encouraging people to commit to the daily exercise through the month of November — the month of THANKSGIVING — a time when many are focusing on gratitude. The “Gratitude Girls” were booked for our first speaking engagement within two days of launch and thousands of individuals from countries all over the world have downloaded the book. www.daysofgratitude.com

Dan Gennari is a survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and the author of the Cureganizer. He developed this organizational tool during his own illness, bone marrow transplant and recovery. November is National Bone Marrow Awareness Month and a time that Dan can get the media talking about how easy it is to register as a donor, who benefits from stem cell and bone marrow transplants and how his book helps those fighting their own battle with cancer. www.curganizer.com

While May and November are popular months for awareness and holiday options, there are plenty of other special dates to target throughout the year. Pick a date and create a promotion for your own book. www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays

Want help choosing a date and creating your promotion? Contact Anita Paul or Vanessa Lowry for ideas and marketing assistance.

_______________________________________

Vanessa Lowry is a marketing consultant, graphic designer, author, radio host and speaker. She leverages nearly 30 years of design and marketing expertise to support book authors who are self publishing.

www.connect4leverage.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessalowry
http://www.facebook.com/vanessa.lowry
http://www.facebook.com/artasworshi
Twitter @vanessalowry

Are You Committed?

Recently, I did a presentation titled “Your Book as a Business.” During the talk, I tossed out a question to the audience about what it takes to be a successful published author. Without hesitation, one brave soul said, “Commitment.” Of course!

When you’re interested in something you’ll do whatever is required. But when you’re committed to something, you’ll do whatever it takes; whatever is necessary; whatever gets you from where you are to where you want to be; whatever gets you to your BFHD (Big Fat Hairy Dream).

Your commitment to writing, finishing, publishing, marketing, selling, repurposing, and leveraging your book is really a personal journey. It’s all up to you to make it happen. Your commitment will override any excuses, road blocks, interruptions, distractions, or fears. There’s no doubt that you’ll face these challenges, but your commitment will stare them in the face and say, “Listen here, I’m a successful published author, and I’ve got work to do!” 

When you have a big vision and an unshakable commitment to it, your self-confidence increases; your boldness takes a giant leap; you toss aside the doubts and uncertainties and you walk up to opportunity, shake its hand and say, “Thank you in advance for what you’ve delivered to me. I receive!” I know that sounds simple; like some of that positive self-talk. Well, you can either cower in a darkened corner of your writing cave and think of one excuse after another for why you haven’t finished your book, or why you still have 100 copies of your published book in your basement, or why you’ve only sold 10 copies of your ebook ... or you can muster up the courage and the commitment to go at it with full force. Here are three ways to boost your commitment to your book project:

Focus. Keep your vision, dream, or goal in the forefront of your mind. If you need to physically see it, find a picture and post it in a conspicuous place. If you need a reminder, discover a motivating quote, memorize it, and meditate on it daily.

Know your WHY. Knowing why you want to accomplish something often builds your commitment. If your why is bigger than you, that should push you towards accomplishment.

Expect results. You don’t have to wait until you’ve finished your book project to see results; expect results along the way. Every accomplishment in the journey of your book project is the result of your efforts. Value each result.

If it’s self-talk you need; do it! If it’s a power team you need; build it! If it’s support you need; find it! If it’s time you need; make it! 

Commit to doing whatever it takes to make your book project a success. There’s no time to waste. 

So, what are you doing to prove your commitment to your book project?

Begin With the End in Mind

You’ve probably heard this saying before: “Begin with the end in mind.” It’s from Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s a concept that can easily be applied to writing and publishing a book. Everything you do before and during the writing process should be with the aim of fulfilling your end goals of publishing a book. 

Many authors do all their writing first and think that they can wait to work on plans and goals later, when the book is ready to be released. But in doing that, they’re starting out behind. 

Here are five questions to consider before writing and publishing your book.  

1. Why are you writing the book? 

Here are some common reasons to write a book: for fun; to build your business; to enhance your credibility; because you’re an expert in a certain field; or to leave a legacy. If making money is your only goal, you risk being disappointed. Half of all published titles sell less than 250 copies a year. As you write, be sure that your book will fulfill your “why.”  

2. What type of book are you writing? 

Before starting to write, spend some time clearly defining your book. What is your vision or concept for the book? What style will it be written in? How will it be different from, or similar to, other books? Stay focused on your answers to these questions while writing. You should also research similar books to get an idea of the physical look and price, as well as what stores or websites sell these books.  

3. Why would someone read your book? 

Do you promise new information readers can’t get elsewhere? Will you craft a fictional story with a plot readers won’t be able to stop thinking about? Will you teach something people never thought they could do? As you write your book, refer to that “promise” or “hook” and be sure your manuscript delivers.  

4. Who are your ideal readers? 

This is a crucial question to answer before you type the first sentence of your book. Every decision you make from writing to design to the physical attributes of the book to how it will be promoted should be aimed at your readers. For example, if you envision your book being read by women ages 60+ you may not want to use slang like ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing). Writing a book for children who are just learning to read? You’ll want text that is easy to pronounce and to read aloud. You may want to use a larger size font and limit how much text appears on each page.  

5. How can your book be marketed to your readers?

Before writing, consider how you will promote your book to potential readers and get them to buy it. The genre of your book, the audience you want to target, and the “hook” that will make people want to read the book are all factors in what marketing and promotional methods you choose. Writing a book about gardening? Before you start writing, identify area garden clubs. Talk to them about what they might be interested in learning from your book. Offer to send them a galley for their feedback. The key is to start building anticipation before the book is out. Look for landscaping centers that might be willing to sell your book and host a book signing. Call the gardening show host on your local radio station and position yourself as a local expert who has a book coming out soon. Send the host a copy to review. Start local and then build to national efforts. 

The possibilities are endless!  

______________________________

Angela DeCaires is the Marketing & Communications Manager for BookLogix Publishing Services. She oversees Corporate Communications for BookLogix, and also assists BookLogix’s authors in the publishing process. Angela’s background includes experience in public relations, writing, broadcasting and journalism, having held positions in public relations and working for a number of years as a news writer/TV news producer. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/booklogix

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/booklogix 

Buyers or Readers: Who's My Audience?

On more than one occasion in 2012 already, I’ve been approached by authors with the question: Who’s my audience, the buyers or the readers? This seems an odd question at the onset. But consider the reality that, for some books, the reader may not necessarily be the buyer. 

There are many topics you could write about that would appeal to a certain reader, who might not be the person to purchase the book. Case in point, a creative author whose “Why Play ...” series explores various musical instruments, and why young people might find learning to play them interesing. The books, written for young adult readers, might likely be purchased by their parents, in which case, the author has a dual challenge of writing for one audience, and marketing to another.

The self-published author of a book about the nation’s escalating health care crisis could face a similar daunting challenge. Should he position his book to the intended reading audience or to those most likely to buy the book? A topic that interests practically all Americans, navigating the health care crisis could be viewed as being most relevant to those in the Baby Boomer generation. So, while one audience – Boomers – might gain the most value from reading the book, another audience – their Gen-X children concerned about caring for aging parents – could be more likely to buy the book and share it with their parents. 

If your book poses this dilemma, don’t fret. Here is where your book plan really comes in handy. When developing your book’s content, think first about your readers. What do they want or need to know? What problem do they have that your book can help solve? What do you want them to think, feel, or do after reading your book? How can your book inform, educate, or inspire your readers? During the writing and content development phase of your book project, address these issues with your ideal reader in mind.

When planning your marketing strategy, consider who will likely purchase your book, either for themselves, as a gift for a loved one, or as an incentive for students, staff, clients, or others. Are your buyers the parents or the children of your ideal readers? Will corporate management or those in a support role be the ones who will buy your book? Will wives buy your book for their husbands or will husbands buy it for their wives? These are important questions to ask because the answers will determine the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your marketing strategy. 

So, for the music book written for young adults, part of the marketing strategy could include distribution at venues where both parents and children frequent: toy stores, sporting goods shops, community fairs and festivals, and amusement parks. For the health care book, perhaps the messaging for the book is that health care impacts everyone at every age, so sharing the content across generations can empower an entire family.

As an independent publisher, you are both author and marketer and, therefore, responsible for determining the content and marketing messages for your book. Most often, your readers and buyers will be one in the same. But when they represent two distinct audiences, take care to address each on their own terms. It can be a challenge, but it can be done. 

Have you identified the ideal reader and buyer for your book? Are they one in the same?

PULL Marketing Strategies for AUTHORpreneurs

Have you ever had someone try to force you to buy something? You know, maybe like their book or another product or service? I’m sure you know what I mean. The person selling their stuff is certain that it’s good, yet still they think you have to be convinced, cajoled, and coerced to buy it. What’s that about? It really boils down to them pushing their stuff on you. That’s called PUSH marketing. It’s the old way of doing things. Think of the loud-mouthed pitchmen you see on TV selling the Sham (whatever) and Oxy (such and such). 

Now, think about whether you want to present yourself and your book in the same light. You’re not a pitchman/woman; you’re an author with a great book that supports an even greater platform. The content in your book is exactly what someone is seeking to help solve a problem or provide greater understanding in a particular area. So there’s no need to push; you only have to make people (the ideal people) aware of what you know, what you have, and how it will help them. That’s called PULL marketing. It’s one of the most effective ways of marketing and selling your book.

Pull or attraction marketing isn’t new. Experts, specialists, corporations, and sadly even con-men have used this strategy for years. AUTHORpreneurs – entrepreneurs who are also published authors – are now beginning to apply the techniques that will attract readers to their books, users to their services, and buyers to their other products. Pull marketing strategies can be an AUTHORpreneur’s best friend when properly understood and applied. 

Here are just a few techniques that can yield big results for you:

Find a need (and meet it): Determine how your book helps meet an existing need or solves a problem that your ideal readers or clients have.

Plant a seed (and water it): Give readers or potential clients/customers a small, but useful bit of information to illustrate your knowledge.

Develop a creed (and share it): Make a promise about how your book can help meet the need. Be sure it’s something you can back up with facts, a system or process, proof, testimonials, and/or a guarantee. 

Do the deed (and work it): Get out there in a big way with a message that will attract people to the concepts and content in your book.  

What a great way to market and sell you book without being salesy. Pull marketing is about building awareness, positioning you as an expert, and using your book as a tool for greater knowledge and understanding. 

Join me next Wednesday, April 18th and the following Wednesday, April 25th at 8:00 p.m. EST for my 2-part telecourse, "Pull Marketing Strategies for AUTHORprenerus." You’ll learn all about how to boost your “attractor factor” and sell more books without being pushy. Click here for more information and to register. 

In the meantime, here’s something to consider: What examples of pull or attraction marketing have influenced you as a consumer/customer/client? Did you buy?