Some will require payment—either a lump sum or royalty arrangement–it will depend if you create it yourself with your own product/material that your own outright or one that you have to make an arrangement with the holder of the copyright if it isn’t you.

I  turned one of the critters in my book Stabotage!™ How to Deal with the Pit Bulls, Snakes, Skunks, Scorpions & Slugs in the Health Care Workplace book into a 2 x 3 pin that cost 60 cents that sells for $5—markets my books whenever it is displayed or worn. We’ve got one of our logos on a mug that sells and created a tee-shirt with one of the “Keepers” from a book that has sold thousands.  Taking a key tool from the Stabotage! book, a bookmark with created with a tassel that sells for $5–an easy add to each sale of a book. Then we lumped 10 of them together, tied a purple ribbon around them and sold those at a discount for $40–we’ve sold thousands of those.

Don’t just stop at the book.  There may be gold between the covers and on top of them. Create products that will continue with your brand.

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com), a book publishing coach and the Founder of Author U (niversity (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. She’s the author of 28 books including Show Me About Book Publishing, co-written with John Kremer and Rick Frishman and a speaker at publishing conferences. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for Your Guide to Book publishing on the www.RockStarRadioNetwork.com. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.

Judith Briles is a book publishing coach and known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com) and the Founder of Author U (niversity (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. Judith is the author of 28 books including Show Me About Book Publishing, co-written with John Kremer and Rick Frishman and a speaker at publishing conferences. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.

As an author, ask: should I traditionally publish (hello New York), self-publish, independent publish, pay-to-publish, ePublish or pPublish … which is right for me and my book? The answer is: it depends and will evolve from the changing doors and options within publishing.

With the approximate one million books published yearly over the last three years (includes all publications—electronic, reprints, university, traditional, self and small/independent press), there are too many books. Period. Of those one million, most likely 900,000 of them shouldn’t have been. Of those numbers, an estimated one-third comes through the traditional route, the remainder in the self-published route.

Morphing means changes and today’s author has some amazing advantages if he or she puts on their dual business and marketing hats. With them, they will discover ways to create their books, control their destinies and be financially successful in the new, new world of publishing.

Five of the big changes include:
#1 The Acknowledgment that Traditional Publishing Is Broken—Goodbye Snob Factor
Just a decade ago, already published authors, the publishing community and the public in general looked down their noses at those who didn’t publish via New York. Major publishing houses were reneging on deals with already signed authors; changing royalty payments from a percentage of the retail price to “net” of what was received. Fewer deals were made, lesser advances, more work, reduced royalties and not a lot of fun.

Authors have become shell-shocked with the level of work expected of them that in the old days, publishers enthusiastically supported and advocated for their authors. The truth is, many publishers have become printing houses. Yes, they do light editing (but expect the author to have a round already completed before submission); yes they do the cover design and back cover copy (it doesn’t mean that you will like, much less love it); yes, they do the interior design (ditto here); and no, they don’t do much in marketing (they expect you be the lead and underwriter of any campaign).

That’s why publishers like authors who speak … they have a following … they can get audiences to buy books, no returns.

#2 New Publishing Formats Roared into Place
There used to be traditional publishing, small/independent publishing and vanity press. Vanity presses and self-publishing flipped the publishing industry. Traditional publishers are still grumbling about the arrival of Amazon back in the 90s … which took self, independent and electronic publishing to the stratosphere.

Vanity publishing prints and binds a book at the author’s expense and is usually a good deal more expensive than self-publishing. Vanities will publish anyone who has the money to pay them for the number of books desired, regardless of the quality, nature of and marketability of the book. The fees start to build when the vanity publisher adds in its “packages”—pre-set in the form of marketing, distribution, storage, etc., and unfortunately, usually done in a boiler-plate format by the in-house amateurs. LuLu, xLibris, CreateSpace and AuthorHouse/Solutions are examples of vanity presses. Think of the POD world—print-on-demand—one book at a time (or when the order comes in). My advice–avoid like the plague. I view these as publishing predators–snare naive authors with their offers of getting published for a few hundred dollars and the cash register gets into gear. Everything is a la carte–plus the quality is piss-poor.

Self-publishing is similar to vanity publishing, where it requires the author to bear the entire cost of publication, and also to handle the distribution, storage, etc. And, then the author steps in and coordinates his own packages, publicity, marketing or whatever services he desires to support his book. Authors who are hobbyists or “casual” authors/publishers take the vanity or self-published route, printing just a few copies at a time.

Independent publishing (small presses) is a huge step up from self—they are serious and want to be seriously successful. Independents view their publishing endeavors as a business, not something to dabble in. Independents can publish one author exclusively; multiple authors; one genre, such as business or children’s; or a combination. Independents create game plans and understand the necessity of having their authors have platforms to enhance the marketing of the book. They don’t publish one book at a time—they are printing a minimum of 1,000.

ePublishing rooted when Amazon’s Kindle birthed, followed by Barnes & Noble’s Nook. When Apple entered the scene with its iPad, the roof exploded. All formats of publishing jumped on the e-bandwagon, with many books launching in the “e” format first, testing the waters to see if the readers/buyers were out there. Creating an eBook can be done for minimal moneys and if the author has marketing moxie, can generate revenues quickly … then go (or not) to a print format.

Whatever the choice, the savvy author/writer checks out the Writer Beware site at http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/ for the latest in schemes and scams with publishers.

#3 Niche Publishing Is the New Hot Hot
General is out. Your book is not for everyone. When publishing understands that there are true segments within business, romance, mystery—you name it, the author has a far better chance of finding her roots. The quicker an author learns that there is a crowd out there—they write to and for it. A type of specialize publishing, the author becomes the expert, the go-to person—for media, speaking engagements, book sales.

It’s much better to be the whale in the lake vs. the sardine in the sea.

#4 Consistency and Quality Went the Way of the Dodo Bird
Last year, over 90 percent of the hardbacks were returned to the publisher from the brick and mortar stores! Overall book sales were down put title count. The new formats had taken over with predominately trade paper and electronic books. Hardbacks, along with the celebrity tell-alls, were the bread and butter of the traditional publishers. No more—they were shipped back or buyers were looking for discounts.

Expect to see less publications in the mass-market, smaller format as well. Publishers responded: cut backs in staff and revenues led to consistency and quality going out the door. Printing quality became inconsistent; cover quality deteriorated; and paper weight became more than paper thin. Books that were printed 20 years ago held up where books six months ago were falling apart. Even the amount of glue used for bindings was reduced, causing pages to fall out of new books when opened.
Booksellers morphed to being clerks, rarely knowing the inventory carried, leaving a buyer who ventured into a retail store to sometimes wonder if the clerk actually read books. Book stores that added cafes and coffee houses soon discovered that many who hung out, weren’t buying books, they were hanging out in a warm, cozy environment.

#5 Snappy, Sassy and Salty Will Reign
The good news in all the changes is that publishing will survive. And continue to morph. Print books are not going to disappear. Electronic books will happily co-exist with them—kind of like a boxer or briefs question. There will be more dinosaurs added to the graveyard, such as Borders. Bookstores who “get” their communities will thrive, such as the Tattered Cover in Colorado. Publishers who create and print books that have a bit of an edge in their content, titling and visual presentation—the snap, sass and salt—will get buyers’ attention. Those who don’t, won’t.

The publishing world will keep turning … and keep changing … and it’s a good thing that it does.

Judith Briles is a book publishing coach and known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com) and the Founder of Author U (niversity (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. Judith is the author of 28 books including Show Me About Book Publishing, co-written with John Kremer and Rick Frishman and a speaker at publishing conferences. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.

1. Create the publicity to now support your book and drive up book sales. Write a media release that includes who awarded you, in what topic area. Make sure you include your book title (I’ve actually seen this forgotten), you as the author, publisher and where the book is available. For example, I live in Colorado—the top book store in Denver is the Tattered Cover—include that the book is available (and make sure it is). If you have a judge’s comment and appropriate, include it.

2. Tell the media world … it’s bragging time. Send the media release to your local newspapers, TV, radio or any organizations you belong to.

3. Think social media. Let your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn Fans know … add the link to Amazon’s page for your book. You can create a video and post on YouTube. When I hear about AuthorU members or Book Shepherding clients, it is immediately posted on our Facebook Fan pages and announce in The Resource eNewsletter.

4. Have a photo with you, your book, award … post it, post it, post it … on all social media sites. If appropriate, link to them as well.

5. Blog it … blog about it on your blog; and if there are other blogs you’ve been following or are appropriate to connect with …announce to their world as well.

6. Add that you are an Award-Winning Author to your signature line for all emails.

7. Don’t forget your website. Get it on the Home page—include a photo of you and your award and book. Add it to your Media page … if you don’t have one, create it—use the logo of the group that honored you … once you win one award, that seem to start multiplying. Add to the page as they come in.

8. Bravo … it’s celebration time—share it with your friends—have a party!

Judith Briles is a book publishing coach and known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com) and the Founder of Author U (niversity (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. Judith is the author of 28 books including Show Me About Book Publishing, co-written with John Kremer and Rick Frishman and a speaker at publishing conferences. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.

Here’s info for online listening:  http://rockstarradionetwork.com/shows/yourguidetobookpublishing

And for calling in live and participating:  866-404-6519

The decorations are down, dishes put away and guests departed. It’s time to get back to the author’s work with new passion, a vision that has possibly been tweaked over the Holidays and a commitment that this is the year. Your year.

Starting a book is a major event. Continuing the journey deserves a tap dance or two. Launching it is a firework celebration.

As The Book Shepherd, my goal is always for the author to create a book that she or he doesn’t regret. The cover, the insides, the content, the editing, the time spent creating it, the ____.

One of the most important things that an author—new or old—must keep at the forefront is the voice—is it his or hers? Or, has it been so morphed by others in the process that it has gotten lost … not to be found. This is the year that your voice is heard above the noise—the noise of millions of other books that are out there.

• Let this be your year that you are not lost; that you are found in the present and the future.
• Let this be the year that you will seek and find the answers to every question you have … and ones that you didn’t know were circling, just waiting for you to ask.
• Let this be the year that you invest in both your work and yourself to get it grounded and launched.
• Let this be the year that your Author and Book Platforms rock and roll!
• Let this be the year that you build on your crowd—or as Seth Godin says: the tribe.
• Let this be the year that your crowd—your readers—find you.
• Let this be the year that you, and your book, are truly findable across the Internet.
• Let this be the year that no one looks at you with a glaze in their eyes as you share that you are publishing your book with your own imprint.
• Let this be the year that you say, “I can do that. I can be a bestseller.”

It’s an exciting time to be an author; it’s an awesome time to be a publisher. The typical author, especially the author that views his path aligned with a traditional publisher, wants the details to be taken care by others—to in some ways, be taken care of. The independent author/publisher knows that “if it is going to happen,” he needs to be intricately involved in the process. He must continue his education; keep updated on marketing strategies and tools; and stay connected with others in the authoring/publishing community.

That’s because you want to educate yourself, you want to find out what’s happening in indie publishing, you want to learn about book construction, or you want to find out the cool new ways people are marketing their books. No longer does an author write a book, get it published and wait. Wait for success or wait for the end, meaning sales have dwindled to zilch and the ride is other. Today’s savvy author knows that his book can have a never-ending life—with marketing smarts, vision, passion, commitment and the tribe.

Welcome to my world … the world of publishing that I embraced in 2000 when a client said, “We would like to buy 1,000 copies of your book that you will be speaking about in the spring … and do you think you could arrange a discount with the publisher.” Of course I said, “Yes,” knowing that I had just taken the rights back from the traditional publisher and to the best of my knowledge, only 60 copies existed. I jumped in; started to learn the insider’s world of publishing; the dollars and sense of publishing; and how to find people to create the book that I committed to deliver on my promise. I was an already an author of 18 published books; now I was to become a publisher. Heady stuff.

What I’m thankful for is that I did come from the traditional publishing side. My visual model. My books were edited and professionally designed on the interior and exterior. When I created my own imprint, it never dawned on me to do it half-assed … I expected that my first book would be of quality—that’s what I grew up with as a beginning author in 1981. The vanity press/publishing model? Never an option—not even in my sights.

The growth of quality independent publishing is phenomenal and will only continue to escalate; the “e” world has become a pearl for many authors who would have never had a chance; and the separation of the vanities and publishing predators from true independents is comparable to buying a cheap 50 cent toy that breaks when it is picked up versus one that is designed to last.

Indeed, here’s to 2012!

PS—my book, Show Me About Book Publishing is perfect for anyone who is interested in publishing. Available pBook and eBook formats on all platforms.

http://www.amazon.com/Show-Me-About-Book-Publishing/dp/1600378552/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323470521&sr=8-1

Judith Briles is a book publishing coach and known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com) and the Founder of Author U (niversity (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. Judith is the author of 28 books including Show Me About Book Publishing, co-written with John Kremer and Rick Frishman and a speaker at publishing conferences. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.

Timing—if your manuscript is completed, you can have it edited, cover and interiors designed, printed and in your hands within four months or less. With traditional publishing, you can have your manuscript completed and it will most likely be in your hands in 18 months.

Control—if you get a group of authors together who have traditionally published, one of the most common grumblings you will hear is that they don’t like the way their book looks—covers and interiors and they really have been in a fog when it comes to book sales.

Quality—in 2009, a close friend had her 5th book published by the same NY publisher that did my second book in the mid-eighties. Over 20 years between our respective publications. The book she proudly gave me was a month old and a trade paper. The interior paper was thinner than mine when we took it off my book shelf to compare; my trade paper cover was still flat—hers was already curling up. Hers, of course, was twice the price of mine.

Money—is an important thing to look at. Most traditional publishers are pushing for “net” royalty deals. If your book is $20 retail, the net for sales to wholesalers and distributors will be less than $10 per book—meaning that the royalty is based on the less than $10 amount. The last two years have been brutal to the “average” author—non-fiction sales are in the 4,000-5,000 area. That means $4,000 to $5,000 in royalties—those lovelies that are paid twice a year, with a deferral of three months after each closing period; and usually with a hefty percentage holdback for reserves—meaning books get turned back and the publisher wants to cover its tush and not overpay you (and come knocking on your door to now pay them). In other words, this isn’t going to seed your retirement—don’t quit the day job!

As a savvy self and independent publisher—when you create a Author and Book Platform to reach out to your crowd, your sales will not only be greater, the financial reward will be significantly greater. For me, I know that I can sell 3,000 copies of a book and net $40,000 to $50,000 higher than my traditional publishing contracts that I used to live with.

It’s your choice … but do the math always. Measure your time, investment and potential return.

And … you need to market your book… If you are in Colorado on January 21st–this is a MUST! Attend Author U’s Winter BookCamp with niche marketing guru Brian Jud–details here–see you there.

http://authoru.org/bookcamp-maverick-marketing.html

Do You Know Where Your Book Sales Come From?

       Do You Know Where Your Clients Come From?

              Do You Know Where Your ____ Comes From?

Having a marketing and sales background, it was drilled in that I had to follow my leads, track my leads and know where my business came from. Maybe. Maybe not … at least today. The Internet has changed a lot of the rules of yesterday … yesteryear. It’s fast forward time…

If you have a product—a book, consulting services or any other product—today, it’s all about being “out there”—exposed, talked about, findable.

Maybe it’s time to stop asking the question, Do you know where your business is coming from? Because there isn’t a definable answer. Maybe the answer is in the response zone of “… just because.”

The more that you are “out there,” the more difficult it is to track where your sales and business comes from. It’s a “just because” … you are visible, you are finable … and best of all, you are reachable.

I can’t tell you the number of people who have engaged me to speak to a group because a friend of a friend heard me speak at a conference; or that someone said that they should get my book; or that they needed an expert in my topic and found my name or my website; or that they found one of my books and eventually contacted me directly (because that information was included in the book); or that they need a book shepherd. I’m on the Internet via personal websites, posted articles and easily found via Google. Are you? Your company? Your expertise? Your services?

And, to the surprise of many … I answer the phone when I’m in my office. With cell phones … the office is anywhere … anytime.  One of my latest clients found me at 7 in the evening Colorado time when I answered the phone—it wasn’t evening or afternoon where he was—he was in China and found me via the Internet—it was 10 in the morning, next day for him. We connected; I understood his book; and we are moving to layout in days.

It amuses me when the caller expresses surprise that I answer my own phone. Why shouldn’t I? Why shouldn’t you?

It’s the pinball effect—people jump around until they find the fit for them. Findable. Trackable from their side … more difficult to track from yours. And you just don’t know which pinball hole it will drop into.

The reality is that most people buy—they buy anything—based on emotions. When they are seeking help, services are a product … they are most likely in the “buy” mode. Are you visible? Are you reachable? Can you verbally connect with them and “hear” their needs? Can you be found with a few key words and a computer? Are you working under today’s model or still stuck in tracking the numbers?

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com), a book publishing coach and the Founder of Author U (niversity (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. She’s the author of 28 books including Show Me About Book Publishing, co-written with John Kremer and Rick Frishman and a speaker at publishing conferences. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.

Don’t you love it when authors actually take their own advice? Today, The Book Shepherd has a special guest who will answer your questions about Book Blog Tours. Dana Lynn Smith has one put together for her latest book, Virtual Book Tour Magic. Her tour has been over the past two weeks.

Here’s why this book makes marketing sense for today’s author:

• The author has a clear vision of her goal.
• She responded immediately to any questions that I have before our big day.
• She sent me her guest post Questions a week before it was due to run.
• She also sent me copy to use in social media promotion-so helpful.
• She is going to be available to respond to questions that Blog readers have about virtual blog tours.
• She also sent me a reminder the day before, just in case–always smart–we are all busy and a little goose is helpful!

Here’s the key take-away … be organized … no exceptions, no excuses.

Dana includes her “Daily Tour Routine” checklist with 11 specific tasks to execute each day of
your tour.

Following her advice will give you the heads-up you need to create, manage and implement a successful book blog tour–your payoff? Book sales and decent Amazon rankings.

You Should Read the Book!

Virtual Book Tour Magic is a PDF edition Dana sells from her website. It’s a complete, easy to follow, practical guide to running your own virtual book tour. It’s all explained, step-by-step, in Virtual Book Tour Magic. Yes there’s work, but there’s a big pay-off potential.

But the book is very comprehensive. The author covers topics like:

• How to plan your virtual book tour
• How to research and recruit the best tour hosts
• Communicating with tour hosts
• Creating killer content for your book tour
• Using contests, giveaways and offers on your tour
• Pitfalls and how to avoid them
• Hiring virtual book tour organizers

The Book Shepherd Recommends It

It will educate you in plain English; gives you excellent “how-to” examples; delivers step-by-step To-Dos; and is an ideal tool to add to your book promo.

Now, here’s Dana …

Dana Lynn Smith

Virtual Book Tour FAQ for Authors

Today I am interviewing Dana Lynn Smith, The Savvy Book Marketer, as part of the virtual book tour for her newest book marketing guide, Virtual Book Tour Magic.

Welcome, Dana. First, can you explain what a virtual book tour is and how it works?

While a traditional author tour involves traveling to different cities to make personal appearances, a virtual tour lets authors appear on a number of virtual venues during a specific time. Many virtual book tours are made up of articles or book reviews posted on blogs, but tours can also include other components such as interviews on online or broadcast radio, social media chats, book giveaways, and more.

The main goal of a virtual book tour is to sell books, but are there other benefits for authors?
Absolutely! Authors have the opportunity to develop relationships with their tour hosts; get new book reviews; interact with potential customers; get people talking about their book and sharing it with others; increase their opt-in mailing list; get quality backlinks to their website for SEO purposes; and more. I have found that being on tour seems to increase sales of my other books, not just the book that I’m promoting on the tour.

Can authors organize their own tour, or do they need to hire someone?
Organizing a virtual book tour is not difficult, but it does require an investment of time. Authors who are pressed for time or want to leave the details to someone else can hire a virtual book tour manager (there are several companies that specialize in this service), or get assistance from their publicist or a virtual assistant. But authors will still need to create content for the tour and promote it.

How long should a virtual book tour last?
The typical virtual book tour consists of weekday tour stops for one to three weeks. But there are other options for designing a tour, ranging from a one day blast to many venues at once, to weekly tour stops over a period of several months. Remember, you can always do another tour later, and you may find that you want to do some things differently next time.

How can authors find the best hosts for their tour?
The keys are to find venues that are a great match for your target audience, try to develop some rapport or relationship with the potential hosts in advance, and write a compelling letter of invitation. Sometimes you may have to choose between a blog that has more traffic or one with less traffic but a more highly targeted audience. In general, it’s best to go with the more targeted audience, because they are more likely to be interested in your book. But it may make sense to include one or two large sites with a more general audience, depending on the type of book you have.

What’s your most important advice for authors who want to organize their own tour?
Start early, be very organized, find great hosts, and communicate really well with your hosts. Many authors get started too late in planning their tour or underestimate the time needed to create content. I recommend beginning the planning process at least two months in advance. And be sure to have a written plan for organizing and promoting the tour.

Why did you write the Virtual Book Tour Magic book?
My goal in writing the book was to take the guesswork out of the process by giving authors very specific step-by-step instructions, along with planning tools such as checklists and spreadsheets. When you’re well prepared, a virtual book tour is a fun and rewarding experience!

About the Author
Dana Lynn Smith, The Savvy Book Marketer, helps authors and indie publishers learn how to sell more books through her how-to guides, blog, newsletter, and private coaching. For more book promotion tips, get her free Top Book Marketing Tips ebooks at www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com

Here are the links in this article …
Tour Page: http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/virtual_book_tour_magic/tour-for-virtual-book-tour-magic.html
Book Sales Page: http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/virtual_book_tour_magic/
My website: http://www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com) and the Founder of Author U (niversity (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. She’s the author of 28 books including Show Me About Book Publishing, co-written with John Kremer and Rick Frishman and a speaker at publishing conferences. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” AuthorU and
TheBookShepherd on Facebook. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact
her at Judith@Briles.com.

If your book is ideal for a gift (and it’s a rare one that is not), seasonal celebrations are ideal to reach out to your followers … why not your book as the gift? This month, of course December is hot. But so will January … for the “how-to” crowd, this is the high GOYA month—Get Off Your Ass—and get started (or re-started).

Game plan your “kick-start” now by:

1          Creating an email offer your “special” with a direct link to where you want them to purchase your book. Title, describe, and cover should all be included. Give them a heads-up with an estimate of how many days for arrival. If you are the sender, make sure you offer to personalize each book.

2          Contact all on your email lists; your Twitter followers; your Facebook friends; LinkedIn connections; and Google+ Circles and Huddles. Remind them who the ideal recipient is and that your book is a wonderful last-minute gift.

3          Don’t be shy … ask your friends and “followers” of the above to contact their local libraries and request your book Ask your friends and family to recommend your book as a gift item to others or buy your book to give to others.

4          Without being a pest, promote via your social media contacts with “hook” lines to entice the reader.

5          Ask your friends and social media contacts to re-treat from Twitter; ask them to recommend your book to their personal networks.

6          Remind them that Kindle, Nooks and iPads will all be hot gifts this year. Your book would be idea to give as a “gift”—Amazon.com, Apple.com/iPad, BN.com—all have ways to buy books for gifts via their sites.  (Yes—make sure that you have them available on all these platforms—if you are using Smash Words only, make sure that you include the link to Smash Words—otherwise, the average person won’t know to go there to purchase an eBook.

7          Think about creating a “deal”—a buy one, get one free … or if you have additional titles—create a “bundle”—any three for: … Use your imagination.

8          Offer a coupon for “something” if they email a confirmation number that they bought your book or fax it to you. It could be a credit of money toward another purchase if they buy from your site. Or think about sending them a “bonus” gift. Maybe a special report you’ve created that ties into your book’s topic or expertise. Or possibly do a cross promote—offer a “gift” from someone else … and they in turn can do the same with your info.

9          Create a Gift Basket of Books—gather up a few other authors (books that are in a different genre than yours)—include covers, brief descriptions, links to buy—and everyone cross promotes to their lists. These can be morphed with different events—Mother’s Day; Thanksgiving; New Year Beginnings; Birthdays, etc., etc. Have fun—be creative.

10        Always be on the alert with media events—if something is popping locally or nationally in the news—and it ties to your books title, theme or expertise—parlay it to your advantage.

Ten tips to move your book. None of this is difficult—just a little organization; getting your info and contacts together; and start your promo engines.

PS—my book, Show Me About Book Publishing is perfect for anyone who is interested in publishing. Available pBook and eBook formats on all platforms.

http://www.amazon.com/Show-Me-About-Book-Publishing/dp/1600378552/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323470521&sr=8-1

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com) and the Founder of Author U (niversity (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. She’s the author of 28 books including Show Me About Book Publishing, co-written with John Kremer and Rick Frishman and a speaker at publishing conferences. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com.