Book Review; De-stressing Life & article on Book Marketing

-- :) 1st Review for the 2nd Edition of our 3rd Book ! :) --

"It is my opinion that every author, whether they are published or hoping to be published, should own a copy of this book. The information is presented in a concise, clear fashion and each subject is covered in a way that makes it easy for the author to apply the suggested techniques to their own marketing requirements."

~ Carol A. Guy, author of Spirit Lake Books I & II

Carol is the editor that Twilight Times Books publisher hired to work on the final manuscript for this latest edition of Purple Snowflake Marketing - How to make Your Book Stand Out in a Crowd. She was so moved by the book that she was inspired to voluntarily write this review as well. Carol is, in my personal opinion, one of the best - if not the best - editors that Dave and I have had the pleasure of working with.

Thank you - Carol - for your wonderful suggestions on improving the manuscript!

* The 2nd edition of Purple Snowflake Marketing - How to make Your Book Stand Out in a Crowd will be available in early March, 2009. The 1st edition is still available in e-book format. See Twilight Times Books for more information :) The new cover design for the 2nd edition can be viewed at: www.brummet.ca/purple.html

-- Book Marketing Woes? --

Too many new authors believe that once their book is written the sales will just come pouring in and they will make a bundle. Sadly, this disillusionment is shattered when they receive a royalty check. The honest to goodness truth of the matter is that the writer's work is only started when the book is released. Even the huge author names of today began by peddling their books out of the back of their car. Many big-name authors also began by self-publishing because no one recognized their talent. They did not start off their career with a huge bang. They did not have the money to afford publicists and big marketing firms when they started out and yet they are super successful now. Take heart from their examples.

Marketing, promoting and networking must be done every single day, for the life of the book, in balance with your other activities and obligations.

Many new authors feel their only way to success is through book signings and bookstores stocking their book. They are wrong. While in larger centers with good promotion a book signing event or book reading event may result in as much as a couple hundred one-time sales... most smaller venues can only expect less than 10 sales. Is this worth the 2 hours or more that you spend at the event? Not counting all the preparation, marketing the event, promotion materials, time taken from work and any displays that you have designed and possibly paid for ahead of time. These events do not pay authors to host an event so any sales they do have may not even cover the traveling costs, hotel cost, meals, parking or supplies - let alone the time they put into it. Nor do they usually result in long-term sales - sales are often only during the few days around the event.

Bookstores can only realistically stock less than 1% of the 3 million books available on the market. Their discount with the publisher/distributor is large. Authors are paid royalties only on what their publisher has received. So is all the time and effort going into attaining spots on bookstore shelves worth it?

While the markets above are valuable and important to any author - what authors need to do is think outside the box. Figure out where your efforts will bring the greatest results. Don't expect immediate and overwhelming acceptance by the media or your audience. Marketing, networking and promoting are long-term efforts that will reap greater rewards as efforts continue.

Many authors live in tiny towns and hold down jobs or have physical limitations that prevent out-of-town promotions; much like ourselves. This can be overcome. Again, think outside the box, use the Internet and your contacts - and be persistent. Newspapers, libraries, and bookstores are only the most obvious markets and also are the most difficult to gain the attention of without a strong image because everyone is vying for their attention. Work on your image and get strong promotion materials that help you stand out among the hundred thousand or more new books released annually.

Newsletters can be small but effective markets for your work. On average, they can range in size from 1000-17,000 readers or more. E-zines typically reach an audience larger than 5000. Get a few of them in one month and you are reaching a wide audience!

I just wanted to mention here that some authors get overwhelmed by the immense amount of effort it takes to market a book. If we take one day, one step at a time we will find it is not so overwhelming. I find it works best to figure out what you will concentrate on this week and then set a goal for today. I do this nearly every day. It helps me keep a steady pace going, without taking on too much or too little.

Remember too, that efforts you are making today may not reap immediate results. You may have to hit a market several times before they pick up your proposal. For instance, some contacts from nearly a year ago are now resulting in promotions in their publications. So be patient and professional in all that you do. Again, keep records so that you can follow up.

So develop a long-term marketing plan and stick with it for the full term of your contract with the publisher. The market plan will grow and change as time goes on. And keep good records so you can determine how you will go about marketing the next book.

You don't need to be rich or famous or have a publicist if you are determined and able to commit effort every single day. (Do take some time for yourself, though!)

-- Conscious Discussions Radio --

Today, on Conscious Discussions talk radio show we are discussing how we can de-stress our lives. In this generation more than any other preceding it people across the globe are juggling many tasks and responsibilities at once – and especially these days as the population ages there is a lot more caregiving tasks being thrown into this mix of responsibilities… and we find ourselves multitasking to the point where they begin to feel like they have lost touch with themselves, they feel like they don’t know who they are anymore. These stresses in our world can really damage our relationships.

Debbie Mandel is a stress-management specialist, radio show host, mind/body lecturer, creator of an educational website, and the author of three self-help books. She conducts inspiring stress-management workshops for people from all walks of life and is here today to help us deal with ever-increasing stress load in today’s global society. (Find Debbie at: www.turnonyourinnerlight.com)

To access this interview, (airs live @ 10 AM Pacific, & will be archived for anyone who can't make the live show), click on the hyper-linked show title here, or look to the right for a link to the Conscious Discussions talk radio show.

Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows & free resources & articles at www.brummet.ca