Going Viral in a Good Way

We've all seen the video that is lifted from obscurity to make the prime time morning show circuit. What is it that brings the masses and how can you, as an author, profit from this market? The process is really simple however the execution is what becomes difficult.

Here are the "Simple" Steps:

1. You create a video.
2. You post said video on YouTube, or GodTube  TalkFusion (or similar site).
3. You let your friends know.
4. They let their friends know.
5. The friend of a friend let's his friend know.
6. Number 5 happens to the infinite power.
7. Said video goes viral.
8. You are invited to the morning news show circuits.
9. You sign a 6-figure book deal

Now for the not so simple execution of the fictional account above:

1. You create a video with the hope of going viral.
2. You follow steps 1 through 3 above.
3. You look at said video months later to find only 10 people or less have watched it.

So, what went wrong?

The idea of a viral video to those who market is to get sales. Let's face it, the videos that go viral have no sales in mind. They are quirky, fun or just plain silly. There isn't a marketing genius out there who has not analyzed and studied these videos in the hopes that imitation will yield the same results. And, some have come very close.

There is a bottom line and "secret" sauce here, the videos that go viral don't mention the product. They entertain, delight, embarrass or wow the viewer. In other words they illicit a response. Recently while attending a family celebration at a friend's home she had to share her latest YouTube find a video of a dog that appeared to be speaking to it's owner. I watched her reaction as she watched it and she kept stealing sideways glances at me to be sure I was watching as well... she was just as amazed each time she viewed the video as the first time. Therefore, add engaging to the list above.

Let's break this down, the video must be:
1. Entertaining
2. Delightful
3. Wow it's audience
4. Engage

Sounds like Marketing 101.

Notice the video in question did NOT mention a product. It was purely entertainment. Perhaps my friend a dog lover, with a dog that often chews the legs of her furniture secretly (yes, I'm assuming here) hopes that someday her own pet will behave in like-wise fashion. Or, better yet, that someday she'll own a dog like that. I'm not sure. What I do know is the million plus viewers of the video equally enjoyed the dog's antics.

An engaging video allows the watcher to dream, aspire to an ideal, or secret inclination. It is the perceived value. For those who market directly the hope is to illicit a response from the buyer. The value may be to get thinner, think smarter or in the case of authors, convince a buyer to purchase their book!

That's it, simple.

Create a video that allows those who watch it to see the perceived benefits of your product and there you have it, a million-dollar idea in the making. Easy? Not really. However it is worth a try!

If you have a great video that shares your product idea please post it here! Who knows we might help you go viral.

Book Business ~ Terry Whalin

Shocking News To Authors: The Book Business Is A Business First

By W. Terry Whalin

            Before I began working inside a book publishing house, I had written more than 50 nonfiction books, ranging from children’s to adult books. I have never self-published a book and always worked through traditional publishers. However, I was unaware of the financial production numbers for nonfiction books and I found it shocking—and something critical for potential authors to understand. The author never sees these figures for their books as the publisher doesn’t reveal them throughout the contract negotiation process. A publisher will produce these financial calculations as simply a part of good business practices.  As an author, understanding this helped me see publishing as a business. Authors have huge amounts of time and emotional investment in their words. When I saw these production numbers, I understood that the publisher, not the author, has the largest out-of-pocket cash investment in a book. 

            Inside the publisher, the editor will gather a sales projection about how many copies the sales department believes they can sell of your title the first year. That sales figure will be used to calculate the production costs of ink, paper and binding for various amounts of printing (5,000, 10,000 or 15,000 copies). As the initial print number is raised, the cost per book decreases. You may ask, So why not print a large volume each time? The answer is, if the publisher prints a large number of copies, then he has to store those copies in their warehouse (read cost and expense), plus make sure they actually sell those copies within a year’s timeframe. The cost of tying up financial resources in storing and warehousing books that aren’t selling is large. Also the federal government taxes publishers on each copy in storage. These tax rules have forced publishers to think long and hard about how many copies of each book to print.

            Inside my former publisher, we calculated the overall printing details of the book (paperback with general publishing look or hardcover with jacket) and the number of books to print before offering a book contract. In short, publishers pour a great deal of work into their books and financial projections before they call you and offer a nonfiction book contract. Understanding this process helps you see some of the reasons it takes such a long time for an author to receive a publishing contract…

            Often the publisher returns to an author with whom they have already published a book. If the publisher takes a second or third book from the same author, they are investing in that author’s career and trying to build that author’s audience and market. If the author’s books are selling well, then the publisher will be eager for another project. Each week, publishers monitor sales numbers on their books to see if particular authors merit another book contract.

            Many writers focus only on the creative aspects of writing a book and getting it published, but the executives inside a publishing house are business people who want to sell books and turn a profit at the end of the day. It’s a delicate balance between creating the best possible product and assuring that each product has the best opportunity to sell into the market and reach the target audience.

________________________________________

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and publisher lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. A former acquisitions editor, former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. To help writers, he has created 12-lesson online course called Write A Book Proposal. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com.

Unlocking the Writer's Block

Available on Amazon

Unlocking Writer’s Block
Guest Post 
by Karen Zeigler


Rarely will individuals admit to being worriers unless they are going through a really difficult time.  So it’s not unusual that writers don’t recognize that the writer’s block they are experiencing is just worry in disguise. 

• What if no one read what I’ve written?
• What if the publisher rejects it?
• What if I don’t connect with my audience?
• Why does it matter?
• What if I miss the deadline?

Or perhaps it’s something total unrelated to writing.
• I wonder what they will find in those tests the doctor’s office ran.
• I hope my child has the courage to discuss the problem with their teacher. Should I step in or am I helping her become a responsible adult by asking her to step up?

• I haven’t heard from my spouse, the presentation was over an hour ago.  Is this a good sign that they got the business or is he lamenting at the airport bar?

Whatever the case is I can tell you from experience that there is likely a thousand thoughts running through your brain, perhaps even some on the topic you wish to write about, but the fearful, anxious and worrisome thoughts have taken over control.  Your mind maybe racing but the results are zip – going nowhere, nothing happening.

When I wrote my book Freedom from Worry – Prayer of Peace for an Anxious Mind it was more about eliminating worry and connecting with God is a real and life changing way.  What I didn’t realize until I began to share the practice is what can actually get accomplished when worry is out of the way.  Clarity comes, courage to take action and confidence in yourself, your calling and your God are just high level things that happen over and over again.  And if clarity wasn’t enough to make any writer rush online to purchase the book here are just a few more reasons you’ll want to include this book and the process that it teaches into your writing routine.

1.    The first key thing that happens in the process is the journaling.  That journaling is many things but first and foremost it is a means of getting the negative thoughts out of your brain.  As writers we often try to set all the positive variables in place – right time, right place, right atmosphere with little action taken to eliminate the negative thoughts rolling around in our head, which we carry with us regardless of where the writing takes place.

2.    Second we shift our mindset to that of gratitude.  It is when we are in a grateful mindset that our mind delves into deeper meaning, in life and in the topic at hand.  A mindset that is ultimately where most writers hope to take their audience.  Even the most comedic of writers is hoping to help their audience realize through humor that which is important about the topic.

3.    And last but not least it is a connection with the Creator.  A means for getting divine inspiration from the author of all creation. 

Practice the steps of the prayer and journaling found in Freedom from Worry and it’s guaranteed that thoughts will flow and writing will occur.  It happens by design.  By the end of your journaling time you will have spent 15-30 minutes pouring out (writing) your worries, fears, gratitude and requests onto the pages of your journal.  And as the peace of mind settles in, the flow continues on to the inspirational thoughts and words for which you were meant to write.

Karen Zeigler, Speaker and Life Coach, Inspiration to Change. 

Karen has come full circle, after almost 20+ years of climbing corporate ladders and pursuing her career that provided the prestige and money she thought was so critical from her college days, she realized there was more to life! She discovered coaching. Although she agrees being an Investment Advisor was somewhat fulfilling it never really scratched her "itch"...longings to write and speak on topics of purpose, passion and personal development.
 

You Can Make Money by Writing Articles

Oh sure, authors are known to make upwards of one dollar per word or more for magazine articles. But, don't take out the calculator just yet. There are many ways to  cash in on your writing ability. While it is true you can market and re-market your work to various periodicals, create sales, and make this your new career, for those looking for residual income or perhaps a full time job, this will take hard work.


Why write magazine articles? For the experience. I was published long before I wrote my first book. In fact I was a "regular" in the editorial page at our local newspaper. Once one of my "pieces" was the editorial of the week. When the newspaper employee called asking for a picture to include with my article (and I declined), I knew my words were able to convey feelings and make my point. 

In order to write good articles, you must read and research. What magazine do you want to write for? What type of articles do they publish? Do they publish freelance authors? Knowing how and where to begin, will go a long way to formulating your plan.

Lists always help me. Especially when I take the time to read them! They help me stay in focus and make difficult decisions. There is not only "one" right-way to market your articles. And even if there were, following any plan perfectly is difficult. Understanding what is and what is not acceptable will help you land that article assignment. The goal of becoming a published author is well within your reach.

So here is a list of the do's, don'ts. The insider tips. The real scoop for creating articles that will help jump start your sales!

Do's
1. Research very clearly what a magazine wants in terms of articles. Read many issues (not just one) and get a feel for the editorial needs of the publication. Make sure they accept articles from non-staff writers. Note the length of the articles, and the tone of voice. First person or third?
2. Some magazines ask for queries (a pitch of your idea) first, others want the full article. Give them what they want.
3. Think outside the box. How is your article better, different, insightful and or use interviews with quotes to support your information within the body of the text.
4. Write down the date that you submitted your article if you haven't received a confirmation in 6 weeks, send an polite email query as to the status of your work.  
4. An article is not necessarily a one time sale. Some magazines ask for first rights, others allow reprints with the correct notation. Don't waste the time of the editorial staff by shopping an already published piece unless it is significantly different or updated with new information.
6. If you article has not been accepted within at least six months shop it somewhere else.
7. If you are submitting to an editor, make sure it is the correct person. Newspapers? It is better to call the newsroom and ask who takes submissions. Websites sometime include information on how to submit an article.

Don't
1. Submit an article that is riddled with typos.
2. Submit an article to more than one publication at once (unless multiple submissions are acceptable).
3. Submit the wrong kind of article that is off in style, tone or topic for a specific publication.
4. Constantly bombard the acquisitions editor with emails asking for confirmation the article was received or whether or not it has been accepted.
5. Use a poor submission service (especially for online services) that take inferior articles.
6. Place poorly concealed ads in order to sell other services and products.
7. Don't rewrite someone elses articles and call it your own. Yes, many people may teach similar concepts but there have been submissions that have smacked of plagiarism.
8. Don't Address your article to the incorrect person, or misspell the editor's name!
9. Don't expect the "big bucks." Sometimes the payment is free magazine copies, or a very small stipend. Chalk it up to experience and something to put on the resume.

Make sure you have a compelling pitch (this is a topic I will write about another time) and the explain your ideas for the possibility of a two or even three part article series. Magazines are looking for quality cohesive pieces and who knows... it could land you a full time job as a feature writer! The best of both worlds is to be a participant on a freelance authors group. Discover these listings on Yahoo by searching under "groups". I'm on a group with a specific periodical I write for on occasion. The editor of the magazine uses this as a way to throw out last minute assignments or requests for a particular magazine piece. Another editor I know has used an email group to ask for a particular "themed" piece for the magazine.  

Two of my recent submissions have been chosen as feature articles. This was unplanned on my part. So how did this happen? My article was timely, exactly what the editor envisioned and while needing editing (yes, for you punctuation gurus I know, my blog posts need work in this area), the editing needed was minimal. The second article was a filler for someone else who had dropped the ball and turned out to be something the editor wanted to highlight in the upcoming edition.

If you know a friend who is an editor, have them read over your work before submission. You want to be known as the writer that needs little editing. Do your homework and do it well. You will be happy with the results in the long run!