Are You a Real Author?

A book is a book and an author is an author, right?

Well in the not so distant past an author would write a book or proposal, submit it to one or more publishing houses and wait for weeks or months to hear back. After a decent amount of time, around six months, said aspiring author would send out the manuscript, making copies and mailing the documents of course, to another round of publishers and the waiting process would happen all over again.

Flash-forward to the present.

Now, if someone wants to write a book... anyone, even a child, can. All you have to do is create the file and upload it on one of the many services, such as Amazon's "Create Space," and voila! An author is born. Or is an author really born?

What is the definition of an author?

A. One who writes?
B. One is is published by the traditional means...publisher with a print product.
C. One who is self published with a print product?
D. One who is self published with a print and/or digital product?

Confusing right?

To add to the confusion we can include the caveat the author needs to sell books to be considered a published author. By selling I don't mean to 100 of your best friends or manipulate the system, such as Amazon to spike sales at 3 PM in the morning, or offer the book for free on a slow day to become an Amazon best seller.

This is a hotly contested subject and I know many of my readers are self-published authors or those who aspire to be traditionally published at some point in their writing careers. I turned down a 4-book publishing contract in 1996 after I had successfully self-published said books and was happy not having to make 15% commission when I was making 100%. However, does that still make me a published author if I self-publish? I can't join many of the professional associations because I am self-published however several of my authors, Susan K. Marlow is one, is part of these associations because I publish one of her books!

And so we go round and round and I'm sure you have an opinion, so let's hear it!

Using a Tag Line

The importance of a tag line can not be underestimated. This was brought home recently at my son's Little League baseball game. These games can drag on. Only if you've sat on the sidelines do you understand. In order to keep the team spirit going, the kids tend to chant some type of encouragement to their buddies up at bat. Sometimes it makes me laugh, smile, and other times I would be very happy if they would sit in silence.

The game was going, and going, and going...as usual. The coach had decided to trade out the pitcher once again, and we were all waiting for the warm-up to end so the game could commence. Once the batter was up in the box, the team players began their chant. It went something like this... "When I say Hillshire, you say 'Farms'... Hillshire..." (The team yells) "Farms!" and then the entire team yelled, "Go Meat!"  This refrain continued . . . "When I say Hillshire, you say Farms, Hillshire!" "Farms!" "Go Meat!" Over, and over again the kids yelled. Sitting in the stands the parents looked at each other, smiled in recognition at the commercial tag-line.  My younger children began giggling at the silliness.

What does a cold-cut commercial have to do with Little League baseball? Apparently the kids thought "Go Team" is similar to "Go Meat." I guess. The point is kids are sponges. I'm sure most of us watching the commercial (if you watch television) remember things we wish we wouldn't. The commercial industry knows this about our psyche. They have spent thousands of dollars on research and while we may consider a commercial an irritation, these little kids proved the money was well spent.

Let's look at this commercial's effectiveness:
1. Use of a simple tag line.
2. A chant that was easy to remember.
3. A "cheer" for a company product, in this case, "meat."
4. Tag line doesn't make sense, therefore we tend to remember it.

When I first heard the commercial it bothered me, because "meat" can't "go." And, you cheer for people, not meat! In fact each time I heard it I would think of it as illogical. The entire tag-line was being embedded deeper into my mind. When the children chanted this everyone in the stands, on both sides of the team heard this, and whether or not they were familiar with the commercial they would be more aware of it the next time.

Tag lines are very important. 

"Can you hear me now?"

What do you think when you hear a tag line? If you think of the company or how it is different than the competitor, that is the key. How about this tag line? "Using Words to Enlighten, Uplift and Inspire."  No, it's not mine, it belongs to Stacy Hawkins Adams. She is a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction. Her tag line fits her mission. Her work. It is clear, strong and does what any good tag line should, nudges you to learn more. I have the privilege of interviewing Stacy on my Radio Show for Authors.

What is a  tag line? A tag line is also known as a slogan. The purpose is to convey a message. Whether it is about the company, a type of business or the individual. Many authors are known by their names which often appear in a larger font than even the title. A name tells you "who" but it doesn't tell you "what." If you are not as well known, what message do you want to convey? This is something you should give special consideration.

Good tag lines are:

1. Short
2. Catchy
3. Convey an idea
4. Implies more than it says
5. Will be repeated
6. Describes a value proposition
7. Includes key words
8. States your brand
9. Is clear
10. Is remembered

I think my mother had it right when she said, "Garbage in, garbage out." Think about it the next time you work on your tag line or when you are sitting at a Little League baseball game.

Book Author = Success

What does the word, "success" mean to you? Everyone has a different interpretation. When you couple the word success with the topic of becoming a book author the word takes on a new meaning. For some, becoming an author is a lifelong dream. For others it is the complement to an already successful career. And for others, it is a passion something they had to do in their life to be complete.

Success for author, Twila (pronounced with a long "i") Belk, is anything she does in God's timing. I interviewed this amazing lady today on my radio show and it was refreshing to talk to this energetic and highly motivated woman who loves her job. She is the author of one book that she self-published, "Gotta Get 'Em Fixed," a spiritual humorous book filled with wisdom and inspirational gems. She wrote on note cards, the backs of an envelope and anyplace she could when inspiration hit, yet never found the time to actually sit down and write the book until foot surgery required her to be seated for her recovery.

It was time to clean out her purse, Twila revealed and write the book. Her journey took her to a writer's conference where she chanced to meet the legendary Christian author, Cecil Murphy. The author connected to Cecil and he asked her to stay in touch via email which she did for a short time until she began doubting her really meant it. Another two years and another chance meeting with Cecil led to a reprimand for not staying in touch and soon followed with a job offer. This offer not only saved her financially, but gave her cause for celebration. She was doing, in her words, what she was created to do!

These days Twila is the lady behind scheduling, keeping things on track, book marketing strategy plans, publishing contacts, event planner, back cover copy author, blog writer, radio and press release contacts and so much more. And, she does this with joy. We joked that before the interview the assistant needs an assistant! I spoke with Twila's very able personal assistant who set up this interview for her.

Twila is so busy with Cecil's career she does not have time to promote her own book. Yet she doesn't appear to mind. She plugs along happily telling anyone who will stop and listen about all the wonderful things the Lord has done for her, which is why she is known as the "Gotta Tell Somebody" Lady (and her website matches at http://www.gottatellsomebody.com).

Twila is also in charge of the Quad-Cities Christian Writers Conference coming up soon. http://www.qccwc.com  If you happen to attend, tell Twila I said, "Hi!"

15 Commandments for Getting FREE Publicity

15 Commandments for Getting FREE Publicity

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

An Excerpt from THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER:

HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON’T

A huge retailer once said that advertising works, we just don’t know how, why, or where it works best.

What we do know is that advertising’s less mysterious cousin, publicity, works even better. It is the more reliable relative because it is judged on its merit alone and carries the cachet of an editor’s approval. It also is surrounded by the ever-magic word “free.” The two are easily identified as kin.

These two often walk hand-in-hand and yet they can be incompatible. The editors of good media outlets will not allow the advertising department to influence them. Still, in an effort to be completely impartial they reserve the right to use advertiser’s stories editorially if they deem them newsworthy.  That is why it is helpful to use advertising in a vehicle that plays to the audience you would like to see standing in line for your book. This paid-for exposure then becomes an entrée to the decision-makers. A contact in the advertising department may be willing to put a news release on the desk of one of his editors, maybe even encourage her to look at it.  There are no contracts, but it does sometimes work. If you’re going to try this route, choose a “little pond”, a bookish brochure or an “arty” weekly so that the dollars you spend will be noticed.

Sometimes a magazine or newspaper will run a special promotion called advertorial.  These are sections where you pay for an ad and then the newspaper assigns a reporter to cover the story you want told. The article carries some of the prestige of editorial copy—that is the general reader may assume the article has been chosen only on its merits because of its copycat character. The writer or editor you meet will can be approached when your have something exceptional.

Still, advertorial isn’t exactly FREE. If FREE sounds more like the fare that will serve your needs, carve out some time to do it yourself and follow these 15 commandments:

Educate yourself: Study other press releases. Read a book like Publicity Advice & How-To Handbook, Rolf Gompertz, a SPAN member. Join publicity oriented e-groups.

Read, read, read: Your newspaper. Your e-zines. Even your junk mail, a wonderful newsletter put out by the Small Publishers of North America (www.spannet.org) and one called The Publicity Hound (www.publicityhound.com.)  My daughter found a flier from the local library in the Sunday paper stuffed between grocery coupons.  It mentioned a display done by a local merchant in the library window. My second book, "Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered," became a super model in their lobby and I became a seminar speaker for their author series. Rubbish (and that includes SPAM) can be the goose that laid the golden egg.

Keep an open mind for promotion ideas: Look at the different themes in your book.  There are angles there you can exploit when you’re talking to editors. My first book, "This is the Place" is sort of romantic (a romance website will like it) but it is also set in Salt Lake City, the site where the winter games were played in 2002 and, though that’s a reach, I found sports desks and feature editors open to it as Olympics © fervor grew and even as it waned because they were desperate for material as the zeal for the games wound down.

Cull contacts: Develop your Rolodex by adding quality recipients from media directories. The website http://www.gebbieinc.com/ has an All-in-One Directory that gives links to others such as Editor, Publisher Year Book, and Burrell’s. Some partial directories on the web are free and so are your yellow pages. Ask for help from your librarian—a good research librarian is like a shark; she’ll keep biting until she’s got exactly what she wants.

Etiquette counts: Send thank-you notes to contacts after they’ve featured you or your book. This happens so rarely they are sure to be impressed and to pay attention to the next idea you have, even if it’s just a listing in a calendar for your next book signing.

Partner with your publicist and publisher: Ask for help from their promotion department—even if it’s just for a sample press release.

Publicize who you are, what you do: Reviews aren’t the only way to go. E-books are important promotion tools and Twitter is big news right now (find me at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo). Katy Walls, author of “The Last Step,” coordinated an “anthology” of recipes from authors who mention food in their books (yes, some my family’s ancient recipes from polygamist times are in it). If you'd like a copy of the article on how to make an e-book like that work for you, go to www.budurl.com/FreeContent. Other helpful articles on promotion await you there, too.

Think of angles for human interest stories, not only about your book but about you as its author. Are you very young? Is writing a book a new endeavor for you? Several editors have liked the idea that I wrote my first book at an age when most are thinking of retiring, that I think of myself as an example of the fact that it is never too late to follow a dream.

Develop new activities to publicize: Don’t do just book signings. Use your imagination for a spectacular launch. Start an award. I give the Noble (Not Nobel!) for literary work each January at www.MyShelf.com. Get charities involved. Think in terms of ways to help your community.

Send professional photos with your release: Request guidelines from your target media. Local editors won’t mind if you send homey Kodak moment--properly labeled--along with your release. Some will use it; it may pique the interest of others and they’ll send out their own photographers. It’s best, however, to send only professional photos to the big guys.

Frequency is important: The editor who ignores your first release may pay more attention to your second or twenty-fifth. She will come to view you as a source and call you when she needs to quote an expert.  This can work for novels as well as nonfiction. I received a nice referral in my local newspaper because I am now an “expert” on prejudice, even though my book is a novel and not a how-to or self-help piece.

Follow Up: Shel Horowitz, author of Marketing Without Megabucks (http://www.frugalfun.com), reports that follow-up calls boost the chances of a press release being published. Voice contact builds relationships better than any other means of communication.

Keep clippings: Professional publicists like Debra Gold of Gold & Company do this for their clients; you do it so you’ll know what’s working and what isn’t.

Evaluate: One year after your first release, add up the column inches. Measure the number of inches any paper gave you free including headlines and pictures. If the piece is three columns wide and each column of your story is six inches long, that is 18 column inches. How much does that newspaper charge per inch for their ads? Multiply the column inches by that rate to know what the piece is worth in advertising dollars. Now add 20% for the additional trust the reader puts in editorial material.

Set goals: You now have a total of what your year’s efforts have reaped.  New publicist-authors should set a goal to increase that amount by 100% in the next year.  If you already have a track record, aim for 20%.

Observe progress: Publicity is like planting bulbs. It proliferates even when you aren’t trying very hard. By watching for unintended results, you learn how to make them happen in the future.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON’T (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo ). For a little over 2 cents a day THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER assures your book the best possible start in life. Full of nitty gritty how-tos for getting nearly free publicity, Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares her professional experience as well as practical tips gleaned from the successes of her own book campaigns. She is a former publicist for a New York PR firm and a marketing instructor for UCLA's Writers' Program.. Learn more about the author at http://carolynhoward-johnson.com or http://HowToDoItFrugally.com