|
WPN, June 2022
The Painless Marketing Tips Issue
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From Kathleen Kaiser, WPN President
The TalkingBookPublishing.Today podcast is a wealth of information for writers and small publishers. You can download it from all major outlets or its website. In addition, we are archiving all past interviews so you can revisit them. Along with Adanna Moriarty, I enjoy doing this series and will continue to find the best experts or successful authors to talk about how they found success. This month's two guests are: self-published author Kimberly Davis Basso, who has released three books, two are award winners, talking about her self-publishing journey; and Brenda Vaca, who discusses how she used crowdfunding to launch her small imprint. Both have lots of information that can help you on your journey.
New episodes come out on the second and fourth Thursday. Check them out and let us know what you think. I'm always open to ideas for guests.
And June 15, WPN’s 805 Writers Conference website launches with both in-person sessions and Zoom for those who can’t travel. Speakers include NYTimes bestselling authors, book marketing pros, agents, and editors, along with outstanding authors who live in the 805 region.
Finally, please check out all of the contests listed in this issue. Winning or becoming a finalist is a great kudos for you and your book.
Kathleen Kaiser,
kathleen@kathleenkaiser.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From Sandra Murphy, Editor
Summer’s just starting. What are your plans? Make sure to have time set aside to write, but equally important, set aside time to daydream so your brain has time off, too. Notice small things that might inspire an article idea or a short story and let it drift until the details start to come together. Skim the headlines. If you can’t find ideas there, especially among the typos or awkwardly worded headlines, you’re just not trying.
Enjoy the warmer weather, spend time with friends and family, then make a plan for marketing your work starting in August. Be ready for those people who shop for holiday gifts just as the back-to-school sales are ending.
Sandy, Editor, editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ask the Book Doctor: About Tight Writing by Bobbie Christmas
Q: I keep on hearing “write tight, write tight,” from fellow writers and others. I’m not so sure what they’re trying to say to me. The whole darned issue is driving me a little crazy. How can I ever know what’s loose and what’s tight writing?
A: Creative writing, whether fiction or nonfiction, reads best and sells better when it gets to the point without wasted words. If I were to tighten your question, I might recast it this way:
I keep hearing “write tight.” I’m not sure what people mean. The issue drives me crazy. What is tight writing?
The recast says the same thing as the original, but it’s tighter.
Writers who grew up reading classics filled with flowery prose may think they must write the same way if they want to be successful. Many writers back in the day, however, were paid by the word. Elaborate descriptions added to the word count and paid the author more. Most classics are considered literary or scholarly, but their style won’t work for today’s readers. Contemporary style calls for clean, tight writing. Fiction readers want a story with an active plot, dialogue that’s related to the plot, and action. They don’t want to read long descriptions of people, places, and things. Nonfiction readers want information and examples, but they don’t need repetition or digression. Read More...
_____
Bobbie Christmas is a book editor, author of Write In Style: How to Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, and owner of Zebra Communications. She will answer your questions too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or BZebra@aol.com. Read Bobbie’s Zebra Communications blog at https://www.zebraeditor.com/blog/.
|
|
|
|
The Publisher’s Perspective by Jay Hartman
Q: I read recently it’s not possible to buy ebooks through the Amazon app if you’re on Android. Can you explain what that means? How does it affect authors? – T.R., Orlando, Florida
A: Yep, this is true. However, this is something iOS users have been experiencing for a while.
What’s Going On
Google set a policy for the app developers and publishers that use their Google Play store for distribution. Their policy requires any transactions that happen through a Google Store app must use the Google billing system to ensure Google receives their contractual 15-30% cut of the pie. So, if you download the Amazon app for your Android phone through the Google Play app store, any purchases you make through the app requires a cut to go to Google.
READ MORE ABOUT THE UPSIDE AND DOWNSIDE OF THIS…
_____
Looking to get The Publisher Perspective? Send your questions to jhartman@untreedreads.com
with TPP in your subject line. If your question is used, we’ll send you a free ebook from Untreed Reads. Jay A. Hartman, editor-in-chief at Untreed Reads Publishing, founded Untreed Reads to promote ebooks with an emphasis on independent authors and publishers. He’s written about the ebook industry for fifteen years and previously served as content editor for KnowBetter.com, one of the internet’s oldest sites reporting on ebooks and epublishing.
|
|
|
|
Clever Ideas for Promoting a Book with Bonus Content by Penny Sansevieri
Have you considered using bonus content if you’ve been mulling over getting more creative with your ideas for promoting a book?
Bonus content is one of the most underutilized strategies for marketing a self-published (or traditionally published) book, especially when you’re trying to be mindful of your budget or trying to support the work you hired a book-marketing company to do. Bonus content is often straightforward, and in many cases you already have everything you need to make this strategy work for you. Let’s dig into some ideas for promoting a book with bonus content!
How bonus content differs for fiction and non-fiction
Simply put, fiction authors should think of bonus content as “world enhancing,” and non-fiction authors should think of bonus content as “business building. Putting it in basic terms like this can give you some direction when it comes to determining what bonus content you can offer. I’ll give you more examples later on in this post! Read More...
____
Penny C. Sansevieri, founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a bestselling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an adjunct professor teaching self-publishing for NYU. She was named one of the top influencers of 2019 by New York Metropolitan Magazine. She is the author of 18 books, including How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon, Revise and Re-Release Your Book, 5-Minute Book Marketing for Authors, and the newly released From Book to Bestseller. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, visit www.amarketingexpert.com.
|
|
|
|
|
Five Ways to Get Books into the Hands of Kids Who Need them the Most by Melissa Hart
Recently an acquaintance of my daughter let her know he'd been depressed and cutting himself in places on his body where his parents couldn't see. When his parents learned what was happening, they called me.
"Is there a middle-grade novel about depression and self-harm?" they asked.
“You bet,” I said.
I’m the author of Better with Books: 500 Diverse Books to Ignite Empathy and Encourage Self-Acceptance in Tweens and Teens, and I’m here to tell you that these days, there's a middle-grade and young-adult novel or memoir for almost every issue our kids face. Thank goodness.
Read More...
____
Melissa Hart is the author, most recently, of the middle-grade novel Daisy Woodworm Changes the World. www.melissahart.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Crowdfunding has become an increasingly popular way for artists, entrepreneurs, and other creators to finance their projects and engage their fans. As evidenced by Brandon Sanderson’s recent Kickstarter success, crowdfunding can be a powerful tool for authors. In addition to helping authors fund future works, crowdfunding and subscription platforms can provide new ways to build relationships with readers and reward avid fans.
Here are nine ways to maximize you success with crowdfunding. Read More...
https://insights.bookbub.com/ways-authors-use-crowdfunding-reward-readers/
Reprinted with permission
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 20
Join Desiree Duffy as she's Talking BookTok
Get the scoop on BookTok, the bookish community within TikTok that has taken command of the literary world’s attention. More than a social media platform, #BookTok and #TikTok are communities for creatives to express themselves. The right kind of promotion can help authors and publishers build audiences and fanbases.
OPEN TO EVERYONE FOR FREE - REGISTER HERE FOR ZOOM LINK.
|
|
|
|
Bits and Pieces–News You Might Have Missed |
|
|
|
|
Announcement from the Donohue Group, a cataloging business
After almost 38 years in business The Donohue Group, Inc. is closing its doors within the next few months. We have loved working with you, and we want to be sure you find a new vendor that can meet your needs. There are only a few companies that do this specialized work, and one is Cassidy Cataloguing, of Rockaway, New Jersey. Cassidy has been in the cataloging business almost as long as DGI, and they are a small, woman-owned business (just like DGI). Here is a link to their website: https://www.cassidycataloguing.com/pcip.
If you are interested in working with Cassidy, please contact them as soon as possible. Please contact Joni Cassidy directly at: joni@cassidycat.com. Tani Eckstrand and I are in conversations with Cassidy to join their team, and we will keep you posted.
Our online order form is shut down. We understand this may cause a disruption in your publishing workflow; we are hoping to ensure a smooth transition for any publishers that opt to work with Cassidy beginning in May.
We are available to answer questions; please don’t hesitate to contact pcip@dgiinc.com. We ask you do not call our office; most of us work remotely these days, and email is the fastest and best way to reach us.
It has truly been a privilege to serve your library-cataloging needs, and we wish all of you the best as you continue your publishing journeys!
Regards,
Pat McCurdy-Crescimanno, MLS Project Manager, PCIP Donohue Group, Inc.
phone: (860) 683-1647 | fax: (860) 683-1678 https://www.dgiinc.com
***
From Wordsrated, an independent organization that studies books and publishing:
Bestsellers are getting shorter; the average length of the NYT bestseller decreased by 51.5 pages from 2011 to 2021, from 437.5 to 386 (11.8%).
Long books (over 400 pages) are disappearing; the share of long bestsellers went from 54% in 2011 to 38% in 2021, a 30% drop.
Long books stayed 4.4 weeks longer on the bestsellers list than short books (under 400 pages) until 2016. Since 2016short books have been on the list 1.9 weeks longer than long books.
People read longer books during winter; bestsellers are 35 pages (8.2%) shorter from April to September (392 pages) compared to October through March (427 pages).
****
The Atlantic
to Launch Book Imprint with Zando
Atlantic Editions will feature books by Atlantic writers, past and present. The launch of the imprint will lead a significant expansion of the magazine’s books section. Atlantic Editions will publish between six and 12 nonfiction titles per year, all trade paperbacks, sold for $12.85, each a collection of essays from a single author previously published in The Atlantic.
****
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chinelo Okparanta's New Novel
Changes Perspectives
|
|
|
|
Lerner to Publish YA Edition of Milkweed Adult Bestseller |
|
The YA edition of Robin Wall Kimmerer'sBraiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants addresses concerns about the planet in a new way, for younger readers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Calls for Submissions & Contests |
|
|
|
|
Red Ogre Review: Short Genre Fiction Contest
Contemporary literary fiction need not apply to this genre-specific contest, which seeks works “that could not possibly be viewed as not falling inside their chosen genre.” Any genre is fine to submit, be it SFF, horror, romance, historical fiction, crime, etc. Send a single story up to 5,000 words or up to five flash fiction pieces up to 500 words with a $5 entry fee. Submit by June 30.
www.ogre.red
****
Club Plum: Works on Human Rights and Women’s Rights
In addition to regular submissions, this literary journal is seeking nonfiction, flash fiction, prose poetry, and art on human rights, women’s rights, freedom, and democracy for its July 2022 issue. “We always want works on these topics,” editors explain, “but in this minute, we artists are desperate: we need to holler and bleed and whimper and demand and sing.” Submit by June 30.
****
Contests Header
****
Literary Taxidermy Writing Competition
https://literarytaxidermy.com/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 11, 2022.
Submit an original story or poem of up to 2000 words of any genre and in any style. Here's the catch: they provide your opening and closing lines chosen from a classic work of literature. You provide the rest. Classics are from Agatha Christie, Langston Hughes, A. A. Milne, and Edgar Allan Poe. Winners will receive a USD $500 cash prize and a complimentary copy of the forthcoming 2022 Literary Taxidermy Anthology. Runners-up will receive a USD $50 cash prize, and both the winner and runners-up will be published in the forthcoming 2022 Literary Taxidermy Anthology. Honorable-mention authors will receive personal feedback on their stories and poems and will have their name included on a special page in the anthology.
****
International Children’s Picture Book Award
https://picturebookaward2022.ehomebooks.vn/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 31, 2022. International Children’s Picture Book Award is a biennial contest held by Ehomebooks for unpublished children’s picture books across the globe. Themed “The World Is Your Oyster and Ours.” Submission(s) should be intended for children aged up to 10 years old. Limit 64 pages and 1,000 words. Submission(s) must not be published or in a contract with any publisher before the announcement of the award. Submission(s) must be in English. Best Story Award - $1,000, plaque, an extra $500 to buy and donate books to a place of choice, and a book-publishing contract with Ehomebooks. Best Picture Book Award - $2,000, plaque, an extra $1,000 to buy and donate books to a place of choice, and a book-publishing contract with Ehomebooks. Best Illustrations Award - $1,000, plaque, an extra $500 to buy and donate books to a place of choice, and a book-publishing contract with Ehomebooks. Ehomebooks is among the top children’s-book imprints in Vietnam, aspiring to publish the best children’s books to Vietnamese young readers and foster the love and habit of reading in children.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Historical Fiction Book Awards
AWARDS YEAR: 2022 contest is now open! The Book Awards Year is the year that contest entries were submitted and accepted into their related genre deadlines for submissions. Final winners will be announced and awarded on New Year's Eve and Day of said year. Example: The 2022 book award winners, who entered contests with 2022 deadlines, are recognized at the 2022 HFC winners.
Read More...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiction Contests
Salamander Fiction Prize
Eligibility: All writers
Prize: $1,000 + publication
Entry Fee: $15
Deadline: June 1, 2022
Marguerite McGlinn Prize for Fiction
Eligibility: All U.S. writers
Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $15
Deadline: June 15, 2022
Drue Heinz Literature Prize
Eligibility: Writers who have published a novel or a book-length
collection of fiction with a reputable book publisher, or a minimum of
three short stories or novellas in magazines or journals of national
distribution
Prize: $15,000 + publication
Deadline: June 30, 2022
|
|
|
|
|
|
|