Book Packaging & Creativity Workshops

Mia Walshaw

Build Marketing Muscle – Find Publishing Success

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Indie authors have long known that when they type the words “the end” their job is only half-way finished. Authors can no longer sit back and wait for book sales. Find publishing success and build your marketing muscle. 

How many jobs can one person handle?

Chances are you wake, prepare breakfast for yourself and possibly others, go to work, workout, work around the house, work in the garden, spend time with family, and maybe, just maybe there’s a bit of extra time to do your writing. But if you sacrifice writing time for marketing time, your book slate might suffer. If you don’t market, your book sales could suffer. 

I recommend that authors understand the different jobs associated with how you build marketing muscle for publishing success, and then decide which ones to take on and which ones to pass along to a professional. If you understand the basics, you can make informed choices on who to trust with your book as well as whether it’s worth spending money to save yourself time.

Publishing Success…If You Tell Them, They Will Buy

In my many years of working with authors, I have learned a truth about book marketing that still surprises me to this day. It’s what I call the “Field of Dreams” aspect of marketing. Similar to that movie’s famous line, “If you build it, they will come,” book marketing oftentimes carries the “if you tell them, they will buy” sensibility. I’ve always believed in a soft sell approach. And yet, I know that marketing means telling people about my book. But there are clever ways to market your book.

“Pull Quotes” Pack a Punch

As I write my fiction (under the pen name Mia Fox), I might notice a line of dialogue and happily think that I nailed it. I created something that will resonate with my romance readers. Perhaps I do a little happy dance, thanking the stars that writers’ block didn’t strike, but more likely, I make a note of this sentence in a separate document. These notes will become pull quotes. I recommend using an online graphic tool such as Canva to create interesting graphics featuring your quotes that can be posted on social media.

Your Own Book Contains Creative Marketing Ideas

You’ve probably tried a few book marketing tactics already. Perhaps reducing the price of a book, running a contest, advertising on one of your social media platforms…you know, the types of campaigns we’ve all run. But how successful can a campaign be if everyone is doing it?

In addition to these methods, look within your own book for ideas. Does your main character have a hobby? Do the characters eat at a particular restaurant? Do they live in a well-known town that offers special tourist attractions? These are all aspects of your book that can be expanded upon.

One of my most successful marketing campaigns was for my book, Malibu Angel. I sent out a newsletter pre-release that showcased the beauty of this well-known beach in a pictorial layout. I included articles about restaurants in the area, celebrity sightings, and must-see shops. These details weren’t mentioned in this paranormal romance book, but they served to elaborate on the setting and give some “behind the scenes” details.

Create Receptive Marketing Campaigns

Best of all, it gave me a way of talking about my book without the obvious plea to buy my book.

Let the details and descriptions sell your book.

To me, marketing is most effective when your target audience is receptive to what you want to sell.

Selling isn’t easy. Build marketing muscle. Take the time to spice up your campaigns with creativity, suddenly you’ll enjoy the process and your readers will reward you. It does take time and there’s no shame in hiring someone to do the marketing for you, or at least to create the template for your campaign.

What you must remember, whether you are doing the work or hiring someone to do it for you, make your campaigns resonate with authenticity. Ensure that your marketing campaign is appropriate for your book’s genre. And finally, never let your writing fall by the wayside.

Should Authors Do It All?

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What’s better? To be a jack of all trades or to specialize in a particular skill? Naturally, there are arguments for either choice depending upon the circumstance. Let’s say you’re an athlete and have suffered torn cartilage in your knee; you’ll want to consult with an orthopedic surgeon. After all, they’re experts at what they do. So why is it as authors, we don’t seek out experts? Should authors do it all?

Assuming that your writing is finalized, let’s examine all of the jobs or tasks that are required to bring a book to market.

Publishing Requires Juggling —

  • Editing/Proofreading
  • Cover Art
  • Digital and Paperback Formatting
  • ISBN Registration
  • Synopsis Writing
  • Keyword and Category Research
  • Distribution / File Uploading
  • Marketing and Public Relations
  • Social Media and SEO Content Writing

Phew…what a list! Considering that today’s reader has an abundance of choices available to them, it makes sense to give your audience what they crave….more books! Many authors have learned that one of the secrets to building a loyal fanbase is to release their books in rapid succession. Some debate the pros and cons of doing this with a series versus a standalone novel.

Regardless of which choice, series or standalone, how do you keep up with your writing if you’re busy with so many tasks? And if you are taking on all of these responsibilities, are you doing each one justice? 

Let’s examine three of these tasks in greater details  — cover art, formatting, and social media — and analyze what makes for a superior job versus one that is somewhat mediocre as a result of not focusing on only that task.

Can you judge a book by its cover?

We’ve all seen them…the book covers that stand out from the rest and not in a good way. Considering that now there are numerous contests for book cover art that can benefit the writer as well as the artist by bringing attention to your book, you don’t want to attempt cover art on your own for the sake of saving money.

Especially considering that many cover artists create what’s known as “pre-made covers” that can provide immense cost savings. These are covers that aren’t created to your specifications but rather, fit a typical genre such as romance or thriller. Writers will see one of these covers (often times as low as $30 and typically not higher than $75) and use their great imagination to actually pen a scene into their novel that suits the cover image, thereby making it appropriate to their book.

Functional Formatting is Key for Reader Enjoyment —

Many new authors do not realize that proper book formatting requires knowledge of specific softwares that can generate a file format that is accepted by the ebook retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes and more. Furthermore, Amazon won’t accept the same format as the rest. They want what is known in the industry as a “mobi” file whereas the other ebook retailers will accept an “epub” file. As you can see, simply uploading a Word document from your computer won’t cut it, even if you think it’s beautiful with fancy fonts littered throughout your text.

Professional formatting will save the author time because you won’t receive error messages from the ebook store sites. Imagine if you did receive an error message. Would you know where in your entire book to find the problem? And, if you did find it, would you know how to correct it? For this reason, as well as the aesthetic quality that a professionally formatted book can bring to the reader, it’s important to choose a professional book formatter.

In my opinion, professional book formatting should serve three functions: saving the author time, bringing aesthetics and beauty to your words, and providing a level of technical functionality. Clever book formatting will include numerous benefits to the reader experience. Here’s just a few things that can be added to your ebook with formatting:

  • Hyperlinks within the text to outbound URLs
  • Author social media links
  • Link to Amazon’s listing of the book whereby a reader can leave a review

Social Media…Fun and Games or Serious Business?

Let’s face it, social media can be fun. Why wouldn’t you want to spend time on Facebook chatting to readers, tweeting messages on Twitter to other authors, or posting pictures of your adorable pets on Instagram? Because quite simply, social media is a time sucker and if you’re serious about your writing, you need to limit your time online. However, there’s no denying that if you want to sell your books, you need to be visible and have a proven author platform.

How do you do both? As authors, how do we find the time to write our books and use social media? In a word: balance! I write extensively about how to live a creative and balanced life. It’s a subject I feel strongly about because we all wear many hats.

In no particular order, I’m an author, a wife, a mother, a book packager, and a ghostwriter. Trust me, I understand busy. But I also have learned when to back off and ask for help.

In terms of social media, I think it’s a great idea to learn a few key lessons from social media strategists and then experiment with how much of this task you can do yourself and still maintain a regular writing schedule and your sanity.

As to answer my initial question, should authors do it all? I think it’s wise to educate yourself. Know how much a cover will cost. Research the different formatting fees. Spend time on social media and see if your tactics are converting to sales. Once you educate yourself, it’s easier to hire an expert because you understand what their job is and you’ve developed realistic expectations.

If you have questions about anything publishing related, I’d love to chat.

Best Practices with Keywords

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When you publish on Amazon, you choose keywords — seven to be exact — to help consumers find your book. Did you know that the manner in which you combine those keywords has a dramatic effect on your book’s discoverability? I recently wrote about how keywords can make your book sales soar. Here are more best practices with keywords to try out immediately.

Be Logical —

Let’s assume you’ve written a science fiction novel about military intelligence. What will consumers interested in this subject be most likely to type into their Amazon or Google search engine? First, consider the genre of your book. Then, the individual plot points or character traits. For instance, in this example, customers are most likely to search “science fiction military” but not “fiction science military.”

Some authors cleverly include keywords within the title of their book using a parenthetical addition. For example, the book “A Lesson in Love” by Kate Adele Rowe lists “Inspirational Christian Romance” on both the cover and as part of the title listing in Amazon. Because titles come up in search engine results, the author doesn’t need to list “inspirational” or “Christian” among the book’s keywords. This means she doesn’t need to use up precious keywords because those listed parenthetically will automatically be discovered within the title subhead.

More About Those 7 Words —

You know that you can choose seven keywords, but did you know that those seven spaces in the Amazon dashboard will also allow for seven phrases? That’s right…phrases. This means that you don’t have to use two valuable spaces for keywords such as romance and contemporary. Nope. Instead, you can combine those two words: contemporary romance. The only thing you have to be aware of is the text limit in the field.

You should take into consideration elements of your story beyond its genre when dreaming up keywords. For instance, look at this example below:

Industrial Revolution, single mother, divorcee, strong female lead, drama, feel-good, forgiveness

If you count up the words in this list, there are certainly more than seven, but these clever phrasings are accepted by Amazon in accordance with their “only seven words” mandate. This example takes into consideration setting (Industrial Revolution), character types (single mother, divorcee), character roles (strong female lead), plot themes (drama), and story tone (feel-good).

Search and Discover —

Visit Amazon and simply type “books” into the search engine. Next, look at the genres on the left-hand side of the page. You might next choose “fiction.” Then, narrow your choices by selecting a more specific genre, such as “romance.” See what comes up first in this general search. Next, narrow the search and visit the books that are most like yours. Take note of the categories they appear in and consider using those categories and keywords for your own book.

Finally, put yourself in the mindset of your customer. Let’s assume you write contemporary romance. What would you search for? Do you want a contemporary romance with a strong woman at the center of the story? Are you interested in reading a feel-good romance? Think about what your customer would search for and try to plug in applicable terms for your own book.

For my book, “Released” (a paranormal romance) (written under my pen name Mia Fox), I started to think about the storyline as well as setting to determine keywords. Here are some examples of what I chose: genies (selected for plot), steampunk (selected for the setting), new adult (selected for audience), action adventure (selected for secondary genre), and time travel (selected for secondary plot points).

Combined with advertising and social media promotions, the keywords I’ve chosen consistently results in this book receiving regular downloads.

Got any other book marketing questions? Drop me a line; I’d love to help.

Create Colorful Characters

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Create Colorful Characters

If a reader calls your book “formulaic,” it might mean that the plot isn’t compelling and you need to create colorful characters. If you’ve created a character “type” that we’ve seen too many times before, chances are the reviews won’t be stellar. Yet, we’re all exposed to the same stimuli; and therefore, it’s hard to think of new scenarios. One of the best ways to encourage your plot and your sales to soar is by ensuring that your characters are new and exciting. Learn how to create colorful characters.

Ask yourself ‘what if’ …

I like to ask myself “what if”… Let’s suppose my main character is a suburban mom. If you’re going the comedy route, you could ask, “What if she’s mistaken to be a pop singer/actress/porn star while on vacation? … And decides she likes it!” If it’s a suspense thriller you’re writing you could ask, “What if her husband embezzles a fortune, goes on the lam and she’s forced to protect the kids and herself from the thugs that come after them?”

Create colorful characters with a fatal flaw

Is there one particular thing that will just set off your character? For instance, maybe they’ve achieved a certain level of success in their lives. They have a good job, a beautiful family, but they can’t get over the fact that their neighbor seems to have it just a little bit better? How do they react when they see their neighbor driving a brand new car? Or, when that same person invites them over to celebrate their latest job promotion? If your character were to suddenly go off the handle and yet, we’ve gotten to know and like him prior, you’ve created a colorful character in the fact that we both sympathize with him and also see a train wreck about to occur.

Create colorful characters that are relatable

I love those mouth-dropping-open moments in films or television shows when you just can’t believe the character has reacted in a particular way. It’s like when Walter White from “Breaking Bad” killed off Jesse’s girlfriend without a second thought. How could he? He likes Jesse. In spite of what we, as the audience, think about his actions, we can relate. We understand his motivation. He hadn’t come this far to let someone get in his way.

Does your character act cringe-worthy?

Cringe-worthy moments make for are equally colorful characters. Those times when you cover your eyes and say, “Oh no, he’s not going to do that.” This is the fodder of date movies like “There’s Something About Mary” when she finds an “interesting” new hair gel.

You can create colorful characters when you know your character backwards and forwards. You know what they love or fear. You have a clear understanding of how they relate to other people and what impacts their life. Check out this related article, “13 Ways to Create Compelling Characters” for more ideas. Do you have a favorite character? Let me know what makes them compelling to you.

Why I Love Working with Indie Authors

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Indie Authors Pursue their Passions
Indie Authors Pursue their Passions

Years ago, I was a publishing snob. I had worked as an editor for authors who were published by St. Martin’s Press, Scholastic, and Simon & Schuster. The idea of self-publishing was still a no-no, but then I took the leap to not only work with indie authors, but via my alter ego, Mia Fox, I became one, too. It was my best decision for creativity, passion, and career control. This post is a testament to why I love working with indie authors.

Dream the Impossible Dream

There’s something exciting and inspirational about surrounding yourself with people who dare to dream. Indie authors pursue their passion and have a can-do attitude that is infectious. I write about this creativity and the habits of successful indies in my upcoming book, “Full Color Life: How to Live a Creative, Balanced Life.” Indies share an entrepreneurial spirit that is decidedly unique — they aren’t just right-brained creatives; they’re also astute business people.

But I’m not going to lie. Finding widespread success as an indie author can be a daunting process considering one doesn’t have the same resources and advertising dollars of big publishers, but it’s no longer “an impossible dream.”

In this linked article, “What Makes a Self-Published Author Stand Out,” literary agent Paul Lucas discusses some of his clients who started out as indies. He touts their ability to have closer access to fans and maneuver the publishing to-do lists such as contracting cover art. However here’s where I have a different perspective, or should I say, a more attuned appreciation for the innovative nature of indie authors.

Indies are Innovative

Paul states that indies who want to capture the attention of publishers should invest in professional cover art. I totally agree. Then, he mentions that spending between $500-$1,000 for a cover is worth it. Hmmm? In my opinion, if you’re an indie author and you have priced your ebook between 0.99 and $4.99 it doesn’t make good business sense to invest close to $1,000 on a cover.

Be Cover Art Smart

My recommendation is to keep your cover art budget between $50 – $300. Sound impossible? It’s not. I curate beautiful covers for clients that don’t break the bank. Otherwise, imagine how long it would take you to recoup your investment. Not to mention that as an indie, you also have to consider the cost (or time, which equals cost) of formatting and marketing.

The innovative indie has learned how to network not just with readers, but also with cover artists who are in the same indie boat. Some New York publishing houses will employ cover artists for upwards of $3,500. This doesn’t have to be the industry standard. One can contract a beautiful cover for much less, such as this one that I had the honor of curating for a client.

Adjust to an Ever-Changing Market

One trait I see in indie authors is their ability to be flexible. Indies know it’s important not to rest on one’s laurels. Rather, they adjust to an ever-changing market. It’s easy to fall in love with indie authors for this reason. They have tricks up their sleeve such as polling readers for likes and dislikes.

Do they prefer stories told in first person or third? Do they want steamy love scenes or do they prefer just a hint of romance? These polling tactics can be applied to marketing as well. Do your readers like to take part in online events or would they prefer to hear about your latest news via direct newsletters?

In addition to having direct access to their readership, indie authors also have the freedom to test out a variety of keywords and categories, advertising methods, conferences, and awards contests. This all adds up to increased knowledge, which can later be applied to the author’s platform and business plan.

A Cooperative Learning Environment

Perhaps the main reason why I love working with indie authors is their supportive nature. I’ve been in the business of books — either as an editor, publicist, or literary manager for twenty years — and while I have a lot of knowledge to share, I find that I’m constantly learning new tricks. I don’t feel the need to pretend that I know it all. The industry changes so rapidly, I don’t think any of us can know it all. One minute Facebook is the best advertiser on the planet, the next we find that our posts’ audience are limited to our best friend and their dog. One has to rely on each other to learn new trade secrets.

Sharing is Caring

What indies have discovered is that by cooperating with each other, we all grow and prosper, which is the basis for a happy career. There’s only so much shameless self-promotion one can do. Indies know that it’s ideal to have contact with their readers on a regular basis, but to only talk about one’s own books comes off a little self-serving. It’s best to share other people’s news along the way and then that phrase, “sharing is caring” comes full circle and we find that by helping others we help ourselves.

If you’re an indie author and want to talk books, reach out to me. I’m on Facebook (@Evatopia and Twitter), or feel free to check out my fiction @MiaFoxBooks. Tell me your news and I’ll share it as well.

How Do You Make Your Book Stand Out?

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How do you make your book standout from the crowd?

Today’s consumer has hundreds…scratch that, thousands…actually, millions of book choices. Authors may want to believe that the majority are poorly written, with low-quality production in the form of cheap covers and unattractive formatting.

Yet, the reality is that there are unlimited numbers of high-quality books available. You are part of a competitive field. So what will make them choose your book?

Read, re-read, and then edit some more.

Make sure your book is well-written, properly edited and proofread. This means once you think you have your final draft, get it read at least three more times by three different people in order to find grammatical errors, typos, and factual inconsistencies within your story. Don’t skimp on professional editing. A beta reader is great for catching typos, but most aren’t going to be able to suggest ways to improve the readability of your book. A good editor will suggest nuances to create a compelling character arc, a plot that tantalizes until the last page, and language indicative of each character.

Get covered.

Your book’s cover is the first thing readers will judge. Don’t simply find a stock photo image and layer over some typography using a free, online tool. Contract a qualified graphic artist to do your cover. Additionally, encourage your graphic artist to look for unusual stock photos or view the photo in a different way. Consider using only a portion of the photo for an interesting result.

Graphics aren’t just for book covers. You’ll find that they more than double your engagement on social media when you add a graphic to a post. You can find out why in this blog post on the subject.

What the font?

Once your book is in the hands of a reader, you want their reading experience to be enjoyable. That means, you must pay attention to the font size and style. If your audience is comprised of older readers, don’t have your book formatted in a small font size. If your book falls into the romance genre, consider having your professional formatter add decorative wingdings under the chapter headings. Enhance the reader experience with beautiful formatting.

Be a savvy marketer.

Mark Coker, Founder of Smashwords agrees that you could lament that there are too many writers out there. Those who have been in the game longer seem to have an advantage because they have had longer to build an audience. True, but you’re in the game now. So start playing. Here’s an article from the Smashwords blog on how to bring your book back from the doldrums. 

It’s easier to build your readership now, then it will be a year from now when even more people are peddling their books.

Get social.

Determine where your audience spends their social media hours. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram all attract a different demographic. Take time to learn where your efforts are best spent. If your audience is older, focus on Facebook. But if you’re seeking a teen or twenty-something audience, then start snapping pics for your Instagram account. For that matter, take some cool video footage that conveys the essence of your novel or author branding and get it on Snapchat.

Find your home.

However, no social media channel is as valuable as your own website and email list. Why? Because that is something that you alone control. Facebook limits the number of people who view your posts. Your Twitter feed is fleeting with every passing minute. But your own email marketing? That’s golden. You create news and send it to your subscriber list and guess what…they’re going to see it!

That’s how your book gets discovered. And, while marketing is important, remember my mantra: A Writer Writes! 

If you need support of how-to advice, drop me a line at info(at)evatopia.com.