What is Pajama Marketing?

August 29, 2009 at 6:59 am (Author Marketing)
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Pajama Marketing is your weekly marketing mojo to gain exposure for your writing. Every Saturday, we post a new strategy to keep your book alive.

Authors need new ways to get noticed and books, especially non-fiction will keep selling for years and years, as long as people can find them out on the Internet.

Pajama Marketing mascot

Pajama Marketing mascot

Because… Your book stops selling when you stop selling it.

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NANOWRIMO … it’s the middle of Week 2

November 7, 2009 at 12:01 pm (Events and Activities, NANOWRIMO, Online networking, Productivity)

compcoffeeI was out of town this weekend and didn’t get much writing done. Here’s a bit of motivation to keep you writing during November: National Writing Month. These tips are from the NANOWRIMO site:

1)It’s okay to not know what you’re doing. Really. You’ve read a lot of novels, so you’re completely up to the challenge of writing one. If you feel more comfortable outlining your story ahead of time, do so. But it’s also fine to just wing it. Write every day, and a book-worthy story will appear, even if you’re not sure what that story might be right now.

2) Do not edit as you go. Editing is for December. Think of November as an experiment in pure output. Even if it’s hard at first, leave ugly prose and poorly written passages on the page to be cleaned up later. Your inner editor will be very grumpy about this, but your inner editor is a nitpicky jerk who foolishly believes that it is possible to write a brilliant first draft if you write it slowly enough. It isn’t. Every book you’ve ever loved started out as a beautifully flawed first draft. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.

3) Tell everyone you know that you’re writing a novel in November. This will pay big dividends in Week Two, when the only thing keeping you from quitting is the fear of looking pathetic in front of all the people who’ve had to hear about your novel for the past month. Seriously. Email them now about your awesome new book. The looming specter of personal humiliation is a very reliable muse.

3.5) There will be times you’ll want to quit during November. This is okay. Everyone who wins NaNoWriMo wanted to quit at some point in November. Stick it out. See it through. Week Two can be hard. Week Three is much better. Week Four will make you want to yodel.

Their site, at nanowrimo.org has lots of other motivation, procrastination and fun. When you log in to track your first hundred words, or first 10,000 words, take a look around. You’re in good company.

Be sure to sign up for the your home town region, so you’ll be aware of NANOWRIMO parties in your area, and your words are added to the total for your city. I’m in the Chicago region, which barely made the top ten list last year. I won’t be the one to let it fall lower.

No matter what you choose to write, you will write more in November by doing this, and you will end the month with a significant accomplishment.

Write away!!

Helen Gallagher

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November is NANOWRIMO

October 31, 2009 at 1:54 am (Events and Activities, NANOWRIMO, Productivity)

Happy Halloween. I’m speaking today at the Chicago-area Mensa Society. Spooky!

Tomorrow is November 1st and you know what that means: National Novel Writing Month.

What better time to get started to release your writing.

nanowrimo

Visit nanowrimo.org and you’ll see this is for real. A month dedicated to starting or working on an existing writing project. It doesn’t have to be a novel, but a commitment to write every day for the month of November.

By signing up (free) at NANOWRIMO, you’ll be able to log in daily and track the words you’ve written. The goal, of course, is to write a draft of a novel in 30 days, approximately 50,000 words. Think its impossible? You’re wrong. And the motivation is nearly irresistible. You’re accountable only to yourself, and by logging in to track your words, you are setting a goal for yourself to at least try to write every day for the whole month.  You write on your own computer, not online, so your work stays private.

Thousands of participants have enjoyed this worldwide event, making it great fun. Sign up, log in when you write, and the system tracks your word count toward your goal.

Is your city among the top ten participating?

London 31,407
New York 18,168
Sydney 12,373
Los Angeles 10,466
Seattle 10,054
Melbourne 10,032
Portland 9431
(not set) 9171
San Francisco 8378
Chicago 8213
Denver 7358

If you sign up, leave a comment here and we’ll provide you encouragement all month long.

Helen Gallagher

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Writing Contests Update

October 24, 2009 at 1:54 am (Events and Activities)

Entering contests and winning awards helps you in many ways:

Adds credibility
Honors your hard work
Provides incentive for future successes
Helps keep you going on those wordless days.

Here are a few current contest deadlines to inspire you, courtesy of BookSurge:

Writer’s Digest Pop Fiction Awards
Deadline: 11/2/2009

DIY Book Festival Book of the Year Awards
Deadline: 11/25/2009

Writer’s Digest 10th Annual Short Short Story Writing Competition
Deadline: 12/1/2009

Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards Competition
Deadline: 12/15/2009

Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Awards
Deadline: 1/15/2010

Independent Book Publisher of the Year Awards
Deadline: 3/20/2009

There are many others listed online and in Poets & Writers.

Good luck!

Helen

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The Value of Marketing Materials

October 14, 2009 at 9:08 am (Author Marketing, Online networking)
Tags: ,

On LinkedIn.com today, I was asked whether there is such as thing as “unnecessary marketing material.”

My response:
I think effective marketing material is beneficial, but most cards, fliers, and ‘about me’ material just get tossed. What makes an effective marketing piece? Look to the big PR firms and publicists for examples. They do white-papers and useful articles that take a unique spin on an author’s book, rather than just a blurb about the book.

I recently reviewed a book on creativity and the author is highly visible for marketing an article on “Seven Steps to Tap Into Your Creative Spirit” or some similar title. A piece like that has more value and relevance than a marketing piece created specifically to drive sales but without benefit to the reader.

Do you agree? Are you proud of the marketing materials you’ve created for your work? Comment here, and I’ll send you the book review on creativity.

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Letting go, and why your book is never really “finished.”

October 10, 2009 at 12:14 am (Author Marketing)

How do you know when you’re done writing a book? For most of us, after final editing, revisions, and fact checking, we’re done, and ready to release our writing. Some people, though, don’t want to let go, either from an attachment to the project, or wondering what will ever take the place of this tremendous accomplishment: writing a book.

Well, let it go ! There is always another new project, another exciting idea or opportunity around the corner. For example, my publisher has asked me to come out with a sequel to Release Your Writing, which is in the planning stages, but far from ready to release.

Reading about Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet Magazine and author of several wonderful memoirs, she faces the same issue – the books that are finished are never really finished:

“Reichl is also completing a cookie cookbook and production on the first season of “Adventures With Ruth,” in which Reichl visits cooking schools in Washington, New York, Tennessee, Mexico, Italy, England, Morocco, Brazil, Laos and China.

And after that?

She’s updating her most recent memoir, “Not Becoming My Mother,” ahead of its paperback reissue this spring. There’s also new copy to write for the reissues of Reichl’s earlier books, “Tender At the Bone” and “Comfort Me with Apples.” She’s a producer in the film production of “Garlic and Sapphires,” and she plans to write a fifth memoir about her years at Gourmet.”
(Source; KansasCity.com 10-07-09)

So, you see, there is always more writing, publishing, fun and marketing around the corner. So turn the page one last time on your current project, and see what life has in store for you next.

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Book Marketing… for the rest of your life? Yes…

October 3, 2009 at 1:50 am (Author Marketing, Productivity)

When you’re working on a book, the most important thing you can do is “see it through.” Because someday it will be done. The manuscript will be final, and on its way to the publisher. But once your book comes out, your mission to “see it through” is rather unending. Remember, your book stops selling when you stop selling it. If you don’t pay attention to it, no one else will either. In Release Your Writing I say ” Do one thing a month, every month, to increase your exposure.” That consistency will pay off, even years later.

Here is an excerpt from Susan Kendrick’s site at Book Cover Coaching.
She discusses the five most important criteria for a bestseller, and puts marketing at the top of the list:

5 Most Important Criteria for Creating a Bestseller*

1. Author’s Willingness to Promote Their Book for the Rest of Their Lives
2. Book Cover Design
3. Book Title / Subtitle
4. Introduction of Book
5. Actual Content

As you read through the advice, you’ll say “Ewe, marketing isn’t easy.” True, but neither was writing your book.You’re an author now, and like it or not, a salesperson. Keep working at book marketing and you’ll see results.

Helen Gallagher

*excerpted with permission from BookCoverCoaching.com.

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Another Saturday 2-fer

September 26, 2009 at 8:19 pm (Uncategorized)

Back from the wonderful Pen to Press symposium, sponsored by Lawyers for the Creative Arts and The John Marshall Law School.

I learned the genius behind their great graphic is a fellow named Andrew. Isn’t this terrific?
pentopress

Beyond that, the conference was full of interesting, inquiring minds, who left with their questions answered about self-publishing, contracts, copyright and several other practical matters. I saw lots of friends, and met many new people who share an interest in bringing their projects to light, with Release Your Writing to guide them.

So, have you thought about the copyright of your work? Sure, you own it the minute you commit your work to paper, but take the extra step to file the copyright with the government at www.copyright.gov.
Attorney Maureen Collins also explained patents, trademarks and registering your name, or your book’s name to officially protect your rights.

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Legal matters in writing

September 26, 2009 at 1:01 am (Uncategorized)

I’m in downtown Chicago today, at the Pen to Press symposium, sponsored by Lawyers for the Creative Arts and The John Marshall Law School. Lots to share with you when I return, on fair usage of song lyrics, poems and your memories, as well as copyright, licensing and protecting your rights.

I’ll be back with a brief summary…

Helen

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An inside look at query letters and agent comments

September 19, 2009 at 7:45 am (Agents, blogs)

Chuck Sambuchino, a popular Writers Digest Books editor has a mega-blog that lists both query letters that worked AND agent comments on submissions

This is gold…

Check it out and comment here to let us know what you discovered.

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Put the ‘network’ in your social networking

September 12, 2009 at 1:00 am (Author Marketing, Online networking)

Social networking to find a good used car, or a new brownie recipe, is one thing, but putting Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to work requires using them as a real networking tool. That means less social, and more networking. LinkedIn has particularly well targeted groups, on ebooks, publishing, agents, and more.

You may have heard of the ‘elevator pitch” concept – if you have only a short time during an elevator ride to make your pitch, rehearse it so your message comes across, targeted and memorable.

Try doing the same with your social networking messages, In fact, try it five times this week. When you make a comment or post an item, find a way to tie it to your book, your site or your blog. If you answer a question online, let people know they can find more in your book. You get the idea… network!

Other ways to expand your online presence this week:
Join an online writing group – not critique but power marketing, with a group that offers networking and seminars. Visit the Resources page of ReleaseYourWriting.com for some suggested groups. See, that was a marketing trick to get you to visit my web site.

Next week, I’ll lead you toward some terrific online newsletters and ask you to share a few of your favorites, by posting a Comment here.

Go start something great.

Helen Gallagher

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