Marketing your Books

(This post was originally featured on aripublishing.com/blog6)

Let’s get right down to it, you’ve written a book, had it properly edited, submitted a carefully crafted query letter and received an automatic rejection letter.

But your book is really, really good!

Doesn’t matter. In order to get a book publishing deal you have to convince the publisher that you know how to sell the book. Nothing else matters. Forget all those fairy stories where some kid writes his first novel and submits it and he’s instantly rocketed to the best seller list.

Doesn’t happen.

Here’s the reality. Book publishing is a business! AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ANY BUSINESS IS MARKETING THE PRODUCT. Without marketing many great products die a lonely death on the shelves. With knowledgeable marketing even the crappiest bit of fluff can generate millions of sales.

Here’s the reality. If you’ve written a book and believe it should sell on its merits alone, you will likely die broke and undiscovered. Sorry, but that’s the truth.

Want a book deal? Then you need to understand how to market your product. And that’s what your book really is…

A Product!

Right now you have two choices. Keep writing books, sending out queries, attending conferences and receiving rejection letters…

OR

Take my free no cost or obligation 7 day course on marketing and learn all you need to know on how to promote, build a buzz and generate sales!
My buddy Marcus Campbell, one of the most successful marketers in the business, has created this FREE 7 day course on marketing. Each step by step video shows you how to get your product in front of the largest number of people who want what you have to offer.
Most books get rejected because the publisher’s marketing department doesn’t believe the book has a big enough audience to warrant the advertising expense.
Isn’t it time you learned how to fashion your book so it meets the marketing criteria of the publishing business so you can break out of the rejection letter cycle?
Learn Book Marketing FREE

meet our sponsor

Writing Wrongs: How to Become a Famous Writer

Writings Wrongs: How to Become a Famous Writer

Because this is a blog about writing I’m often asked why I write so many posts about business and marketing. There is a good reason although it does separate my readers into two camps.

Those who believe in the integrity of the art form and those who write simply to make a buck.

You can do both. In fact it is essential that you do both and I’m going to explain why.

Those who only write for artistic reasons aren’t really writers, they are hobbyists. They have allowed their massive ego to co-opt reason to insulate themselves from the massive rejection they feel they must endure to “Pay their dues” or “Suffer for their art.” They warm themselves with the belief their work will eventually be discovered (likely after they’re dead, if at all) and their body of work will be celebrated as genius. 

This belief comforts that massive ego and shores up their “See, I told you so!” psychosis.

These people need to be smacked in the head.  As John Wayne once said “Life is hard. It’s even harder if you’re stupid.” I assume these people get some comfort in the thought of looking down from the heavens and feeling vindicated.

Seriously!!??

And the ironic part of all this is that for a long time I was one of those people!

That changed however when I met the people who write simply to make a buck and discovered that these people, who have no writing talent whatsoever are making thousands every month in royalties.

WHAT A FRICKIN EYE OPENER THAT WAS!

Here is the first thing I learned from them. You will ONLY get a book deal if they (publishers and agents) believe that the book you have written will appeal to a large book buying audience. Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to prove me wrong by pointing out some novel about Elbonian folk dancing that became a national best seller. That was a fluke! That would like countering my statement that you will never win the lottery, by pointing out the few people that have.

Ask yourself this question. Who is more likely to become rich? The person who saves money, makes business contacts, researches what businesses are most likely to succeed and then learns everything they can about that business and then opens that business in an area that has a lot of traffic, or the person who maxes out their credit cards and savings to open a business selling something that interests them in the empty store down the block?

Want to set a fire under your ass? Want to put a gun to the head of that insane ego of yours? Stipulate in your will that any of your work that is unpublished at the time of your death be destroyed.

As that great American philosopher Groucho Marx once said: “Posterity? What do I care about Posterity? What has posterity ever done for me?”

The second thing I learned from them is that publishers aren’t interested in writers who don’t have a strong following. If they sign you and publish your book they have to invest a considerable amount of money to publicize and promote it. They need to make money with that investment and if you don’t have a following they aren’t going to take a chance regardless of how great the book is or how enthusiastic you are.

Here’s what I did. I created a strong following through this blog and others (This blog has had over thirty thousand readers) I discovered that fiction books outsell non-fiction books but fiction requires a great deal of advertising and promotion to build a buzz and generate sales. And that costs a lot of money!

To sell non-fiction books however, all you have to do is find a topic people want to know more about and write a book on that topic. For example: Once I learned all the ins and outs of writing a book that sells and creates a loyal following, I wrote The Best Book on How to Write, Publish and Market Your Novel into a Best seller to help fellow writers who aren’t having any luck getting published, by explaining to them exactly what they need to do to turn things around. It is selling very well on all three platforms, as an e book, paperback and audiobook. You can get a copy by clicking on the picture on the right. The e book is under 5 dollars. The paperback under ten.

Seeing I was onto something, I started thinking about writing another non-fiction book. Then realized that, like me, millions were downsized during the 2009-2010 recession and as a result were floundering emotionally, physically and financially. So I wrote The Best book on How to Start Over: Rebuild your Mind, Body and Finances. And BINGO another hit on all three platforms. Again you can click on the image on the right to read a sample or buy the book.

Now here’s the thing, when writing the financial section of that book I realized that I would need to write an entire other book to properly explain how to make money online.

So I did. And the result was The Best Book on How to Make Money Online. In it I explained the most lucrative niches to get into and how to generate income from them. When researching the book what stunned me the most was how much money can be made and that the biggest hindrance to success is people spreading themselves too thin. Again another hit on all three platforms. You can get your copy by clicking on the book image on the right.

But the most successful of them all was the book that came out of the most miserable and soul-crushing experience of my life.

My divorce.

I had been married for 25 years. Thought everything was going fine. Then BOOM, it was over.

Never entered my mind to write a book about it, thought it too personal, too painful.

THEN I DISCOVERED THAT NEARLY EVERY MIDDLE AGED MAN I SPOKE TO WHO WAS GOING THROUGH A DIVORCE, OR HAD ALREADY BEEN THROUGH A DIVORCE TOLD THE VERY SAME STORY, HAD THE VERY SAME EXPERIENCE.

Like me, none of those men saw it coming. It was then I realized that I had to get the word out so guys who were going through what I went through could protect themselves and prepare for what was going to happen. So I wrote DIVORCE: The Middle-Aged Man’s Survival Guide.

I honestly believe I have written a number of great fiction books. They have all received very positive reviews, but the MOST Important Book was DIVORCE: The Middle-Aged Man’s Survival Guide. Because some men have told me that book literally saved their life.  One guy described it as a rescue boat when trapped on a desert island.

Now here’s the take away from this post. Should I wish to have my next fiction book published through a traditional publisher, I can begin my query letter by pointing out that I already have a large number of readers, have several non- fiction books that are selling very well, have great reviews and have proven that I am a prolific writer who can provide consistent high quality product AND KNOW HOW TO MARKET THEM!

And that my friends, is how you get their attention.

To check out our website Click Here

Storyboard: How Your Website Can Get You a Book Deal

      

Storyboard: How Your Website Can Get You a Book Deal 

My zackaryrichards.blogspot.com website just passed the 30,000 visitor mark. It receives a little over 100 visitors a day. Thank you all for stopping by. I know you’re busy so let’s get right down to it. I’m a writer so I automatically have an unfair advantage. I know how to write and how to engage my audience. But there’s also a trick to that and I’ll show you what it is. As a book publisher I am constantly asked what type of books am I looking to publish?

Simple.

 Books that will sell.

 How do you find a topic that will sell?

Start a blog. That’s what I did.

At first I wrote engaging stories, funny incidents and just about anything that I hoped would entertain my readers. I did this for over a year then one day noticed that when I wrote about certain topics the amount of visitors skyrocketed. Usually it was about writing tips, contacting agents, finding a publisher and all matters regarding writing. When I saw the increasing traffic I realized that if I wrote a book on how to write, how to get published and how to get that book out before the buying public it would likely do well. So I stopped writing my usual fiction and wrote The Best Book on How to Write, Publish and Market your Novel into a Best Seller. And sure enough it began selling immediately and received excellent reviews.

Another topic that brought a lot of traffic was how to start your own business and make money online. I felt this would benefit my readers because I had been downsized and had started my own business http://aripublishing.com so I knew what I was talking about. So I wrote The Best Book on How to Make Money Online. It too, took off right after being published.

 The next blog topic that garnered a lot of readers was How to Sell Products Online. BUT, these business oriented topics were annoying my readers who were interested in writing info.

And they had a point. The site is actually named The Author Zackary Richards.

But here is where many of my writing friends make a MASSIVE MISTAKE. They truly believe that if they write a great book and submit it to an agent or publisher, it will immediately be accepted and published, and rocket them to the top of the literary world. They believe this because they have read of incidents where people who submitted a rough draft of their first novel to an agent, were immediately signed, received a huge advance and their book became a best seller.

Does this actually happen?

On a very, very rare occasion, yes.

And when it does the media jumps all over it giving the impression that this can happen to anyone! However the odds of this actually happening are about the same as you becoming the next Powerball winner. But unfortunately, writers, because they deal in fantasy for the better part of their day, often fall victim into believing the fantasy, and delude themselves into thinking that all they have to do is write that one special book and all their dreams will come true.

And so they fritter away their lives, spending every waking moment working on that super-duper novel that will solve all their problems and while doing so, alienate their spouses, ignore their children, do a half-assed job at work and miss out on all the good and fun things life has to offer.

Why? Because that fantasy has become their religion, their belief system and any attempt to dissuade them from it will make you that person’s enemy!

However, if you will instead kindly step out of the coo-coo for cocoa puffs train for a moment, he’s an alternative method that will very likely succeed.

• You start a blog. 
• Go to amazon and find out what books are selling well and have been selling for a while in a genre that you think you could do well in. 
• Then start posting snippets of your story on your blog. 
• Use keyword tags that will attract the type of reader who is interested in what you’re writing. 
• Ask them to comment, offer suggestions, give critique. Develop a following.

Don’t worry about someone stealing your ideas or your story. Like Jay Leno once said, “Simply write faster than they can steal.”

Keep in touch with your followers by getting their email addresses with an auto responder. Offer autographed copies to the one who gives the most valuable critique and advice. Do a google hangout and develop a report with your followers. Write a book a month, charge $0.99 and ask for reviews. Read paperback books like The Best Book on How to Write, Publish and Market Your Novel into a Best Seller so you’ll actually know how to write and get great reviews instead of getting blasted for being a no-talented amateur.

 Learn everything you can about marketing, reach the biggest audience possible, establish yourself as an authority, get your name out there and… like Steve Martin once said, “It’s easy to become famous. Just become so good they can’t ignore you.”

Here’s one VERY important fact about marketing. Cold calling (meaning contacting agents and publishers to see if they would be interested in your book) has a horrifically poor rate of success. On the other hand when customers contact you (meaning agents and publishers have heard of you and see that you have 30,000 visitors to your blog, 5000 Facebook “Likes” 1000 Google+ followers and e book sales in the thousands,) will make getting a book deal damn near guaranteed.

One last little trick. 30,000 visitors has given this website a PR of 2 and bordering on 3 So if you were to leave a comment along with your website URL then copy and paste my link  http://zackaryrichards.blogspot.com/ on your blog post you would get link juice from my site that would increase your ranking and popularity.

I’m so surprised that so few people do that.Check out our site at http://aripublishing.com

Are Authors Obsolete? Writing tips for the 21st Century

Are Authors Obsolete? Writing tips for the 21st Century

As a Author and publisher, I have, for a while now, been shouting from the rooftops that the publishing industry is NOTHING like most new writers imagine it. They are stuck in the romantic version. Stuck in the golden age of publishing. The era of Hemmingway, Steinbeck and Faulkner.

They view the book deal akin to winning the lottery. Once done, they will be whisked away to a life of parties, gala events and tropical paradises. No longer will they have to sweat rent, worry if the car’s mileage will exceed the lease agreement, or pray that they can go just one more month without health insurance.

Yes! That’s the good life they have been working so hard to achieve. The hours, days, weeks, months, years dedicated to their craft, believing with all their heart that their next book, their VERY NEXT BOOK will be the one that rockets them to that super-duper life they’ve always dreamed of.

You have a better chance of winning the lottery.

Amazingly you would not believe the vehement reactions I receive when I tell authors this. I present the facts, show the statistics, quote the agents and publishers themselves. They respond as if I was trying to convince them that the deity they worship and religion they belong to is a scam.

As a fellow author, I’m just trying to help, trying to remove those rose-colored glasses. And if you want a detailed explanation of the how, what, when, where and why, give a look at Ewan Morrison’s piece.

Here’s the link.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/aug/22/are-books-dead-ewan-morrison

As for me, do I believe that writing books as a profession is dead?

No, I don’t. And it’s not because I have some romanticized version of the industry. As a publisher myself. http://aripublishing.com I know exactly what it’s like, the obstacles new authors face and how the industry is changing.

Now here is where we separate the ACTUAL writers from the poor artistic souls clinging to a bygone era. If you are serious about becoming a full time novelist and having a career writing books, then it’s time to “Lose your religion” so to speak and learn what you need to know to get a book deal in this new publishing paradigm. (By the way, paradigm means model, I got so tired of seeing the word I had to look it up)

The best place to start is to get a copy of this book

Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Write-Publish-Market-Novel-Bestseller-ebook/dp/B00EHYIMCI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1398787574&sr=1-1&keywords=zackary+richards

It’s available as an e book, audio book and will have a paperback version available in the next few days. The e book version is under 5 bucks. The audio book under $7 and the paperback under $10. If you want to see how to make those publishing dreams come true, how to write a book agents and publishers want to read, and discover how to GREATLY increase your chances of getting a book deal, then GET A COPY AND TAKE ACTION!

If you’re drowning in rejection letters, don’t understand why that book you put your heart and soul into is being blown off, and can’t seem to get an agent or publisher to take your work seriously…

Maybe it’s because you’re not taking their work seriously.

Think of it this way. Imagine you own a business. You’ve worked very, very hard to make your business a success. The people who work for you have made lots of money and are very happy being in your employ. They carefully follow your directives, do everything possible to ensure every product released is top notch and actively promote your business to everyone they come into contact with.

Then a stranger shows up and says he’d like you to sell his product. He explains that he has put a lot of work into it and is sure it will sell because it’s so good.

Sounds interesting so you ask him why he thinks it will sell, how big is that product’s market, how long has he been creating these products, has he sold similar products he’s created, how quickly can another follow up product be produced, what is the extent of his knowledge of your business? And what experience, if any, does he have in public speaking, radio interviews, and being on television?

He again explains, speaking slowly and distinctly, as if you are somehow mentally challenged, that his product is very good and as a professional, that should be obvious and that he doesn’t know about that other stuff, like marketability, distribution, follow-ups, etc.

You explain that you are contacted by hundreds of people a day, all with products just as good. But the people you do business with are only the ones who convince you that they will work just as hard making your business a success as you will work to make theirs a success.

He explains, again slowly and distinctly, that he is the creative and artistic type and can’t be bothered learning the nuts and bolts of the day to day business.

At this point you cordially thank him for wasting your time and suggest he be careful and not let the door hit him in the ass on his way out.

One final note. You can always become a difficult, abusive, self-absorbed, arrogant, drug and drink addicted pain-in-the-ass AFTER you have sold millions of books, not before. So grab a copy of How to Write, Publish & Market Your Novel into a Best Seller stop dreaming of book publishing success and ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. 

Here’s the link:

 http://www.amazon.com/Write-Publish-Market-Novel-Bestseller-ebook/dp/B00EHYIMCI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1398787574&sr=1-1&keywords=zackary+richards

The Future of Books!

Hi gang!

Sorry if I’ve not been blogging as regularly as usual but I am in the middle of creating an independent website that will be dedicated to helping authors get started as well as helping those already established improve their product and marketing.

If you come here and discover that the blog hasn’t been updated please be patient, I’ll resume regular postings as soon as I complete this new project.

Here’s is the name of the site and the headline picture. What do you think?

Should I go with the top one or the bottom?