Bruce E. Mowday Chester County Publisher & Writer / Author ~ Pennsylvania / PA

January 4, 2012

Evaluating Business Opportunities
 
One of the first business opportunities of 2012 was offered to me yesterday afternoon by a representative of a company putting together a three-day Pennsylvania book signing event. He found me through the internet and wanted to know if I would participate.
 
Being sought out to participate in book signings is always an honor for an author but authors need to evaluate each opportunity to make sure participation makes fiscal sense. I asked the company representative some key questions. Where will the event take place? What’s the cost to participate? What type of marketing will be done to promote the event? Have you done other events in the venue and what were the results?
 
Pennsylvania is a large state and I’m located in the Philadelphia suburbs. The event is scheduled across the commonwealth in suburban Pittsburgh. Travel and hotel costs would be substantial. The cost to participate would be several hundred dollars for table space. The event will be the first for the Pittsburgh location. No one knows how many people will attend. The event is to take place in a mall. I don’t know if it is a good venue. I also don’t know if other events are scheduled in the area that weekend. The book event will also have other attractions, taking away from books.
 
Just the cost of travel and renting tables will be prohibitive. I would have to sell almost 75 books just to break even. I’ll pass on this business opportunity.
 
December 29, 2011

Interacting with readers
 
One of the aspects of being an author that I enjoy is interacting with readers. During the holiday season I had hours to do so while taking part in multiple book signings.
 
Of course authors feel great when people stop and comment that they have liked previous books or have already purchased the offered book. Connecting with readers is always a plus for an author.
 
My new book on Phillies great Richie Ashburn was the featured book at my signings. One was purchased at the Fairless Hills Barnes & Noble for a 91-year-old Ashburn fan who celebrated her 90^th birthday at Citizens Bank Park. And, there was one person who wanted to know if it was a real book. Yup.
 
My Jailing The Johnston Gang book also sold a number of copies and I received many comments on Chester County’s most notorious criminals. One man said his wife wrote to Norman Johnston after he escaped from prison and was recaptured. A man said he used the book to tour spots in Chester County connected with the Johnstons and another man said he knew the Johnstons.
 
Finally, a visiting state Senator from Idaho offered some sympathy on Christmas Eve. “You remind me of a politician trying to get voters interested in his message.”  I have a lot more fun than campaigning politicians.
 
December 27, 2011

Book Selling Season
 
 The Christmas holiday season determines if many stores have a profit or a loss for the year. The season can also vastly increase the sales of books for authors.
 
Authors should take advantage of the opportunity of spending time in book stores. People looking for unique gifts for friends and family members will purchase a signed copy of a book more readily than one pulled from a shelf.
 
Being in a store will also give an author a chance to promote his work. During a Barnes & Noble signing earlier this month, a woman came into the store looking for a Mickey Mantle baseball book. She walked out of the store with my Richie Ashburn baseball book because I engaged her in conversation and was there to sign the book for her relative.
 
During 10 days before Christmas, I took part in seven book store signings. Each session was between two and three hours and I signed 156 books.  Book stores reported 195 sales for the week of December 12 and 126 more sales in the first two weeks of the month. Numbers aren’t available for the week before Christmas.
 
Amazon rankings for my latest books by Barricade Books were both strong. On Christmas Day Jailing The Johnston Gang was ranked at 95,098 out of 8 million books and on December 22 my Ashburn book was ranked at 109,564. Both had strong Kindle sales.

November 27, 2011

Relying on the kindness of strangers
 
Recently, I had coffee with an author. She works hard at promoting her book on women and their successful ventures and accomplishments. She uses a number of avenues to promote her book, including talks, signings, social media postings and writing articles for her website about women with success stories that weren’t in her book.
 
The author said the women she featured in her website articles weren’t using the stories to promote themselves. She was disappointed that her articles weren’t utilized to the fullest marketing value. Of course, the promotion of the articles on the featured women would also help market the author’s book.
 
The author was relying on the kindness of strangers to do her marketing. The featured women might not have thought about reusing the articles or even knew how to use the articles for their own benefit.
 
I suggested the author work with those she profiles to promote the article she wrote and her book. Authors need to be proactive in marketing and not rely on others to promote

MARKETING _ The success of a book doesn't end with the completed manuscript. In future columns I'll talk about marketing and give some tips from my book The Selling of an Author: A Marketing Guide for Writers to Increase Book Sales. For anyone ordering the book and mentioning One More Book, I'll sell the book for $18.00 and include free shipping. The listed price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Just E-mail me at Mowday@Mowday.com.

November 20, 2011

Self-publishing realities
 
Last week I received an inquiry from a representative of a local business concerning self-publishing. The company has a client who wants to self-publish a book. The business representative called for some advice.
 
The representative left a telephone message saying she had done research on the Internet into self-publishing. The message set off alarm bells in my head. Finding critical information on self-publishing on the Internet is not impossible but it is difficult.
 
Marketing by companies selling self-publishing packages always make their services look attractive to authors. There are stories about self-publishing successes on the Internet. Authors can have their books published if they have a little money spend. With some publishing companies the author better have lots of money. The publishing of a book doesn’t guarantee success.
 
The realities of self-publishing are different from what is portrayed on some sites on the Internet. The distribution of books to chain bookstores and other venues will be an issue. Targeted marketing is usually not provided by the self-publishing companies. The companies may send out thousands of generic press releases that will never be picked-up and published, thus not helping the author. There are many other business issues not covered by the Internet companies.
 
Before signing a self-publishing agreement, an author needs to do a lot research into the industry.
 
November 15, 2011

Evil in the world
 
At times, unusual speaking opportunities are offered to me. I examine such offers to determine if I can promote my books and provide a value to the organization making the speaking request.

Recently, I was asked to give a talk on my Jailing The Johnston Gang book to a contemporary issues church group. I had a way to make the book relevant in the church setting. I decided to talk about evil in the world.

The talk was given Sunday and was warmly accepted by those in attendance. I used recent examples from the region, including the Penn State University child-molestation scandal and the arrests of people in Philadelphia for making money by imprisoning mentally-challenged individuals. Adding the mass murderers from the Johnston book to the talk made a pretty good case for evil existing in the world.

Authors shouldn’t be shy about giving talks to groups outside the traditional book store setting.

November 1, 2011

Book Fairs
 
For most authors, an invitation to take part in a book signing is an honor. Authors relish the opportunity to display books, talk about their books and sell copies.
 
Authors soon discover not all book fairs are created equally. I had a recent conversation with an author who felt she was lost in a large group of other writers at one such fair. Her book didn’t receive publicity, she wasn’t invited to speak and she wasn’t listed as a signing author. She was disappointed in the event, of course.
 
I’ve found it is necessary to do homework when receiving book fair invitations. One library in Montgomery County does an author day each summer. I’ve attended two of the events and discovered the day is geared towards young readers. Book fairs for youngsters are great but they are not ones I need to attend. My books are more for adults. I write about history, true crime, sports and business.
 
Book fairs are usually all-day events and involve a lot of effort and some travel for an author. Authors need to be discerning when receiving book fair invitations. 

October 26, 2011

An author’s pond
 
On Saturday I was part of a panel discussion on publishing at the Celebrate The Book event in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The day-long event was well attended and the panel discussion attracted a standing-room only crowd.
 
Before the event opened to the public, a woman introduced herself and discussed problems she had marketing her book and multi-author events. She said she attended a book fair in New Jersey earlier this year and felt lost among all of the authors. She said she felt like a “small fish in a big pond.” On the other hand, she said my marketing made me a “big fish in a small pond.”
 
She correctly identified an issue for many authors. Attending an event in an area where the author is unknown is always difficult. An author needs to do marketing before the event takes place. Authors giving talks or taking part in panel discussions will receive publicity from the hosting organization. Patrons attending such shows will usually look at all of the books displayed. The books they purchase are based on familiarity of the author and the book subject. If the public doesn’t know the author or the author’s book, sales are difficult.
 
The woman was correct about my pond. I’ve spent lots of time marketing to a core area and I have been gradually expanding my pond. My pond includes the area where I live but the pond isn’t limited to a geographic area. Many of my books are historical and I have reached out to historical groups outside of my geographical area. My true crime book on the Johnston Gang allowed me to introduce my book to law enforcement and true crime groups.
 
Authors need to be smart marketers to avoid being a small fish in a big pond.
  
MARKETING _ The success of a book doesn't end with the completed manuscript. In future columns I'll talk about marketing and give some tips from my book The Selling of an Author: A Marketing Guide for Writers to Increase Book Sales. For anyone ordering the book and mentioning One More Book, I'll sell the book for $18.00 and include free shipping. The listed price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Just E-mail me at Mowday@Mowday.com.


October 17, 2011

Be prepared
 
Boy Scouts aren’t the only ones needing to be prepared. Authors giving talks have to adjust to unforeseen circumstances. Last week challenges involving noise levels were presented at two separate events.
 
On Thursday evening I gave a talk on my new Richie Ashburn book at the Stottsville Inn. Last year the restaurant hosted a talk on my Johnston Gang book. Both talks were successful. The first talk was held in a private dining room. The second talk was in the bar section.
 
More than half of the bar area was dedicated to the talk but some background noise made the presentation difficult. I had to block out the noise as I concentrated on my talk. I had to make sure everyone heard what I was saying. I closely watched the audience in case a noise issue was taking place.
 
On Saturday I was honored to talk about my book on the battle of Brandywine during Birmingham’s 325^th anniversary celebration. Birmingham was the site of the battle and giving a presentation on the actual battlefield was special.
 
The talk was scheduled to be given in a large tent and a sound system was provided. Under normal circumstances, the talk should have had no noise issues. On Saturday the wind was gusting and howling. Previous speakers were having feedback issues with the sound system.
 
Instead of fighting the wind, sound system, a playing fife and drum band and the noise from a tractor used for a hay ride, I decided to gather all of the listeners into a circle instead of having them spread out in the tent. The decision was a good one, especially after the band members joined my group.  All could hear the presentation.

October 12, 2011

The allure of baseball
           
During one of my recent book talks, a man joined the audience and was quiet during the presentation. Some of the other attendees asked questions and made comments while I was giving my talk on my latest book.

After the presentation concluded, the man thanked me for giving the talk and writing the book on Richie Ashburn, former member of the Whiz Kids of the Philadelphia Phillies and Hall of Fame member.
 
The man said he was from Italy and recently moved to the United States. The sport he enjoyed in Italy as a kid was soccer. He didn’t understand why Americans so loved baseball. After the talk on Ashburn, who is known as Philadelphia’s most beloved athlete, the man said he better understood the allure of the sport.
 
His comments were welcome as an author’s book should be enlightening.


October 7, 2011

Scheduling of signings
 
To have a chance for a successful book signing, authors need to select a convenient place for people to attend and a time that doesn’t conflict with a major event.
 
When I wrote my marketing book for authors, The Selling of an Author, I mentioned that having a signing during a Super Bowl game is not a good idea. The same advice goes for scheduling a signing during the final episode of a popular television show.
 
On Wednesday, my warning was shown to be valid. My new book on Phillies’ great Richie Ashburn was recently released. With the Phillies in the playoffs, the book has gained additional attention. I’ve been setting up talks and signings for the past few months, many in October. When the talks were scheduled, I didn’t know the dates or times the Phillies were going to play. Weeks ago, Downingtown Library agreed to a signing on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. On Tuesday evening, the day before my Downingtown talk, an announcement was made that the Phillies would play the next day at 6:00 p.m.
 
With the scheduling of the game during my talk, I knew Phillies fans wouldn’t be included to attend my talk. About 20 people had signed up for the talk and all but three cancelled. I gave the talk and had a nice discussion with the people attending.  
 
MARKETING _ The success of a book doesn't end with the completed manuscript. In future columns I'll talk about marketing and give some tips from my book The Selling of an Author: A Marketing Guide for Writers to Increase Book Sales. For anyone ordering the book and mentioning One More Book, I'll sell the book for $18.00 and include free shipping. The listed price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Just E-mail me at Mowday@Mowday.com.


October 3, 2011

Public perception of publishing industry
 
Before a talk at the Paoli Rotary last week, I had an interesting conversation with members of the service club concerning the publishing industry. The members’ perception of publishing was interesting.
 
One Rotarian totally focused on the technical capabilities of the industry. He said technology has made book publishing easier. The costs of publishing should be less, thus more money for the publishers and authors. He was partly correct.
 
 Books are easy to publish. There are plenty of E-book publishers and vanity presses to be found. Self-publishing a book is an option and traditional publishers issue thousands of books a year. Making the publishing venture profitable isn’t easy.
 
 Members of the Rotary didn’t discuss sales, marketing and profits. Amazon lists eight million books. How do all of those authors and publishers locate book buyers? That’s not an easy process. Marketing campaigns for millions of authors are on the web. The web helps authors but it is also a curse because of the competition on the web.
 
A report recently issued in England noted the average book sells less than 1,000 copies. A report several years ago pegged the average sale of E-books at less than 100. Profits are slim to non-existent when less than 1,000 books are sold.
 
 Book production is only one part of the publishing industry. Selling books is the challenge.
 
MARKETING _ The success of a book doesn't end with the completed manuscript. In future columns I'll talk about marketing and give some tips from my book The Selling of an Author: A Marketing Guide for Writers to Increase Book Sales. For anyone ordering the book and mentioning One More Book, I'll sell the book for $18.00 and include free shipping. The listed price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Just E-mail me at Mowday@Mowday.com.



September 29, 2011

Learning From The Audience
 
 One of my favorite activities is giving talks on the books I write. I like to interact with those who attend the events. Often they provide some information I can use in future talks. And, usually they have a specific reason for attending the talk.
 
 Last night I spoke at the West Chester Library on my new book on Richie Ashburn, the Phillies star player and member of the Hall of Fame. One woman had a very personal story about Richie Ashburn. Her late brother had played squash with Richie and always remembered the game with Richie with fondness. She said she visited the library on her brothers’ birthday and saw a poster for my talk. She took the encounter as a link to her brother and she said she had to attend the talk.
 
  At other talks and signings, I also had people stop and give me personal stories about Ashburn. Richie, then a star player, took the time to write a nice note to a young woman who had invited Richie to attend her softball playoff game. The former softball player stopped and purchased a book. A couple told me about a night they were lost in Richie’s neighborhood and Richie stopped his car and helped the couple find their way.
 
 During my talks on the Jailing The Johnston Gang book, I never know who is in the audience. Sometimes law enforcement officials attend and other times relatives of the murder victims or someone related to the criminals will be in the audience.
 
 Authors should pay attention to the members of their audience. Those attending take their valuable time to meet and talk to authors and authors should be respectful.
 
 
September 25, 2011

Author considerations
 
 In the past several weeks, I’ve been working with two writers working on publishing their first books. Both projects involve some form of self-publishing and will be in collaboration with the subject of the book.
 
 One of the writers contacted my company, The Mowday Group, Inc., when the project was in its final stages of research and writing. The second writer contacted me at the beginning of her project.
 
 The author of the almost completed project is a little frustrated and I’m sure the subject of the book feels the same way. The two never worked out authorship issues, including how authorship is listed on the book, who receives the copyright, the split of royalties, foreign rights, author purchase of books at discount, free books when publication takes place, etc. I’m also sure liability was also never discussed.
 
  All of the above issues and additional ones need to be settled before a project is launched. A traditional publisher will insist on a contract being signed before the project begins. Those involved with non-traditional publishers should also have an agreement.
 
 Recently, I broke off a project when the subject of the book became unreasonable in his demands. I was intrigued by the book but knew the project would cause immense problems.
 
 The writing and publishing of a book is never as easy as it looks. Authors need to investigate all aspects of publishing before starting a project. The Mowday Group, Inc. can be contracted to go over these issues.

September 22, 2011

Stories not told
 
There are complete stories that should be told. As with most newspaper stories and some books, the whole story is rarely revealed to the public.
 
I always thought the murder case of Thomas Capano was one such story. Capano recently died in his Delaware jail cell. Capano was convicted of the 1996 murder of Anne Marie Fahey, the scheduling secretary for Governor Tom Carper.
 
Capano’s sordid life’s story has been told in news articles and books. At one time, Capano was one of Delaware’s top lawyers and politicians. He manipulated the system and his friends.
 
There is no doubt that Capano murdered Fahey.
 
The untold story was Capano’s confession, the circumstances of the murder and why he believed his bizarre defense would work. A relative of the murder victim commented that Capano never admitted his guilt and ruined many lives.
 
In the past few years I’ve had discussions with someone who grew-up with Capano and visited Capano in prison. Because of my book on the Johnston brothers, mass murderers, it was suggested I write about Capano.
             
I was interested in doing the book only if Capano was willing to be truthful about what took place when Capano died. I passed along the word that if he wasn’t willing to be truthful, I wasn’t interested. The book never developed and I never had a chance to talk with Capano.
 
Capano’s confession was the untold story and it will always remain so.



September 19, 2011

Guess who is coming to your talk
           
During a signing at Gettysburg a few years ago I met an author who churched out Civil War books every year just so he would have a new title to sell. I always wondered how much research went into his books. I know mine on Fort Delaware in the Civil War and the Battle of Brandywine in the American Revolution each took about six years to research, write, edit and work with a publisher before the book was ready for the public.
 
From years of giving talks to historical and civic groups, I know an author had better know his subject. He is going to be closely questioned on his subject. Last week I was in Ephrata giving a talk on Fort Delaware as part of Lancaster’s 150^th anniversary look at the Civil War. A lot of people were in the audience and they had a lot of good questions. All of the research I did on the book helped me answer those questions. And, I knew enough to say I didn’t know an answer, when I didn’t have the answer.
 
Also, last week I gave a talk on my new book on Richie Ashburn. One of the members of the audience was Ashburn’s son-in-law. He would have known if I had information wrong.
 
You never know who will be at your talk. I gave a talk at the Chester County Historical Society some years ago on Mark Sullivan, an early 20^th century journalist from the county. To my surprise, some in the audience had known Sullivan and were neighbors. I invited them to give their stories concerning Sullivan, it made for a better talk.
 
I also vividly recall a talk I gave at the Oxford library on my Jailing The Johnston Gang book. Oxford was the center of the area where the mass murderers operated some decades ago. The room was packed. Within just a few feet of me was a woman with arms folded and an angry look on her face. She was the mother of one of the murder victims.
 
An author never knows who will be attending a talk but he needs to be prepared.


September 12, 2011

Bad weather checklist
 
 Authors dread the idea of sitting outside at a festival and having a sudden rainstorm destroy prized books. Each ruined book is a business loss.
 
 Last weekend I participated in Chadds Ford Days, a great arts and crafts festival along the shores of the Brandywine River. A hurricane and a tropical storm both drenched the area in the weeks before the festival. The weather forecasters promised rain storms were possible on both Saturday and Sunday. Indeed, gray clouds were on hand as both days began.
 
 Rain holds down crowds and lessens opportunities for book sales. The wet ground and parking area could also hurt attendance. Damp weather, even without rain, damages stock. The first issue was should I even attend Chadds Ford Days. Yes. The festival involves great people, benefits a good cause and a friendly crowd attends.
 
 Authors attending such events should have a bad weather checklist. I took plastic for the ground to keep boxes from getting wet. I had paper towels to dry off my table and a table cloth. I had plastic bags for book purchases. The boxes were all study with flaps. I didn’t mind ruining the boxes if they kept the books dry. I also had a big sturdy tarp.
 
 I had a plan if rain began to fall. Since I don’t have a tent, another vendor close by said I could store the books with him. I also knew as soon as the rain started, I would move all books to one side of the table and cover with the tablecloth until I could pack the books in the boxes under the table. I would then move the boxes to the next tent. I knew I could do the whole process in less than five minutes.
           
 The weekend turned out to be a great event. I talked with a lot of history and book lovers. I sold a good number of books and had a great time. A light mist was the only moisture during the weekend as the sun was out both afternoons.
 
 An author is a businessperson and should have a plan for all aspects of the business. Additional tips for authors are included in my book The Selling Of An Author.

MARKETING _ The success of a book doesn't end with the completed manuscript. In future columns I'll talk about marketing and give some tips from my book The Selling of an Author: A Marketing Guide for Writers to Increase Book Sales. For anyone ordering the book and mentioning One More Book, I'll sell the book for $18.00 and include free shipping. The listed price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Just E-mail me at Mowday@Mowday.com.



September 9, 2011

Perfection

 An E-mail was received yesterday with a message that was welcomed. Nick, the E-mail writer, wanted to make sure every step possible was taken to make his book project perfect. The book is being written and published in memory of his mother, family matriarch and a community and business leader.
 
 Book projects are never easy. A lot of decisions have to be made, especially if you don’t have publishing experience. Nick’s business has nothing to do with publishing but he knew he needed to engage professionals to complete the project.
 
 Nick hired a professional writer to research and draft the manuscript. He then sought help to explore publishing options. After exploring traditional and self-publishing options, he made a sound decision and engaged a quality book designer and printer. He has also developed a marketing plan to sell and distribute the book.
 
 The Mowday Group, Inc., has been working with Nick and the author for several months as a project manager. Nick’s E-mail was in connection with hiring of a proofreader.
 
 Nick is interested in perfection and he should be.


September 3, 2011

Book stores close on the Jersey Shore

Today, a story with an Ocean City, N.J., dateline announced the closure of Atlantic Books in various shore towns because they are no longer profitable. Stores are to close in Ocean City, Beach Haven, Stone Harbor and Cape May this fall. A store in Somers Point closed earlier this summer. The owner blames the recent downturn in sales of printed books.
 
As a kid, part of my summer vacation was picking up the latest James Bond book and sitting on the beach reading about 007’s latest adventures. The bookstores were always packed on the boardwalk.
 
About a year ago I spent a week in September in Ocean City and visited the Atlantic Books store. The store wasn’t very busy but it was after Labor Day. I asked about having a signing of my Jailing The Johnston Gang book the following summer. The clerk didn’t seem very interested and no date was ever set.
 
I remembered all of the readers at the shore and though having several authors signing and talking about true crime books might benefit the writers and the shore stores. Just opening the doors of bookstores isn’t enough to save them.
 
August 30, 2011

An author's nightmare

An author’s nightmare is running out of books during a signing. Having readers ready to purchase copies of your book and none available is a major downer and will cause bad dreams and restless nights.
 
For authors doing signings at bookstores, the bookstores are responsible for having copies in stock. Most bookstores I’ve worked with are very good at keeping an eye on the number of books available for a signing. There can be issues with supplies from distributors and publishers. Authors should be in contact with bookstores before a scheduled signing event to make sure copies are available and work with the store if a problem exists.
 
If an author is giving a talk at a service club, historical society or community organization, the author is usually the one to supply books. The burden of having sufficient copies rests with the author.
 
Even though an author doesn’t want to run out of books, an author doesn’t want to take hundreds of books to a signing and sell only a few. Carrying boxes of books back to your car is also discouraging. I talk with members of the group inviting me and find out the usual number of attendees and use the information to gauge the number of books to be taken to the event.
 
On Saturday I did a signing in West Grove. Because of the weather and venue I wasn’t sure of the number that would attend. I took several of my book titles and sold out of two of them during the morning. Should I have carried more of those books? Yes. And one title didn’t sell at all.
 
Having the correct number of books on hand at a signing is always a guessing game. This isn’t an exact science. An author just doesn’t want to have nightmares.
 
MARKETING _ The success of a book doesn't end with the completed manuscript. In future columns I'll talk about marketing and give some tips from my book The Selling of an Author: A Marketing Guide for Writers to Increase Book Sales. For anyone ordering the book and mentioning One More Book, I'll sell the book for $18.00 and include free shipping. The listed price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Just E-mail me at Mowday@Mowday.com.


August 25, 2011

Selecting a publisher

For most authors, finding a publisher is a daunting task. Earlier this week I worked with a Philadelphia author. He has a very interesting and unique subject but has had one bad experience with a Florida publisher. He contracted for author services consulting help from The Mowday Group, Inc.
 
We’ve targeted some traditional publishers but he has been approached by several publishers doing print on demand and vanity publishing. After some internet research, many negative comments were found about the companies’ quality, royalty payment, distribution and services. One of the researched companies had accepted a bogus manuscript submitted by a person who wrote ten pages and then repeated the same ten pages a number of times. The company promised it would be a best seller.
 
When publishers chase an author for a manuscript, a warning bell should go off in the author’s head. The author should expect a large bill and minimal help. A few months ago, a family member approached me about the thousands of dollars one publishing company wanted to collect from her father for a family book he was writing. I found a less expensive way for the father and daughter to get the book published.
 
Authors need to be careful when researching possible publishers.
 
MARKETING _ The success of a book doesn't end with the completed manuscript. In future columns I'll talk about marketing and give some tips from my book The Selling of an Author: A Marketing Guide for Writers to Increase Book Sales. For anyone ordering the book and mentioning One More Book, I'll sell the book for $18.00 and include free shipping. The listed price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Just E-mail me at Mowday@Mowday.com.


August 24, 2011

A publisher's questions

Norm Mawby co-authored a book on the employees of the Philadelphia Phillies after the Phillies last World Series victory. He has an excellent idea for a second baseball book. As publisher, he wants to enlist writers to author chapters. He's approached writers and has received  great interest. I had a meeting with him yesterday and he wanted to know what guidelines should be given to the writers. Without the guidelines, he could receive usuable or duplicate copy. Norm wanted to know what instructions he could, or should, give writers. Since it is his project, he can give whatever instructions he wants.

Because of his structure of his project, Norm needs to define topics for the writers. The topics can't be too structured. The creativity of the writer can't be inhbiited. A minimum and maximum work limit should also be imposed. Deadlines are also important, especially if a print schedule is in place.

Norm is doing his homework and planning his book. His work should cut down on surprises when the copy is ready to be reviewed.

 

August 21, 2011

What makes a good story?

While doing book signings, you never know who will stop and talk. On Saturday, I was signing copies my new Richie Ashburn book at a Barnes & Noble store. A young woman who didn't appear to be interested in sports started a conversation. She said she did a little writing and she had a few questions. When I asked what type of writing, she said Sci-Fi and Fantasy. That wasn't a surprise. Her dragon necklace and fantasy-themed shirt gave her away.

During the conversation she gave her thoughs on what made a good Sci-Fi and Fantasy story. She obviously had been working on plot lines for her stories. For Sci-Fi, she said the story had to be plausible. For Fantasy, she said the story had to take her totally out of reality. Also, the author couldn't violate guidelines made early in the story. I took that point to be, for example, if the author said the moon was made of blue cheese, the author later couldn't say green cheese. My example but her point was that the author had to be consistant.

Writing is hard work and an author needs to have some idea of where a story is going and end. The woman was on the right path.

August 18, 2011

Positive energy

Besides writing books, I help authors looking to get published or looking for assistance in promoting books. Earlier this week an author wanted to hire my company, The Mowday Group, Inc., to help promote his book. The original concept seemed a little off-beat and interesting but the project had many issues. A number of warning signs appeared that indicated the potential client would be difficult. He seemed angry and resentful of the way the publishing world worked. I passed on taking part in the project. It was an easy decision.

The book had been rejected by a number of publishers and I could easily see why the book companies wouldn't get involved.

An author needs to generate positive enthusiasm for his work and promote sales. Being angry and combative isn't the way to becoming a successful author.

MARKETING _ The success of a book doesn't end with the completed manuscript. In future columns I'll talk about marketing and give some tips from my book The Selling of an Author: A Marketing Guide for Writers to Increase Book Sales. For anyone ordering the book and mentioning One More Book, I'll sell the book for $18.00 and include free shipping. The listed price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Just E-mail me at Mowday@Mowday.com.



August 16, 2011:

Marketing your book is hard work

Author Martin Malloy was one of my guests on my Brandywine Book Report yesterday. The show was taped at the Chester County Book and Music Compay and will be aired in September on BrandywineRadio.com. Martin has authored That Which We Are,  a novel based on his experiences as a police officer. He self-published the book.

During the interview, Martin mentioned marketing his book is hard work. He didn't expect marketing a self-publishied wrok would pose so many problems. He mentioned one service charged him a substantial amount of money to distribute a press release to thousands of outlets. He said he didn't get one hit on the releases.

Martin's experiences aren't unique. Marketing is difficult for those that self-publish books and those that use traditional publishers. Marketing needs to be direct and targeted. Those services that promise a large distribution ususally aren't worth the cost. Some unique and targeted suggestions for marketing are included in my book on marketing for authors.

MARKETING _ The success of a book doesn't end with the completed manuscript. In future columns I'll talk about marketing and give some tips from my book The Selling of an Author: A Marketing Guide for Writers to Increase Book Sales. For anyone ordering the book and mentioning One More Book, I'll sell the book for $18.00 and include free shipping. The listed price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Just E-mail me at Mowday@Mowday.com.


 

August 15, 2011:

Can't do anything about the weather

The Philadelphia area was under water on Sunday as a big storm, some places received nine inches, moved through the area. As I was driving to my 2:00 p.m. signing at the Barnes & Noble store in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, I was wondering if the rain would help or hurt the signing of my new book on Phillies' great Richie Ashburn.

Will people stay home and watch the rain or venture to the Barnes & Noble store? The Phillies game had been rained out, so fans couldn't concentrate on the game. When I entered the store I had a conversation about the weather with Bari Jo Davis, Community Relations Manager. She has had experiences where bad weather, even snow storms, didn't deter customers.

I don't schedule many signings in January and February in the area because of snow and ice storms. One of my books was released in January and for two months just about every signing was postponed because of bad weather. Predicting rain months in the future is an impossibility, so an author must schedule and hope for good signing weather.

On Sunday, the rain helped as about 25 books were sold in two hours. A number of factors should be considered by authors before scheduling signings. They are included in my book The Selling of An Author.

MARKETING _ The success of a book doesn't end with the completed manuscript. In future columns I'll talk about marketing and give some tips from my book The Selling of an Author: A Marketing Guide for Writers to Increase Book Sales. For anyone ordering the book and mentioning One More Book, I'll sell the book for $18.00 and include free shipping. The listed price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Just E-mail me at Mowday@Mowday.com.


August 12, 2011:

Where have the reporters gone?

In the past few days I've had several conversations concerning the "disappearance" of favored reporters. Cutbacks in staffing at newspapers have led many former colleagues to scramble to find writing jobs. One excellent writer said for months after he received his layoff notice he couldn't find a company even seeking a writer.

Another conversation was with Stephanie Stoltzfus at the Barnes & Noble store in Exton, Pennsylvania. Directing press releases on upcoming signings and events to a specific contact is becoming impossible because of all of the staffing changes at publications. Nina Kelly at the Chester County Conference and Visitors' Bureau said experienced travel writers are also disappearing at publications. Some travel publications are not paying for articles, seeking free copy. Writing professionals, obviously, can't make a living without a paycheck.

The trouble in the news industry hasn't deterred all students from turning away journalism. One such student studying journalism said he still wanted to become a reporter. He was advised to have a plan to earn money so he could live while seeking a reporting position.


August 10, 2011:

Connecting with audiences

 For an author to give a successful talk, the author must connect with his audience. I gave a recent talk at the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, on my new book on Phillies' Hall of Fame player Richie Ashburn. Richie played in the 1950's and early 1960's and was an announcer for the Phillies until his death in 1997. Some of the fans attending my talk never saw Richie play or heard Richie announce a game with his partner Harry Kalas. I had to connect with the young fans and I told them that Richie was the Chase Utley of his day. That reference to a current Phillies' star made the connection.

I like to arrive early for talks to get to know members of the group. Having some type of relationship with group members helps my presentation and also aids in the sales of books. I made an excellent connection with members of the Longwood Rotary a few years ago. The story is told in my book on marketing for authors.

MARKETING _ The success of a book doesn't end with the completed manuscript. In future columns I'll talk about marketing and give some tips from my book The Selling of an Author: A Marketing Guide for Writers to Increase Book Sales. For anyone ordering the book and mentioning One More Book, I'll sell the book for $18.00 and include free shipping. The listed price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Just E-mail me at Mowday@Mowday.com.