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Entries in publish your book (6)

Monday
Nov192012

Our Little Books Announces Their Next New Release

Here is our newest press release!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Our Little Books Publishing Company Announces Their Next New Release!


FEARLESS AUTO CARE, A Guide to What Women Should Know About Their Cars


Our Little Books is pleased to announce the publication of a new little book. Coming from the automotive world, authors Donna and Warren McCord are well equipped to show you how to understand and relate to your car. Women (or anyone!) who seek to have a positive relationship with their car MUST read this information packed little book about how to monitor and keep their car running smoothly and then keep this guide in their glove compartment for immediate reference.

San Rafael, CA – 11/18/12 – There are many do-it-yourself books out there about auto repair, but this book is NOT about how to do your own repairs; it IS about how to be in control of the auto care experience, to know when it is necessary to bring your vehicle in for professional service or repair, and to be confident that you are getting the best return for the dollars you are investing. It is written from a woman’s perspective in words that someone who is not an automotive technician will understand. Within the 90 pages, 7 chapters of this pocket-sized little book, you will evaluate how familiar you already are with your car and then learn what you should know, where to find the information you may be lacking, how to select an auto repair facility you can trust, and then how to communicate with the service providers.

“I just finished reading your book. It is excellent! Well done. Wow, it was easy to read, very informative.” Rita B. Portland, Oregon

Primarily for women, this little book is written as a guide to making good decisions about the care and maintenance of one of the biggest investments most of us make during our lives – our automobiles. Its purpose is to cut through much of the confusing, conflicting and out-dated information that has negatively influenced the consumer perception of the auto repair industry, and to arm the car owner with knowledge to make better decisions and be more comfortable with the auto care experience.

About Authors Donna and Warren McCord – Authors Donna and Warren McCord, co-owners of Dean’s Automotive, Inc. in Mountain View, CA, have over 25 years of experience in the auto repair industry. Warren has written articles for a local newspaper for many years, and Donna realized that all the important information they had to share could be of real interest and help to any car owner who is not comfortable or feels helpless about how to take care of their vehicles. Women in particular sometimes feel lost in what is primarily a man’s world, so this little book was created to give readers the basic information, tips and resources to ensure their cars are receiving the correct care and service they need.

For more information about FEARLESS AUTO CARE, A Guide to What Women Should Know About Their Cars, please visit http://www.ourlittlebooks.com/fearless-auto-care, or contact Candace Davenport at 415-302-1410 or email: Candace@OurLittleBooks.com.

Wednesday
Nov032010

Tips for Authors on How To Help Build Your Audience

We are very pleased to have for Our Little Books Guest Post Wednesday, a post from author Ron Knight. Besides being a prolific author, he loves to help authors with direction and their marketing. In this post, Ron talks about how to build your audience for your book. Take it to heart. It is great advice! Enjoy.

 

Author’s from the 80′s, 90′s, and the 2000′s need to build an audience. It is the only way to put yourself in a position of success. The more people who know you and read your book, the better chance you have to sell that book.

Let me repeat something I just said, because you may not have registered it: “to put yourself in a position of success.” If you do not write a terrific story with even better mechanics, then all the people in the world who know about your book will not matter.

The four keys to any author:

1. Read

2. Write

3. Market

4. Publish

Let me help you with marketing and building that audience. Here are some things you can do:

* Website: Do not worry about all the “bells and whistles.” Have a couple pages that talks about who you are and what your books are about. Keep it simple. The more content and text you have, the less people will care.

* Blog: It is not easy to be a blogger, despite millions of people doing it. You have to be good at blogging. Just like writing a bad book, a poorly written blog can sink you.

* Forums: Participate in publishing, writing, and author forums. There are plenty to choose from. Give your comments on blogs about writing. Everyone who comments on this blog, I remember. Being remembered is what building an audience is all about.

* Surveys: On your website or Facebook, conduct a survey about publishing. (Not yourself.) This will get your name out to others in the publishing industry.

* Newsletter: Go to Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com) and sign up for their free trial. Put together a professional newsletter that helps others.

* Magazine Articles: In Venice, Florida where I live, the local magazine accepts articles written by authors. The pay is small, but two things happen: You get noticed by millions of people and you can say that you have been published. Research magazines in your area.

* Other Websites: Connect with other authors and share information on your websites. At UP Authors, we do this all the time and help build an audience for several authors at once.

* Social Networking: Everyone says that this is what you should do. I was forced by my manager to sign up for Facebook, but I’m glad she pushed me. I’ve met so many wonderful authors and others in the publishing industry. Check out Linkedin.com. It is about the purest networking around.

* Press Release: Before doing this, get details on what makes a great press release and where you should send it. I could do an entire blog on this subject.

* Events: Like a politician, shake lot’s of hands. Hold an event or join an event, it doesn’t matter. Meet people and hand out paper marketing items. (Bookmarks are best.) It’s not about selling books, but rather building your name.

* Public Speaking: I do not charge for public speaking, because the rewards are high. I’ll speak at any club, school, church, fundraisers, bookstores, etc… It doesn’t matter. Get in front of people and do your best.

* Volunteer: Any organization related to your field or genre would be helpful. In the long run, volunteering gives you rewards that I cannot explain. Also, if you sign up to be on the board of directors for just about any organization, that is a plus.

* Co-Author: This is a tricky move, but if you connect with another author and write a book together, your audience will double. James Patterson has made a living off this system.

* Book Trailers: I love book trailers on YouTube. However, the ones that want to look professional, often look horrible. If you are on a low budget, use that to your advantage. Make a low budget trailer, but do not try to be something you are not.

Relationships: Connect with others in the business. Just remember, whether you are on a first or third date, it’s better not to push the relationship, but rather let it flow naturally. If you become demanding, that will be a turn-off and you will get dumped.

Rolodex: Keep track of everyone you spoke with and make lists of those in the publishing industry. Do favors for others, instead of always asking for favors. Nurture and stay in touch.

Email Lists: Whether you are at an event, writing conference, or on Facebook, keep track of emails. Do not abuse their trust in having the email address, but rather use it to help others. In time, they will help you.

Soft Marketing: I’m probably beating a dead horse, but get to know others before you start asking for lot’s of favors. People ask me for advice all the time, but when someone asks me for a referral, and I do not know the author, I will ignore the request. If I do not know you, I cannot help you.

Literary Manager: Hiring a literary manager changed my career overnight. The best in the business is Melissa Link. melissa@scbranding.com

Building an audience does not happen in a week or even a year. It is a never ending process and part of your job as an author. Keep reading, keep writing, and keep building your audience.

When the time is right…you can publish.

Ron Knight has authored eleven novels, along with the AC Heroes graphic novel series. He is the originator and author of Untraditional Publishing. His program, UP Authors is a marketing program that is supported by a collaboration of authors, readers, and those connected to the publishing industry. Ron will gladly assist authors with their manuscript by reading the first chapter, provide feedback, and give advice on steps that the author should take in order to succeed. Also, coming soon:  "Untraditional Publishing" by Ron Knight. 47 chapters, jamed packed with helpful information so you can suceed as an author! www.authorronknight.com

Friday
Oct012010

The #1Thing You Must do Before You Write a Book!  

  Flickr Photo by Todd Dailey

Are you considering writing a book? Maybe you already have a topic or have started writing. But a book is so much more than just the words on the page. There are many decisions to make before you begin to publish your book.

For example, you will need to decide how you are going to publish your book. Do you want to pursue a traditional publishing route or do you think you will self publish? If you are going to self publish you will need to find someone to edit your book, design your cover and design the inside of the book.  

You might be thinking, so what do I do first? You will be surprised to find out that the very first thing you should do is start a blog! You should start a blog before you even start to write a book. Here are a few reasons why having a blog is so important.

Writing a blog post will help you define your message. You will find out what your readers like and don’t like. They will ask questions related to your posts. Your book can solve your reader’s problems.

Your blog posts will help outline your ideas. You can group your posts together to make a chapter or make your outline. 
 
If you have a large following you will also have buyers for your book. If your readers love your content and writing style they are more likely to buy your book. If they don’t buy your book they can help you promote your book. 
 
If you are part of a blogging network you will have people that will want to help you. Bloggers like to help each other meet their goals. They may not want your book but they may help you by featuring your book in a post, interview you on their blog or let you submit a guest post. The relationships you build will be important when you release your book. 
 
You may find that no one is interested in your original topic. If you can’t solve your reader’s problems they won’t buy your book. It is important that you know this before you go to the expense of publishing a book.  Who wants a garage full of books? You blog will help you define your niche market and identify the problems of your readers.  

 

A blog is an essential key to developing your online platform. You can use other social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to promote your blog. 

Friday
Aug202010

How Do You Get Your Little Book Published?

We have had several requests for a post regarding the process to publish a book with Our Little Books. It may be helpful to start with the general post What is the Process to Publish a Book.

The next step then would be to request a free publishing consult. Be prepared to discuss your book idea, your niche market and how you plan to use the book to promote your business. Most of our authors use their book to promote their expertise. The book is not to sell your service but to be informative and to establish yourself as an expert. For example, Nancy Heinrich, works with individuals with diabetes. Her book, Healthy Living with Diabetes, does not promote her business, but provides her readers with life changing information for individuals with diabetes.  Her book has elevated her to expert status, which has opened doors that may not have been opened.  Determine your niche market before deciding the topic for your book.

After your initial consultation you will be invited to submit a book proposal to be reviewed by our editorial board. The proposal should include the following points:

  • Tentative Title of Your Work:
  • Basic Subject Matter:
  • Target Market:
  • 5 Line Abstract that describes your book:
  • 5 Line Back of the Book Blurb: (hint- 5 snappy lines that would make someone who picked up the book want to buy your book)
  • How Do You Plan on Using Your Book?
  • How Do You Plan on Marketing Your Book?
  • How Many Books are You Anticipating Purchasing?
  • Do You Anticipate Having a Series?

Our editorial board will review your submission to see if it is a book that is in line with our philosophy. If your book proposal is approved, we will send you a contract. 

After we receive your completed manuscript, we will have it edited by one of our professional editors. You will have final say on all of the changes. The cover will be designed by our cover designer to match your branding.   

Once the manuscript is complete we will send it to the interior designer to lay it out to be sent to the printer. The interior designer makes sure the formatting is correct and the chapters are set up correctly. 

The possibilities for your little book are unlimited. We love to hear all of the creative ideas that authors come up with. Can you think of one that would work for you?

Tuesday
Mar232010

4 Criteria to Consider Before You Begin Writing Your Book

Whether you are considering writing fiction or non-fiction, epic novel or business book to showcase you as an expert in your field, there are several things to consider before you even begin to put first word to paper.

      1. What are the goals of your book?

What is it you want to do with your book? For example, are you writing a book to promote your business or service? Are you writing a book to have something to sell in the back of the room? How about a book to give away to potential clients or customers? If you present to groups you may want a book that you can sell in the back of the room or give to the participants as part of the enrollment fee. Are you writing a book to become a famous author or to be seen as an expert in your field? No matter what the reason, before you even start to write, you need to know what you are going to do with your book when you are done. Knowing this will help you format the entire book’s direction.

Fine tuning it even further, if you are a business owner, you may have many topics you are qualified to write about. What is the one topic that will accomplish your goal of what you want to do with your book? What topic will appeal to most of your clients and give you the expert status you want? You may have several target markets for your book. It is important to narrow you target audience based on the goals and topics of your book.

      2. What are your personal reasons for writing a book?

This question goes hand in hand with your stated goals. If your primary goal is to leave a book for your grandchildren then the focus and outcome of your book will be different then if you are writing a book to sell in the back of the room. Do you want to have a marketing tool for your business or do you want to become rich and famous from your book. Have a good handle on your own personal reasons for writing the book. Knowing these will make the direction you take much easier to follow. If you have any doubt, you may need to seek a professional to give you advice on reasons behind your manuscript.

     3. How are you going to publish your book?

Today you have a variety of publishing options. If you are writing a novel you may wish to work with a traditional publisher. If you are writing a business book for a niche market you will want to self publishing or find an independent publisher that can guide you through the publishing process. To find out more about the options read Traditional Publishing, Self-Publishing or Co-Publishing. What is Right For You?

     4. How are you going to market your book?

Unless you have already published a best seller and have a publisher that is marketing your book, you will need to have a marketing plan for your book. If you write the book first and then market the book you will have a lot of books stored in your garage or attic. It is important to establish an online platform before you release your book. If you have a following on your blog, twitter and facebook, you can get the word out quicker when your book is released.

There are many factors that determine the success of your book. Many of the factors are out of your control but if you can answer these questions before you even start to write your book, then your success will be greater.

If you would like help getting started on a book, contact us for a free consultation. We can help you get started thinking about how you can become a published author with that book you have always wanted to write.
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