Best Seller Authors

Book Marketing, Publishing, Author Resources

Are You the Author of Your Own Life?

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We’re all the authors here.  And I think that one of the first things that we can do is if we understand the power of self-amplifying feedback loops, the way our spaces influence our thinking and our thinking in turn influences our spaces, is that we could then control what happens to us by exercising creative control over the circumstances that we throw ourselves into.

And there’s always going to be the wild card.  There’s always going to be the circumstances you can’t plan for.  There’s always the unexpected relevance and the serendipity.  But just like that book The Power of Pulltalks about, we can funnel the serendipity or we can channel the serendipity funnel.  We can help engender and engineer serendipity by the choices that we make every moment, right?

So by cultivating rich social networks, by cultivating weak ties, not just closed ties but the weak ties, by becoming connectors and by connecting others so that they connect us, we create a world in which these self-amplifying feedback loops feed on top of each other.  So good circumstances lead to other good circumstances which lead to other good circumstances and each one of them encourages us to then live more openly and participate in that sort of creative flow space.  You can go on and on.

See full story on bigthink.com

A Twist on Fan Fiction: Amazon Gives Readers a Say

Amazon Fan Fiction

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Amazon is once again shaking up traditional publishing models. This time, it’s giving fans a chance to add their own personal touches to their favorite fiction – and get paid in the process.

Things will kick off with Amazon licensing three teen TV series – “Gossip Girl”, “Pretty Little Liars” and “The Vampire Diaries” – from Warner Bros Television Group’s Alloy Entertainment, Amazon said on its website. More content deals will be announced in coming weeks.

Amazon has in the past decade emerged as the most disruptive force in publishing. It popularized digital books with its Kindle store and e-reader, contributing to the demise of traditional bookstores such as Borders.

In its effort to legitimize fan fiction, the company is establishing a model under which it acts as publisher and pays fan-writers between 20 and 35 percent of sales, depending on length.

“There’s probably not an author/fangirl alive who hasn’t fantasized about being able to write about her favorite show,” budding novelist Trish Milburn enthused on Amazon’s website. “The fact that you can earn royalties doing so makes it even better.”

(Reporting by Edwin Chan; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

See full story on reuters.com

Photo Credit: Reuters/Leonhard Foeger

Author Protection from Lies and Scams – Advice from Dan Janal

Our friend Dan Janal shared this transcript about author protection.

You can learn from reading this.

Dan Janal on Author Protection from Lies and Scams

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?

I’ve written a book called “Internet Marketing Confidential” to help authors, speakers and coaches avoid the rip offs online. I’ve been in PR for 30 years and was a daily newspaper editor before that. I handled a lot of high-tech companies. I was on the PR team that launched AOL and was a sysop on CompuServe’s PR and Marketing forum before. So I’m dating myself! I wrote one of the first books about marketing on the Internet back in 1993! So I’ve been online a looong time!

Who can utilize and benefit from Internet marketing?

Really, every small business, as well as speakers, authors, coaches and consultants. We’ve all seen major success stories — look at the success of “Fifty Shades of Grey.” That would never have happened without online marketing and social media.

Why do you think having an Internet marketing strategy is important for authors?

Authors can reach new readers, develop a community with readers who love them, and build ands for characters and companies.

What are your recommendations for authors who don’t know how to start planning their Internet marketing strategy?

That’s a great question. There are lots of possible answers: 1) Authors should determine who their readers are. Then authors need to find out where they hang out — Facebook, blogs, Google+, etc. 2) Authors need to find out what their audiences read: newspapers, blogs, etc. 3) Authors also need to follow reporters who cover their topic by reading their blogs and comments on blogs. 4) Get known. Build relationships. 5) Authors can write press releases and get the word out to reporters as well as readers and people searching on Google. Press releases from authors can rank high on Google. I’ve had great success with PR Newswire. That’s not a plug. It’s fact. 6) Authors should fill out their profile on Amazon. 7) They can also have websites that offer free sample chapters.

How do readers find out what social media accounts their readers are using?

Authors can find groups of readers by going to Google and typing “chick lit blog” or “sci-fi blog” or “business ethics.” Authors can also find readers by searching LinkedIn and Google+. It really is easy to find readers today because so many of them join groups on social media and websites. Some authors have set up fan pages for their books and characters, especially for teen lit. It’s fun to see that! Readers discuss plots and characters — and defend authors against nonfans. It’s great to see!

What advice do you have for authors looking for an Internet marketing expert?

Authors should look for a person who has direct experience with their niche, e.g., travel, kids, or parenting books. Every niche has its own experts, buzzwords and ways of doing things. You want to find someone who has been there, done that. Authors shouldn’t have to pay to teach someone to learn your business. I guess authors could ask for references, but who is going to give a bad reference? Authors can ask their friends for referrals. Who’s done a good job for them? Meet with the person who is going to work with you. The person who sold you might not be the one who does the work. That happens a lot at PR firms. You might get an intern or young staffer. You want to meet that person and make sure she loves your book. And has contacts! You want to make sure her messages will get answered. Personal contacts are golden and well worth the price.

See full story on profnetconnect.com

Can I Tell You a Ken Burns Story?

Ken Burns On Story
Ken Burns is a master story teller. You see it in his documentaries and the attached video tells a short story about Burns and his stories.
No matter what sort of writing you do, you are telling a story.

Come to think of it, telling stories goes well beyond what we write, it’s how we live. Life is made up of the connectons we make and the stories we share.

Authors are more prone to notice this and know that the better you get at finding a complelling story and telling it, the better you’ll do as a writer.

Ken Burns is a master story teller. You see it in his documentaries and the attached video tells a short story about Burns and his stories.

This is the best video I’ve seen on story (aptly titled, eh?)

What to Do When Your Manuscript Gets Rejected

dealing with rejection

Dealing with rejection by a publisher. Some say it’s an author’s worst nightmare. But it happens to thousands of manuscripts by thousands of authors every week of the year. An author pours his heart into a story and is convinced it’s going to appeal to everyone who reads it. Then he gets rejected by not one, not two, but five or more publishers. Are the publishers crazy? Or is his work truly awful? His manuscript probably wasn’t rejected for either of those reasons, but it still stings nonetheless.

If you submit a manuscript to publishers and it gets rejected, what are you to do? The first step is to revise your work and try to improve it. There are many ways to do this. Sometimes the publisher will tell you why your work was rejected and give you a place to start, but usually not. You can also seek the constructive criticism of trusted friends and fellow authors, and you can take an honest look at your work yourself. After you’ve revised, you resubmit. But what if this only results in more rejection letters? Is there anything else you can do?

Dealing with Rejection: The Self-Publishing Solution

You don’t need the backing of a major publisher to successfully sell your book. What you do need is drive and motivation. If you have the time and are willing to put forth the effort, you can self-publish. Self-publishing opens the door for many authors, and lots of them achieve great success and profit through self-publishing. Beyond self-publishing, there is a specific method that makes things even more possible for more authors: print on demand (POD). Print on demand is a way to self-publish without requiring a significant amount of money up front to purchase hundreds of copies of your book. It’s a way to self-publish in which your book is only printed when someone buys it. It’s that simple.

Why POD?
With POD you’re assuming a much less significant risk in self-publishing. If no one wants to buy your book, you aren’t out all of the upfront costs of offset publishing and left with a huge inventory taking up room in your basement. It helps you maximize your profits. POD publishers will also help you get your book listed on Amazon and available through brick-and-mortar bookstores. Best of all, most POD publishers won’t judge your book or reject it. They’ll print it for you, but it’s up to you to do the necessary marketing. If you don’t succeed, POD publishers don’t lose anything. There are lots of great POD publishers out there. Two of the major players are Lightning Source and CreateSpace. Rather than hoping that a major publisher picks you, with POD you have the luxury of choosing your publisher and creating your own book deal.

It’s very disheartening when your manuscript is continually rejected, but don’t forget that you have other options. You don’t necessarily need the backing of a major publisher or an agent to get your book out there and turn a profit. If you’re tired of getting rejected and are ready to just get on with things, self-publishing through print on demand may be just the thing for you.

After you’ve used a grammar checker, Life Coach Ben Sharp recommends you overcome the sting of a publisher’s rejection by publishing your book on your own. Once you outgrow print on demand, check out Associated Printing Productions, Inc.