What's Your Biggest Challenge with Your Book?

[Bill Frank]

I'd be interested to learn what authors/publishers on this network think their biggest challenges are with their book. I wonder if there's any common, pervasive challenge we all face.

[carol stanley]

I am glad you refreshed my memory about looking to other authors for support...I am very unsavvy on the computer..but after John Kremer course I just started searching..google alert is great, following up on blogs, writing articles, meeting new people to network with on social sites...My website has been up for sixweeks...and I have had 5,000 hits..not bad..However it happened because I am relentless online...One thing always leads to another..carol...:For Kids 59.99 and Over www.carolstanley1.com

[Mary Ellen Courville]

Carol, how do you balance "relentless online" with only having 24 hours in a day? I never seem to do enough!

Mary Ellen
www.writemaryellen.com

[carol stanley]

Dont worry about doing enough...Just do something everyday. I am sure you have many other things to do in life..so make a plan...whether an hour, thirty minutes or even fifteen...Divide your time..researching, blogging, commenting, article writing or whatever...It is the activity of doing it everyday...And remember I am not too computer savvy..but I keep plugging away...carol

[Dr. Marlena Corcoran]

Congratulations on the number of visitors to your website? What would you suggest as the most effective of the online strategies you use? Thanks for your insights!

[Bill Frank]

Thank you, Marlena, for the kind words. It's difficult to say which is the "most effective" online strategy. What is most effective for one author is not most effective for another. It depends on the author's personality, tolerance for risk, willingness to try different techniques, etc.

For me, the most effective strategy is an aggressive Amazon strategy. I like Amazon because it's both a distribution channel and a promotion vehicle. Amazon allows a variety of ways to promote books, including blogs, reader reviews, "if you bought x, you'll be interested in y" and more. There are, in fact, over 17 different ways to promote your book on Amazon. A good book describing an Amazon strategy is Brent Sampson's SELL YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON.

[carol stanley]

How costly is this>? And I assume there are really good results..carol

[albertasequeira]

Hi Marlena,
I have almost 9,000 hits on my site. The important thing is if your book is moving from it. I sell it on my website and sold only 8 of them. So, a lot of hits doesn't mean that it sells books.
I advertise, do writer's workshops, book signings in state and out, and my royalty isn't showing great sales.
We do need help in the marketing department. I'll try Brent Sampson's book from Amazon.

[albertasequeira]

wow, Marlena, I'm not sure what I'm doing to get that many hits. I paid monthly for search engines for a year. After that, I stopped. Like I mentioned before, a lot of hits are great, but if I'm not getting my books sold or selling items from my site, I'm not gaining anything.
I really need to find someone to help me with a professional market plan.

[Jim McPartland]

Right now, it's finding a literay agent in my genre- non fiction humor. I'm querying 3 per day and am waiting for responses from most.

I'm not sure how agressively to follow up. Everything I read says 'don't call'. E-mail? Advice please.

[Bill Frank]

Hi, Jim. Good luck on your search for an agent in your genre. Your question causes me to think of two responses.

First, when it comes to follow-up, you don't want to be too aggressive. At the same time, you don't want to be too passive. Typically, allow six weeks to pass between the time you send the query letter to the agent and the time you follow-up. That gives time for two things. One, the agent has time to read and review your query letter if it interests him/her. Two, it allows time for the agent to send a rejection letter if she/he is not interested.

Second, are you targeting the right type of agents? You say you're querying three per day. That's a lot of queries.

Agents specialize, as you know. How did you find the agents you are currently querying? The two most common ways to identify appropriate agents are: one, go to Literary Marketplace (LMP, for short) and research agents. LMP categorizes agents by specialty. Two, identify books in your genre you like or books that are similar to yours. Go to the Acknowledgements page of the book. Typically, an author acknowledges his/her agent. Get the names of agents listed in books that are similar to yours and contact them.

Good luck with your search.

[carol stanley]

These publishers take a long time to answer...so you have to be patient...good luck eh??? carol stanley www.spectacularlifeaftersixty.blogspot.com

[carol stanley]

I just put up an ethical bribe..a free astro forecast and lucky number if they go to the surprise page...and leave e mail address. Hope this will start a following...also I do offer free download of several chapters on my site...thanks ...carol