Archive for the ‘Trends’ Category

*Social  #@%&*#! Media For Authors* Time-Sensitive Material

Whoohoo! Were you on the call last night? We rocked with myth-busting info and simple solutions to many of the reasons writers resist social media.

Another benefit of being on the call was a limited-time special offer for a free consultation and teleseminar give away in addition to some fabulous bonus gifts guaranteed for every person who enrolls in my new program, For Authors Only.

But many of you wrote that you couldn’t make the call and wanted the recording. Others got the time zones mixed up and called in too early or late. (Don’t you hate that?)

If you missed the call for any reason, or just want to hear it again to make sure you got all the tips and details down, you can listen or download the recording right now.

Listen here>>

Download here>>

Whatever you do, don’t delay. The free consultation is limited to the first 20 people who register and they are going fast! If you want to make sure you don’t get shut out, go right to the For Authors Only page now for all the program details. And, you can get a copy of the audio while you’re there, too.

Collect your bonus gifts here>>

I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Pardon the expletive deleted in the post title. It’s not my choice of words; it’s the feedback I often get from writers when I bring up the need for authors today to be social media savvy.

But grumbling or sticking your head in the sand is not the answer. Just this morning I read an interview with literary agent Wendy Keller on MediaBistro.com’s GalleyCat. She said,

“The authors we specialize in have or want to have a massive platform, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people they reach before, during and after publication. We look for people who don’t sit around dreaming of how they’ll spend the money once they’re on Oprah and instead are out there making things happen.”

Although it seems almost daily that I read about some awesome blog-to-book deal or a self-published author who sold thousands of ebooks via Twitter and landed a publishing contract, the vast majority of authors with quality material are still failing to make that vital connection on the Internet via social media.

I can tell you why. Writers have specific needs and challenges that must be addressed for social media to be effective that are not issues for most business people. So, much of the social media hype out there doesn’t work or is way too complicated and time-consuming for an author’s needs.

But what if just a few simple changes in what you’re doing could result in massive traffic to your blog? How about adding a stream of income with your material as an ebook? Would that be helpful?

If you said, “YES,” I’d like to share some information with you that has helped me and many of my clients.

Please join me for a a Free tele-class for authors only. Here are all the details:

Topic: Social #@%&*#! Media for Authors

Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Time: 8:00pm to 9:00pm Eastern (7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, 5pm Pacific)

On this call you will learn:

• The secret to having time to write
• The 3 most important things to include in your social media profile
• The trends in publishing that you must know to get published today
• Where agents and publishers are finding their new authors
• Why having a social media strategy is critical to your success
• What’s working and what’s not for writers
• How some authors are paying their mortgages with income from ebooks
• A simple solution to turning social media overwhelm into social media success

If you’ve been struggling with blogging, social networking or trying to figure out how to get your book on Kindle, Nook and iPad, you MUST be on this call. So, what are you waiting for?

Registration for this event is now closed. You can access a recording of the teleclass here>>

Consider the following headlines from recent trade and consumer publications and see if you can spot the trend:

F+W Publications is Now F+W Media
Young Authors Turn Online Collaboration into Book Deal
Unbound: Publishers worry as new technologies transform their industry
Bowker Reports U.S. Book Production Flat in 2007: Traditional publishing steady, but “on demand” publishing soars as new technologies reduce barriers to entry
Authors Find Their Voice, and Audience, in Podcasts
Book Not Ready for Print? Whip Up an Audiobook for Now
Use Podcasts to Promote Your Books
Why Blog? Reason No. 92: Book Deal
Thumbs Race as Japan’s Best Sellers Go Cellular
Penguin Sees Major e-Book Sales Spike

I’m sure by now you get the gist. Technology advances have played havoc on the staid publishing industry and now even the most conservative of the big houses are shifting their focus to include ebooks, interactive media and audio-visual formats. Well, it’s about time, considering innovative authors and communicators have been doing it for years.

The good news for aspiring authors is that today you don’t need someone’s approval to present your message to your intended audience. I believe there will always be the place for the big publishing houses and literary agents, but it’s not the only game in town anymore. Please understand that this is not an invitation to put out poor quality work; doing so will result in failure in any market. What this means is that now your voice has a choice.

Don’t let age or lack of knowledge stop you. I wasn’t born cable-ready (like my children), either. It’s no harder to find out how to blog, build a website, start an ezine or create a podcast than it is to learn how to write a query letter, find and agent or prepare a book proposal. If you are open and receptive to the fabulous world that technology is making available to us, you can see your writing career soar.

If you’re still intent on securing a traditional publishing contract, remember that today’s big houses consider the value of a prospective author’s platform as a huge portion of the acceptance criteria. There’s no better and quicker way to build your platform than a blog, YouTube and social media. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, hire an intern or assistant from your local college, ask your kids or grandkids–but learn how to do it. Do it now.

You can start by subscribing to some of the print and online resources I used to get the headlines quoted in this article. Most of these publications offer free online versions or ezines. They are: The New York Times, Publishers Weekly [PW Daily], Booktrade.info, PublishersMarketplace.com, Communications Solutions, Globe and Mail, Economist.com, Bowker and Writer’s Digest.

Many of the articles I read come to my attention through the use of Google key word alerts. In an upcoming post, I’ll cover how I use this free service to track the industry trends and my own progress.