Archive for Your Book Publishing Coach newsletter
Some of you who read Article of the Week on “How to Turn an Article into a Press Release” and wrote to me about the link to sign up for the teleseminar.
Sorry about the confusion! The whole press release is meant to be a sample–it’s not the real McCoy yet. I will be doing that teleclass, but don’t worry–you’ll receive word in plenty of time, and you will be able to sign up. Read More→
One of the keys to being a productive–and successful–author is learning how to repurpose your content.
This week’s article of the week will combine what you’ve been learning for the past two months–last month about articles, this month about press
releases–and show you how to repurpose your article into a press release.
The article itself is really a tutorial. You will see, step by step, exactly how I do it.
Why did I write this article?
Two reasons.
One, a subscriber asked me to. (So if you have a burning question, please ask it. Just click “Comment” below and leave your question. I may well write a whole article about it!)
Second, I myself want to do a teleseminar on one of my articles. To publicize the teleseminar, I will need a press release.
Since I had to write one anyway, I thought I’d turn it into a lesson for you all as well.
Multi-purposing, my friend. It’s the key to publishing today.
So read the article, which is really more of a tutorial.
Notice that I ask you to do something–and offer a prize if you do.
Media people–editors, reporters, television and radio producers, freelance writers–are among the busiest, most hassled, and information-overloaded people on the planet.
They receive hundreds of press kits, review books, email and faxed press releases every day.
How does yours stand a chance of being read?
If you’ve been following this month’s series of Your Book Publishing Coach articles, so far you’ve learned:
You may be wondering by now, “So exactly how do I write
a good press release? What needs to be included, exactly?”
Wonder no more. This week’s article, “Anatomy of a Successful Press Release,” has all the answers. Check it out!
In last week’s article I showed you what not to do when you write a press release. The most important thing is to make sure your press release is read. So, by avoiding the mistakes that scream, ‘Amateur!” you increase your chances of your recipient actually reading your press release.
This week I want to give you seven important keys to effective press releases that the media will respond to.
After reading the article, check out the latest resource of the week. Note that I’ll be the guest teacher this week for the Writers on Call class. You can also listen now to the preview podcast that tells what I’ll be talking about.
Lots going on, I know–but all good!
Yesterday I mentioned I joined the Lieurance-King Article Challenge. Well, it certainly inspired me–in one afternoon I wrote not one but two articles.
The first one is this week’s featured article, Part One of what will be a month-long series on “How to Write a Press Release.” It was inspired by one of my readers who wanted to know how to write actually do an effective press release.
Media people get dozens, if not hundereds, of press releases every day.
The quickest way to get yours tossed is to violate the rules of the game and be marked as an amateur.
That’s why this week’s article focuses on the basics, and “what not to do.”
Do you, too, wonder how to write a press release the right way, so that you get lots of publcity? (Read: no-cost advertising that’s more powerful than advertising.)
Then read this week’s original article, and you’ll be one step ahead of many people.
I’ve also included some great resources to check out if publicity is something you want to master. (It is worth mastering. The article tells why.) You will also get to see two sample press releases I created that got me media coverage.
Start Your Book Right–Avoid These 7 Mistakes Nearly Every Author Makes
Posted by: Diane | Comments (1)I admit it–I hate to make mistakes.
Maybe it stems from when my first-grade teacher made us take the erasers off our pencils. “Erasers encourage mistakes,” she said. (I am not making this up. This teacher was nutso.)
Once I realized I’d made a mistake on a math problem in her class. I erased it as carefully as I could. The teacher still marked it wrong–because I’d erased it and corrected it!
Of course, I’ve continued to make many, many mistakes in my life.
I’ve made mistakes as an author, too. Mistakes that have cost me time and money.
Mistakes that even caused me to fail at times. (If failure means low sales and books going out of print.)
I want to help you avoid the mistakes I’ve made as an author.
Truth is, I’m not the only author who’s made these mistakes. In fact, I estimate that somewhere around 95 percent of authors make at least one of these mistakes.
You won’t make any of these mistakes, however.
That’s because I’m going to tell you what they are, and I’m going to tell you how to avoid them.
Read this week’s article called “Start Your Book Right–Avoid the 7 Mistakes 95 Percent of Authors Make” and you’ll know how to avoid these common mistakes. I even give you three specific steps you can
take to put what you learn into action right away.
Hope your weekend is going well. I have a couple of suggestions to make it even more fun.
First, I want to let you know that the PDF document containing all of March’s Your Book Publishing Coach articles (four full ones in all) is now ready.
You’ll notice that I am not putting up the whole newsletter to read online, as I used to. The explanation will give you a useful tip for your own search engine optimization of your site.
You can, as usual, print out the PDF of the whole issue and read it at your leisure … especially if you haven’t gotten around to reading the
articles yet. There’s even one about when procrastination is GOOD!
Also, another reminder that the Simpleology book launch is still going on. Apparently so many people went to the site that the server couldn’t
handle it at times. So if you tried but couldn’t get to the page, try again:
Even if the book doesn’t interest you (and it really is rather interesting in itself), check out how Mark Joyner is going about his book launch. What ideas does this spark for you?
Final suggestion: If you, like me, prefer to order enough from amazon.com to not have to pay shipping … and either of my books interests you
… why not order Abundant Gifts and/or MotherStyles along with Simpleology? (Remember, Mother’s Day is coming up, and MotherStyles is
the perfect gift. Abundant Gifts is perfect for any time!)
You can also preview 5 stories froom Abundant Gifts in a cool Digital Web book that opens up like a book on your computer, AND download a really cool Digital Web Journal you can write in on your computer, visit http://www.abundant-gifts.com first.)
See how simple I’ve made things for you? (I learned it from a certain course called Simpleology.)
Well, this should keep you a bit busy this weekend. But it’s fun busy, I hope you’ll agree!
The latest Your Book Publishing Coach newsletter article tells of a near miracle that happened to me recently. (You’ll have to read the article to find out what it is. It’s one of the nicest things that can happen to an author.)
The situation got me to thinking about what is perhaps a new trend in book publishing. A welcome trend. An antidote to one of the biggest problem authors have: how to connect with readers.
It used to be, a reader would buy a book, and if he or she really liked it, maybe he or she would write a letter to the author. There being no way to actually track down the author, the reader would write to the author in care of the publisher. Then, eventually, the publisher would forward the letter to the author. The author, touched by the reader’s letter, would eventually write back. (Or intend to.) Reader would be thrilled to get a letter from author. End of story.
Now it’s easier for authors and readers to connect, but the idea is still relatively new. There’s a whole new model of communicating with readers that is slowly evolving. I believe it is good for authors and readers alike. This latest article tells you how to make your book merely the beginning of an ongoing relationship with readers. It also gives examples for fiction and nonfiction authors alike.
The second article in the March “Your Book Publishing Coach” newsletter is ready to be viewed.
It’s called, “Two Never-Fail Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block.”
I haven’t experienced writer’s block for something like 25 years–ever since I learned these two techniques.
The first you use when you’re experiencing writer’s block. Or any other kind of block, for that matter.
Master the second, and you’ll not only never experience writer’s block again–you’ll also cut your writing time down a lot.
I use the second technique for just about anything I’m planning, not just my writing.
I shared this technique with someone from my church who is trying to write her memoirs and feeling stuck as to how to start. Within just a couple of minutes, by showing her the second technique, she had overcome the block and started her book!
I mentioned last post that I’m trying a new format for the Your Book Publishing Coach newsletter. I’m building it week by week, so you have time to digest each article. At the end of the month, I will compile all that month’s articles into a downloadable PDF file.
Feel free to print out each week’s article. Or you can wait until the end of the month and print out the downloadable PDF that’s will contain that month’s articles.
You can still read last week’s article, Why You Should Consider Self-Publishing for Your First Book.
To subscribe to the newsletter and receive all the articles, week by week, via email, click here. You will also receive, as a new subscriber, an instant, downloadable MP3 audio of an interview with Goal Guru Jill Koenig, answering frequently asked questions about book publishing. To view past newsletters, click here.
Many people ask me, “Is it better to try to find a traditional publisher or to self-publish?”
My answer is always, “It depends.”
It depends on your goals, your resources, your book idea, the marketplace. There are many factors to consider. (I do encourage you to consider them, and show you how, in Jump Start Your Book: 12 Questions You Must Answer Before You Write Your First Word.)
Nevertheless, there are several good reasons to consider self-publishing for your very first book.
In a brand-new article, I outline those reasons. Read it here.
(Note: This is the first article in the March Your Book Publishing Coach newsletter. If you are a subscriber, each week you will get a new article. At the end of the month, all the articles will be gathered into a PDF document you may download and print. To subscribe, click here. You will also receive, as a new subscriber, an instant, downloadable MP3 audio of an interview with Goal Guru Jill Koenig, answering frequently asked questions about book publishing. To view past newsletters, click here.)
