The most important thing I did this year, book-wise, was to publish “Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys”. And the most important lesson I learned was that you can’t fool around when it comes to editing. One of the low marks self-published books receive is for the quality of the editing.
There is an industry standard. The Chicago Manual of Style is what book editors use. Your friend who worked as a magazine editor, or your English teacher buddy probably won’t produce the clean results you want. You need someone working in the industry NOW. I used the editor provided by my publishing house . The proof is in the pudding.
My next goal was to showcase that I had a new book. Although I have arranged a live book launch at the most prestigious Indy Book Store on Long Island, I know the larger audience is on the Internet through Social Media. I had a well established page for my books on FACEBOOK. Don’t use your personal page. Then I set up a TWITTER account. Whenever I post an item on facebook or write a press release, I tweet it. Twitter is very easy, and a wealth of sources. For example, I wanted to find Indy book stores. I did a search, and came up with a number of establishments. When you click on their twitter address, a profile comes up and you can look at their website, and contact them directly using more than 140 characters.
Tweets reach out to a community, so you need to offer something as well as requesting that someone read your wonderful book. Since I offer lesson plans and book discussion questions on my website, and do programs for kids and adults, this makes a useful tool for TWEETS. I also offer my TV show, The Writer’s Dream, to authors. Make sure you can offer something to the community you follow. Some folks offer a quote of the day.
Take the magic carpet ride of your imagination to Turkey. Join Annie and Ty in the caves of mysterious Cappadocia for another thrilling adventure.
I decided that I would surf the Internet for free and cheap stuff. LinkedIn offers a number of “groups” where you can talk about your books. Since my book is now published, I finally have time to look into those organizations I joined like IBPA. There are a number of useful services offered to members including getting your books on lists librarians use to search for books. Review services are another route to follow.
Next time: Book Clubs, Blogs and Reviews
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