A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Taking Advantage of Your Book's Glory Moment to Lift It to Higher Sales and Recognition

 


It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. 

This week's conversation addresses the ups and downs of book sales. Great one week, dead the next. Great one month, dead the next. So, what can an author do?

Typically, books (no matter who publishes them) have heydays for short periods of time and incognito moments for long periods of time. For books to be seen frequently by potential readers, purchasers, and fans, they heydays need to outlive the incognito moments. Making the most of any high-ranking appearance on any Amazon bestseller list can make a difference between a long-term viable book and a short-term fizzle. When your book is in its glory moment, promote, promote, promote! It creates a cycle that can go on to handle promotion way beyond your efforts (though you will always need to stoke the furnace at times).

So, when and how?


Your book is launched

Tell everyone you know. Distribute far and wide a press release -- to libraries, bookstores, media, and readers. Let your email list know. Put up that information and some details about your book (or an excerpt or two) on your blog, website, and, as guest posts, on others' blog. Copy the information to other social media platforms. Give presentations at bookstores, organizations, coffee shops -- wherever you can. 

Your book gets a great Amazon (or B&N or other) ranking

Let everyone know again. The whole round of contacts. Introduce your book as, e.g. #2 on Amazon's hot new releases.

Your book wins an award

Let everyone know again. Send another PR. (The competition will also let their folks know; forward the competition's links to all your contacts.) Announce the award whenever you write about your book or write an article and include your bio/book.

Your book gets a great review

Ditto, ditto. The reviewer will post the review in one or more places. Forward those links to your contacts. Use parts of the review for blog posts/social media posts.

The lights go out

They do, for most books, even popular ones, at times. Don't just remember the glory moments. Re-launch (i.e. do again some launch activities); now, it will be easier because you will have the glory moments to refer to in talking/writing about your book.

Bottom line: Don't let glory moments slip by. Exploit them; you will need them to carry you through the tough times.

See more Publisher Conversations with Authors HERE.



 Learn more about publishing from an acquisitions editor -- how to get your book proposal accepted, why proposals are turned down/accepted, and how to find the right publisher for your book. On special sale for $5 while inventory lasts at MSI Press webstore. Also available as an e-book and an audiobook.



The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic that you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 18 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.

                             



(recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date)


 



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Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com.




Want an author-signed copy of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.

Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.




Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.

Steven Greenebaum, author of award-winning books, An Afternoon's Discussion and One Family: Indivisible, talking to a reader at Barnes & Noble in Gilroy, California.







   
MSI Press is ranked among the top publishers in California.
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