MSI Press Blog

  It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. 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. Today's topic looks at how to create good word-of-mouth advertising, crazy good. And, keep in mind, that word of mouth has been found to be the most effective kind of advertising. The deep value in word-of-mouth advertising is that in and by itself it creates credibility, reaches a wider audience, and provides free advertising, while mainly asking that you grant accessibility to your book, accessibility that opens the book to the possibility of greater sales.  Here are ways to create credibility:  Seek out endorsements Enter competitions Ask for reviews   Here are ways to reach wider audiences: Write articles Maintain

  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, we look at how book marketing has changed over time--and especially recently. What used to be effective is not now effective and what is now effective is new to many authors and small publishers. The shift means new skills, and it also means financial investments in new ways, though there is some good news in there. While not all authors and presses will have the same experiences, here we share the experiences that have accrued to MSI Press over the last 21 years. Bulk Mail In the 1990s, this was a staple--and a pretty good source for revenue--for the small press arm of American Global Studies Institute. (This pre-dates MSI Press,

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. Today's topic is about the role of advertising in marketing -- and how it is changing (or has changed). Is it cost-effective? Should you include it in your marketing efforts? Read on. Current facts about advertising: 1.       The cost of advertising has gone up (along with the cost of printing, shipping, etc.), but retail prices have not gone up a parallel amount, so it is a bigger stretch to get good return on investment. 2.       Readers seem to be reading less print media, and some print advertisers have turned to e-blasts instead of print mail and to online sales sites instead of catalogues.  3.       More and more, readers can—and want

   It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. 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. Today's topic asks, very simply, what of the standard advice to authors is still viable, given the many changes in the book industry and life in general during and post-covid? Let's look at various pieces of advice that most authors have received from their publishers or from online writing sites. For books to sell, you need a lot of reviews.  Over 100 reviews is the recommended quantity. That is the classic advice. However, we have had hot-selling books that have had nearly no reviews. In those cases, there has been word of mouth "selling," in which influencers have recommended the book, book clubs hav

  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. Today's topic addresses the value of books that fit clear niches and platforms that are conduits to those niches. I am always a bit saddened and frustrated when authors of a pretty good book state in their proposal that no way is their book a niche book, that it will be of interest to everyone in the world, or millions of people, or every woman, etc., referring to a huge population base. Reaching a base that large, unless one has immense amounts of money (tens of thousands, if not more) to invest, is quite unrealistic -- and then there is the issue of creating your audience, i.e. interesting people who are not actively searching for your

  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.  Today's topic looks at the differences between books that sell well long-term and those that fizzle out.  Recently, I decided to analyze two kinds of books that experience good sales to see if there is some general guidance for authors; the long-term steady sellers and the first-year wonders. Book niches and author individualities vary widely, but perhaps some general information could be insightful if you are trying to make some decisions about how to market/promote your book. Criteria. In analyzing both sets of  books , I looked at the following 15 categories of criteria: ARC, prepped followers, platform, social media presence, recogni