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  addresses an area not well understood by many new authors: the author platform. What do we mean by that?  So, what is an author platform? An author platform is the ability to sell books because of who you are and who you can reach.   Jane Friedman provides a  commonly accepted definition of author platform : " Publishing or distributing quality work in outlets you want to be identified with and that your target audience reads. Producing a body of work on your own platform—e.g., blog, e-mail newsletter, social network, podcast, video, digital downloads, etc.—that gathers quality followers or a commun

  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

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 addresses how authors can sell their books. After all, it makes no sense to put all the effort into writing a book, self-publishing it or getting it published, and then having it sit on a shelf for ever, with no opportunity for it to share its message. Unfortunately, many, if not most new authors, in our experience, never think beyond the day their book appears in print (or, in some cases, beyond their first month of book launch activities). They assume that, of course, they did the work of writing the book, and the publisher will do the work of marketing the book. It does not work that way, and marketing

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 is holiday books. After all, we are straddling two holidays right now -- Chanukah and Christmas. So, if you want to write a holiday-related book, say a Christmas book, when should you start? What kind of timeline will dictate having the book out at the right time? Let's assume that you have a publisher lined up because otherwise all timing issues are moot. Here are the timelines that would work for us, as a publisher: The latest, as a publisher, I would want to get a Christmas book, is January, but preferably the previous November or December. I need at least a couple of weeks to decide whether or not

  (photo by Frank Perez) 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 questions the assumptions about book success. What makes a successful author? What makes a successful book? What results in being able to earn an income as an author? That last question is usually why the first two questions are asked. So, let's wrap these three together as "attributes of successful authors and their books." Attributes of a successful author:. Good writing Check out Elements of Style (Strunk & White); this is the minimum for good writing, and many authors do not pass this test. Clarity. Making complicated topics understandable takes talent, skill

    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 post looks at social media. The importance of social media is a given. It is the most effective of book promotion and marketing, and authors are expected to have strong platforms. Without a strong platform, a traditional book publishing contract is very difficult to get. So, how does one develop a good social media strategy? Here are suggested components to a good social media strategy: Mission Statement Here is an example: My mission is to empower readers with knowledge and powerful insights, helping them to improve their lives and live successful personal and professional lives. Here is another: I am to provide guidance and en