On April 8th, 2009 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with author and publishing expert Lissa Warren on how to get your book into the sweet spot on those tables in the front of the bookstore. Lissa Warren has worked at several Boston publishing houses including David R. Godine, Houghton Mifflin, and Perseus Publishing, and is currently Vice President, Senior Director of Publicity and Acquiring Editor at Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Specifically, we were seeking answers to the following questions:
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| The author of The Savvy Author’s Guide to Book Publicity, she has spoken about publishing for the Virginia Festival of the Book, Lesley University , Publishers Marketing Association, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Publishers Association of the South, BookBuilders of Boston, ForeWord magazine, Grub Street, the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, and the Adirondack Writer’s Conference, among others. Since 2003 she has been an Adjunct Professor at Emerson College —in their Writing, Literature, and Publishing program—and she also teaches in Boston University ‘s publishing certificate program. She serves on the advisory board to the MFA writing program at Southern New Hampshire University.Ms. Warren holds a B.S. in English Education from Miami University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Bennington College . Her poetry has appeared in Quarterly West, Oxford Magazine, Black Warrior Re view, and Verse, and she’s a poetry editor for the literary magazine Post Road . |
Lissa Warren – Get your book on the store’s front table
Posted by Victor Volkman
on April 18, 2009
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Francine Silverman – Talk Radio Wants You!
Posted by Victor Volkman
on April 18, 2009
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| Imagine being able to sit down with a coffee and discuss with hundreds of radio hosts what their shows are about and what kind of guests they’d like to book. You can do just that with Francine Silverman’s new book Talk Radio Wants You: An Intimate Guide to 700 Shows and How to Get Invited. I have paid $300 or more for talkradio show databases that had far less information than Francine presents in her highly-competivitely priced book. Broken down into top-level categories, you can browse for shows in your genre, including Politics, Health & Fitness, Food, Sports, Self-Help, Women’s issues, and even Authors. I would expect most people can find a dozen hot prospects for making their pitch in under half-an-hour, that is if you can stop yourself from endlessly browsing the fascinating entries! Francine doesn’t stop with AM/FM, also incl uded are Satellite radio and Podcasts, which can reach thousands of interested listeners you would never get from terrestrial radio. Each entry includes critical info such as desired guests, host bio, and full contact info so you can tailor your pitch perfectly I can’t recommend this book strongly enough for any author who wants to get into this high-profile, low-cost method of marketing. Only a couple of downsides to mention: if you’re looking for Gay & Lesbian, Military/Veteran, or Science-Fiction oriented shows you will not find enough listings to make it worthwhile. Also, I feel like the “What is your guest from hell?” entries were a bit repetitive. Everyone knows that hosts want an articulate, on-time, and well-spoken guest. If I know Francine, she will amend these in future editions. |
Writer Watchdog – Helps writers bite into the marketplace
Posted by Victor Volkman
on April 5, 2009
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| Writer Watchdog has burst on to an already overcrowded self-publishing and author marketplace. Why should we care? Because it is jam-packed with resources and no-nonsense information that you would have to attend an entire publishing conference to get any other way.The most interesting part for me was the “Articles” section. If you follow the proven success strategies that these contributors provide, your product will be head-and-shoulders above the rest. The advice provided within is from industry experts who have already made all the mistakes and are trying to help you down the right publishing paths. Among other things, this book contains the only intelligent discussion of the pros and cons of buying your own ISBN ids that I have yet found. I’m going to use Corey Blake’s article on loglines right now to write a backcover for an upcoming book. Without his simple outline, I would be adrift. It’s that simple.Writer Watchdog 2009 has teething pains, just like any such ambitious project should have in its first outing. Three things which will improve the 2010 edition: 1. An index 2. Alphabetize all resources 3. Fill in missing page numbers in the Table of Contents But these are just minor nits and I guarantee you will find much more than your 20 bucks worth of value in between the covers. |
Top 10 Podcast Guests for 2009 – Q1
Posted by Victor Volkman
on April 5, 2009
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Congratulations to our Top 10 Podcast Guests for 2009 – Q1! You have made the biggest difference for our listeners in generously sharing your expertise and experiences. The lasting value of your message really shows, regardless of when your show was aired. Our hat is off to you!
| Rank | Original Airdate |
Guest | Subject | Podcast Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 08-Aug-08 | Jo Virgil | Getting Your Book into a National Book Store |  |
| 2 | 04-Sep-08 | Alice Acheson | Publicity for Pennies | |
| 3 | 12-Nov-08 | Ryan Johnson | POD Printing Books and Games | |
| 4 | 15-Nov-07 | Carolyn Howard Johnson | Frugal Book Promotion | |
| 5 | 11-Dec-08 | Alexis Niki | Screenwriting 101 | |
| 6 | 21-Aug-08 | Yvonne Perry | How to Become a Freelance Writer | |
| 7 | 20-Nov-08 | Suzanne Lieurance | Developing Your Passion of Writing as a Career | |
| 8 | 16-Oct-08 | Kevin Collier | Kevin Collier – Illustrating and Designing Children’s Books | |
| 9 | 22-Feb-09 | Carol Hoenig | Planning for Successful Book Events | |
| 10 | 12-Nov-08 | Edna Washington | Using QuickBooks with Publishers in Mind | |
2009 Book Marketing Roundtable – Part II
Posted by Victor Volkman
on April 1, 2009
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| On March 30th, 2009 we convened the 2009 Book Marketing Roundtable to talk about industry “best practices” with authors, marketing experts, and publishers Irene Watson of Reader Views, Tyler Tichelaar of Superior Book Promotions and Victor R. Volkman of Loving Healing Press, Inc. This is a free-for-all discussion on many critical book marketing aspects including: social networking, public events, book videos, professional appearances, co-op flyer mailouts, websites for authors, and marketing mistakes. Don’t forget to listen to Part I of our podcast too! | |
| Irene Watson is author of The Sitting Swing: Finding the Wisdom to Know the Difference, the proprietor of Reader Views Inc., Blogging Authors dot com, Inside Scoop Live, and many other publicity and marketing related activities. Tyler Tichelaar is the owner of Marquette Fiction and author of the Marquette Trilogy, a saga of 150 years on the shores of Lake Superior, and is the proprietor of Superior Book Promotions, a full-service literary and editorial consulting firm. Victor R. Volkman is the publisher behind Loving Healing Press Inc. and Modern History Press and publishes a full line of books on trauma recovery, personal growth, and coping with disabilities as well as the editor of numerous anthologies including More Than A Memory: Reflections of Viet Nam |
| Sites mentioned on today’s show (for your clicking pleasure) |
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