Welcome to week ten of the Christian Author Bootcamp! This is a ten week book promotion blitz created to help you whip your publicity plan into shape. This week your challenge is write guest posts and articles for various websites. There are thousands of blogs out there looking for fresh, free content. By giving them guest posts you’ll get publicity in return. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Welcome to week three of the Christian Author Bootcamp! This is a ten week book promotion blitz created to help you whip your publicity plan into shape. This week we’re taking on the task of writing a news release and distributing it to various media outlets. Watch the video and then find the links mentioned below.
This week we talked about writing a news release which requires thinking like a reporter. If you need a little more help with your news release check out this post I write last year about developing your story pitch.
Distribute your news release using free services like PRLog.org.
You may also choose to target Christian media using resources like the Christian Media Connect Source List.
If you’re on Twitter (and you should be after last week!) try connecting with news outlets and reporters using MediaOnTwitter.com.
More books are being self-published than ever before, according to statistics just released by RR Bowker. In 2009, a whopping 764,448 titles were self-published. The number of books traditionally published fell to 288,355. Self-publishing is a great way for new authors who want to jump into the marketplace and now there is a new option offering more books, perks and control than the competition.
Ink Swift, a division of Emerald House Group is committed to helping writers achieve their dreams of becoming published authors without sacrificing any quality or control. “I’ve heard from so many authors who tried the self-publishing route and were very disappointed,” says company COO Timothy Lowry. “They ended up with an inferior product and very few books in their hands to sell. We created Ink Swift so authors interested in self-publishing would have a better option.”
In honor of the launch of InkSwift.com, all customers will receive a free book trailer video with the purchase of any package. This incredible marketing tool will be professionally produced by a media expert with more than a decade of industry experience. The video will be created with the goal of capturing the author’s audience. This limited time offer is valued at over $200.
Ink Swift offers three package levels, with prices starting at just $995. Authors can choose from Ink Essential, Ink Select or Ink Premium. “To ensure a custom experience, authors are able to add on services like websites, press releases and publicists,” explains Lowry. “We want to make sure people are getting exactly what they want.” So if you’re considering self-publishing, we suggest you check out Ink Swift.
Author Laken Lovely Wrote Through Greiving the Loss of Her Brother
Today Christian Publishing Tips is excited to introduce author Laken Lovely. Laken’s new book, Through Charlie’s Eyes, published by Ambassador International, will hit store shelves on October 30, the day her brother Charlie would have turned 17. Laken shares the power writing can have to heal a heart and work through grief.
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Writing has been proven to be a very powerful therapeutic tool. In fact, therapeutic writing has helped even people that don’t necessarily enjoy writing cope with their emotions and life situations.
In my personal experience, I have found that writing as you move through the grieving process can be very difficult and emotional, but it is also extremely therapeutic and sometimes comforting.
My life changed dramatically when my little brother, Charlie, was diagnosed with leukemia the day after he turned sixteen. Sixty-two days later, he passed away. It was devastating.
The day after Charlie’s services were held, I pulled out his composition notebook he had been writing in since his diagnosis. I also started watching hours of footage of Charlie in the hospital. You see, I had made a promise to Charlie. No matter what the outcome of the situation, life or death, I would help Charlie tell his story to inspire and give strength to others. If he lived, we would compile all of the footage of his hospital experience and create a documentary. If he passed away, I would write his story for him.
It took me about six months to finish writing his story, officially titled, Through Charlie’s Eyes. In the process of writing my little brother’s story, I went back through and re-hashed every moment of the emotional roller coaster ride his cancer diagnosis took us on, but this time, I was experiencing all of it from his perspective. There were times in this writing process when my tears soaked the paper I was writing on and the pages in Charlie’s journal. However, by the end of the process, I felt even closer to Charlie than I had ever felt before. I had gained a better understanding of this event that had dramatically changed the path of all of our lives, Charlie’s, our families and mine.
I don’t believe that the grieving process ever really ends. A day will never come when you don’t miss your loved ones that have already passed on. However, acceptance and understanding can help you keep moving forward with strength and hope and writing can help give you that.
The following is a book trailer about Through Charlie’s Eyes.
Here are some of the highlights from the Publisher’s Weekly 2008 religious book charts:
* 47 different titles landed on the hardcover charts, but only two stayed there for more than ten months. Those were Joel Osteen’s Become a Better You (Free Press) and Emerson Eggerich’s Love & Respect (Thomas Nelson).
* Seven books made it to the #1 spot.
* Become a Better You stayed in the #1 spot the longest.
* Thomas Nelson lead among Publishers by having seven hardcover bestsellers on the charts in 2008.
* Only 26 titles made up the available 120 bestselling slots for 2008.
* Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion (Mariner Books) stayed on the list for 11 months.
* C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity (HarperOne) appeared on the list for 10 months.
* Christian romance authors Karen Kingsbury and Wanda E. Brunstetter had more bestsellers in 2008 than any other author, each with three.
* The Shack by William P. Young (Windblown Media) led the charts eight times.
Loosen up and be yourself!
Last year Christian publisher Ambassador International started e-mail marketing campaigns. The idea was to give our customers a more personal look at some of our authors with hopes that it would intrigue some of them to buy their books. We extended an invitation to our authors to write something about themselves and about their book. Our authors are incredible writers and can communicate God’s word beautifully– but we wondered if they would have a hard time getting personal with readers. So we created this list of tips to help authors write about their books in an engaging, personal way. Whether you’re writing a blog entry, sending out an e-mail or just telling people about your book, here are a few tips that will help you open up.
Write Like You Talk
Sure you’re an expert at grammar. You probably aced that class. But when it comes to letting people see the “real” you, make sure you write as simply and clearly as you speak. Even with the help of that word-a-day calendar we got for Christmas, you and I both use fairly simple words when we communicate verbally. Do the same when you’re writing. And always use first person.
Tell A Story
Did something happen to you recently that reminded you why you wrote your book? Were you encouraged or discouraged by an event that a lot of people might relate to? Try bringing together your personal life with your book and when people relate they’ll be more apt to want to read it.
Teach Something
People love learning new tidbits of information that they can bring up at the water cooler or share around the dinner table. Give them something to talk about. Use a shocking statistic or a crazy story to get them talking and soon they’ll be talking about your book.
Reveal Your Faults
We already know you’re not perfect. Nobody is, right? So don’t try to come across that way. Revealing a fault or something you’re struggling with makes you seem real to us and may intrigue us to read your book.
Make It Timely
Try tying a world event or a top news story into your book topic. Did you write about parenting? Find the big story of the day about something a mom in Chicago did. Is your book about finding peace with God? There’s plenty of stories about parts of the world fighting for peace. By tying your book to a current event it will seem more relevant.
Share Your Inspiration
Do you know how many people dream of writing a book? A lot. But you actually did it! Tell us why and how! What was your motivation and your inspiration? What kept you from giving up after page four? The topic of your book must mean a lot to you– now tell us why!
Photo courtesy of Nicolecolecole
plotbot
Screenwriters have a new tool that will help them collaborate with others, get instant feedback and work easily with other writers. It’s called Plotbot. The tool allows you to create projects that either public or private, depending on what kind of feedback you’re looking for. Since it’s web-based, other members of your writing team, or just trusted friends, can easily view what your working on– as long as you say it’s ok.
If you decide you want to work offline or need to save a final draft, Plotbot will save your document as an XML or RTF file. Another cool thing about Plotbot is that all projects have a built in copyright statement that is defined by the user at the beginning of the project.
You can try Plotbot for free by registering. The website says it’s a quick process and you’ll be on your way to writing your next masterpiece in minutes.
Entering yourself for a book award can seem like trying to buy popularity or tooting your own horn. But winning is oh so nice, isn’t it? But is it worth forking over the entry fee and taking the time to fill out the application? There’s no doubt that winning an award is an honor that brings prestige, credibility and recognition along with it.
In this article about winning an IPPY Award from the Independent Publisher, past winners explain the benefits that come with the award. “The Independent Publisher Book Award is an honor, absolutely!” says Mark Hemry of Palm Drive Publishing in San Francisco. “The publicity sold out the hardcover version of What They Did to the Kid.” Author Sadie Allison has this to say about her 2002 win, “having that IPPY sticker on the book opens doors, both with buyers and with the media,” she says. “It was a struggle at first, as a self-publisher pitching a book on a difficult, taboo topic. But I’m a warrior, and I’ve carved out a niche that people seem to respond to.”
So bottom line, an award may not do all of the work for you, but it can give you credibility that is hard to come by in the competitive world of publishing. The deadline for entries for the 2009 IPPY awards is March 21, 2009. Feel free to share other book awards open to authors, including Christian authors.
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