Here are a dozen ways to come up with Book Ideas From Your Experiences

Coming up with the right book idea can be a serious challenge regardless of how experienced you are as a writer.

Whether you’re a brand new writer or a seasoned author ready for a new writing project, it can be incredibly difficult to find the inspiration you need, in order to commit to an endeavor as arduous as writing a book. I’m a firm believer that the best book ideas must come from within.

However, the ways in which you find and cultivate the story ideas that have the potential to turn into a book idea (or best seller) you’re passionate about writing, are plentiful.

As a writer myself, I’ve gone through a lot of creative ups and downs. For this exhaustive list of potential book ideas, I’m pulling straight from my personal list of ways to find inspiration for my own writing process, when I’m lacking motivation.

Over the years, this list has grown with ideas and inspiration I’ve gleaned from a handful of my favorite experimental storytellers like Tim Ferriss, Dan Carlin, Alex Blumberg and others who’ve created some of my favorite dynamic podcasts.

These techniques to finding inspiration as a writer, come from pushing myself outside of my comfort zone with trying new experiences, conducting massive amounts of research on topics I’m interested in, running massive lifestyle experiments, taking a deeper dive into my thoughts and dreams, and so much more. Let’s dive in.

Here are my a dozen ways to come up with the best book ideas that’ll help you hit the ground running as a new writer.

1. Write About What Bothers You Off Most.

I could write endlessly about the mistakes entrepreneurs tend to make with their first businesses. It doesn’t quite piss me off, but I care so much about this topic and want to help others avoid the most painful mistakes I’ve made myself, that it fuels my ability to write ad nauseam on the complexities of how to start a business. What gets you most heated?

Take that topic and write about it without any creative restraints whatsoever. Let the words meet the page, don’t judge your ideas, and then structure the content later. This approach has fueled many of my best blog posts that could easily turn into book ideas in the future.

2. Do Something Remarkable, Then Write About It.

Imagine the story you could tell if you made a trip like Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman did on their 20,000 mile bike crossing 12 counties and 19 time zones in 2004. Of course, these were celebrities taking time off to raise money for charity. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably not in a position to travel unpaid for 115 days. However, there are still many smaller-scale remarkable endeavors that you could do, that’d be worth writing about.

3. Start a Blog and Write Chapters One Post at a Time.

This works particularly well for niche topics. Gain a loyal following writing a series of blog posts on something you’re interested in. Once you have built up a quality library of posts, you can repackage them into a book.

4. Create a Podcast and Write a Book Based on What You’ve Learned from Guests.

Did you know that one in four Americans ages 12-54 listened to a podcast last month? In fact, according to Jay Baer of Convince and Convert with an assist from Edison Research, the same number of Americans listen to podcasts each month, as use Twitter. One of the most popular podcast formats is to invite an interesting guest onto your show and interview them for your audience. Entrepreneur and CreativeLive instructor, Lewis Howestook this exact approach when he wrote his New York Times best-selling book, The School of Greatness, which shares everything he’s learned from interviewing hundreds of the world’s top creatives.

5. Write a Book and Publish One Chapter at a Time with Amazon Kindle Singles.

If the thought of writing a full-length novel is too intimidating, then one very real option is to break your book into smaller chunks that you publish one at a time. You would be in good company if you did, Charles Dickens wrote The Pickwick Papers, his very first novel, as a series of short stories in the 19th century. With easy-to-use blogging platforms, the Internet now makes this a very easy task. As an added benefit beyond publishing all of the stories at once, you’ll have the opportunity to adjust your writing style for the later chapters in response to feedback you get early on.

6. Ask Your Friends What They Like Reading Most, Write Something for Them.

Your friends are already a captive audience. Ask them what they like reading about, chances are there are more people out there who have similar tastes. Write your book imagining that your friends are your target readers. Of course, your friends are unlikely to be fierce critics if the first draft of your book isn’t up to snuff, so make sure you elicit honest (sometimes brutal) feedback on the first versions of your book, in order to avoid them just telling you what they think you want to hear.

7. Write About What Makes You Laugh Hardest.

This could easily tie in with the activity above, but I’ve found that it’s often more fun to expand upon just one instance when you laughed hysterically in the past. To me, laughter is a sign of a truly great story, and it’s usually highly contagious. Of course, you might be embarrassed about what makes you laugh most, and it may not be politically correct. However, the more outlandish or embarrassing the story, the more likely you are to attract an engaged audience for your book idea.

8. Write About the Most Upsetting Experience You’ve Ever Had.

One of the stranger quirks of the human state I’ve come to observe, is that we’re drawn in to read, watch and consume traumatic stories that highlight the difficulties others have triumphed over in life. While you may struggle to tell the world about your most upsetting experiences, it’s likely that people would benefit tremendously from hearing how you’ve gone through unfortunate circumstances or failures, and what you’ve learned on the other side.

9. Write About the Person who’s Had the Most Impact on Your Life.

Have you had a mentor that’s left a lasting impression in your personal life or within your career? Maybe it was your best school teacher, youth leader, business advisor, or simply an older friend or family member. Think about how they’ve impacted your life, pull out specific lessons they imprinted on you and dedicate the book to them as the ultimate thank you. Gratitude is contagious, and this format makes for an incredibly empowering book idea.

10. Take Inspiration From Your Favorite Songs and Musicians.

You could choose to write about your favorite musician from a fan’s perspective. Perhaps you’ve been to one their concerts and could write about the experience. If you have a good music collection, perhaps you could choose to write about the songs they have released, possibly looking at the messages behind them. Alternatively, you could examine some song lyrics, and see if these can inspire you to tell a tale. Here’s an example: a few years ago we took a girls trip to Vegas for my sister’s 40th birthday and went to the Michael Jackson show. After the show, I tasked each lady (there were four of us) to write a short story using the title to one of Michael Jackson’s hits and I’d publish it in a collective book about what Michael Jackson songs meant to each of us in our life. Uncovering a correlation between positive social changes in that time period and the positive music that rose in popularity would undoubtedly stir up a readership. Needless to say, we didn’t do it but it was still a good idea and one you could use when thinking about writing your book.

11. Write About Your Career Experience Within Your Industry.

Most of us have built up a wealth of life experiences. Many books have been written by people telling tales from within the industry in which they work. Have you been working in a job long enough to build up a series of anecdotes that might interest or amuse potential readers? How about teaching them something that’ll accelerate their path to becoming an expert within your space? I’ve done exactly this by chronicling my own personal journey of becoming a subject matter expert within the content marketing world, and have written a series of posts about how to start a freelance business, that have attracted a large readership.

12. Write About the Biggest Problem Facing Your Industry (and Potential Solutions).

Discuss any major problems or issues that you can identify within your industry and thoughtfully propose new solutions. If you’ve tested these solutions yourself, even better! This will be particularly useful if you can come up with practical and cost-effective solutions to the challenges other businesses in your space are facing, and will help you position yourself as an expert, one of the major reasons people decide to write a book in the first place.
 
Try at least one,
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MG

THE REAL REASON PEOPLE DON’T WRITE THE BOOK INSIDE OF THEM

I’ve had people tell me they wrote a book in less than 24 hours, although of course I wouldn’t recommend that. I am also aware of a realistic approach to balancing the time it takes, but Carl Boyd worked with me and finished his book within 60 days.

And then, I’d say factoring in trying to schedule in writing time if you have a full-time job or family to take care of.

I could give you examples that show, no matter how you do it, you DO have time to write a book. Sometime between now and 365 days from now.

The reason you haven’t written a book, clearly has nothing to do with time. There is all the time in the world to write this book.

So what’s the real reason?

You are afraid to write the book.

WRITING A BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING
It’s true, writing a novel is scary. And the reason you are experiencing writer’s block or writing avoidance is because YOU ARE AFRAID TO WRITE THE BOOK.

Fear is a very strong motivator. It also is very good at wearing disguises.

You might read this and shake your head and say, no, no, I’m not afraid to write the book. It’s just I have to take care of my family/walk the dog/go to work/pay the bills/insert-any-reason-or-excuse-here.

The subject of fear is perhaps not the book itself, but you DO have fear in some other place.

Fear most often disguises itself as guilt. If you take 3 hours a week to write the book instead of spending time with the family, you might feel guilty.

The fear in that case is fearing that you aren’t a good spouse/parent/child/sibling/friend.

Maybe you are afraid that no one will read the book when you finish it. Maybe you’re like me and are actually afraid people will read the book once it’s done. After all, we can’t have critics if we don’t have an audience.

If you aren’t writing, but you want to be, it’s a good idea to think about your fears. We’ve just proven there IS time to write that book – and you can do it, once it becomes something you are not afraid to prioritize.

Writing a book also does not have to be any sort of crazy all-for-nothing-all-at-once dash. Balance is key, and as we all know from reading Aesop fables, slow and steady wins the race.

Don’t be scared, write!

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MG
 

6. WRITE FIRST, EDIT LATER
 
One of the biggest mistakes new writers make is to edit while writing. Don’t worry about making your first draft perfect – this can be done in the revision stage AFTER the first draft is complete.
Try to avoid reading what you just wrote and just keep moving forward. You can always edit sentences and cut out scenes or add scenes later.


7. WRITE FAST

If you’ve set a deadline, writing fast will help you reach your goals. It also helps you stop second-guessing your work while you are in the process of writing.

Write from a stream of consciousness where you just write whatever comes to mind about your story. Don’t worry so much about it making sense. The important thing is to get words down.


8. CONNECT WITH OTHERS

Writing can be lonely. Joining a writing group can give you a lot of support! Your group can be the place to ask questions, stay accountable, and share tips and resources with others to keep you motivated and encouraged.


9. TAKE CREATIVE BREAKS

Writing is a creative process and sitting in one spot all the time staring at a screen does not do much for exercising the creative muscles.

Try drawing, painting, sketching or go for a walk or take your notebook to a coffee shop or park. Getting out and doing something will help you greatly in re-energizing you to keep writing.

10. DON’T GIVE UP!

You’ll feel like quitting many, many times. But persistence and diligence is key in finishing. Stick to your deadline and writing goals and keep at it. You CAN do it!

Now get going.

To Your Success,
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MG

We know writing a novel can seem like a daunting task at first. Just starting can seem intimidating!

​Fortunately, there are many ways you can simplify writing a novel to make it easier. This list of 10 novel writing tips will help you stay focused, motivated, and organized throughout the writing process.


1. CHOOSE YOUR DEADLINE AND WRITING GOAL
When there’s no deadline or goal to finish, it can be very hard to complete your project.

This is why this is the #1 rule on the list: Set a measurable deadline and writing goal.

Most novels are between 50,000 and 100,000 words. Because it’s easier to add words than cut them out, it’s often better to set your word count goal lower than 75,000 words for your first draft.

To determine the best writing goals and deadline for you, think about how many words you can write in a day. I can generally easily write between 2,500 and 4,000 words a day, so setting a goal of 75,000 words in 30 days is reasonable for me.

A deadline will push you to your limits and write even when you’re not motivated to write.


2. PREPARE BEFORE YOU WRITE
While some writers just sit down at the keyboard to write with no plan or idea, it can be difficult to keep a story going or you may hit writer’s block. By preparing a basic synopsis, mind map, or outline for your ideas, you’ll have something to reference to anytime you come across a roadblock while writing.

There’s many different ways to prepare for writing a novel.

Here’s two examples for ways you can prepare:

• Write a 1-2 page synopsis of the novel
• Create an outline for your novel
  
  

A little prep work can go a long way in helping you stay focused and on task while writing. Having all your research and ideas in one place can also be very beneficial for keeping thoughts and ideas organized.


3. KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS

The better you know your characters, the easier the writing will unfold. Get to know your characters as well as you would know a close friend.

You don’t have to write every little detail about your character in the story – but the more you know about your character the more you will be able to imagine new scenes and develop the story.

Need help creating strong characters? See our list of Character Development Questions and How to Develop Strong Characters in Your Novel.


4. USE THE RIGHT TOOLS WHILE WRITING YOUR NOVEL
 
If you’re using Microsoft Office or Open Office to write your novel, you’re likely going to get frustrated during the process. While these programs are great for some writing projects, most professional writers use software specifically made for writers.

There are a lot of great programs and tools that can help you easily write your book. The key is to make sure that whatever you use is productive, reliable, and efficient.

Beyond just software and hardware, there are a lot of other important things – like being comfortable while you work! Never underestimate the importance of a good Ergonomic Office Chair!


5. SCHEDULE TIME TO WRITE – AND ACTUALLY WRITE!
There will never be a perfect time to write. Waiting for when you have more time is a surefire way to never start writing your book. Finding motivation to write may not be easy, but sometimes scheduling time is just as hard!

Schedule a time during the day when you can write with minimal distractions and sit down. Try to disconnect from the internet if you can and force yourself to write. Do it one word at a time. Making time for writing will help you complete your novel.

To your novel success,
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MG

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​Today, I have something interesting for you.

Did you know that the early morning hours are the most important hours in your day?

They affect your mindset and your productivity for the rest of the day.

So, how can you start each day off on the right foot?

Plan your day the night before
By thinking about what you want to accomplish the next day, you are essentially visualizing what you are going to get done successfully, instead of wasting time worrying about where to start and what to do when you wake up. This puts you in the right mindset for success and keeps you calmer and more efficient.

Set goals for the day every morning
When you wake up and get ready to act on the plans you made the night before, stop and take a second to remind yourself of what your goals are. This will refocus your energy into only what you want to complete and will promote more productivity throughout the day.

Avoid checking your phone
By making sure you have a morning routine that allows you to wake up, shower, get ready, and prepare a good breakfast, you are ensuring that you are more likely to feel accomplished and stay focused all day.

Checking your phone for emails, new social media notifications, or missed calls can cause you the anxiety that goes along with feeling like you have to have to start jumping in and handling everything immediately. Give yourself a break for some focus and you’ll thank yourself later.
Remember, it’s okay to take a few minutes for yourself.
 
To Your Success,
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MG

People doubt all the time.

They doubt themselves, they doubt positive outcomes, and they doubt they will achieve the success they’re so desperately working toward.

Why?
Because the voice inside your mind takes everything you’ve ever heard or seen throughout your life and throws it back at you exactly when you don’t need it. Worries, bad dreams, and memories of people telling you that you can’t… all things that are completely unhelpful in most situations.

A lot of writers, even very accomplished authors, have doubt. They don’t feel like their writing is good enough.

That’s a dangerous game to play. If you convince yourself you’re  not doing well, then it becomes easier to give up -- and that is the opposite of what we want to achieve here.

To overcome your doubts and any fears you may have of writing a book, there are 15 practices you can use to help.

Write often, even when you don’t want to
One of the best ways to overcome your fears of writing is to write 1,000 words a day. The key to writing a book is to just write. Like most things, you can’t get worse at writing by doing it.

Stop thinking about what other people will think
Don’t worry about what others are going to think of your writing or of your book -- that’s what reviewing and editing are for. Right now, just focus on getting your message out of your head!

Say affirmations that rid your mind of the fear of failure
Rather than focusing on the fear of why you think you can’t write a book, focus on the future and how you’ll feel when it’s done.
 
Start today,

​MG

 

You can write anything. Even if it doesn’t directly add to what you see as your final book.

It’s important to keep your creativity flowing and to stay in the habit of writing your thoughts down and getting everything out.

Established authors never feel like they’re done growing and improving. They stick to strict routines, shut out distractions, and always look for new ways to focus and write more.

If you’ve experienced any writer’s block or frustration with your progress, it’s okay.

It’s normal! You’re not a dud.

But, if you are tired of that feeling and you’re ready for something that can help, try Brian’s free training.

With 3 Simple Tips to a Winning Writing Routine (That Actually Work!), you will learn how easy it can be to:

• Know how to start writing and organize your book
• Focus on the most important steps, one at a time
• Make writing a priority so you see regular progress

Whether you’re brand new to book writing, or you have experience and are just looking for ways to keep getting better, these tips can help you.

To Your Success,
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MG

It’s time for a Thursday Throwback. Let's start it off with a major concept that changed my life forever:

If you want to be successful, you have to set goals.

But they can't just be any goals...

Success is based on accomplishing challenging, but attainable, goals. If you set easy or unattainable goals for yourself, how is that going to benefit you?

On one end, you're not challenging yourself, so you're depriving yourself of growing and succeeding.

On the other end, if you're setting hard-to-reach goals that you have no chance of meeting, it will affect your confidence and motivation to succeed.

In order to actually see the real benefits of setting and reaching your goals, you need to make sure that the goals you set, fit certain criteria.

Are you familiar with the S.M.A.R.T. Goals strategy?

S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands for a list of criteria that each goal should meet. The letters stand for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

A smart goal should be:

• Specific enough that it isn't ambiguous.
• Measurable enough that you will know when you are making progress on it and know when you have reached it.
• Attainable enough that reaching it isn't impossible.
• Relevant enough that it will actually help you achieve success.
• Time-bound in the sense that you have a deadline that you are working toward rather than simply planning to reach the goal "someday".

​By using the SMART goals approach, you can ensure that you are setting goals that will help you reach your overall goal in life - whatever that might be.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of S.M.A.R.T. Goals, I included some resources below that you can take a look at. They'll provide you with examples, show you how to set your own S.M.A.R.T. goals and the benefits of doing so.

To Your Success,

MG

I often get questions from authors and soon to be authors about publishing their book. It’s been a dream, an idea a thought for years and they’re getting closer to making a decision. Well, as you get close think about these things to help you in your process of getting starter. Here are 10 truths that I believe are very important to any aspiring author about publishing. It’s true that you don’t have to learn every lesson the hard way. Here’s help:

1. It takes time to build your audience-
Be patient. If you’re in it for the ride, you’ll be successful.

2. Shortcuts don’t work-
A daily commitment to your writing and promotion is the only way to succeed.

3. You will spend a lot of money-
Digital Publishing. Book printing. Publicity. It costs money.

4. Be skeptical of where you spend money-
Beware scammers and sharks who say they can turn you into a best-seller in 30 days! Ask questions, get references, and do your research.

5. Pricing is key-
Unknown authors shouldn’t charge too much for eBooks.

6. You may receive bad reviews-
Art is subjective. No book is perfect. And plenty of classics still don’t get 5 star reviews on Amazon. If the critism is contructive, learn from it.

7. Remember etiquette-
Concentrate on the positives. You’ve gotta let negativity brush off your shoulders.

8. You’ve gotta be tough-
“No one puts Baby in the corner!” Be persistent. You’ll have to fight for things.

9. Go after the big guns-
Every publicity opportunity begets another publicity opportunity.  Just because you’re self-published doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pitch yourself to CNN, the Today Show, etc. You might get lucky! But make sure you’re prepared.

10. Keep learning-
There’s a lot to figure out early on, and the landscape keeps changing. So you need to stay open to new ideas

To Your Success,

MG
 

It’s my hope that these ideas have been helpful in getting you up and out there with your book promo! Here’s the last five tips in this 3 part series of promoting your book on a budget:

11. Use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.– There are dozens of social networks out there. Find the 3 that you enjoy using most and that give you the best results– and then spend 20 minutes a day on each. An hour of social networking every day should be plenty, and by the end of the first month or two you should see results.

12. Follow-up with everyone that helps you- Whether they’re a fan, bookstore owner, literary critic, family member, blogger, or DJ, stay in contact and show your appreciation via email, thank you card, or gift (something inexpensive but personalized– maybe a bookmark with your contact info and elements of your book cover art?)

13. Be good to book clubs- Offer to Skype in for their discussion sessions, write up some discussion guidelines with questions that book clubs could employ in their meetings, and maybe even attend a few local discussions in-the-flesh!

14. Ask a friend to host a book party- It’s like a mini version of your book launch/reading/signing, but smaller and more informal. The intimacy of these events usually gets the audience engaged (and ready to purchase a book).

 15. Explore consignment options- It can be difficult to get shelf space for your book even in smaller independent stores. But I recommend visiting all the stores within an hour’s drive, talk to the person in charge of acquiring inventory, and ask if they’ll take a few books on consignment. There’s little risk for the store. If they don’t sell in 3 months, you can always come back and pick them up. But they’re going to sell, right?! Yeah, that’s right.
 
To Your Success,
​
MG

While I mentioned it wouldn’t hurt to have some serious cash to throw behind your promotional efforts, nowadays savvy and motivated authors can spread the word about their books in really effective ways for cheap, or even free! I will be back next week with another 5 ways to promote your book on a budget. Here’s the second five tips in this 3 part series of promoting your book on a budget:

6. Do radio interview, and lots of ’em- Getting radio exposure might sound daunting, but there are countless internet, community, and college radio stations that are happy to interview writers. News shows may be interested in your story to fill a couple minutes in their program. Other radio shows focus specifically on the arts or writing, and you might be able to get an hour of air time or more.
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7. Promote yourself in your email signature- You probably take your email signature for granted. But it’s valuable real estate. Make sure to include your contact info, your website and social media links, and maybe even a quote or blurb about your book!

8. Send your book to 7 reviewers each week- That’s one a day. And all it’ll cost you is a few dollars in postage and a few minutes of research. Make sure they’re open to unsolicited review copies first, though!

9. Craft a catchy press release- Make sure the story of your book launch grabs the media’s attention. Spend some serious time on this press release. When it’s ready, send it out through some of the online press release companies. Also, be sure to contact all the appropriate radio and TV stations in your area, local magazines, weeklies, newspapers, and events blogs.

10. Start your own email newsletter- This is the best way to interact with your fans on a regular basis. Find a way to entice your website visitors to leave their contact info (in exchange for a book discount, free chapter of a book in-the-works, etc.). Have an email signup sheet at all your events.
 
To Your Success,

MG
 

Some folks say that the success of a book is 10% quality and 90% marketing. As an independent author you’re probably not working with a big promotional budget. You’ve already paid for pro editing, pro book design, book printing, and more, and the funds for anything AFTER the book has been made may have dwindled.

I’ve got good news, though: while it wouldn’t hurt to have some serious cash to throw behind your promotional efforts, nowadays savvy and motivated authors can spread the word about their books in really effective ways for cheap, or even free! I will be back next week with another 5 ways to promote your book on a budget. Here’s the first five in this 3 part series:

1. Set up a professional author website- Domain name registration and hosting are quite affordable these days. It’ll help you create a great looking site in minutes, equip it with social media integration, a blog, and all the other goodies that’ll help you sell more books.
2.  Make sure your site is media-friendly- When you start approaching the media, you don’t want to make it hard for them to find the info they need. Set up a page on your website that has everything the media will need in order to cover your story. This includes any previous press quotes, your bio, hi-resolution photos of both you AND your book cover, a Q&A, links to all your social media profiles, and whatever else you want them to see.
3. Guest blog posts- A great way to drive traffic to your own website and to boost your search engine rankings is to contribute articles to other peoples’ sites. Find some simpatico folks and ask if you can write a piece for their blog. Or do a blog exchange and trade articles.
4. Plan your book launch event early- Signings are ok, but readings are best! Plan an awesome event that combines a reading with a signing and Q&A opportunity. Go ahead, strut your stuff.
5. Hold a social media contest or giveaway- People love prizes, and they love to share tweets and Facebook posts about contests. Have some fun; use social media to interact with your fans and give away some copies of your book.

 
To Your Success,
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MG

It doesn’t have to be Halloween for you to use these 7 surefire ways to sweeten-up your book promotion on Twitter:

1. Longer tweets get more clicks. Internet marketers like to tell you to keep things short. But a tweet is only 140 characters, so it’s one of the few cases online where you actually benefit from using all the space you’re allotted.

2. Use more verbs. Less nouns. We’re emotionally stirred by action! So make your tweets sing, screech, punch, and dance.

3. Tweet in the afternoon and evening. After 2pm, Twitter traffic increases fairly dramatically. Maybe folks feel like they’ve got enough work done for the day that they can afford to sneak in 5 minutes on Twitter. So schedule your tweets with those people in mind.

4. Tweet closer to the weekend. As the workweek draws to a close, Twitter traffic soars — with Friday being the busiest day. So your heaviest Twitter activity should be on Thursday and Friday.
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5. Ask for the retweet (“pls RT”). A lot of times in life the simplest way to get something is to ask. The same goes for Twitter. People are far more likely to retweet your content if you ask them.

6. Spread tweets out by at least 1 hour. You want to get the most people possible to see your tweets. By spreading out your Twitter activity by at least an hour, you’re increasing the likelihood of different folks seeing your activity. Plus you’re not annoying your followers by cluttering up their news feeds all at once.

7. Try putting the link towards the beginning of the tweet. Sure, 60-80% of your tweets should link to interesting content. But there’s also evidence to suggest that you should place that URL towards the beginning of your tweet. In many A/B tests between similar tweets, the one with the URL up front performed better.
 
To Your Success,
​
MG

The term special sales is commonly used to describe sales opportunities outside of bookstores. Also referred to as non-bookstore (or non-traditional) marketing, it can be a profitable source of new revenue. Remember, I told you I’d come back this week and share with you selling to non-retailers. So, here you go:
Non-Retail Sales

Corporations, associations, foundations, government agencies and the armed services buy books directly from publishers for use as premiums, incentives, sales promotions, for educational purposes, and sometimes for resale. The factor differentiating this segment from the retail sector is that you sell directly to buyers in these organizations. Book sales are typically made in large quantities, returns are rare, and payment is received more quickly.

Content is king in this sector. Buyers want to use the information in your books to help them solve a business problem. They use your content as a tool to increase their sales, introduce new products, educate students, or motivate members or employees.

Businesses. There are two areas of opportunity in the corporate setting. One is Human Resources, whose managers may seek books on retirement-planning programs or how to save money on insurance premiums by showing employees how to improve their health. Employee recognition and motivation is also a growing trend.

Associations. There are over 135,000 nonprofit membership organizations worldwide. Consider two major ways to sell to associations. The first is termed “cause marketing” where you donate a percentage of each book sale to a charitable, non-profit organization to help finance their cause. The other approach is to sell books directly to the association, to be used as a premium to increase membership, or to re-sell in their bookstores.

Schools. The academic marketplace is an opportune segment for publishers, one using books as a foundation for its existence. It impacts people of all ages, from pre-school through graduate school and adult education courses. Regardless of the grade, age of student, major in college or choice of home, public or private education, the need for books is ubiquitous.

Government. How would you like to sell to a customer that needs your content, has virtually unlimited funds, and does not return your books? There is such as customer—and it is your own federal government. And don’t ignore state and local agencies.

Military. You can sell books domestically or overseas, to military exchanges and libraries, Department of Defense Dependent Schools, onboard ships, to retired military personnel, and to the families of military personnel. Do this online and through commissaries and direct book marketing.

​Special-sales book marketing is not a separate way of doing business. It is not even a new way of doing business. It is an integral part of your overall book marketing strategy. Simply divide non-bookstore marketing into its two component parts and you may find hundreds, if not thousands, of prospective customers for your titles.
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Don’t miss an opportunity just because you weren’t looking for it. Need help with this, call us at 866-599-6270.
 
To Your Success,
MG

SPECIAL SERIES FOR BOOK SALES – SELLING TO RETAILERS

The term special sales is commonly used to describe sales opportunities outside of bookstores. Also referred to as non-bookstore (or non-traditional) marketing, it can be a profitable source of new revenue.

The best way to exploit this opportunity is to divide it into two segments and sell to buyers in each. One is the retail segment where you reach buyers using a network of middlemen. The other segment is comprised of direct sales to non-retailers that use books as marketing tools to sell more of their products or help their employees, members, or students. This week we will cover retailers and next week I will come back and share with you some ideas for selling to non-retailers. Enjoy!

Selling to Retailers

You are already familiar with this sector. You find distributors or wholesalers to get your books into retail outlets where they are sold off the shelf to consumers. Payments are made in two or three months and unsold books are returned. Retailers display products that 1) will build store traffic, 2) maximize profitability per square foot and 3) generate more inventory turns. Prove that your title can do those things better than competitors’ titles and you can get your books on the shelves of the below retailers:

Discount stores and warehouse clubs. Stores in this category include Walmart, Target, Costco, and Sam's Club. Books at these stores are discounted heavily and do not offer the same margins of some larger-ticket products. Therefore, these retailers limit shelf space to the “brand-name” authors and top-selling books.

Airport stores. Books on management, investment, economics, business biography, personal finance, and health sell well among business travelers. Books for children also tend to do well in these outlets, especially children’s “activity books.” Popular fiction achieves book sales in this environment also. Consider selling to other airport stores, not just bookstores.

Supermarkets and pharmacies. Cookbooks, travel books, and regional titles move in supermarkets, but health-related topics sell better in drugstores. Children’s titles also seem to do well in supermarkets, but fiction remains the mainstay there.

Museums, zoos and national parks. Most of these have a gift shop, and to get in them you must demonstrate how your books can educate and entertain their guests. Get your books on these shelves using third-party management firms that acquire books for the gift shops. Event Network operates gift shops at zoos, museums, aquariums, science centers and botanical gardens, and Eastern National serves the national park system.

Gift shops. This category includes large chains such as Pottery Barn, Yankee Candle, Bath and Body Works, Pier One and Crate & Barrel, Hallmark Stores and Spencer Gifts. It also includes hotel and hospital gift shops. Reach these outlets through direct marketing, sales-representative groups, and by attending trade shows and gift marts.

Specialty stores. You could achieve book sales by selling your books in home-improvement centers, pet shops, auto-supply stores, camera shops, toy stores or business-supply stores—retailers that serve identifiable groups of people with a common interest in your content.

Try it. They just might buy it…
 
To Your Success,
​
MG

Do you know how to create impressions for your book? Traditional publishing houses use multiple impressions to create buzz about the books they publish. You, too, can create impressions that will generate interest in your book and increase sales. The goal is to get as much attention as possible in a variety of ways, and here are a few tips how.

1. Social Media

Whether it's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, or YouTube, practically everyone is engaged in social media. It's where people hang out and a great place to build interest in your book. With an active Facebook following, organic posts and videos can go a long way just by having your fans like and share them to increase their visibility, and they're free. Paid Facebook ads are a relatively cheap way to increase the reach of your message. They allow you to target your ads toward "people who follow you" or "people interested in x, y, or z" which will help you reach your desired audience for less than it would cost for a larger, blanket ad.

2. Industry Recognition

Create buzz and increase your book's exposure by having the industry publicly recognize your book's value via book reviews, blurbs, awards, and the news. Put your book in the hands of readers and news outlets who write reviews. Send review copies to other authors and industry professionals who are willing to write a blurb for you, and submit your manuscript to award competitions. This kind of industry recognition helps you reach a wider audience and increase sales.

3. Book Clubs

If you aren't already in a book club, start one. Start with a book people are already talking about, then suggest yours. You can also offer to participate in book clubs who are reading your book. Start with local groups you know and make yourself available via Skype for Q&A sessions. For example, if you were a trial attorney you could attend local book meetings and schedule lectures at law firms to gain attention for your book.

4. Author Events and Guerilla/Grassroots Marketing

Work with your local bookstores and other shops to stage author events, including readings, signings, and meet-and-greets. Place posters around your local community, participate in online giveaways, and collaborate with local businesses. If you've written a book about fashion, ask local clothing stores if they'd throw a postcard for your book in everyone's bag when they make a sale. Have you written a cookbook? Try collaborating with local kitchen stores, cooking classes, and even restaurants that serve food similar to the food in your book. Pitch the local angle, and make sure whatever you do relates to your book.
 
5. Blogging

By this point, you have a great author website and may want to consider writing a blog. With a blog, you can write entries that include tantalizing details about your book, follow your publishing journey, and are of interest to your potential audience. If you've written a romance, blog about relationships and/or dating. Reach out to other bloggers and plan a guest-blogging tour. Guest blogging on blogs that have your ideal audience will create impressions of your book in places you might not otherwise reach.

Try it out at least one technique and let us know how it worked for you.
 
To Your Success,
​
MG
 

YOU JUST WANT ATTENTION, RIGHT? IT’S OK. EVERYONE DOES.

Ever wonder how book publicists do what they do? Is there a secret formula for getting media coverage? Well, not really, but there are some insider tips and tricks of the book publicity trade that can help indie authors do what the professionals do.

Here are five tips that might just help you get some meaningful book publicity for your book.

Landing Radio and TV Interviews

If you’re trying to get radio and TV interviews, forget about your book. Yes . . . that’s right, forget about your book. Interviews—except if you’re a household name—are rarely about a book; they’re about you, and the interesting, informative, controversial or fun topics you can discuss. No one interviews a book!

Pitch yourself and explain why you would be a great guest on a specific show. Tell them, succinctly and persuasively, why you’d make a great guest. When booking interviews, producers first look at what they’re being offered in a pitch. The book comes into play as credibility; proof that you know what you’re talking about.

Go Old School

There are other forms of communication than email—a fact many of us forget. Let’s say the average editor or producer gets 300 emails a day from book publicists or authors. Like most of us, unless something jumps out at them, the delete button is immediately employed to get down to a manageable number. Your chances, in the big picture, aren't that good when it comes to your email pitch.

But what if you actually mailed a letter, and hand addressed it? How many hand-addressed letters do you think the average producer or editor gets a day? Probably not many. A hand-addressed envelope is very likely to be opened, and your pitch may actually be read!

Here’s another insider tip: instead of mailing a copy of your book to media, send it via FedEx or UPS. Almost everyone opens these!

Remember, the Media Needs You

That’s right, editors and producers really do need and want you. Without book publicists and indie authors, their jobs would be much harder. Keep this in mind when promoting your book. If you approach media appropriately, you aren't some annoying, desperate author—you’re gold to them. Maybe in an initial response an editor or producer won't act like you are, but trust me, if they’re interested in you, they are going to want you.

Change your mindset. Tell yourself that you are someone media need, and instead of promoting yourself, you’re selling yourself, and you’ll decide who to engage. This may sound simple, but it’s something all good book publicists do. Act important because you are important, and you’ll be seen as important.

Personalize

If you personalize, they will respond. When reaching out to journalists you believe should be interested in you and your book, take a few minutes to research what they’ve recently written about. If you say, “I know you covered ________ topic recently, so you might be interested in ________,” —you dramatically increase your chances of getting a response. It shows the journalist you’re serious and you took the time to research them, and they will appreciate this.

Offer Giveaways
Guest bookers and producers love to use guests who will give some books away as part of their interview. Giveaways prompt call-ins to radio shows, spark listener questions, and it’s a great way to generate interest in your book. Giving away books to people who call in to a show often makes others believe the book must be something special.
To Your Success,
​
MG

YOU WROTE THE BOOK? WHAT’S NEXT?

You had a great book idea, you wrote a fine book, and now you think you're ready to self-publish it. Before you take that leap of faith, however, there are several things you should consider in order to publish like a professional.

1. Finish the Writing and Have It Professionally Edited
Finish the writing (sometimes easier said than done) and that includes the rewriting. Until you reach a point in your rewrites where the edits are no longer substantive, your book is not finished. When you find yourself simply changing characters' names or altering inconsequential details, that's when you're done self-editing.

Your next step is to hire a professional editor. You may not enjoy being told to cut a section of writing you really like, but if Chapter 7 is truly overkill, a professional editor can help you understand why. You might not be able to specifically quantify the benefits of a formal editing process, but it will help you sell more books. Hiring a professional to edit your book can make you a better writer, provide you with industry knowledge you wouldn't otherwise have, broaden your exposure, and ultimately increase your sales.

2. Get Help
Unless you can do it all  yourself, you should hire a professional to publish, design your book cover and book interior. The book you've worked so hard on deserves the best possible physical representation, including typeface, page numbers, opening chapter pages, running headers, and other elements you might not think of but a professional book designer will. The cover design is perhaps the most important element of design as it provides the first impression of your book to potential readers/buyers.

If you're offering an electronic version of your book, those design specs will be different. A professional can help you maintain design continuity while ensuring your work will be esthetically pleasing and readable, whether it's read in print or electronically.

3. Build Relationships Before You Publish
You should be building your author platform before you publish and, if it's not too late, as you write your book. Create your online platform through your own author website and build on that through social media outlets like Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Goodreads, Facebook, Google+, etc. You don't have to be everywhere; consistency and frequency are the keys to developing a solid base of followers. Expand that base by commenting on other relevant blogs and websites. Contribute comments and questions to book review blogs like the New York Times and Washington Post, as well as to smaller and local sites.

Start a mailing list. It can be electronic, snail mail, or both. Join writers' groups and associations, both online and local. Host or participate in a webcast or podcast. Attend book launches and other publishing events, including writing and publishing conferences. Make friends with your local booksellers and librarians, and never miss your book club meeting. The point is to get your name out there before you publish, not after.

4. Pay Attention
Become familiar with the existing book market. Find out what's currently on bookstore shelves, which books are being checked out most frequently at the library, which books are making news, why your friends and family are buzzing about certain titles, and what is happening in the literary world in general. Knowledge of the current publishing environment will help you publish like a professional.

5. Offer Your Book in Multiple Formats
You never know how readers will want to consume your content, so don't exclude potential buyers by limiting yourself to either eBooks or print books. The BBC recently reported that 50 percent of American adults own e-readers, but research shows that most people are still reading more print books than eBooks. Don't let potential readers (and sales) get away from you by not offering multiple formats of your book.

6. Use Your Resources
Once you have built an author platform, immersed yourself in the literary world, solidified industry-related relationships, and joined appropriate associations, don't stop there. You can maintain your place in the industry by staying active in it. Keep up with your network and be aware of industry news that can perfect your book marketing plan, use the resources you've gathered at conferences or writing retreats, continue to attend publishing events and learning sessions, keep reading writers' blogs and guides, and never stop learning.
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The publishing process doesn't have to be overwhelming. Plan ahead, take it step-by-step, and take advantage of available resources. And if you need help, call us we are here to help you: 866-599-6270.
 
To Your Success,
MG

When something isn’t new anymore—whether it’s your car or your book—value disappears with each passing day. But while that new-book smell might decrease, the value of your book to you, as a creator, doesn’t have to if you know where to look.
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Reinvigorate Your Media Outreach
With so many books published each year, it seems like people only care about new books. For a lot of media, that’s true; it’s why so many outlets have such strict guidelines when it comes to submitting books for possible review, or pitching to media.

The major book review journals—Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Foreword Reviews, etc.—all have strict pre-publication submission guidelines, but they all also have a backdoor: PW’s Booklife, Kirkus Indie, and Foreword Clarion are a few examples. These secondary options do not restrict the potential for review based on the book’s release date, and as such, already-released books can be submitted for review. In the case of Kirkus and Foreword, these options are paid for and therefore guarantee a review for your book.

A new book review—particularly a positive review—is a great way to bring new attention to an existing book, whether that’s new outreach to booksellers or librarians, consumers, or media.

Cut It Up
Before it was a movie, and before it was published by Random House, The Martian was a serialized work of fiction. Serialization is the latest trend in storytelling, from the Serial podcast to Serial Box (an online platform for serialized fiction), entire business models are cropping up around the idea of leaving the reader hanging, and it could be a way to find a new audience for your narrative.

And it’s not just linear storytelling that you can apply parts of your book to. Services like Slicebooks exist to cut up your work to sell on different platforms, in collections and more.

Just because your book is no longer new doesn’t mean you’ve squeezed it dry. Launch is just one part of a book’s life, and the ideas above are just a few ways you can create an income longtail for yours.
I’m just saying. Need help breathing new life into your old book, call us at 866-599-6270.
 
To Your Success,
MG