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,
​
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

 

As authors advance in their skill and understanding of social media and marketing, one of the things that seems to come curiously late for some is a question of credit—crediting authors, or each other, that is. At times, I’ve used the hashtag #creditwriters to try to help folks remember this simple courtesy. Help your fellow writers.

Journalists notice the problem right away. Why? Because we journos know that The New York Times has never written a word. CNN has never done an on-camera interview. NPR has never broadcast a report. In every case, that work was done by people, reporters. And yet you routinely see a story tweeted or posted to Facebook with just the medium’s name, right?

•           “Great story!” with a link and “via @WashingtonPost.” But who wrote it? You can find out if you’ll just check the byline.
•           “I got a super review from the @NYTimes!” No, you got a super review from a critic at The New York Times and that critic has a name. Just check the byline.
•           “Cool author blog post on outlining your novel!” By? Just check the byline.
But wait. What if there isn’t a byline on that author’s cool blog post about outlining your novel?

It turns out that this is a two-way street.

Writers fail to credit each other all the time, but just as frequently, authors aren’t thinking to put bylines on their own posts. And remember, if a visitor to your author website was linked to your post without any credit to you, that visitor may have no idea whose site he or she has landed on.

That’s why bylines are important. Here’s what I recommend:
•           On each blog post you write—yes, including on your own site—use your byline.
•           List not only your name but also your Twitter handle or your Facebook link—whatever social account you use the most. Like this: By Porter Anderson (@Porter_Anderson). Try to make every mention of your name work for you by linking it to a pertinent spot.
•           If you have guest posts on your site, follow the same pattern: always byline them and include a social media handle or link for them, too.

The point is to make it easy for your site’s visitors—who, we hope, will become your books’ readers—to be certain of who you are. And you want them to credit you and help others find you through social media. If they have to search for your handle or Pinterest account—or for your name on your own site (you’d be surprised how hard it is to locate that info on some sites)—then there’s little chance that your site’s visitors will have time to do anything about crediting you. A visitor impressed with your latest blog post is likelier to give you the courtesy of a credit if you make it a breeze to know who you are and how to reference you in social media.
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Is it more blessed to credit than to be credited? Probably! But you’re likelier to be offered the same kindness if you make it simple for your colleagues to share your work with your name attached. And after all, if writers don’t credit each other, who will? Help your fellow writers.
 
 Live by the philosophy that a candle loses none of it’s shine by lighting another candle.
To Your Success,
MG
 

Did you know for five dollars you can get someone to write your book title on their face or stomach? How about give the synopsis of your book via video...dressed as a nun? The Internet is a bizarre place where you can find someone to do just about anything in the name of marketing. Why would you want to? Because weird and crazy, when done right, actually can help sell your book.
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Does that mean that having a person dressed as a nun telling people what your book is about will turn your book into a bestseller? Probably not. But guerrilla marketing—the idea of using a small amount of money to do something unconventional—should be a part of every writer’s book marketing strategy.

Here are five  tips to consider as you develop your campaign:

Weird for the Sake of Weird Is Weird
At first glance, it might sound funny when you log onto a website and see that for only five bucks, you can get someone to sing about your book, while hula hooping, in a bikini—but avoid the temptation of hiring that person to market your book. Weird is fine, and weird can work, but there has to be a reason for it.

Be Careful of the “Expert”
The rise of freelancing websites has made it possible for anyone to say they are an expert. The trouble is many are not. If you are considering hiring a marketer or publicist, you can find plenty on the cheap—but more often than not, they’re cheap for a reason. As you go through the process of selecting someone to help you, make sure you see their track record—who have they worked for, and, if possible, talk to a few authors who have worked with them. Consider also using freelance marketplaces like Reedsy, which is more focused on the publishing industry. Or better still, ask your friends in the publishing industry for recommendations and pay attention to experts recommended by publishing associations or established industry publications.

When It Comes to Likes Think Quality Over Quantity
For just a few dollars, you can get 10,000 people to follow you on Twitter. Never mind the fact that the people aren’t real. There’s plenty of self-described influencers—people who say, “I’ll promote your book to my 250,000 followers.” Don’t take the bait! You are better off spending a few dollars getting your messages out to a few dozen people who might actually buy your book than thousands who won’t. A targeted audience is the best audience. In the case of buying followers, you might even get banned. While it might sound impressive to say you have 15,000 followers, it will come back to haunt you. The only way to build your platform is organically.

Promotional Items That People Want
Hosting a giveaway with a $50 Kindle Fire? It will get people to enter, for sure, but the Kindle Fire is an easy-to-find product that many people already have. In short, nobody gets excited for that giveaway. But doing a giveaway for a $60 NES Classic, which is much harder to find—that’s going to do better. If your book is a history of Nintendo, then, by all means, do it! But remember you want people to enter that might ultimately buy your book, so make sure you’re doing a giveaway that’s going after the right audience. Ask yourself who your audience is, and what can you offer them that will make them enthusiastic. Offering them something that is in no way related to your book is a good way to get people who are only in it for the prize and don't actually care what your book is about. Once again, a targeted audience is the best audience.

Think Outside the Bookstore
Bookstores are the obvious setting for author readings—but obvious isn’t always the best. Think about settings that might tie into your book. Years ago, when Neal Pollack released his first book, "The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature," he did a reading in the bathroom of a train station; 15 people showed up to the reading, but the story of an author doing a reading in a bathroom went viral and helped sell more books. It worked for Pollack in part because the book was a humor book. A train station bathroom probably won’t help your book sell more copies, but remember: bookstores aren’t the only place for a reading.
 
Let me know if you try any of the tactics listed here and how they work for you.
 
To Your Success,
MG
 

There are so many options these days on how to get your book into the hands of readers. Gone are the days when one single path led to publication, and it can be confusing to wade through the pros and cons of being independently versus traditionally published. One of the ways you can evaluate how to move forward with your manuscript is to think about how you would prefer to promote your book.
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The book promotion tactics an indie published author takes can be different from those with large publishing contracts, largely due to the higher level of control independent authors maintain over their books. If you’re thinking about indie publishing for your book, consider how much easier it is to engage in these forms of book promotion as an indie author.
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Meet Your Local Booksellers
This is something that only the author can do! A large publisher or your independent publicity firm may coordinate meetings with these booksellers, but this is something indie authors can do really well on their own. Books are hand sold by booksellers all over the world, which means that they give recommendations to people browsing their stores and can influence purchasing decisions. Making a personal impact on a bookseller so that they want to sell your book is a savvy move on any author’s part. Stop by a store, be polite, buy a book, and tell them you hope they’ll stock your book one day.

Create a Goodreads Author Profile and Use it Actively
Maintaining control over vital social media platforms is a benefit to indie publishing—you’ll always make your own account and run it for yourself. On Goodreads you can make friends, follow reading lists, join book clubs, and organically network to create a community that will put your book onto their “to-read” bookshelves when it comes out.

Start an Author Instagram and Use it Consistently
As an indie author, you’ll want to connect directly with readers. People support brands they admire, and they learn to love a brand by encountering an individual first. Showing who you are as a person on the fastest growing social media platform can help readers find you. “Bookstagrammers” are becoming a powerful “influencer” segment in social media marketing, and connecting with them is something an author can do all on his or her own. You can do your own giveaways without a publisher restricting your actions! Don’t forget to use relevant hashtags like #bookstagram, #lit, #amreading, #books, and more. Instagram rewards hashtagging…so use as many as you like and you have a higher chance of showing up in the feeds of your followers, as well as good discoverability by random users that are checking out popular hashtags.

Make Vital Changes to Your Publication Timeline and Other Important Book Details
These may not seem like part of the promotional process at first glance, but sometimes books are published by large publishers on schedules that might not be the best fit for an author. Picking a publication date that fits with your personal life, relevant holidays (a book on motherhood might be more easily promoted if it is published the week of Mother’s Day, for instance), and what else is on the market is a great way that indie authors get to plan their promotions early on to best suit their sales. As an indie author, you can also make edits to your book cover, your price, and other important details based on reader feedback before you move to a final version, and this is not something traditional deals typically allow.

Sell Your Books More Easily at Private Events
Because you are in charge of your book’s distribution, you don’t have a middle man between you and your print-on-demand that can hold up this process. If you are headed to an author event, book fair, library, or private book launch, you get to decide how many copies and on what timeline you want to bring them for sales.

There are pros and cons to both traditional and indie publishing, and hopefully learning about some of the considerations regarding book promotion on both sides can help you choose your publishing route more successfully.
 
To Your Success
MG

Writing isn’t an easy job. While you’re typing away at your manuscript, your mind is balancing storyline, an important message, dialogue and more. For many authors, the technical aspects of writing are on the backburner. There’s nothing wrong with having less than precise writing in your manuscript. In fact, many authors purposefully disregard proper spelling and grammar to focus on content. Their editing process starts later, when authors send their manuscripts off to a trusted friend or use editing services to perfect their work.

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Before another pair of eyes reads through your manuscript, proofread it yourself for technical writing errors. Specifically, there are five mistakes almost every writer makes that you can fix before your book hits the editing process.

CLICHÉS
Old habits may die hard, but clichés will clutter your writing. Clichés are dog tired; readers will look over them and miss the good content underneath. Try starting your own clichés. Create fresh similes, metaphors, and idioms.

WORD REPETITION
Have you read a book and noticed the author repeated a certain word throughout it? Many authors have a crutch word they consistently use. Check for your own crutch word and use a thesaurus to diversify your manuscript’s vocabulary.

TOO MANY ADVERBS
You have probably heard to “show, not tell.” Cutting out adverbs can help you do this. Adverbs like quickly, very, and incredibly can be written out with more visual descriptions put in their place. Instead of writing “Incredibly, the runner ran very quickly,” write, “The runner was a speeding bullet. Her feet pounded the ground and propelled her forward as she sped ahead of the others.”

COMMAS
When concentrating on developing your story and perfecting your message, your commas might get misplaced. Ask yourself the following questions to make sure commas are where they need to be.

• Do you have commas inside quotation marks? For example, this is incorrect: "Hello" she replied. This is correct: "Hello," she replied.
• Do you separate modifying clauses with commas? For example, this is incorrect: Sally a very polite girl held the door open. This is correct: Sally, a very polite girl, held the door open.
• Are introductory clauses separated by a comma? For example, this is incorrect: If she wants ice cream she should ask her brother. This is correct: If she wants ice cream, she should ask her brother.
• Are you consistent with how you use commas in lists? For example, all lists could have a comma after the last word before "and," like this: I like chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. All lists could also go without the comma after the last word before "and," like this: I like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. Both are correct as long as they're used consistently.

Technical grammar problems
Comma mistakes are common, but there are other grammar errors authors make when writing their manuscript. Here are a few grammar mistakes that come up frequently:

• Vague pronouns make writing easier, but can be confusing to readers. When proofreading, make sure you can attribute every pronoun to the noun it describes.
• Its/It’s, than/then are commonly confused because most word processors can’t catch them if they’re used in the wrong context. If you need a quick refresher, “Its” shows possession and “It’s” is the contracted form of “it is.” “Then” shows a progression, while “than” is used for comparisons.
• Sentence fragments and run-ons can also be hard to catch. Make sure each sentence has a subject and verb, but doesn’t use “and,” “but”, and “or” to link sentence after sentence.

If you want a professional to help you perfect your writing, contact Purpose Publishing at www.PurposePublishing.com

To your Success,
​
MG.

What does 2019 have in store for authors? Last year we predicted which publishing trends would impact indie authors and how. Many of them materialized and some of them will hold true into 2018. Here is the list of the top 10 trends in publishing that will impact indie authors the most, with specific guidance on how you can best navigate them.

1) Indie authors will continue to grow eBook share

Traditional publishers will continue to price their eBooks above market and will focus on print and audio sales in 2019. They will also continue to focus on their go-to franchises and signing authors who have a built-in audience (celebrities, politicians, successful indies). Indies will continue to fill the void by publishing high-quality, affordable eBooks and writing to niche audiences (something blockbusters cannot do as they require mass appeal). 2019 is bound to be a year for books and a year for readers! Trends come and go but one thing I see coming back in a huge way is sci-fi and fantasy romance. Contemporary will always do well but I think readers are starting to get overwhelmed with the same old rom com with the similar fonts, colors, and titles. I say bring on the other genres—a great palette cleanser for 2019.” Authors continue to stay ahead of the curve by innovating on content and design, and become ever more sophisticated at book publishing, readers will continue to shift eBook market share to indies.

What this means for you: Indies have an edge over traditional publishers with both content and pricing. Indies can leverage this by experimenting with pricing and running short-term free  promotions on their titles. As an indie author you can serve readers who are thought of as “too niche” for publishers. Figure out who your audience is and how best to serve them with your writing. Be true to who you are as a writer and don’t try emulate the bestsellers that trads are putting out.

2) Marketing will become more expensive

As we predicted, 2017 saw increased costs on Facebook as more brands and authors used the platform to market their products. We anticipate this trend will continue into 2018 to the point where Facebook ads will no longer make sense for authors with single titles. Returns may still be there for authors with series or multiple titles, but the ROI will be thinner. Unfortunately this trend will not be limited to Facebook ads. Amazon Ads (AMS) will continue to gain in popularity, driving competition and increases in costs on the platform. Authors’ primary marketing challenges in 2019 will be trying to find marketing tools that are time and cost efficient. “Anyone who thinks we are heading into a period of calm after the choppy waters of 2018 is going to be disappointed,” says author and blogger Dal McChessick. “Current trends will continue, ramping up all throughout 2019. This means more involved marketing campaigns will be needed to make a dent in the charts: considerable multi-pronged efforts with PPC ads, reader sites, newsletter swaps, and social media push. I don’t think Facebook is going out of fashion at all, I think the game is changing their considerably and authors will either adapt a new approach, or start to see very poor returns.” The upshot of this is that authors will have to spend significantly more time on marketing to maintain the results they saw in 2017.  “As indie publishing becomes more competitive and requires more and more business and marketing skills, I expect to see all successful indies outsource a major part of their marketing efforts — including the planning — to professional freelancers or agencies. Those who don’t may certainly experience burnout”.

What this means for you: Authors with large catalogs are going to have an edge over authors with single or smaller catalogs as they are able to spread their marketing costs over multiple titles and will get better ROI from read-through. If you are running a successful author business, 2019 may be the year to hire a marketing assistant. If you’re early in your indie author career, focus on becoming more prolific in your writing or adding additional titles to your existing series so you can compete in the marketplace.

3) Email marketing will be tested

Email marketing has always been the most cost-effective marketing tool available to authors. The reach and response you get from email compared to the cost of sending an email is still unbeatable. 2017 saw indie authors turning to email marketing and aggressively building their lists. 2018 was the year of group giveaways and email list swapping. Indies were delighted at the performance of email and used it more aggressively. The side effect has been reader fatigue – lower open rates and lower performance. This trend will continue into 2019 as indies are stuck between rising costs on platforms like Facebook and the growing unsubscribe rates on email. One Director of Marketing shares, “To combat newsletter fatigue, authors are starting to become far more personal with their readers, simplifying newsletters to plain text, removing graphics, and refining their copy to something softer than a marketing pitch. The author’s personal empowerment will start, in part, with a more personalized email newsletter.”

What this means for you: Despite some decline in email performance, your email list is still your most valuable asset and you should treat it as such. Authors who respect reader preferences and send compelling content will continue to reap the rewards of email marketing. Experimentation will be the name of the game in 2018 as authors retool and re-think their email marketing strategies.

4) The Audiobook market will grow and be shaken up

Audiobooks were the fastest growing segment in the publishing industry last year. For traditional publishers audiobook sales mitigated declines in eBook sales, and trad publishers are bullish on audiobooks going into 2018. Audible (owned by Amazon) still has the lion’s share of the audiobook marketing but others are trying to make inroads. 2019 may well be the year when we see new and existing players disrupt the established order.  “Digital audiobooks will remain the fastest growth area in publishing with sales increasing 30% to 40% or more. The dynamics—ease of access for consumers, lifestyle habits, increased market competition, new selling models—have all synced up to create significant staying power. It should surprise nobody when the market size of audiobooks surpasses eBooks in a few years. In 2019, we expect to see independent authors empowered to capitalize on this explosive growth. Indies will take advantage of wide distribution (domestic, international, and public library), realize the advantages at key retailers of setting prices to meet consumer demand, and benefit from more discovery tools created to connect authors with their audiences outside traditional audiobook credit models.”

What this means for you: Producing an audiobook runs into the thousands of dollars or requires giving up significant royalties and is still a significant investment for authors. New authors who find the price tag too steep are best off focusing on building their catalog of eBooks first. Authors who are looking to invest in their publishing business should definitely have audiobook expansion on their list for 2018. All authors should keep an eye on the market and look to support audiobook retailers and production companies that are author friendly.

5) Amazon’s will continue to be less generous

In February of 2017 Amazon made changes to its affiliate program that in effect dropped the payouts that affiliates were receiving. On January 1st of this year Amazon decreased the affiliate commissions on Amazon devices. We anticipate this trend will continue in 2018 because once Amazon has the majority of American households as customers there will be less incentive to pay affiliates to drive customers to Amazon. In the publishing world the impact of a less generous affiliate program is felt most acutely by book bloggers and deal (promo) sites that are running either solely on affiliate income or using affiliate income to significantly supplement their business. Amazon will also continue to be aggressive in enforcing its affiliate policies, banning or dropping deal sites it deems to be in violation of its terms. These two trends will couple to remove book bloggers and deal sites from the eco-system.

What this means for you: If you have relationships with book bloggers who actively review and promote your book free of charge, 2019 would be a good year to donate to their blog or purchase some paid ad slots to ensure they stay in business. Expect to see price increases on some deal sites as they try to supplement the affiliate income they have lost.

6) More Indie authors will achieve success

Every year they conduct an author’s survey to identify what high-earning authors are doing to achieve success. In 2017 the number of authors who reported making over $100,000 from writing grew by 70% over 2016. The percentage of authors making between $5,000 and $10,000 per month doubled year over year. Indies who persevere and continue putting out books slowly increase their earnings over time. Is it easy? No. Will it take time? Yes. But there are plenty indie authors who are making money. They will continue to grow their businesses in 2017 and a new batch of high-earning authors will join their ranks.
 
What this means for you: Successful indie authors see themselves as entrepreneurs who are running a business. And they are. Their product is their books. Successful authors are those that focus on their business and manage the ups and downs. In 2018 be honest with yourself. What are your goals? Are you writing to pursue a passion? Are you writing to supplement your income? Are you building or growing a business? Then align your efforts with your goals to achieve what success means for you.

7) Readers will continue to buy and read books

In 2018 people will continue to purchase eBooks. Mark Coker noted in a 2017 review that “one of the big takeaways from this year’s Smashwords Survey was that we found our bestselling authors were able to increase prices without undermining unit sales. $4.99 has joined $2.99 and $3.99 as pricing sweet spots. This tells me that authors who build devoted followings have pricing power. Reports show that yes, eBook sales are declining for traditional publishers, but that does not necessarily hold true for eBooks published by small presses and indie authors.
 
What this means for you: There will be plenty of stories in 2018 about the demise of reading, screen fatigue and increasing competition for reader’s time. As an author, you are best off ignoring the pundits to focus on your writing instead. There are readers out there who will pay for your work and your job is to find them, connect with them and write for them.

Publishing Trends Summary

There you have it, the 2018 publishing trends we predict will shape publishing in the coming year. We recommend reading each point but if you’ve skimmed down to the end for the summary it reads like this: Indie authors will continue to steal eBook share away from traditional publishers as readers continue to purchase books that are competitively priced and that cater to their specific genre tastes. Audiobooks will continue to be a bright spot for the publishing industry at large. Amazon will continue to be the thousand pound gorilla with more authors flocking to Kindle Unlimited despite other retailers trying to compete. Amazon will not be without its challenges as it continues to battle scammers and faces backlash from affiliates as Amazon diminishes its payouts. Marketing will be the primary challenge for everyone in 2019 as costs on platforms like Facebook and Amazon Ads continue to climb. Indies with large backlists who focus on multi-pronged marketing campaigns will be the winners. Indies will experiment with new ways to connect directly with readers though success in these areas will likely take multiple iterations and time.

If you decide to go Audiobook, need a marketing assistant or just need help deciding what and how to do your book business; contact us at www.PurposePublishing.com
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To Your Success,
MG

Performances on radio talk or news shows can be a great way to supplement your book promotion activities. With radio as part of your communication plan, you can reach hundreds, thousands, or millions of people at little or no cost. You can even sell some books, if you do it right.

Most radio shows are conducted over the telephone, from any place in which there is a good connection, no background noise and where you can talk uninterrupted for the length of the show. Here are several guidelines to make telephone interviews more effective:

Know the Time: As you agree upon the time and date with the producer, confirm your time zone. The producer may say he or she will call you at 3:00, but is that 3:00 p.m. in your time zone?
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Use a Land Line: Don't use cell phones. This is also not the time to impress your friends by having them listen in while you give your interview over speaker phone. These two methods can mess with the sound quality or provide static or feedback.

Be Prepared: Have a specific area set aside for telephone interviews, one in which you can keep your notes, books, and pad of paper handy. Unplug nearby phones if they are on a different line. Nobody will say, “You’re on the air,” so always assume the microphone is hot (live).

Play Along: Your host may want to give the audience the impression that you are in the studio. He or she may say, “Here with us today is Brian Jud, author of the media-training video program You’re on The Air.” Take the hint and do not make comments such as, “How’s the weather out there?”

Listen In: While you are on hold, either before you begin the interview or during a break, you will hear the station’s regular programming. Listen for key points to which you can refer later. On long shows, the host may talk to you during the break to plan what you will discuss during the next segment.

Use a Headset: This one is based on your personal preference, but sometimes it's nice to conduct an interview hands free. If you have a speakerphone, engage it during the breaks only to give your ears a break.

Heed Breaks: Before a long show starts, ask when breaks will occur and how long each will be. Listen for the show’s theme music, which will usually start at low volume and increase as it leads to the break. Close your answer as the music begins.

Hydrate: Keep water nearby and drink it generously, but only during breaks so the sound of your swallowing is not heard on the air (and if the water goes down the wrong pipe, your coughing will not interfere with your interview).

Don't Read from a Script: You may have sent the producer a list of questions in advance. If so, keep the list in front of you, but don’t read lengthy answers. Write a word or two that will prompt you to reply.

Keep Track: After two or three shows in one day, you may begin to wonder if you are repeating yourself. Make notes as you speak to remind yourself of what you said earlier.

Remember Names: Write the host’s name phonetically at the top of your note pad and use it during the show. Do the same with people who call in to ask you a question during the show.

Mind Your Body Language: Sit in a comfortable, quiet chair. If you gesture frequently, try standing as you speak. Keep your head high to open your breathing passages; relax your jaw muscles and you will speak more clearly.

Give Yourself Time: Do not schedule telephone interviews too closely together. Invariably, one will be delayed due to an unpredictable event, perhaps impinging on the time allocated to another show.

Be Polite: Rarely will you get bumped (canceled on short notice), but it can happen. If so, be polite and reschedule your show for another time.

Spell It Out: At the end of the show, you will get the chance to tell the listeners where they can find your book. Spell any words that may be confusing (For example: “My email address is michellegines60gmail.com. There is two ‘l’s’ in Michelle.”)

If you are thorough in your preparation, you are more likely to have a great show. The interview will be conducted between two professionals, both trying to create an interesting, informative and entertaining conversation to meet your respective objectives. When this occurs, you will be asked back to repeat your performance. And you may even sell some books.
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For more tips and tools, check back with Purpose Publishing at www.PurposePublishing.com

To Your Success,
MG

THEY ALSO JUDGE BOOKS BY THE BACK COVER

​You know that saying “don’t judge a book by its cover”? As a metaphor, that saying is fantastic. But when talking about literal books, a cover is exactly what a book is judged by. You’ve probably done this before: A book’s title or cover looks interesting, so you flip it around and read the back cover to see what it’s about. In the short amount of time it takes you to scan the summary, you’ve usually decided whether you’ll be buying that book or not.

In other words, the cover—especially the back cover—is hugely important in hooking the casual book buyer. The good news is, a good back book cover isn’t that hard to pull off. Here are five quick ways to create a back cover that will pull people in.

CREATE TENSION
The more we understand the human brain, the clearer it becomes that people learn through the unexpected. If someone already thinks they know everything they need to, they are less curious and less likely to buy your book. The job of the back cover is to help them realize they don’t know everything they need to know.

People probably won’t buy a book that says it’s all about sanctification, but they might buy a book that says something like the following: “For many of us, we are trying to live the ‘good Christian life,’ and yet find ourselves worn out, discouraged and more empty than how we started. Why is this? What are we missing?”

To sell a book about the biblical concept of covenant, you could say, “We live in a world that is fascinated with ‘happily ever after,’ but only experiences a commitment that seems to dissolve the moment we need it most. We are a culture both fascinated by and disillusioned with love…but what if there was a better way?”

The point is this: Create a compelling tension, and people will want to read your book to see how you resolve it.

HINT AT THE ANSWER
Many readers, though, will need at least a hint of where you’re taking them. After casting your compelling tension, give a bullet point of three to five ways your book will address this tension (more than five is too many, and marketing shows odd numbers work better). So let’s say you’re writing the sanctification book. After casting your tension, the next paragraph could say something like this:

“Author and pastor Josh Pease suggests the emptiness we feel in our Christian faith stems from a misunderstanding of what God expects from us in the first place. In this encouraging new book, he suggests that our dissatisfaction stems from:

replacing “struggling” with “surrendering”
believing we need to earn God’s approval
allowing religious pride to rule over humility
…you get the idea. The point is to help people have a sense of what they’re getting into before they give your book a few hours of their life.

KEEP IT SHORT
In honor of this point, I’ll be brief: You have 150-200 words to rope people in. Any more and your back cover will be a wall of text people won’t want to read. Keep it short and simple.

INCLUDE YOURSELF
Research has shown that more people will buy a book if the author’s picture and bio are included on the back. The reason for this is a book—especially one that is instructing people in their spiritual journey—is a vulnerable choice. People aren’t buying words, they’re buying you as someone they trust to speak into their life. So help them feel like they know you a little. Include a professional looking picture, fairly close up to your face, along with a short bio of why you’re someone they can trust.

ADD ENDORSEMENTS IF YOU HAVE THEM
Endorsements don’t always have to come from famous (or church famous) people, although that definitely doesn’t hurt. If you have pastor friends of larger churches, seminary professors or anyone else who could be seen as a marginal spiritual authority figure, don’t hesitate to ask them to read your book in advance and write a brief (one to two sentences, tops) blurb. It’s like reviews on Amazon products:

Even if you don’t know the people giving the review, it makes you feel better to know someone else enjoyed this product you haven’t seen yet.

All these things add up to a compelling, personal back cover that will tell people your book is worth their time.
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To Your Success,
MG

The past few weeks I’ve been stuck on preparing for the New Year and decluttering your space, but I thought I ought to mention your work space also. This is where most of us spend most of our time, at work, whether our home office or share office work space with your co-workers, your work station is in essence, your very own “personal headquarters”. The HQ has to be right to keep your work tight and clients happy.

It’s here that you’ll get creative with ideas for that next ‘big’ meeting, pump out those detailed stock reports, or come up with a PowerPoint presentation that will knock the socks off your boss. But that’s a little difficult to do underneath piles of paperwork, or between hordes of files, and whatever else is brooding around your working space.

In order to maximize your office work space, get creative, keep productive, and feel motivated, you need a clear, uncluttered, and organized work space.

In a nutshell: you need to simplify.

How do you do this?

Here are 6 Quick ways to start simplifying your office work space today:

1. Throw out any useless papers, notes or ‘stuff’ around or on top of your desk.
2. Put away files that aren’t being used every day.
3. Keep your desktop folders organized. Set up and name folders on your desktop for each new project that you’re working on.
4. Go as paperless as possible. We live in a world today where most things are electronic. If you don’t need to print something out – don’t.  Rather save it on your computer under a desktop folder for easy access.
5. Clear the desk daily. Get into the habit of clearing your desk at the end of each day. It will make the idea of coming in to work the next morning a pleasure.
6. Plan each day. Instead of jumping into whatever tasks need to be done and feeling disorganized, take five minutes at the start of each day and plan the things that need to be done, and then the things that can be done if there’s time. Allow flexibility, and don’t plan too much so that you feel as though you’ve let yourself down if you don’t get to all of them.

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It’s easy to simplify your working space so that it’s set up to maximize productivity, inspiration, and creativity.
 
To Your Success,
MG