by Scott Lorenz | Author Advice, Blog, Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Publishing, Book Title Generator, How to title a book, Literary Agent, Marketing a Book, Promoting a Book, Social Media
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Communications
If you’ve written a book and are ready to publish it, you may be wondering what to do next. Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled this handy author’s checklist to help you navigate through the publishing phase and beyond. By following it, you can set your book up for unparalleled success.
Choose the Right Title
There’s no denying your title can make or break the success of your book. It’s what will attract readers and get your book noticed. If you’re unsure of how to name your book, I encourage you to check out my award-winning bestselling book, “Book Title Generator: A Proven System in Naming Your Book.” I implore you to consider all options in the quest for the perfect book title. From using numbers, alliteration, idioms, and keyword research, Book Title Generator covers them all.
It’s packed with solid tips and tricks that will help you craft the best title for your book.
Get a Compelling Book Cover
The truth is readers and media members will judge a book by its cover. That’s why it’s important to ensure your cover is professional and ideal for your target audience. Fortunately, there are plenty of incredible book cover designers on websites like Book Covers for All and Killer Covers. It’s a good idea to visit some bookstores to get some inspiration for your cover. Also, don’t forget to check out my article on the “46 Book Cover Designers to Create Your Best-Selling Cover.”
Ask for Feedback
As a writer, it’s easy to spend hours upon hours trying to perfect your writing. While your opinion of your book matters, the feedback of others can be invaluable. Ask friends, family, acquaintances, and those in the industry to give your book a fresh set of eyes. Not only are they likely to help you catch typo and grammar issues, but they might also give you some ideas on how to tighten up and improve your book. In the end, trust book professionals when it comes to the make-or-break decisions.
Hire an Editor
By hiring an editor, you can receive professional feedback on your book. Before you commit to one, however, make sure you check out their portfolio and references. Not all editors are created equal, and you want to ensure the one you choose has the skills and experience to set your book up for success. Take a look at my article on “How Editing, Copyediting, and Proofreading Make Your Book Shine.”
Figure Out Your Target Audience
Target audience refers to the people who will buy and read your book. Think about your genre and theme to determine who they might be. Make sure the Amazon categories you select are relevant and focused about the topic and genre and not general in nature. Once you nail down your audience, you’ll find it easier to promote and market your book.
Design a Book Marketing Strategy
Before you publish your book, think about book marketing. Will you create a standalone website for it? Do you have plans to promote it via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets? Or will you host book signings and mail review copies of your book to members of the media and potential reviewers? When it comes to book marketing success, having a plan that you execute well is just as important as the creativity that went into writing your book.
Consider a Literary Agent
There are many benefits of working with a literary agent. Depending on the agent you choose, they can pitch your book to their known publishing contacts and give you a competitive edge. Many publishers will only work with agents because they ‘vet’ the books and ‘weed out’ the books that are not a good fit for their publishing house. To find the right agent check out my article about “How to Sign a Top Literary Agent” on my blog Book-Publicist.com.
Decide Whether to Use a Distributor
A distributor delivers books to retailers. Since most libraries and bookstores won’t usually accept sales pitches and books from self-published authors, a distributor may be worth exploring. By working with one, you can bridge the gap between you and large audiences.
Figure Out When to Publish
Contrary to popular belief, the holiday season isn’t the best time to publish your book. If possible, publish your book at any other time. January, February, and March are ideal because the weather is usually colder, and people are stuck inside with more time to read. If you are deciding to publish in December or January, choose January because you’ll have a new copyright date. If you publish in December, it’ll look one year old in January even though it’s only been out one month.
The Bottom Line: Remember, pilots use checklists before each flight and authors need a checklist before they hit “publish!”
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://www.WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at [email protected] or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
by Scott Lorenz | Agents, Author Advice, Book Publishing, Book Shepherd, Literary Agent
As a book publicist, I am frequently asked to find a literary agent for my author clients. While I know many agents and publishers and work with them, it’s not what I do. But, from time to time, I find someone who can really help out my clients and I’ve found that person. Her name is Debra Englander.
Debra Englander
Debby has extensive editorial experience including reporting for Money, managing the Fortune Book Club and serving as editorial director at John Wiley for nearly 17 years. She currently works with authors on creating winning book proposals, editing manuscripts and content creation for online and print projects.
Debby’s editorial service is unique. She’ll listen to your book concept and then advise you on next steps. She’ll tell you whether the idea is sound and likely to interest large publishers. If so, she will help you craft the perfect query letter to a literary agent or occasionally, directly to a publisher. Englander, who has ghost written countless successful query letters for clients, stresses that first impressions are everything and that there are a few common mistakes aspiring writers that impact their prospects. “A query letter is an art form in itself,” says Englander.
She adds, “I spend a lot of time talking with authors, agents and editors. I’m really a matchmaker, between authors, agents and publishers. Sometimes, I’ll tell someone to self-publish if the book needs to get to market quickly. On occasion, I will tell someone the book needs more work before it can be submitted. I give practical advice based on many years in the book business. I don’t want authors, especially first-timers, wasting time, money and effort and ending up disappointed.”
As a book marketing specialist who deals daily with the media, I learned a long time ago that a common mistake in crafting media pitch letters is making them too long. We live in the Twitter world of 140 characters or less. This has trained people to be impatient and critical of long winded introductions. The same is true of query letters to an agent. A query letter should be no more than half a page. You have to know exactly what agents want to hear, what they’re looking for. Tell them only that and end the letter right there! Keep it short, keep it sweet and you’ll be one step closer to landing an agent.
Agents are in the business of selling books. They’re not our best friends, they’re not our therapists, and they’re not our life coaches. The best agents focus on what they do best which is generating enough excitement on a book and sell it for as high a price as possible. When you get paid, they get paid. End of story.
That’s why I like the concept of an “author matchmaker” because he or she can put the best possible spin on your book with an irresistible query letter to get an agent to pay attention. You know how to write – the author coach knows how to sell your book.
Alternatively, if you are a do-it-yourselfer then check out my article “How to Land a Literary Agent” on my blog: www.Book-Publicist.com
The Bottom Line: Why reinvent the wheel? Sign up with a book consultant like Debby Englander by dropping her a note at: [email protected]
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://www.WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at [email protected] or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
About Debra Englander
Englander served as editorial director at John Wiley Publishing for nearly 17 years and was on the receiving end of thousands of pitches from agents and authors. She currently works with authors on creating winning book proposals and editing manuscripts. https://www.linkedin.com/in/DebraEnglander
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
by Scott Lorenz | Agents, Author Advice, Blog, Book Marketing, Book Publishing, Literary Agent, Marketing a Book
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Communications
Landing an agent for many authors is the most sought after goal. Why? It’s been long considered the fastest and most profitable path to publishing success. If that is your goal then you’ll want to check out these tips, techniques and resources to help you land the quality literary agent you are seeking.
Where to begin?
Get up to speed with the latest information with books and resources on the topic. According to Jeff Herman, book agent and author of Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, authors should assess potential agents on the following points before sealing a deal:
1. The list of books the agent has sold to publishers, including the publishers’ and authors’ names.
2. The agent’s reputation online.
3. Why s/he likes your book and how s/he plans to market your book, with reference to a timeline and how much you’ll potentially earn.
Time to Get a Literary Agent
Note that real agents do not:
1. Charge upfront fees
2. Offer to edit for a fee
3. Sell adjunct services to their clients
4. Submit books to vanity or non-advance paying publishers
The critical step in the process is to research agents before you submit to them. Avoid agents who charge fees other than the standard 15 percent commission they receive on everything you get paid (your advance and royalties).
Narrow Your Search
Publishers Marketplace is one of the best places to research literary agents. Buy a subscription for $25 and access a wealth of information about publishing. With hundreds of agents hosting web pages, Publishers Marketplace is arguably the largest and most comprehensive repository to find info on top literary agencies. In fact, Publishers Marketplace claims to have “more e-mail and other contact information on more agents than any other source, updated daily.”
Member authors can create their own Publishers Marketplace web page and indicate they are seeking an agent, which advertises you to agent and publishers.
An added bonus to PublishersMarketplace.com is the deals database, which includes the actual dollar figure of the advances paid to authors for many books. The daily updates provide essential information and searches reveal editors’ buying patterns and more. The site also hosts a contact database that tracks editors on the move. Find out more here: https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/benefits.shtml
Other resources to consider include:
1. Manuscript Wish List visit: https://mswishlist.com/
2. AgentQuery.com
3. QueryTracker.net
4. WritersMarket.com
5. Chuck Sambuchino’s Guide to Literary Agents 2017
Social media is also a powerful tool to locate agents. Search social media for associations of agents— there are plenty. Michael Larsen, literary agent, suggests authors check out the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR) http://www.aaronline.org/ as an outlet for finding quality agents. According to Larsen, “The 450 agents in AAR are the best source of experienced, reputable agents. Members are required to follow the AAR’s code of ethics.”
Another resource for finding agents is simply the acknowledgments section in books similar to what you envision your own book to be. Read the acknowledgments and collect the names of those agents mentioned and contact them directly.
Don’t be shy— Have a presence.
Share your personal brand with the world, both online and in person. It’s wise to create professional social media accounts, an online work portfolio or blog. According to Michael Larsen, “Let agents find you- be visible online and off, get published and give talks, publicize your work and yourself. When you’re visible enough, agents will find you.” This strategy worked for Andy Weir, author of The Martian. After selling 35,000 ebooks for $.99 and topping Amazon’s Sci-Fi Bestseller List, an agent contacted Weir and he was soon represented by Random House for a book deal. On top of that FOX contacted him for the film rights of his novel. The rest is history.
A popular networking strategy is to attend writers’ conferences. Particularly for first-time authors, there’s no better way to get to an agent than at a conference. Agents typically won’t sign authors on the spot, but accept their advice and remember that networking is pivotal to a successful career. According to Chip MacGregor, literary agent and author of Ask the Agent, “I love writers’ conferences. Don’t go thinking you’re going to land an agent; just plan to meet people and learn a lot.” Where are the best conferences? Here’s a list I’ve compiled of upcoming writer’s conferences. https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/writers-conferences-put-authors-road-success/
Make It Perfect. Practice Proper Etiquette
“Nothing detracts from good writing like bad editing,” says Debra Englander an experienced non-fiction editor and writer. “Submit your best work. Have it copy edited and proofread by a professional. Don’t ruin a potential relationship with an agent because of mistakes.” Englander served as editorial director at John Wiley Publishing for nearly 17 years and was on the receiving end of thousands of pitches from agents and authors. She currently works with authors on creating winning book proposals and editing manuscripts.
Also, research an agent before you submit to them and check the agent’s guidelines before packaging and submitting your work. Before you commit to an agent, settle any unfinished business with others still considering your work. Just make it clear that you have an offer that requires an immediate decision.
If you think you’re ready to be placed with an agent, consider the direction your writing career is headed. According to Chuck Sambuchino, author of the Guide to Literary Agents, “Most agents say they’re looking to represent careers, not books.”
The Bottom Line: Agents can land you the deal you could never obtain yourself. But the pursuit of an agent can take months and years. If you still want an agent then study up and do it now!
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://www.WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at [email protected] or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
