David V Hartley

R. Dodge Woodson asked:


R. Dodge Woodson

www.lonewolfent.net

 

Writing A Book Proposal

            The first step in getting a publisher to publish your book idea is writing a book proposal. This intimidates some people. It doesn’t have to be frightening. Once you know the components of a professional book proposal you can attack it one phase at a time and prevail with a superior proposal. If you can’t create a winning book proposal you are not likely to be able to sell or write a book.

            What does a book proposal consist of? The basic elements are as follows:

Cover letter Title of the book Table of contents Audience Competition Concept and approach Credentials Reviewers Sample chapters Contact information

 Cover Letter

            Your cover letter should be concise. Keep it to a single page. This letter is your sales pitch, so make every word count. Tell in no more than two paragraphs why a publisher should be interested in your idea. Follow this with a brief review of your credentials to author the book and then lead into the proposal contents.

Title of Book

            Choose the title of your book carefully. Don’t make it too long. Avoid being cute with the title. If you are selling a how-to book, the title should reflect the subject matter. An example might be: Remodel Your Bathroom in Less Than a Month! Another example could be: Building Your Own Compositing System. The book title is the beginning hook for securing a publisher, so invest enough time in it to make yourself successful.

 Table of Contents

            How long should a table of contents be? As long as it needs to be. Most non-fiction books contain between 10 and 20 chapters. I would say a good average is around 16 chapters. The word count for such a book is likely to be between 50,000 words and 85,000 words.

            Chapters do not have to be equal in length. You should make them as long as they need to be to convey the required information to readers. A table of contents should begin with a heading for an introduction. From there, you list chapters in numerical order as they will appear in the book. Under each chapter title you should either write a paragraph that explains what the chapter will contain or use a bullet list of at least five key topics to be covered in the chapter.

            Consider if your book will benefit from a glossary or appendix materials. If so, this information should be listed on the table of contents.

 Audience

            Who is the audience for your book? Never say everyone. There should be a prime audience and a secondary audience. If you are writing a book about treasure hunting, your prime audience will be treasure hunters. Secondary markets could be bottle diggers, metal detecting enthusiasts and so forth. The more defined list of an audience you provide, the better your chances of making a sale are.

 Competition

            You need to know your competition and point it out to your perspective publisher. Don’t look for a book that has never been written. Publishers like the comfort level of being able to check the sales records of similar types of books to see what the likelihood of success is for your project.

            Online book stores are excellent places to conduct your research. Find three books that match your concept as closely as possible. Then record the following data for your proposal:

 

Book title Author’s name Publisher’s name Date of publication Number of pages in the book Price of the book International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for the book

Determine what makes your book idea better or different and explain it to the publisher. If you can’t do this, your book will probably not get published by a major publisher.

 Concept and Approach

            The concept and approach is your big sales pitch. This is where you describe the contents of your book, your credentials, and what will make your book a pleasure to publish and profit from. This section is usually about two pages long.

            When fleshing out the concept and approach you will want to include the types of illustrations you will use and how many of them the book will contain. How many book pages do you foresee the book having? Will you incorporate tip boxes or sidebars?

            Don’t worry about pricing the book or suggesting cover designs. The publisher will take care of this when the time comes.

            Use this section to describe your writing style. Conversational style is usually desired. Tell the publisher whatever is suitable to your topic in a way to make the book appear more desirable.

 Credentials

            Credentials are a key element in selling a non-fiction book. List all of your experience related to the subject matter. Make note of your education, licenses held, or other information that makes you the right author for the book. List any organizations that you belong to that might be conducive to special sales. Essentially, sell yourself.

 Reviewers

            Many publishers will want to receive a minimum of three peer reviews of a proposal before taking a project to the editorial board for approval. Include the names, titles, credentials, and contact information for people knowledgeable of your subject who may be willing to do a review for the publisher. The publisher is likely to use your people and some of their own for the reviews.

 Sample Chapters

            Many publishers will require one or two sample chapters from unknown authors. This allows the publisher to study your style and ability. It is best to use chapters from around the middle of the book. Avoid using the first or last chapter. Make your work shine. If you have gotten to the stage where a publisher is willing to read your sample work, you are well on the way to getting a book contract.

 Contact Information

            Don’t forget to include all of your contact information for publishers to use. It may be surprising, but some authors fail to do this. Make yourself accessible and easy to contact if you want to make a sale.

 Submission

            The last step is the submission of your proposal. Some publishers will accept electronic submissions while others want printed pages submitted. Check the publisher’s guidelines for the name of the editor to submit your work to and in what form the work should be submitted.

            Publishers frown on multiple submissions. Don’t send your proposal to more than one publisher at a time.

            Once you make your submission, it is a waiting game. Quick answers are often rejections. Expect it to take weeks to get any type of desirable reaction from a publisher. Be patient. If you are lucky, you will get a phone call when you least expect it to discuss the prospects of publishing your book. Making the sale will be an unforgettable experience.

Reader Views asked:


 

Every author wants glowing book reviews with quotable sentences to use as testimonials. A good review makes readers flock to the bookstore to buy the book.

 

But how do authors get their books reviewed? While the process is not difficult, the book review industry is changing. Today’s authors must designate a portion of their marketing budget for book reviews, and they must know how to use those book reviews to sell books.

 

Why Are Book Reviews Important?

 

More than 200,000 books are published each year. Less than 2% of those books sell more than 500 copies. We’ve all heard the saying, “So many books. So little time.” People don’t want to waste time or money reading books they won’t enjoy, so they rely on book reviews to help them make buying decisions. Your book will stand out if it receives positive reviews from reliable reviewers.

 

Where Do I Get a Book Review?

 

There are five top book reviewers: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, Midwest Book Review, and The New York Times; however, if you’re self-published, it is unlikely your book will be reviewed by any of them. Reviews from local newspapers and magazines will only help you sell books locally. Furthermore, print publications are phasing out book reviews. So where can an author still get a good book review? The Internet.

 

Online book reviews are becoming standard, and your book’s review will reach a wider audience on the Internet. Online reviews level the playing field for self-published authors. Today, people are less inclined to read paper magazines and newspapers. They go online for information. Reviews posted at Amazon and other online sites are more accessible than print reviews. Reader Views and RebeccasReads are examples of reliable online book reviewers of both traditional and self-published books.

 

Free vs. Paid Reviews

 

Authors generally expect free book reviews; that was standard in the twentieth century—advertisements paid for the book reviews in print media. Today, however, authors must cover the cost of book reviews. A book reviewer may spend hours reading a book and writing a review, and he deserves compensation for his work. Consequently, authors must budget for the cost of book reviews. Authors are recommended to budget for mailing out a minimum of twenty books for review.

 

How Do Paid Book Reviews Work?

 

Paid reviews have multiple advantages. Most publications that offer free reviews do not guarantee a book review because of the volume of books submitted. Only by paying for a review can one be guaranteed. Reputable book reviewers will provide a review within a specific timeline—two weeks is standard. They will also provide a review tear-sheet for your use, and give you permission to quote the review, provided you credit them. Many reviewers will also post your review online at such places as their own website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ezine Articles, Goodreads and Authors Den.

 

Several online book reviewers, such as Reader Views, will give you the option of a free or paid book review. Reader Views will review the book for free provided one of their reviewers is interested in it. If no one opts to review it after three months, the book is returned without a review. If authors do not want to wait three months for a review, an express review can be purchased to guarantee a review within two weeks.

 

Several book reviewers, including Reader Views, also offer various publicity packages ranging from a single book review, to written and podcast radio interviews, virtual book tours, and book videos. Such packages allow authors the opportunity to get book reviews and publicity within their budget.

 

Just because you pay for a book review does not mean a good review is guaranteed. It is better to receive an honest review than one that gives false praise. The reviewer’s reputation is at stake here; readers will not appreciate being misled to waste their time and money on a book that does not meet their expectations.

 

How Do I Use a Book Review to Sell Books?

 

Before you do anything with your book review, make sure you know what permissions the reviewer has given you for using the review. Are you allowed to use it in whole or only a certain percentage? Can you reprint it or quote from it?

 

Once you know your rights, some suggestions for using the review to help sell books are:

 





Post it to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ezine Articles, Authors Den, Goodreads, Myspace etc. if the reviewer has not already done so.





Quote from the review on your book cover and the inside end papers. (If your book is already printed, use the review when you run a second printing).





Include the review in your press kit to gain more media attention.





Post and distribute the review at your book signings.





Post the review on your website.





Send copies of the review in your email newsletters.





 

 

Final Comments

 

More information about book reviews will be covered in future articles. But for now, here are a couple closing points:

 





Be professional. Send the reviewer a thank you note. Whether you receive a positive or negative review, the reviewer has done you a favor. The reviewer’s comments will help you improve your next book or the next edition of your book. Even a negative review can be used to build a positive relationship with a reviewer, who will appreciate your professionalism. The book world is a small place and you do not want word to spread that you are difficult. Seek to build long-term relationships with book reviewers, and through them, with your reading audience.





Be prepared for the book review to increase your book sales! A good review is worthless if you do not have copies of books to sell. Be prepared to fulfill your book orders so your customers are satisfied. After all, you want your book to be a bestseller!





 

 

 

Joni Pypers asked:


You want to write a book – a very exciting and challenging undertaking. Good for you. You have a great book idea – an idea that you believe needs to be in print. You believe that other people have an interest in what you have to say. You believe that many people will buy your book, and if you do the job of writing correctly, many people WILL buy your book. 

It is your dream to have your book in every bookstore in the country, perhaps even in several countries. But wait, have you planned beyond bookstore sales? Many authors are unaware that there are many markets for books beyond the bookstores. The bookstores may be your first market, but there are many other “hidden” markets, and here are some key book marketing tips to help you tap into those markets.

Let’s begin with the job of writing the book. When you put “pen to paper”, it is important that you focus on one audience but write for many markets. Let’s begin by identifying why you are writing a book. Some people merely want to be a published author, giving them claim to a copyright and their name on a book. That is satisfaction enough. They don’t care about the financial return or the development of writing or publishing as a career. Other people just want to write a family history and sell it to their extended family. Some people are interested only in selling to the attendees of their seminars. Many others, however, want to sell thousands of books in as many markets as possible. Decide at the beginning of the writing process why you are writing so that you can determine whether or not you are creating a business venture.

Once you have established your reason for writing, move on to what you are writing about. Don’t try to be all things to all people or the encyclopedic source of all information on a subject. Choose an area of a subject with which you are very familiar and develop your topic well so that you don’t overwhelm or bore your readers. For instance, if you are writing a cookbook, don’t try to be The Joy of Cooking – that’s already been done. Instead, write about a category of recipes, such as heritage recipes, or recipes of a region or culture, or recipes from famous restaurants, etc. Your goal is to make your book different, and better, than other cookbooks.

Having now decided on the why and the what, focus on the who, meaning who will buy your book. You believe that many people will be interested in your book, but let’s define “many”. Do you mean all of the people in your interest group, your church or your workplace, or do you mean everyone? A word of caution, though - there is NO book that is for everyone. Sure, everyone may need your book but not everyone will want it. If your book is a healthy lifestyle cookbook, everyone might need it, but only people who actually want to be healthy will buy it. Do some research on who those people are and where they are likely to actually buy your book. Understand their demographics: age group, income level, shopping habits, activities, etc. Now write for them. What information are your target readers looking for? Is their a gap in the information about a subject that is very familiar to you or in which you have the credentials to fill the gap? Make sure that your book solves a problem or problems for the reader, or make sure that your book will increase the well being of the reader. Avoid falling into the trap of writing to make yourself feel better – you are not the one who will buy your book. Or if you are, you are the only buyer that you will have!

The why, what and who now being defined, you can turn your attention to the where you can sell your book. Because there are many markets for books, decide early in the writing process just what those markets are and write to sell your book in those markets.

It is likely that the first market that will come to mind is traditional book stores, and of course they can be a vital part of your sales. Do your research in getting to know your competition on the book store shelves, i.e., look at the other books that have been written in your genre. What writing style is most appealing to a wide audience? Is there a gap in the information provided in the other books? Are there problems that have not been addressed? Find the needs and fill them. When you are satisfied with the information that you are providing, think about what will attract the book store buyers. They will want to know about your planned publicity campaign. If you want people to buy your book in book stores, you are responsible for letting people know that your book is available, thereby driving buyers to the stores.

Besides book stores, books are purchased in the nontraditional book market by display retailers, book clubs, catalogs, gift retailers, volume buyers (think Costco and Price Club), corporations, foundations and foreign markets. These markets are considered “hidden” because they exist outside the usual bookstore market, yet they account for many millions of dollars each year in book sales. In fact, we sell thousands of books to buyers like these every year (for more about our Book Marketing tips and secrets click here: Book Marketing Tips). These markets, however, do not buy any and every book. They are looking for books that appeal to their customers.

For instance, if you are writing a book about spiritual experiences, think about which of those markets will likely buy your book. Will you approach book clubs? If yes, which book clubs – those that specialize in spiritual books only, or those that market to the general public? Will you approach the gift market or catalogs? Each market evaluates its purchases for its own clientele. Book clubs that target the religious book reader have a greater interest in spiritual books than do general interest book clubs. Volume buyers, catalogs and gift buyers (unless they target a religious market), display retailers and corporations will very seldom buy a spiritual book. Foreign markets, however, are often very interested.

Even if your book is written for the general book trade, you can still think of corporations that might be able to use your book as a promotional item. Make a list of corporations that could be interested in your book and make sure that your writing supports their products or philosophy, and that what you are writing about will solve some problems for the corporate clients. For instance, one cookbook was targeted at busy people who want to follow a healthy lifestyle. It became a bestseller very quickly in the traditional book trade, but sales exploded when it was sold to pharmaceutical companies who used the book as support information for clients who needed to achieve a healthy weight. The book also sold successfully in foreign markets, to catalogs, as fund raisers and to shopping malls as a customer reward.

The point is: you need to know how to slant your writing for your markets. You can sometimes get around the road blocks by giving your book the look and feel of a gift book rather than one that is a “serious read”. Don’t give your book the look and feel of a thesis. Many volume buyers are looking for broad interest books that people buy on impulse as gifts. This approach to writing increases your market tremendously, so if you want to appeal to a very large audience, approach your subject from a much “lighter” angle.

However, if you are a professional speaker who knows that you have a very good chance of selling your book to your seminar attendees, and perhaps to the corporations who hire you, writing for a very broad market is not necessary. You are not even trying to sell to the impulse buyer. Your buyer is already looking for a source of expertise such as yours.

If you are planning to sell your book primarily from a website to a specific type of buyer, someone who is searching the internet for answers to a concern or problem, you can be as specific as you like. The general public, again in this instance, is not your market – you already have enough buyers to make you very successful.

 

So, before you begin the writing process, make an outline of your book. Then, look at your list of potential buyers. Have you filled their needs? If not, can you add information or chapters to your book that will increase the likelihood of sales to those buyers? If you want to sell thousands of books, think about the end user of your book and write for them, not for yourself. That is the ultimate book marketing tip. See you on the bestseller list!

© Copyright 2004 Ink Tree Ltd.

Suleman Thadha asked:


Finding a cheap book supplier is not going to be the toughest job for a person looking to buy cheap books. Narrowing down the kind of cheap book supplier is really the hard part because there are thousands of cheap book suppliers available. Used books, discounted books, books on auction, there are so many ways to find suppliers of cheap books. You can even go to your local library and find books for sale for pennies on the dollar. If you’re searching online, you will literally find hundreds of thousands of cheap book suppliers to choose from with hundreds to hundreds of thousands of titles. Searching for cheap books suppliers online can be thrilling, and with search engines to help you, any kind of used, new or rare bookstores can be found.

Cheap book suppliers can be individuals who sell books on their own or on auctions. Whether you’re interested in new or used books at cheap prices, cheap book suppliers will be able to help you suit all of your needs. There are online bookstores, local retail bookstores, wholesale bookstores, libraries, brick-and-mortar businesses and large chains that all supply cheap books. If you’re interested in used books, you can find cheap book suppliers everywhere that will sell them. Online bookstores, retail booksellers and wholesale booksellers all cater to the needs of individuals who need items shipped to them for convenience. It is possible to buy cheap books online and have your order waiting for you if you order from their website or call their customer service.

Cheap book suppliers carry books at discounted prices of every title and list their books conveniently by category. These categories include: Biography, Comics/ Graphic Novels, Children’s Books, Horror, Crime/ Thriller/ Mystery, Fiction, and even more. You will also find collectible, antique, and rare books, CDs and audio cassettes, and architecture categories also. If you are searching for authors, titles or ISBN numbers, buying online books makes it easy by allowing you to type in that author, title or ISBN number in a search bar to find what you have been looking for. Cheap book suppliers also have customer service by phone number or online form if you have trouble finding what you’re looking for. You can find the option to purchase cheap books by auction where you can discount the costs dramatically. Satisfaction guarantees cover any issue with the product or damaged products. Each cheap book supplier has their own company policies on exchanges and returns, and you can also be connected with customer service on their website if looking online.

There are many cheap book suppliers to choose from every city across the United States with varying amounts of titles. Finding the right online bookstore is easy, so test them out for your very next book buy. Customer service is a top priority and many of these cheap book suppliers will do their very best in order to ensure that you, the customer, are very satisfied with your book purchase. It is possible to find discounted titles, coupons or promotions for deals and specials for additional discounts on online bookstores as well.

Sarvesh Sharma asked:


India Today Book Club is one of the most popular book clubs that has been established by the reputed India Today Group. The main purpose of this club is to deliver the high quality books in those localities where people can not access excellent quality books at their place. It has the wide collection of books at heavy discounts on various subject areas for example, Information technologies, Medicine, Art and Reference books, Latest Fiction, Fitness and Health, Religion and Spirituality and many more. So an individual can easily find his favorite books here.

There are many benefits of India Today Book Club. Some of them are follows:-

1) Membership: On this book club, an individual can choose his required membership plan. It brings three types of membership plan. A person receives free gifts according to its choice of plan.

2) Book Club Selections: India Today Book Club provides a free subscription of book named Books Today that contains the list of books which are available on India Today Book Club. One can also search books on its website easily.

3) Payment Options: When you place order of books on India Today Book Club, you can make payment with your credit card by online facility. You can also send cheque and Demand draft at its address.

4) Free Delivery of Books: India Today Book Club does not take any shipping charges for the delivery of books. So a person can get his ordered books at home without paying any extra money.

5) Reward Points: If a group member places order for Rs.1000 and above, he will get some reward points in his membership account. These points can be utilized as future orders, renewals and gifting of membership.

Thus, India Today Book Club comes equipped with various advantages. This book club also provides heavy discounts on the cover or published price of the books. It can surely bring smiles to your loved ones. This book club is really an amazing book club.

Stephanie Chandler asked:


Self-publishing provides a wonderful opportunity for any author who wants to take control over the publishing process and get their words into print. But because self-publishing is so easy to accomplish with a few bucks and some typed pages, many authors make mistakes along the way.

As a former bookstore owner, I have seen it all. A steady stream of authors used to parade through the store with their books and I could instantly tell when a book was self-published on a budget. From low-quality cover design and lack of editing to unreasonable pricing and an absent marketing plan, at least 90% of the authors I encountered made some major mistakes.

You can avoid new author pitfalls by preparing to be successful. Following are some guidelines to get your started on your journey.

Quality Matters

Successful self-publishing starts by producing a book that looks like it is hot off the press from Random House or another major publisher. The cover should be professionally designed and the text should be thoroughly edited by a pro—not your spouse, friend or business partner. Your book is a reflection of you. It should be impressive from start to finish. Cutting corners with design and editing will surely be reflected in book sales.

Pricing Considerations

Some of the print on demand (POD) companies force authors to set unreasonable prices for their books. A standard bookstore will expect to purchase your book at 40% off of the retail price and Amazon.com takes a whopping 55% discount. The price for your book should be reasonable for your target audience, yet still leave room for you to make a profit.

For example, if your book has a retail price of $20, a bookstore will purchase it at 40% off which comes to $12. In order for you to make a profit, you should be able to purchase wholesale copies of your book for less than $12. Unfortunately, some publishers lure authors in with low set-up fees, but make up for it in higher per-book costs.

Conversely, I have seen 100-page trade paperbacks with a retail price of $25 or higher. Unless the subject matter is highly technical or specialized in an industry that can bear this kind of pricing, it will be difficult to convince consumers to pay such a high price for a short book. When researching publishing assistance, inquire about the purchase cost of your books and how the retail price will be set.

Placing Your First Order for Books

When researching the minimum order requirements of book publishers and printers, consider how many books you need. Your purchase price for books will always be lower when you order in large quantities. However, if you order thousands of copies, you will need a climate-controlled place to store them and plan for selling them.

I advise authors to order enough books for one year. This means that you must tabulate how many you believe you can sell. If you are a professional speaker and can pre-sell books to companies and associations, you may be able to commit to several thousand copies. If your book is more of a hobby for you and you will be selling them out of the trunk of your car one at a time, it probably doesn’t make sense to order thousands at a time.

Make a list of potential sales opportunities and how many you think you can sell over the course of a year. Also, if you’re serious about marketing your book, plan to send out at least 100 review copies to media professionals. Book reviews sell books and authors should be willing to give books away in order to gain valuable publicity. One mention in a local newspaper can translate into a flurry of book sales. Expand your reach to online media, bloggers, radio show hosts, television and trade journals and you will uncover plenty of opportunities.

Marketing Begins BEFORE You Publish

The biggest mistake an author can make is to wait until a book is in print to begin the promotion process. When it comes to the media, a book is most relevant in its first few months in print so timing is critical. There are literally hundreds of book marketing strategies that you can begin to tackle right away. Here are a few to get you started:

*       Get known online through your website and/or blog. Add content related to your book and of interest to your target audience.

*       Leverage the power of social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Participate in one or more of these sites to gain exposure.

*       Write interesting articles and make them available for reprint through sites like www.ezinearticles.com and www.IdeaMarketers.com. Make sure to include a brief author bio that mentions your book and include a link to your website. Offer articles for reprint to as many websites and print publications that you can find that reach your target audience.

*       Ask your family, friends and peers to help spread the word. Ask who they know who might be able to help. Perhaps your aunt Jane has a friend who is a book reviewer for a major newspaper. Or your sister may know the host of a talk radio show. You won’t know until you ask.

*       Get on the speaking circuit. Put together a couple of speeches related to your subject matter and pitch them to your local trade and community associations (chambers of commerce, Rotary clubs, specialty associations). When your audience likes what you have to say, they will naturally want to buy your book. If you enjoy speaking, you can expand beyond your local community and even get paid to travel and speak to audiences around the world. (By the way, the fact that you are a published author is going to open doors of opportunity for speaking engagements. If you want to refine your skills, consider joining a local chapter of Toastmasters.)

Your book can become the best business card you have as it will allow you to uncover opportunities beyond your imagination. However, if your book isn’t professionally produced and you fail to develop a book marketing plan, those opportunities could pass you by. Do your homework before you take this major step so that you can prepare yourself for a fantastic journey.

Sarvesh Sharma asked:


 

Do you want to save your money on your favorite books, then book clubs are the best option for you. On these clubs, you can place order of your favorite books from numerous book sections. Every person, who is fond of reading books, can enjoy reading by joining reading groups. You can easily find books of your choice on these book clubs. These book clubs have the special deals with the book publishers. That’s why, one can get books at the very reasonable prices. They also deliver your books at your address without charges any extra money. So you need not go for shopping the books in the market and you can purchase your books without any hassle. These reading groups save your money and time.

 

 

There are lots of advantages of book clubs, but an individual should have some cautious before joining the book club.

Some book clubs choose books for you and deliver them at your home. In these clubs, you can not choose books according to your requirements. But some book clubs allow you to select your books that meet your requirements. Some clubs also take the extra shipping charges for the delivery books. So you should aware of these charges. Some book clubs offer exclusive gifts but they provide the bad quality books to its members. So you should consult with your friends before joining any club. Many book clubs give introductory offer on becoming its member but they give other books on the very high price. So you should always compare the prices of the books and offers with the other book clubs and you should choose the right one according to your needs.

 

 

Most of the clubs have been designed for the particular age of people. But India today Book Club, India’s most appreciated book club, brings the large collection of books for everyone. So you need not join lots of book clubs. This club has numerous books on various categories such as Information Technology, Religion and Spirituality, History, Military, Children’s choice, Best Sellers, Non-Fiction, Fiction and much more. India Today Book Club not only allows the group member to choose your favorite books, but it also delivers books at your home without taking any shipping charges. It also arranges a meeting with other group members for the discussion of a book. So, this is the best book club that gives all the facilities to its group members.