RADIO INTERVIEWS

You've learned 12 key steps to radio interviews with the exception of the list which will direct you to the places where you can locate countless radio stations. Before you know it, you will be a famous person. Now all you have to do is get the riches to go with it. Every single book sales helps you reach that goal as well.

WEBSITES FOR LOCATING RADIO STATIONS

www.npr.org/members
www.gebbieinc.com/radiointro.htm
www.newslink.org/stratradi.html
www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/page?page+states
www.radio-directory.fm/st_list.cfm
www.links.radio-online.com/stations.htm
www.topradio.com
www.live-radio.net/us.shtml
www.christianradio.com
www.allaboutjazz.com/radiostations.htm
www.radioscout.com/sevlet/RadioScout.MainPage
www.carnegielibrary.org/subject/media/radio.html

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Did you miss Steps 1-12? Check out our archives!

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
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RADIO INTERVIEWS

Step 10. Take charge, if necessary. This usually doesn’t happen, because the interviewers are pros who know how to lead a conversation, avoiding what is called “dead space,” which is a period of time of silence. Above all, don’t freeze! If the host asks you a question, be quick to respond. If the question brings something interesting or amusing to mind, even if you haven’t covered it with the interviewer in previous conversations, by all means veer a little. An interviewer would far rather have a guest who talks too much than one who talks too little.

Step 11. Don’t overlook tie-ins. If the radio station is in the area where your book is set, by all means tell about the relationship between your book and the location. When you are on the radio, location is a very vital part of the plugs that will endear you to readers.

Step 12. Stretch your wings. Once you have done several local or regional radio interviews, begin to reach farther out. You probably won’t land a spot on Larry King Live or Oprah, but you can gain a lot of popularity by expanding your horizons. Be sure to include the places that your book addresses. If it is set on Cape Code, contact radio stations there. If it is in San Francisco, head in that direction. If you speak a foreign language, such as Spanish or Italian, and there are radio stations with at least part of their programming in those languages, arrange for interviews there. Even though your book is in English, many people who speak other languages also read English.

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Visit tomorrow for more tips on Radio Interviews!
Did you miss Steps 1-9? Check out our archives!

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
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RADIO INTERVIEWS

Step 8. Verify the appointment. Do this just one day before you are to appear. If there is a worldwide emergency, of course you will be postponed, but barring that, you want to make sure they remember that you are to be the guest on the following day.

Step 9. Make preparations at home. Even though you are in your own home for the interview, make sure you have made proper arrangements in advance for such things as child care for your children, the dog and cat are well under control (and outside if possible), if you have a second phone line that the ringer is turned off, nothing is cooking on the stove and you are far enough from the doorbell that if anyone rings it the host won’t be able to hear it and the “ringer” will think you are not at home.

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Visit tomorrow for more tips on Radio Interviews!
Did you miss Steps 1-7? Check out our archives!

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
Do you have a marketing tip that you'd like to share?
Has this site helped you with ideas for marketing?
Go to our "Comments" section below and post your feedback.
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RADIO INTERVIEWS

Step 5. Advertise. Inform everyone you know when and where you will be on the radio.

Step 6. Inform the local bookstores well in advance. One of the questions that will always be asked is “Where is your book available?” Make sure the bookstores have plenty of copies of your book on hand. If possible, set up a book signing for the following day.

Step 7. Make posters and put them up. These do not have to be fancy, but if you can include a picture of yourself, a picture of your book cover, the date and radio station, this can do wonders for increasing your listening audience. Where do you put them? If you live in an apartment building, put one up there. Put them in the grocery stores, the library, laundromats, mall bulletin boards, any place you know there are people who read the bulletin boards. One word of caution here; some of these places require you to get permission from the service desk before you post things.

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Visit Monday for more tips on Radio Interviews!
Did you miss Steps 1-4? Check out our archives!

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
Do you have a marketing tip that you'd like to share?
Has this site helped you with ideas for marketing?
Go to our "Comments" section below and post your feedback.
We always love to hear from you!

RADIO INTERVIEWS

Step 3. Set up the time. This is so basic, it hardly seems worth stating. Still, the obvious is sometimes overlooked. Make sure you write the date and the hour on your calendar. You don’t want to be involved in something else when the phone rings and the time arrives.

Step 4. Go over the background of your book in your mind. This means not just the plot but how you got the idea, how you actually do the writing (how long it took, what kind of writing schedule you keep, how you did the research), the path you took to get it published, how long after it was accepted by a publisher until it actually was out and available for sale, what the reaction has been.

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Visit tomorrow for more tips on Radio Interviews! Did you miss Steps 1-2? Check out our archives!

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
Do you have a marketing tip that you'd like to share?
Has this site helped you with ideas for marketing?
Go to our "Comments" section below and post your feedback.
We always love to hear from you!

RADIO INTERVIEWS

There are a lot of old wives’ tales that affect our everyday life. Some of these fables have to do with our everyday life. When television first came out, people said all movie theaters would be forced to close. With the advent of computers, people said the postal system would become obsolete and paper would no more be necessary. Radio was certain to be outmoded with television. The Oscars are proof positive that the first statement was in error. More things are printed out from computers than ever. Have you ever tried to watch television while driving on a busy freeway? If in no other venue, radio is by far the most popular means of entertainment and enlightenment in automobiles than anything else. So, radio provides an excellent opportunity to air news of your book—and yourself—than ever.

The cream of the crop, radio wise, is National Public Radio. Besides, it is the most likely way to reach the “reading population” in the country. In fact, it goes far beyond just the boundaries of the United States. The NPR website says it like this: NPR Worldwide can be heard around the world on over 140 radio stations, in over 25 million satellite homes, in 7 million cable homes, and throughout Europe, Africa and Asia on World Space, and last but not least, on shortwave everywhere. You can’t get much better outreach than that.

During the next week, I'm going to share with you some general instructions on how to locate radio stations, how to contact them, how to make your “sales pitch” appealing and how to keep from being a boring radio guest. Beyond that, and perhaps even more importantly, you will find a list of online websites that will provide you with numerous places where you can find listings of radio stations, state-by-state.

One final word before we dig in. The majority of radio interviews are done by telephone from your own home. This has several advantages: you are more relaxed in your own surroundings; your outreach has virtually no geographical boundaries; finally, you don’t even have to get dressed up all fancy to go. I have a very good friend who used to work for a newspaper. Due to cutbacks, he was out job hunting. He tried for a couple of radio spots, but didn’t land either of them. Then he tried out for a position as news director at a local television station. He said what has become one of my favorite quotes: “I have a newspaper voice and a radio face.”

Okay, let’s get to work.

Step 1. Locate local radio stations. Local radio stations are always pleased to have “celebrities” they can feature. To do this, you can check on the websites we list at the end of this series. Or, you can take phone directories from your own area and check in the yellow pages under “Radio stations and broadcast companies.” Begin in your own back yard. This allows you to get a track record, so when you begin to branch out farther you can say, “I was the guest on…” and list the call letters of the stations you have been on, the name of the program host, and the date you appeared.

Step 2. Talk to the host of the program you will appear on. This is vital. A radio interview can be a nightmare if the personalities of the host and the guest clash. You will get a good sense of how the two of you communicate when you speak on the phone. If you sense tension, try to put him or her at ease. Find some common ground, even if it isn’t your book. Yes, the host is a pro at this and you are a rank amateur, but you can still take the lead if it is necessary.

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Visit tomorrow for more tips on Radio Interviews!

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
Do you have a marketing tip that you'd like to share?
Has this site helped you with ideas for marketing?
Go to our "Comments" section below and post your feedback.
We always love to hear from you!

Many authors feel that marketing is some arcane art that requires some alien skill or mindset, or view marketing as something carried out by people resembling the Marketing Trolls in Scott Adam's Dilbert© comics. Some think their publishers should be doing some or all of the work. Others don't like making public appearances. Most see writing and marketing as two completely separate things.

What if I told you that writing and promoting your book are two parts of the very same process and one can't live without the other? Here's a powerful concept that we sometimes forget: In all the billions of years this universe has existed, there has never been a person like you nor will there ever be again. You are, have been, and always will be unique. People flock to museums to see unique pieces of art. Doesn't yours deserve at least some attention?

Marketing is an art like any other. Sure, there's science behind it. There's science behind sculpture, architecture, painting, music, and writing. Does your book follow grammatical rules? Enough said. The whole point of marketing is to convey a message about you and your book to people in a position to buy that book. You already know how to create effective messages. After all, what's your book but a collection of tens of thousands of words that convey a message in the form of a story?

Now let's talk about organization. Your marketing message will be confusing and lost unless it's well organized. You already know how to organize like nobody's business. Your book is divided into chapters, each telling part of the story much like a room occupies part of a building. Whether you know it or not, you created an outline or blueprint for your story to follow. Your story is organized and structured on many levels. After all, it's impossible to begin a project without even a vague idea of what it should look like when completed.

Research: Whether you went to a library, surfed the internet, and/or drew from life experience, your book contains the results of varying extents of research. Research need not be formal to be valid. One author I spoke with had been a police detective for over 20 years before writing his first crime thriller. "I didn't do any research," he told me. "You did 20 years with no time off for good behavior," I replied.

Do you or have you worked in sales, marketing, advertising, merchandising, design, or a similar field? All of those entail creating enticing results that usually directly or indirectly influence a purchasing decision. If you've already done it for other goods and services, your book isn't much different.

You wrote a book containing thousands of words over a period of time that holds the same train of thought all the way through to completion. That takes concentration, drive, passion, enthusiasm, belief in yourself, and a small amount of masochism — just the right mix for marketing!

Don't forget emotional response: People usually buy products because they evoke a conscious or unconscious emotional response. Spend a few minutes looking at your books. Do you remember how you felt as you read them? Books are all about emotional experiences. You wrote a book. Ergo, you know how to elicit emotional responses.

Let's talk about that masochism bit some more. Authors write because they can't not write. Some overwhelming force drives them onward. And writing is an isolating pursuit. Can you write while carrying on a conversation with a room full of people? You probably have a room or corner with a typewriter or computer somewhere in your house. Your family or roommates long ago learned to steer clear of that place, especially when you're working. You either need deathly quiet or controlled noise such as music while writing. Got friends over? Baby crying? Forget it. Writing isolates you by definition. The only way to balance the isolation of writing is by the exposure called marketing. The two go together. Think of it like your arms and legs, which are all part of your one body.

Let's summarize: You know how to create an organized message, conduct research, and elicit emotional responses. You've got concentration, drive, passion, enthusiasm, belief in yourself, and love a little punishment. Wow — you've already got what it takes to be a marketer and probably never even knew it! All you need to do is put as much creativity into your marketing as you do your writing and you're one big step ahead of the game.

Don't have lots of time and/or money to market your books? There's an ancient tale of a church with a collection box out front. Rich merchants dumped bags of gold into the box as they entered. Then a poor widow put in two pennies. Who gave more? Quantity-wise, the merchants. But what about quality? The merchants' largess was only a tiny fraction of their net worth but the destitute widow gave all she had.

Same with marketing; it isn't so much about how much you throw at it as how earnestly. One hundred wisely spent dollars can go further than ten thousand squandered dollars. Do as much or as little as you can, but do everything sincerely and determinedly. And remember the words of Al Franken while playing Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live: "You're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like you"!

To market something effectively, you need to know exactly what it is you're selling. As authors, the answer may seem obvious. But is it? Stay tuned.

--Anthony Hernandez
Senior Partner
Dawnstar Books
www.DawnstarBooks.com

______________________________________________________________
Do you have a marketing tip that you'd like to share?
Has this site helped you with ideas for marketing?
Go to our "Comments" section below and post your feedback.
We always love to hear from you!

SEASONAL HITS

Know your market. Sounds simple, right? Too often writers look at their targeted reader—by age, gender, genre, etc. But, too often we forget to look at the calendar in connection with our books. The time of the year can be the best marketing tool we have.

Some holidays, of course, are overdone. Saturated to the hilt. There are probably more tools aimed at Christmas than any one single day of the year. So, we will put that aside for the time being and over the next few days you will find a list of holidays (or seasons) that are often forgotten or ignored. If you are working on your next book, why not center it on a certain event or day? It will make it much easier to “plug into” that marketing tool.

November — Thanksgiving or Veteran’s Day

Thanksgiving is the holiday when more families get together than any other except Christmas. Think in terms of family. Is there a mystery in the past that has been “hush-hush” for as long as you can remember? Create a mystery to solve the problem once it surfaces over the turkey and stuffing.

December — The Winter Solstice

Forget about Christmas for a minute. Imagine a couple of astronomers who just happen to get stuck in a blizzard at the same lonely cabin. They are both dead set on finding the North Star, but they won’t look in the same direction!

The examples I’ve shared with you are by no means extensive. They are merely suggestions to tweak your imagination.

Once you have your book written and published, the real work begins. But, by the means you have created, using the calendar as your best marketing tool, you have something to offer to both online and brick and mortar bookstores. You have the best tool you could possibly have. You have a product that will fill niche that has long been empty. Pitch your book to store managers far and wide. With just a little extra work, you can be the one book that will find a place on an end-cap in a bookstore, or on a front rack, or on the very top of the online store when you open their site. Make them realize that you have the best thing invented since sliced bread!

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Did you miss seasonal ideas for January through October? Check out our archives!

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
Do you have a marketing tip that you'd like to share?
Has this site helped you with ideas for marketing?
Go to our "Comments" section below and post your feedback.
We always love to hear from you!

SEASONAL HITS

Know your market. Sounds simple, right? Too often writers look at their targeted reader—by age, gender, genre, etc. But, too often we forget to look at the calendar in connection with our books. The time of the year can be the best marketing tool we have.

Some holidays, of course, are overdone. Saturated to the hilt. There are probably more tools aimed at Christmas than any one single day of the year. So, we will put that aside for the time being and over the next few days you will find a list of holidays (or seasons) that are often forgotten or ignored. If you are working on your next book, why not center it on a certain event or day? It will make it much easier to “plug into” that marketing tool.

September — Labor Day or Back-to-School

How about a romance with a workaholic? Could be either a man or woman. Or, how about an older-than-average student who is returning to college?

October — Halloween or Columbus Day

Halloween is the perfect setting for mysteries. Another good shot of getting a lot of good coverage for this is a children’s book of games, etc. which can be used for parties. With so many people worried about the dangers of the old trick-or-treat scene, this could hit the bestseller list if you put some creativity, research, and fun into it.

For Columbus Day, how about an historical that sends a young woman posing as a man who stowed away on the Nina, the Pinta or the Santa Maria?

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Visit tomorrow: November and December Seasonal Hits

Did you miss seasonal ideas for January through August? Check out our archives!

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
Do you have a marketing tip that you'd like to share?
Has this site helped you with ideas for marketing?
Go to our "Comments" section below and post your feedback.
We always love to hear from you!

SEASONAL HITS

Know your market. Sounds simple, right? Too often writers look at their targeted reader—by age, gender, genre, etc. But, too often we forget to look at the calendar in connection with our books. The time of the year can be the best marketing tool we have.

Some holidays, of course, are overdone. Saturated to the hilt. There are probably more tools aimed at Christmas than any one single day of the year. So, we will put that aside for the time being and over the next few days you will find a list of holidays (or seasons) that are often forgotten or ignored. If you are working on your next book, why not center it on a certain event or day? It will make it much easier to “plug into” that marketing tool.

July — Independence Day

This one is perfect for a woman’s fiction book on making her own way in a “man’s world,” proving that she is up for any challenge life—and corporate America—can dish out.

August — Summer Vacation

August is the only month on our calendar that does not have an official holiday. This is the perfect time to tap into a vacation theme. It is traditionally known as the “slowest month” in traditional publishing. Capitalize on that by filling the gap.

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Visit tomorrow: September and October Seasonal Hits

Did you miss seasonal ideas for January through June? Check out our archives!

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
Do you have a marketing tip that you'd like to share?
Has this site helped you with ideas for marketing?
Go to our "Comments" section below and post your feedback.
We always love to hear from you!

SEASONAL HITS

Know your market. Sounds simple, right? Too often writers look at their targeted reader—by age, gender, genre, etc. But, too often we forget to look at the calendar in connection with our books. The time of the year can be the best marketing tool we have.

Some holidays, of course, are overdone. Saturated to the hilt. There are probably more tools aimed at Christmas than any one single day of the year. So, we will put that aside for the time being and over the next few days you will find a list of holidays (or seasons) that are often forgotten or ignored. If you are working on your next book, why not center it on a certain event or day? It will make it much easier to “plug into” that marketing tool.

May — Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is perfect for both fiction and non-fiction. How about a do-it-yourself book of simple handicraft projects for children to make for their mothers? Or, a romance that gives an elderly mother a chance at a new life after losing her lifelong mate. Or, if you want something different, why not do some research on the Russian May Day celebration and do an historical novel set in the midst of it? Or, a mystery where the clues are left on the doorknobs of various town citizens in May Day baskets?

June — Father’s Day

How about either a mystery or a romance where the father of a family who has left home wants desperately to get back to his family, but he is wandering around with amnesia. Or, a family saga where the children who have been separate since early childhood all set out to reunite and all roads lead to Daddy?

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Visit Monday: July and August Seasonal Hits

Did you miss seasonal ideas for January through April? Check out our archives!

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
Do you have a marketing tip that you'd like to share?
Has this site helped you with ideas for marketing?
Go to our "Comments" section below and post your feedback.
We always love to hear from you!

SEASONAL HITS

Know your market. Sounds simple, right? Too often writers look at their targeted reader—by age, gender, genre, etc. But, too often we forget to look at the calendar in connection with our books. The time of the year can be the best marketing tool we have.

Some holidays, of course, are overdone. Saturated to the hilt. There are probably more tools aimed at Christmas than any one single day of the year. So, we will put that aside for the time being and over the next few days you will find a list of holidays (or seasons) that are often forgotten or ignored. If you are working on your next book, why not center it on a certain event or day? It will make it much easier to “plug into” that marketing tool.

March — St. Patrick’s Day

There are a lot of books of Irish sayings, Irish castles and Irish history. But, try to put a new spin on an old story. Put an Irish cop in New York City in the center of a mystery. Put an Irish washerwoman in an historical romance. Or, try an Irish wolfhound as the hero in an adventure.

April — Easter

There are almost no books written about Easter unless they are religious inspirationals. Why not use the opportunity to try your hand at an inspirational romance, where the pastor finds true love on Easter. Easter, like New Year’s, is a symbol of new beginnings. If you are a little warped, you might have a mystery with some guy who is running around, acting as loony as they come, either claiming to be Jesus Christ or Judas Iscariot. Be creative!

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Visit Tomorrow: May and June Seasonal Hits

Did you miss seasonal ideas for January and February? Check out our archives!

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
Do you have a marketing tip that you'd like to share?
Has this site helped you with ideas for marketing?
Go to our "Comments" section below and post your feedback.
We always love to hear from you!

SEASONAL HITS

Know your market. Sounds simple, right? Too often writers look at their targeted reader—by age, gender, genre, etc. But, too often we forget to look at the calendar in connection with our books. The time of the year can be the best marketing tool we have.

Some holidays, of course, are overdone. Saturated to the hilt. There are probably more tools aimed at Christmas than any one single day of the year. So, we will put that aside for the time being and over the next few days you will find a list of holidays (or seasons) that are often forgotten or ignored. If you are working on your next book, why not center it on a certain event or day? It will make it much easier to “plug into” that marketing tool.

January — New Year’s Day

Concentrate on new beginnings. This works for both fiction and non-fiction. If you are writing a romance, imagine a woman whose husband has deserted her and her children (whether through divorce, death or whatever). What a better way to give a person hope than to introduce hope for a new life. If you are more inclined to write mysteries, why not try your hand at the really evil guy getting his comeuppance in the most well-deserved way you can. Justice prevails! If you write non-fiction, an inspirational collection of people who suffered defeat but who overcame can offer that little push everybody needs after a bad year.

February — President’s Day

There are a lot of romances, especially, aimed at Valentine’s Day. So, why not move away from that. What if the hero is a guy who is as honest as Abe Lincoln—but underneath it all lies a heart as sinister as—well, whoever. Make him the bad guy in a mystery—the guy everybody trusts but who can pull off the worst crimes of the era. Or, if you lean more towards George Washington, why not try an historical novel set during the Revolutionary War?

--Janet Elaine Smith
Just Released: Dakota Printer
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
(and 12 other novels)

Visit Tomorrow: March and April Seasonal Hits

Learn more about Janet by visiting her website:
http://www.janetelainesmith.com
Also see Janet's marketing tools by visiting:
http://sosforauthors.tripod.com

______________________________________________________________
Do you have a marketing tip that you'd like to share?
Has this site helped you with ideas for marketing?
Go to our "Comments" section below and post your feedback.
We always love to hear from you!

"In March of 2002, Ken Dawes and I decided to write a book on the Santa Cruz Mountains wineries. In October of 2003 we received about 3,000 copies of Mountain Vines, Mountain Wines and within two months close to half of them had been distributed. We’d received two positive reviews – including one in the San Jose Mercury News – and our sales figures had covered our printing cost.

The following continues with the third essential ingredient (the right execution) we believe made our endeavor successful. I’ll also discuss some of the things we didn't do, but plan to incorporate in our next book on Monterey County wineries.

THE THREE ESSENTIALS OF SUCCESSFUL SELF-PUBLISHING

Part Five: The Right Execution

"We began our publishing experience with a dream in March of 2002. We decided that we wanted to have the book in time for the 2003 holiday season. Depending upon where we had it printed, the printing process could (and did) take three to four months.

We worked back on our calendar and determined when we needed to get different aspects of the book completed: interviews, writing, designs, editing, etc. Unfortunately, we were new at the process and underestimated the amount of work needed and the time needed to do it. In our case, we not only had to produce the book, but before we finished, we needed to interview and photograph 50 winemakers or winery owners. We drifted through most of 2002 and the beginning of 2003 before we realized we weren't going to reach our goal at the rate we were going. I was (and still am) holding down a full-time job which made scheduling interviews difficult.

In addition to waking up to how quickly time was passing, I hired a life coach, Laura Burkey, (http://www.lauraburkeycoaching.com). Laura asked the right questions and gave me appropriate pushes. There are also specialized book coaches who can help you through the process.

We did our first interview in August of 2002, but we had only done one more as 2003 rolled in. It took until May, 2003 to complete all the interviews. Each write-up was fact-checked by the people interviewed, and then underwent two to three rounds of editing. We were delayed by the fact-checking part of the process, since there was frequently a great deal of follow-up needed. We also had problems with folks that felt they needed to change more than the facts. With our new book we try to get them to understand exactly what they are editing up front. “We don’t tell you how to make your wine; you don’t tell us how to write,” usually works!

Ken had a steeper learning curve as book designer than he predicted. This also caused delays, but now we have a format with which we are comfortable, so the next book should take less time. Of course, we’ve also come up with ways to make the final product look even better.

While working on our first book, we took care of many pertinent administrative details:

• incorporating our firm
• doing initial set up with our accountant
• acquiring and understanding basic operation of QuickBooks
• setting up business bank accounts and credit cards
• obtaining ISBN numbers and Library of Congress numbers
• and many more!

Dan Poynter’s book has a good checklist that we referred to as a basis to determine what needed to be done.

Finally, the book was boiled down to roughly 400 megabytes (about 2/3 of a CD), and sent with a large check to Singapore. Four months later, in October 2003, the books arrived at our house and we’ve been selling them ever since. Of course, we are also working on our next book as well. There’s never a dull moment!

In order to succeed at self-publishing, you need to have an idea that you are passionate about and that fills a niche; a team comprised of enthusiastic and knowledgeable members; and the drive to achieve your goal.

Good luck!"

--Casey Young Dawes
Mountain Vines, Mountain Wines
Mountain Vines Publishing
www.MountainVinesPub.com
www.DoMyDream.com

Did you miss Parts 1-4? Check out our archives!

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"In March of 2002, Ken Dawes and I decided to write a book on the Santa Cruz Mountains wineries. In October of 2003 we received about 3,000 copies of Mountain Vines, Mountain Wines and within two months close to half of them had been distributed. We’d received two positive reviews – including one in the San Jose Mercury News – and our sales figures had covered our printing cost.

The following continues with more of the second essential ingredient (the right team) we believe made our endeavor successful. I’ll also discuss some of the things we didn't do, but plan to incorporate in our next book on Monterey County wineries.

THE THREE ESSENTIALS OF SUCCESSFUL SELF-PUBLISHING

Part Four: The Right Team (continued)

"Marketing is often treated as an afterthought when you are self-publishing, but it is actually one of most important aspects of the process. Whether you're working with a marketing coach, such as Jeanne Birnkrant (www.karunacoaching.com), or doing it yourself, developing a marketing plan for your book early in the writing process is essential. (Samples of marketing plans can be obtained by searching the Web or from marketing consultants in PMA.) A marketing plan will help you focus your efforts on creating a book that will sell. It’s also important to provide you with a plan of what to do when you finally get that book in your hand. For example, we prepared envelopes for all the reviewers we felt should get a copy of our book, as well as a press release kit, while the book was being printed. A final reason to develop a marketing plan is that most distributors won’t even look at your book unless you have one.

We used the section in Dan Poynter’s book on distribution to find our first distributor, Sunbelt Publications . We chose them because they specialized in regional books and our book was to be a regional publication. They were happy to look at a CD of the book and then sent us a contract. However, they would only distribute in southern California and the major chain stores. We were responsible for the rest. Sunbelt took 90 books and by the end of December 2003 they had distributed 85.

In the process of self-distribution in the Santa Cruz area, we heard about a local distributor, Otter B. Books. We contacted the owner and he has since taken care of many of the local stores on the west side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. We contacted another distributor for the east side of the mountains, but they declined to take us on, although they didn't send us an explanation for this. Recently, we started negotiations with the Wine Appreciation Guild, a distributor that specializes in wine books.

All of our contracts have been non-exclusive. (Non-exclusive agreements allow you to list your book with several distributors; an exclusive agreement limits you to just one.) This seems to be the best method in order to gain the widest coverage.

We also joined the Amazon Advantage program, mainly to gain a presence on Amazon.com – again for credibility – although by the end of December they had only sold seven books. (You can also get on Amazon with a better contract through PMA, but we realized that after we went through the Advantage program.) Meanwhile, we keep distributing books ourselves everywhere we can!

In order to make all of this come together on time, you need someone who can coordinate everything and insure that work comes together in order to meet your deadline. I had had project management experience and performed this role in our two-person firm which leads us to the final essential of successful self-publishing – right execution.

--Casey Young Dawes
Mountain Vines, Mountain Wines
Mountain Vines Publishing
www.MountainVinesPub.com
www.DoMyDream.com

Visit the Writer's Corner tomorrow for Part Five: The Right Execution