Author: J P Robinson

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Authorpreneur

Supercharge Your Reach, Part Three

Throughout this series I’ve emphasized one main point—increasing your reach is vital to your writing career. I’ve also shared two ways to grow your reach. In this post, I’d like to proffer a third approach: creating a quality product.

As an authorpreneur, increasing revenue through writing is the driving force behind your efforts. Boost your sales by creating a quality product.

Milton Hershey once famously remarked, “Give them quality. That’s the best kind of advertising.” Since most of us have probably eaten, or at least heard about Hershey chocolate, I think it’s safe to assume that he knew what he was talking about.

As Hershey said, a quality product gets people talking. This is true for any product on the market, including books.

Time and again, I encounter clients who may have an exceptional story, but didn’t put enough time and effort into the typesetting, editing, cover design, or other features that subtly appeal to a reader. In the end, their book doesn’t have the impact they expected.

 Why this matters

Like it or not, quality sells. And it should. You’re asking people to part with their money and, as such, you should be prepared to give them something that really shines.

On a more practical side, if the product doesn’t look good, consumers are less likely to realize its true value.

Your story may be a real winner, but have you taken the time to verify the accents/dialects of your characters? Are the descriptions of buildings true-to-life for the time period? Is there an appropriately sized gutter and is the text appropriately spaced? Expand your reach by creating a book so good that people want to talk about it.

For example, I recently was tagged on an Instagram post made by a reader who loved In the Shadow of Your Wings (story and cover). She made up a gift basket that featured the book and some other products, then shared it with her followers. Getting people talking about your product is a free way to expand your reach.

How to boost your book’s quality

If you’re an indie author, you want to create a product so good that no one can tell you’ve indie published it. I’m not saying it’ll be perfect. According to an article carried by the University of California Press, a 95% error-free manuscript is the best a human can do. But the mistakes should be minimal and not hinder your opportunity to expand your reach through retail.

Hire a quality editor. If you’re self-editing, use quality control measures such as listening to the audio using Microsoft’s Read Aloud feature, and working backwards through your text. None of these are absolutely foolproof, but they should minimize the number of typos that can easily slip by if you’re already familiar with the text before you begin the editing process.

Invest in a cover-design professional. You can engage the services of a freelancer or contract out with a full-service publisher such as my house, Logos Publications, LLC.

From a production standpoint, it helps to make a publishing checklist if you’re an indie author. Include a section for such as proofreading, checking for homophones, punctuation checks etc. and another for the actual production (typesetting, formatting and the like).

Creating a quality product takes a lot of effort. It isn’t the quick-and-easy “write a book and sell it on Amazon” approach that many think. But in the end you’ll have a book that people will want to talk about, and one that you’ll be proud to call your own. Believe me, nothing in this business is more gratifying than that.

Takeaway: Invest time and effort into creating a solid plot and producing a quality product. That is still the best kind of advertising.

If you’d like an in-depth look at how this can apply to your manuscript, book a call with me online.

JP Robinson gained experience in the marketing field doing promotional work for multi-million dollar medical facilities and non-profit groups over the past decade. He is an international speaker, educator, and prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction.

JP also conducts writing seminars in various parts of the country and heads Logos Publications, LLC, an emerging publishing and book marketing team.

When he isn’t writing or teaching, JP loves spending time with his wonderful wife and children.

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Authorpreneur

Supercharge your Reach: Part 2—Reviews

Every indie author knows that standing out from the crowd is an uphill battle. And, like most battles, it  won’t be won by sheers numbers of dollars or manhours. Instead, authors are most likely to succeed if they implement effective marketing strategies.

When I mention marketing, many authors immediately think of digital advertising—Facebook, Google or Amazon ads to name a few. While these may still generate some sales, unless you have hundreds of dollars to pump into the system daily, the return on your investment is likely to be minimal. Believe me, I’ve been there.

The truth is, as most of us in the marketing industry recognize, digital advertising is no longer as effective as it was in previous years. According to a December 2019 article from Statista, about sixty percent of U.S. based internet users disliked ads in video clips while forty percent indicated the same for ads on websites (Guttmann, 2019). Online advertising can actually turn people away from your product or service. Especially if it pops up on their screen while they’re enjoying what they’re watching.

So how can indie authors hope to gain a foothold in this challenging climate?

One way is to focus on gaining favorable reviews from professional journals and industry leaders.

While I realize some authors may think that getting a positive review from organizations such as Publisher’s Weekly or Library Journal is impossible, I would counter that argument with a single question—why is it out of reach? If you believe in your book and the finished product has a professional look, and feel, it should be worthy of being submitted to industry leaders.

Many trade publications are open to submissions from indie authors, with some going so far as to create dedicated channels through which they can submit their work. As the publishing industry continues to rapidly evolve, industry leaders are recognizing the value in critiquing and, in some cases, making a profit from indie authors by charging them for a review.

Now, to be clear, I am not advocating paying for a review from a trade organization. That is a personal  decision that each author must make after weighing the pros and possible cons. While a paid review is certainly an option, many journals such as Publisher’s Weekly do accept submissions from indie authors for unpaid reviews. While there is no guarantee that a trade journal will accept your work for review unless it has been purchased, the potential gain that can come from a free review definitely justifies the time and expense in submitting your work for their consideration.

So, how can a positive review help indie authors supercharge their reach?

One of the most obvious ways is by an increase in sales. When Publisher’s Weekly praised In the Shadow of Your Wings by calling it “ . . . an immersive beginning to a series that will appeal to fans of war dramas,” I immediately noticed a huge uptick in sales and overall readership that lasted well beyond the initial publication date of the review. I did not pay for it but, as I urged other authors to do previously, I submitted the novel for PW’s free consideration. The results spoke for themselves.

Moving beyond immediate sales, a review from a trade journal increases your credibility as an author. This credibility is invaluable. Libraries often use an endorsement from a trade journal when deciding whether or not to add your book to their collection. But in addition, favorable reviews can pave the way

for public speaking engagements which, as I’m sure you’re aware if you’ve read my previous article on winning stages, is worth its weight in royalties.

What trade journals should an author target?

When deciding which journals might be most beneficial, look at the works that they have already reviewed. Many of the larger publications cover a range of topics/genres but, if your work is aligned to a more specific audience, you may benefit from a smaller journal that reaches a solid targeted group.

Also keep in mind the respective deadlines of your journals. Some require submissions several months ahead of the publication date, so be sure to plan accordingly.

While the changing mechanics of the publishing world may seem daunting, persistent authors can turn these changes to their advantage, using them to supercharge their reach.

If you want help identifying a useful trade journal or would like to discuss your overall strategic marketing plan, book a call with me online. I’d love to help.

JP Robinson gained experience in the marketing field doing promotional work for multi-million dollar medical facilities and non-profit groups over the past decade. He is an international speaker, educator, and prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction.

JP also conducts writing seminars in various parts of the country and heads Logos Publications, LLC, an emerging publishing and book marketing team.

When he isn’t writing or teaching, JP loves spending time with his wonderful wife and children.

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Authorpreneur

Supercharge Your Reach, Part One

 “Ah! I’ve had too many sales!” said no author ever. The truth is, sales are directly tied to what marketers call your reach. Your reach is basically your sphere of influence. Whether traditionally or indie published, authors must consistently strive to increase their reach in order to maintain or boost sales. Reach has become even more important as sales have become more difficult to obtain from paid online advertising. The big question is, why should consumers buy from you and not someone else? As the number of consistent readers continues to decrease in the United States and the number of authors continues to increase, committed writers need to be prepared to devote more time and effort to increasing their reach.

Over the next few articles, I’ll focus on free or low-cost ways that authors can increase their reach. In our first post on this topic, we will focus on the power of stages. What are stages? Why are they essential and how can you get them?

What are stages?

Now, when I say “stages”, I mean a physical or virtual space where you can get an audience. This can be as informal as a gathering of friends, a tuxedo-worthy event or anything in-between. Speaking at conferences, leading workshops, representing a cause are all good examples. But a stage can also be a virtual experience. Podcasts, “going-live” on social media, or broadcasting digital content on channels like YouTube are great examples of a virtual stage. However you do it, once you have a stage, you are taking the next step to growing your reach—and that’s a good thing.

Why are stages important?

If you think about it, humans have been influenced by stages for millennia. From the old oracles of the ancient world to our televised national debates, stages are an opportunity to influence your audience and to build relationships. Research indicates that most people purchase books if they have a relationship with the author—heard the author speak, follow the author’s social media—or if they have a friend who has a relationship with the author and speaks highly of his/her book.

 Why is this?

Well, the answer may lie in our subconscious. According to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman, most purchasing decisions are made based on emotion (Chierotti, 2018). Therefore, as you speak to audiences and make emotional connections, or relationships, you increase the likelihood of a sale.

Stages also serve to boost the credibility of the speaker by association. We humans are hardwired to learn by association. If we see a certain author on stage with someone we already respect or trust, we are likely to extend a certain measure of trust to that author. By developing key relationships and earning a place on stage with people who already have the respect of their audience, you dramatically increase your own chances of success.

Finally, stages give you an opportunity to bring happiness, because the heart of sales is the pursuit of happiness. I’ll explain what I mean in a moment but first, let’s talk about why people buy. The truth is, no matter what you’re selling, if the consumer does not think it will make him or her happy, there will be no deal. The key to selling anything is simply finding out what people want and giving it to them. As word spreads, consumers will come to you because you have what they think they need in order to be happy. Without your product, they’re missing out.

I know that might sound rather cold, and I’m sorry if that’s the case, but it is a core business principle. Let’s take an example that’s not related to books to make this a little more clear. Consider pocketbooks for a moment. Why do shoppers pay more for luxury brands of pocketbooks simply because it has the name of the manufacturer printed all over it? In reality, you’re paying to advertise someone’s brand. But it makes consumers happy to do so. Perhaps they want others to notice that they can afford a luxury item. Perhaps they simply think it’s a great product. Regardless of the reason, the consumer is willing to give money up for the pocketbook because she believes it will make her happy.

Now what does this have to do with stages?

Everything.

When you’re on stage, you have the unique opportunity to present a problem and share how your book presents information that can help the audience solve the problem. You don’t want to present your book as being the solution—your book is there to help the audience solve the problem. This is true for fiction as well as non-fiction. You just have to develop your message in a way that will speak to your audience.

How can you win stages?

Start by thinking about what the core message is in your book. What did you want people to learn? Then move from that point to identify a few groups in your town or nationally that might benefit from the themes you discuss.

For example, if your book discusses domestic abuse, racism, or forgotten veterans (even slightly), you might be able to connect with a group that has an interest in those topics. If your book is geared toward a Christian audience, try speaking to small church groups that might benefit from its themes.

But think bigger than your direct audience. Can you partner up with a local charity and speak at their event while donating a portion of your proceeds to their cause? The publicity you gain can make it worth your time.

In short, stages are a great way to increase your reach, ultimately boosting sales. For personalized information, or to identify stage opportunities for your work, connect with me online at JPRobinsonBooks.com.

JP Robinson gained experience in the marketing field doing promotional work for multi-million dollar medical facilities and non-profit groups over the past decade. He is an international speaker, educator, and prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction.

JP also conducts writing seminars in various parts of the country and heads Logos Publications, LLC, an emerging publishing and book marketing team.

When he isn’t writing or teaching, JP loves spending time with his wonderful wife and children.

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A3 Contributor Book Release A3 News

In the Midst of the Flames by JP Robinson

New from Authorpreneur columnist JP Robinson! 
In the Midst of the Flames is the second book in the epic Northshire Heritage trilogy which spans the full duration of the first world war.  Publisher’s Weekly called In the Shadow of Your Wings (Book 1 of the trilogy) “an immersive beginning to a series that will appeal to fans of war dramas.” JP Robinson writes Christian historical and political fiction. As an author with a penchant for thrillers, he sets high-stakes scenarios against the backdrop of biblical themes.


Back cover blurb


Europe is burning.

As the fires of the Great War rage across the European continent, the Steele family is caught in the midst of the inferno.

Estranged from his wife, and haunted by a lie, Malcolm wonders if he can ever find forgiveness as he begins the long journey home to Northshire.

Meanwhile, Leila desperately searches for a way to escape her past life as a spy—and the German agent who has been sent to kill her—as she struggles to save her marriage.

Determined to save his family, Thomas risks everything in a high-stakes political gamble, jeopardizing the entire Allied cause and bringing Britain to the brink of obliteration, as British spymaster Robert Hughes plots his downfall.Will everything be reduced to ashes? Or does God still protect those who, through faith, walk into the midst of the flames?
Bio:

JP began his writing career as a freelance journalist, then moved on to the fields of B2B, B2C and entrepreneurial marketing. In addition to frequently leading workshops at Christian Writer’s conferences, he now heads Logos Publications,LLC an emerging publishing house and author-focused marketing ally. 

Moving into the fields of Relationship and Geo-marketing, JP has assisted renowned medical and non-profit groups achieve their promotional goals. He holds degrees in both English and French and is a state-certified teacher of French and History.  

Together with his wonderful wife, JP runs Fearless Marriage, a ministry dedicated to Christian couples. When  he  isn’t writing or teaching, JP loves spending time with his wife and children. Connect with him, watch videos and more on his exciting website:  JPRobinsonbooks.com.

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Authorpreneur

Build a Brand 3: Define Your brand’s Personality

In my last article, I introduced the idea of an author creating a brand personality and outlined three ways an author can create a solid personality. Simply put, your book’s personality is the way it makes readers feel when they pick it up or read it. This article will focus on how you, as an author, can decide what you want your brand’s personality to be.

Here are three steps to keep in mind as you decide how to define your brand’s personality.

First, keep it simple. Try to define your own human personality in 2-3 words. That can be tough, and it might be helpful to ask someone else to define you. The same is true with branding a product. It can be a challenge to describe your books in 2-3 adjectives. But that’s what you want to do.

Simple messages are more likely to get through to readers because we are bombarded by complex issues daily. Think, what do you want readers to think of as soon as they hear your name? Do some introspective analysis until you can answer this question in two or three words.

Are you a Victorian romance writer? You can probably describe your books as passionate and elegant. If you’re a mystery writer, three adjectives that could easily describe your book are intriguing, suspenseful, and dark. You may want to consider keeping those adjectives in mind as you work on your next book cover, plan your book launch, or your next market campaigns. Reach out if you’d like personalized help planning your next campaign.

Also, be sure to consider your interests. A writer has the most impact when writing from the heart. Your unique passions and experience will combine to making your product memorable.

A good tip is to ask friends who have read your books how they would describe them in a few words. Make their feedback a key part of developing your brand’s personality. And that’s a perfect segue to where I want to go next.

Listen to readers. Readers will define you. Whether a business lives or dies depends, in large part, on its ability to listen to consumers. Sometimes we’re surprised by the kind of people that respond to our writing. Maybe you were writing a story for a YA audience and it ended up resonating with adults!

That’s great, but the feedback you hear from readers (positive or negative) can provide critical information about how they see your work. Once you know how readers see your work, you can better target your marketing campaigns and even let that information guide your future writing projects.

I once ran an online marketing campaign for a historical romantic suspense novel I’d written called Bride Tree. When analyzing the demographics of the people that responded to my campaign, I realized that the bulk of them were, not surprisingly, women. What I did find noteworthy was the fact that the ad appealed to mostly women between the ages of 18 and 35. Why?

Because the brilliant pop of red on Bride Tree’s cover, and the aura of mystery and intrigue created by the masked face of Queen Marie-Antoinette, appealed to the “exciting” and “sophisticated” personalities in the market. When I am a marketing campaign for Bride Tree, it makes sense for me to make sure that the wording of my ads and the audiences that I try to reach already show a penchant for that kind of product such as women in that age range who shop products lines such as Chanel or Coach.

Finally, don’t stress. While figuring out how you as an author want to be perceived by readers, remember that you are not locked into a “set” brand personality. Just as each of us grows and changes but remains the same person, so your brand can grow and change as you write more books while retaining the same core aspects that make you unique as an author.

When I think of C.S. Lewis for example, the first thought that enters my mind is fantasy or science fiction. However Lewis was also known for his non-fiction titles that shared common themes with his fiction. My point is, while you do want some consistency between books, don’t be afraid to launch out into something new as it will collectively work together to develop your brand’s personality.

It’s important to realize that, while each of your books contributes to your overall brand personality, each book also has a personality of its own that will be determined by its genre, cover, plot etc. . .

For example, Bride Tree was a bit of a maverick. I don’t typically write historical romantic suspense and, as such, Bride Tree has its own personality. Yet it brings in elements that are common to all my books—espionage, political intrigue, and action laced with romance.

Many authors write in multiple genres at least once in their careers. There are several solid benefits to doing so, including diversifying your portfolio, reaching new readers, seeing which personality type resonates best with your target audience, and helping you grow as a writer. Varying up your brand’s personality can also entice readers to move from one series you’ve written to others that might be of a different genre.

Once you’ve identified what you want your overall brand personality to look like, use that as a basis for creating your social media presence, your website and, of course, your books.
Write with confidence,
JPR

JP Robinson gained experience in the marketing field doing promotional work for multi-million dollar medical facilities and non-profit groups over the past decade. He is an international speaker, educator, and prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction.

JP also conducts writing seminars in various parts of the country and heads Logos Publications, LLC, an emerging publishing and book marketing team.

When he isn’t writing or teaching, JP loves spending time with his wonderful wife and children.

Categories
Authorpreneur

Build a Brand 2: It’s all about personality

A few days ago, my wife returned from the grocery store with two different brands of coffee: Lavazza and Caribou. While Lavazza is a household favorite, I immediately claimed the Caribou coffee. Why? Because its cover spoke to me. The rustic image of a caribou in the wild resonated with the part of me that loves being in the woods.

Simply put, a brand’s personality is the way that the products make people feel. As a rule, we tend to like people whose personalities match our own. We do the same with products. And businesses know that.

Companies spend millions of dollars building up their brand’s personality. They know that consumers make decisions to buy, or not to buy, products based on how much the product (and by extension, the brand as a whole) matches their own personality.

While Lavazza and Caribou both produce awesome coffee (at least in my opinion!), I opted for Caribou because it connects with my personality.

So what kind of brand personalities are there, and how can authors leverage this information to their own advantage?

In the ‘90s, a social psychologist, Dr. Jennifer Aaker, identified five dimensions that form the general basis for marketers understanding of brand identity. They are:

  • Excitement (brands that are trendy, and daring like Red Bull)
  • Sincerity (or brands that capitalize on a “family” feel, like Southwest Airlines)
  • Ruggedness (which focuses on a more masculine you-can-handle anything attitude like  . . .  Caribou)
  • Competence (which promotes products that are hardworking and secure like Apple),
  • Sophistication (which focuses on high-end, typically feminine products like Chanel or Dove).

Your readers are consumers. Therefore, they will decide whether or not to “buy your product” (a.k.a read your book) in part based upon the way its personality makes them feel. There’s no way to please everyone but you can leverage this aspect of being authorpreneur to maximize your potential with your target audience.

Here are three steps to give your “brand” of writing its own personality.

Observe: Look at the work of other successful authors in your genre. As a reader, how would you describe their books? Do you see them as being in the exciting category, sincere, rugged, competent, sophisticated or a mix of the above? Don’t just look at the big names out there.

Once you’ve done this, decide what aspects of those books you can incorporate into your own work—things such as cover design and interior formatting. Is there one character featured on the cover or are there many? Are the pages cream or white? These are the things that give a book its feel . . . or personality.

Also consider what makes your book different from other authors in your genre. How can you feature those differences so you’re giving your readers something fresh yet trending?

Plan: Think about who you want to read your book. If you could create the ideal reader, what kind of personality traits would he have? If your ideal reader is a daring, young woman, then you want your book to push excitement and possibly sophistication. If your book is geared toward children of aging parents, for example, you might want to take a “sincere” or “competent” approach.

Think about your image. What we wear often reflects our personality. The same is true of your book.

Your image isn’t just the cover—it’s also the methods you use to connect with readers. To make the most of your social media audience, make sure your online presence reflects your brand’s personality. While Facebook should play a role in your marketing mix, authors that are more “youth-focused” or have a more “exciting” personality might want to build an audience on social media channels that are perceived as being “newer” such as Instagram .

Authors who want to build an audience that favors “honest” or “competent” trends might consider focusing the bulk of their online time on longer blog posts and Facebook groups.   

Keep in mind that, because you’re marketing to readers, your audience will most likely be comfortable reading blog posts, but readers are also visual people who love pictures, videos etc . . .  So present your book’s personality in a way that is likely to resonate with your target market.

For marketing ideas, tips on how to build a brand and more, check out my website: www.JPRobinsonBooks.com

JP Robinson gained experience in the marketing field doing promotional work for multi-million dollar medical facilities and non-profit groups over the past decade. He is an international speaker, educator, and prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction.

JP also conducts writing seminars in various parts of the country and heads Logos Publications, LLC, an emerging publishing and book marketing team.

When he isn’t writing or teaching, JP loves spending time with his wonderful wife and children.