Holiday Events, Retailers, and Your Book

 

I’m trying to get my Christmas shopping done. I’m even getting boxes ready to ship to people who live out of town (or in LA, across town!). That may sound nutty, but it’s a longstanding habit and one that came in very handy when I was in retailing and found November and December exhausting months. This holiday season is so important to retailers. Did you know that many retailers don’t break even for the year until about December 4^th. Thus their year’s entire profit must be made in less than 30 days?  That means the holidays are a great time for book sales...and for approaching a retailer with a profit-making event idea.

This same early-bird habit has worked for me as a writer too. Anyone with published books is, in fact, a retailer. Not exclusively, but they are whenever they’re selling books at seminars they’re speaking at, when they’re selling books from their own Web site, and when they’re promoting (retailers—even online retailers—must promote!). 

It goes to reason that the more we understand retailing, the better retailers we’ll be. But it’s even more important that this knowledge can be used to partner with retailers like bookstores and alternative retail situations where your book can be sold. Stand in a retailer’s shoes, and you’ll better understand how to let him or her know how you and your book can make a difference for them. May I suggest some of my own retail books (http://howtodoitfrugally.com/retailers_books.htm)?

I especially recommend the one for retailers on planning in-store events. Authors and books are mentioned in it as a way to up a retailer's profits. (-:. But if you substitute "author" for "retailer" here you'll be able to apply much to your own event marketing and you'll certainly benefit when you pitch an event to retailer. You'll be able to talk their language (language like "p-r-o-f-i-t-s").

 Find it here: http://budurl.com/RetailersGuide. You could even quote me in your pitch!

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second ediction of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Will We Learn from the Demise of Borders?

The big news among publishers and authors last month was the closing of Borders bookstores. It will be missed. But the truth is, this has little if anything to do with the economy. It has to do with innovation, the cycling of an industry—in this case the publishing industry—into something new. It also has to do with the tendency for most bookstores not to adapt. In fact, the tendency of much of the industry not to adapt...or at least not recognize opportunity when it comes up and stares us in the face, nose to nose.

I bring something unique to the publishing industry. Well, if not unique then rare. I am a writer with retail experience. Three decades of it. And this is how successful small and large retailers adapt to changing times.

1. They get local. In the case of bookstores, they could featuring local writers to increase their profitability. I worked with Borders a couple times. It wasn’t easy going!
2. They partner. In the case of bookstores, they can partner with local authors, combine contact lists and promotion power to get more customers in for special events and to increase loyalty.
3. They listen to their customers. That might mean narrowing their focus to reach niche markets. Unfortunately large chains either refuse to do this pleading expense, but the successful large ones do. As an example, Walmarts buys different kinds of merchandise for stores in areas that have different interests and different needs.

The question for authors is how they can somehow make those bookstores  that remain (big ones or little ones) see that partnering with the “new” publishing world—meaning authors (regardless of how their book may be printed)--can help their bottom line.

See my comment on this article put out by Wharton’s school of business.http://knowledgetoday.wharton.upenn.edu/2011/07/bad-news-for-borders-and-for-publishing/. I’ve written about how authors and retailers of all kinds can benefit one another before.

It’s sad. It seems no one is listening.

PS: Among the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for retailers I've written is  A Retailer's Guide To Frugal In-Store Promotions: How-To Increase Profits And Spit In The Eyes Of Economic Downturns Using Thrifty Events And Sales Techniques. In it is a chapter on how retailers can benefit from partnering with authors for events. Authors, too, could learn something from it. The more we know about retailing, the easier it is for us to help retailers see the benefits of working with us.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Networking Is A Great Word!

Too many authors think of the word "networking" as something only pushy members of the Chamber of Commerce participate in.  Nope. Networking a good thing. Networking is nothing more than building relationships. It is at the root of all great promotion. In fact, it is at the root of our capitalistic economy. So, if you’re having trouble with any aspect of your promotion campaign, consider your networking skills.

As an example, you will have an easier time booking a signing or workshop at a bookstore where you know the staff. You’ll have an even easier time if you’ve funneled your readers to that bookstore to buy your books (and other books, too!) They are sure to notice and be eager to stock your books on a regular basis.

Ditto for sending your online buyers to one store. You’ll be surprised at how your ratings benefit, as an example, if you use links to your book’s buy page at Amazon exclusively. The better your book sells there (and hits their bestseller list in its category) the more sales begin to grow incrementally without any more effort on your part.

The same concept works with almost everything you do for your book. It’s a bit like the golden rule, isn’t it? What your mother always told you tends to work well in marketing, too.

One of my other promotion golden rules is to learn about other industries and from other industries. In the case of authors, the more they know about retailing, the easier it will be to convince a retailer that they would make a fine sales and promotional partners for authors. So, may I suggest my recent book, A Retailer's Guide To Frugal In-Store Promotions: How-To Increase Profits And Spit In The Eyes Of Economic Downturns Using Thrifty Events And Sales Techniques . 




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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Learn How Authors Can Plumb Retailers for Alternative Sales

For information about making retailing work in a down economy and how authors can make their case to retailers for letting them host book signings or workshops (and how retailers can boost profits by partnering with authors) check Paul Bruno's Career Czar® radio program. The show is available f r ^ ^ at http://www.careerczar.com/mp3/career121710.mp3 . Listen to his other shows at www.careerczar.com or at the show's blog at www.careerczar.wordpress.com . E-mail Paul at careerczar@cs.com and ask to be on the show's notification list for free podcasts.

As the author of A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques, I appeared on Paul Bruno's Career Czar® radio program. We'll talk about making retailing work in a down economy and how authors can make their case to retailers for letting them host book signings or workshops and how retailers can boost profits by partnering with authors. The show is now available at http://www.careerczar.com/mp3/career121710.mp3 . ; In the meantime, listen to Paul's other shows at http://www.careerczar.com/  or at the show's blog at www.careerczar.wordpress.com. E-mail Paul at careerczar@cs.com  and ask to be on the show's notification list for free podcasts or how you, too, might be a guest.

And for more promotion ideas that you can borrow from the retail industry, click on the widget at the left. You'll also find more information that will help you convince retailers that they should make a partner of YOU.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Selling Fiction in Unusual Places

A friend of mine is writing a book and wanted me to share with her future readers how I’ve partnered with specialty shops to sell fiction. Until her project is done I am not at liberty to mention it, but what I wrote to her made me think it is time to review that topic with you once again.  Here are some of the ways I marketed my novel. I hope some of the ideas get you to thinking about how to explore your own work (fiction or nonfiction) for new ways to get it noticed.

~My novel (This Is the Place--available used for about $1 at www.budurl.com/ThisIsThePlace  ) is based on my own story (very nearly a memoir) and is set in Utah. That made it suitable for souvenir shops, especially those in the Intermountain West during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

~My novel was based on family journals. That made it suitable for shops in and around the Mormon Temple that caters to genealogists and journalers.

~This novel's title is immediately recognizable by those who love history of the American West. That made it suitable for a launch at the Autry Museum of Western History in Los Angeles and other museum shops and bookstores that cater to history buffs.

~This Is the Place explores the subject of tolerance. That made it suitable for hippy/liberal coffee shops, Internet cafes, and the like. It also made it suitable as recommended reading for teachers focusing on discrimination.

~To broaden the possibilities of sales through teachers, gender issues are addressed in this novel. Many universities have women’s studies programs. That is not an avenue I’ve pursued, but I could.

~This Is the Place was published just before the Olympics in Salt Lake City. That made it suitable for airport stores--both specialty and bookstores. Airport bookstores are a tough nut to crack, but I did it even when my publisher couldn't. I used my retail experience and offered stores a point-of-purchase display box with a header when they bought six books or more. I handled this portion of book sales on my own. Guaranteed sales. Even said if the books didn't sell, they didn't have to pay and didn't have to return. It was an offer they couldn't refuse. Of course they sold!
 
You can also make retailers understand how selling the book and/or hosting an event for the author can be profitable for them. The more authors know about retailing, the easier it is for them to partner with retailers. I recommend my "A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions" (www.budurl.com/RetailersGuide ) as a start on learning what retailers are dealing with. There is even a section in it that talks about how retailers can benefit from hosting authors at their events.

This list gives you an idea of the way fiction writers should think about their books. They need to dissect them into different parts, think about how each will fit with the audience of different retail stores. The same process works when one is trying to get publicity for themselves and their books. We have to figure out how they are a fit for specific current events as they recur in the news.

An example of this: Whenever the Mormon Church or polygamist sects hit the news (which is often), that makes This Is the Place news or at least makes me an expert. (-:

Hope this helps you analyze your book for purposes of marketing it better. By the way, you'll see how I promote the tolerance aspect of this book on my Website at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/  . Very subtly. LOL. Find the tolerance link at the top of the home page.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:

Barbara Techel Poses Dilemma We All Wish We Had

In my Sharing with Writers newsletter I sometimes do a question and answer feature. You know, like Dear Abby and Ann Landers. But mine are about writing, of course! Here is a question from a regular reader of this blog, so I thought I'd run it here, too. And if anyone wants to receive my newsletter, just send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to HoJoNews @ AOL. com. And thank you, Barbara!

QUESTION:

Hi Carolyn. I loved your advice about bookstore signings and being prepared with your own set up items. Now I can't remember if I read that in your book or if I read it in your newsletter, but at any rate, it is great advice! I have three book stores in one city who have offered to do a book signing for me, which is perfect timing with my new book coming out soon!! They are all within 5 minutes of each other though. One is a pet store, one is a Christian book store and one is a regular book store (which I did at a signing at last year and did well). Do you have any suggestions of strategizing that ~Barbara Techel, author of the multi-award winning, Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog. (Frankie named Mascot of Disabled Pets Day!! http://www.disabledpetsday.com; learn more about the book at http://www.joyfulpaws.com/store.htm.

ANSWER:

What a great problem to have, Barbara.

Of course, you will want to promote each of the events. That means each retailer will certainly know about the other. I would advise candor in any case. I'd go to your first choice store and ask. But I wouldn't leave my question open ended. Let's say you approach the bookstore first. Keep in mind the needs of each retailer as you frame your question. I'd say something like "I have some other offers for book signings. None of them are in direct competition to you for none are bookstores. You are my first choice and I'm wondering if you'd like me to space the signings by 30 days or so. Keep in mind that I plan to do lots of promotion for you."

Notice that I didn't ask if they wanted an exclusive. I would not give them that much power with my opening pitch. If they should bring up the subject of an exclusive, negotiate. "For how long?" is a fair question. It is patently unfair for them to want an exclusive for a year or forever. Thirty to 60 days should be enough. If they do, however, then you'll want to adjust your plans according to what you think is best for your book and your audience.

Then you repeat this process with your next retailer. You are in a unique position because you book has not yet been published. That gives you plenty of time to play with the dates and still have a signing at all three while your book is still a fresh release.

I'm glad that The Frugal Book Promoter and Sharing with Writers newsletter have been helpful to you. If you don't have The Frugal Editor, you might consider it. The chapters on writing query letters will be uniquely helpful to you as you begin to query for more and more feature stories, signings and radio gigs.

Best, CHJ

PS: Those authors focused on selling books in bookstores might want to read my A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions. It includes lots of author promotions for retailers to consider but more than that, it will give authors a handle on the needs of retailers like independent bookstore owners. In fact, if you read the reviews on Amazon, you'll see that many writers have found it useful. And the basic principles of marketing are pretty much the same for anyone who must sell a product.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Trend Seer Marian Salzman's Predictions Have Lessons for Writers

Marian Salzman is chief marketing officer for the PR hugey Porter Novelli in Manhattan. Her success hinges on her projecting the future and making sense of the times leading to this moment, this day.

Author of Next Now: Trends for the Future she notes, "technology is here to stay."

Now didn't we know that! But she takes it a step forward. She says, "The future lies in mastering new technologies."

Judging from my experience in the publishing field, I'd say she is right on. Luckily, I was forced to learn the Internet in order to submit my novel online in 2001. Since then (just to name the biggies) I've been forced by good friend, author, and publisher Joyce Faulkner to learn to "do" my own Web site using Micrcosoft's FrontPage, encouraged to blog by good friend Allyn Evans who held my hand through some of the basic processes when it was brand new to me, and to get with with Facebook and Twitter (MySpace was pretty much a bust for me though I'm still there).

And now the time I spent in New York to launch A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques is pointing me in a new direction. I have no wi fi and the rentals at the Marriott (shame!) were $8 per 15 minutes. I am not Blackberry or iPhone connected. Thus my e-mail lay fallow, overflowed my e-mail box, and accumulated into days of work before I returned home. It seems my next task is cut out for me.

So, Marian Salzman, not only do I agree with you but I am here to ask where each of my writing friends is in their trek on the technology path. If the future is in tech, what do we all need to do next (besides write another book) to get our act on the road. For me it's to get connected when I'm on the road. I'm thinking the 3G iPhone complete with on-the-road e-mail capability and iPod music and in-hotel F R ^ ^ access.

You are probably way ahead of me, and my admission--I hope--will make you feel better about any of your own perceived technical inadequacies. But in terms of tech, what is coming next for you? Roll out your community college catalog and decide what you can do to forge ahead, keep up or catch up. We owe it to ourselves to be there when the time comes!

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Information on Marian Salzman came from American Airlines' American Way magazine, May 15, 2009, edition. Other of her predictions include embracing maturity, a more intense interest in wellness, and the interest in looking back to learn evidenced by the new books and references this year on Darwin, Lincoln and the 1930s.

PS: If it weren't for my experience at launching my new retail book at the National Stationery Show, I may never have run across this marketing dynamo. I plan to get her book; trends are more than fashion or color. They are you're life, you're tomorrows. Also, I'm including the cover of my new book that lead me to this new discover, even though this is a column for writers. It seemed the perfect opportunity to mention that the designed is John Quinn, http://www.designsolution360.com.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Q&A a la Ann Landers: Kindle or Not to Kindle

Those of you who receive to my Sharing with Writers newsletter know that I enjoy answering questions for my subscribers. Here is one that echoes one of my favorite mantras from my retailing days. It's a variation on "The customer is always right." It is, "Give the customer what he or she wants." If you'd like more information like this, please subscribe by sending an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to HoJoNews @ aol.com.


QUESTION:

What's your feeling about Kindle? I have two friends who have and love it. One is an author of a book about caring for horses...not a popular topic. She is self published, offered it on Kindle and was shocked and delighted to receive three responses from readers who bought it. The other friend is not a writer but swears by Kindle. He says he's never without it. Apparently the only real negatives are that you can't dog-ear or underscore pages and you can't pass the book on to friend to read. Are any of your books on it?

Thanks for your take on this.
Laverne, Columns & Poems


ANSWER:

Readers who have Kindle may go elsewhere for reading material if they can't get what they want the way they want it. You won't sell a lot of books on Kindle. I sell my Frugal books on Kindle but those sales probably make up less than 1 percent of my sales. Many say that's not enough. I ask, why not? One of those people might pass the good word about my book to someone else. Another might be a Hollywood producer looking for a good story. Good retailers give their customers the products they want. And they let them buy them the way they want--credit card? Cash? Check? They don't cram their own needs and preferences down their customers' throats. Guess what? We authors are retailers, like it or not.

By the way, thank you for this question. It prompted me to get my latest how-to release, A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques, on Kindle. If Kindle serves your readers better, why not? Besides, it doesn’t cost anything but your time to do it. Check out The Frugal Editor’s Kindle sales page as an example. It is only $7.20 on Kindle so it also appeals to those who may not want to pay full price for a book (but you do get to set your own price). The Kindle page for the FRUGAL retailing book is at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0021AEXU0/

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Q&A a la Ann Landers: Do You Know WiseRep?

How Do YOU Evaluate Paid-For Services?

Question:
Thank you for your wonderful newsletter, I always find ideas for something new and leads to follow!

I am wondering if you or your readers have heard of WiseRep.com? They sent me an e-mail and I checked out their website; apparently they are a distributor to large department stores. They make some big claims about getting your book into these stores in large numbers. They have a pretty high enrollment fee (close to $200) and a monthly fee (about $30) to list your book, which means there would really have to be those big numbers in sales in order for it to be worthwhile. I am wondering if you know of anyone who has used them and what their results were. Can they really do what they claim? (Obviously I’m doubtful since I’m writing to you about it!)

Thanks for your help,

Patricia Dischler, author, Because I Loved You, From Babysitter to Business Owner and The Patty Cake Kids

Answer:
Patricia, I don't know about this business. They sound like a specialized distributor. My knee jerk reaction is that the service can't possibly pay for itself when one factors in generally low royalties and then projects how many books would have to be sold to break even. But I don't believe in knee-jerk reactions so, because I have had 30 years experience in the retailing business, here are some things that occur to me.

1. Check to see if books are returnable. Department stores usually don't work on a return basis like bookstores do. If books are sold as a final sales, that is something to factor into your calculations.

2. Determine how well your title matches the audience that frequents department stores.

3. Look at Wise.Rep's sales structure. Do they only send out a catalog or do they have sales representatives. Buyers -- all buyers -- including both bookstore buyers and department store buyers--are human. They tend to buy more readily from a representative they know, love and has provided them with saleable merchandise in the past.

4. Consider if this approach fits with your larger campaign. It is often difficult to ascertain which things work and which don't and everything you do in terms of promoiton accumulates.

As you are assessing, know that this and most other sales and promotion tools can't be completely measured in book sales. Rather we need to look at exposure, how the project builds credibility and how it works in terms of networking. I also like to look at the opportunities the specific effort afforded me to do things like send out invitations, media releases, etc. All those things help us keep in touch with our contacts and the public at large.

In the meantime, I hope Sharing with Writers readers will give you some input. E-mail me with WiseRep in the subject line. HoJoNews@aol.com.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author THIS IS THE PLACE; HARKENING: A COLLECTION OF STORIES REMEMBERED; TRACINGS, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T; and THE FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOUR BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENSURE SUCCESS.
Her other blogs include TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com and AuthorsCoalition.blogspot.com, a blog that helps writers and publishers turn a ho-hum book fair booth into a sizzler.