Cathy Turney

San Francisco Writers Conference 2018: How to Tap Into The Magic!

January 22, 2018 by Lisa Tener

San Francisco Writers Conference 2018 Guest Post by Cathy Turney

“Ingenuity, plus courage, plus work, equals miracles.”
—Bob Richards, Olympic pole vaulter and decathlete

Magic happens when you try to do the thing you didn’t think you could do. At any age.

It certainly did for a technophobic baby boomer who began writing in her “mature” adult years and ended up publishing three books and speaking at the San Francisco Writers Conference—about Twitter (Twitter!). Yes, that would be me.

Get Thee to The San Francisco Writers Conference!

If you’ve ever thought about writing, you need to go to writers conferences. There is no better way to get the total publishing picture, from both sides (traditional and self-publishing), for all genres, for promotion on all relevant social media. Attending conference presentations and one-on-ones with industry gurus not only sets you on the path to your goal but forms connections: instructors will likely remember you and possibly mentor you after everyone goes home. The best of the best is the 2018 San Francisco Writers Conference from February 15 to 18, and there’s still a wee window of time to enroll.

Many writers are introverts, which is not a bad thing (as confirmed by the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking). But you get so much more out of conferences if you just talk to people. As author and motivational speaker Brian Tracy suggests, “Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”

How to Start a Conversation at a Writers Conference

So how do you overcome shyness at a conference and start a conversation?

The first step is to choose a target—another bashful person. How do you know someone’s bashful, or at least reticent? Because he or she is standing in line for registration, coffee, session sign-up, not talking. You will rescue that person, who will believe that you are one heckuva confident guy or gal because you had the nerve to break the ice. Just turn around, smile and say, “Hi. What’s your genre?” (Don’t use that line at the bar.)

If your target is wearing a name tag and does not have exposed cleavage, look at it and say, “Oh, you’re from Fresno.” S/he’ll respond with something that might then direct the conversation, at which point you can ask what brought that person to the conference.

And then let the person talk.

Congrats! You just began a conversation. Others will turn around and look on with awe and you can bring them into the chat, too.

Other questions you can ask: Are you going traditional or indie? Who’s been your favorite speaker so far? Have you read Cathy Turney’s book on Twitter? And if you fear you misspoke in some way (which you didn’t, because if nothing else other people will think how kind you were to reach out), remember: there’s nothing shorter than the public’s memory.

When you run into a speaker whose presentation you loved (wearing a name tag signals that speaker is approachable—unless s/he’s sprinting to the next session), say “Hi!” and venture a quick question. The presenters are friendly. They would not be at the conference if they didn’t want to meet potential clients such as yourself. If you have a business card, give it to them because when you approach them after the conference they’ll be more likely to remember that you bonded.

Why I live for the SFWC

I live for the San Francisco Writers Conference. I come away from it each year and thank heaven I learned that, be it the latest in self-publishing and marketing, better ways to build my platform, or different writing techniques, not to mention getting to meet the authors and publishing leaders I admire from afar. Here are a few presenters I’ll be bonding with at SFWC 2018:

Rusty Shelton—marketing genius behind Chicken Soup for the Soul (and many brands), who overcame my resistance to Twitter in five minutes and started this technophobe on the path to proselytizing about it—who’d ever have thought?
Linda Lee—WordPress genius who magically tweaked my writer website into one that even millennials love.
Frances Caballo—social media interpretress who, I swear, knows everything and every program associated with the subject. And what to do with it.
Here’s a photo of Lisa Tener with Jody Rein at the San Francisco Writers Conference in 2014 (where I met them both).

Jody Rein—literary agent supreme, who shares gold nuggets of advice from her years of putting authors on the New York Times best-sellers list.
Jim Azevedo—Smashwords marketing director whose can-do attitude has launched countless writers into self-publishing. And he’s a really nice guy!
Penny Sansevieri—prolific author and disseminator of “Red Hot” marketing, media and publicity tips for writers.
Barbara Santos—marketing maven and author whose aloha spirit is felt in every aspect of the conference, along with her husband, Rich, who keeps SFWC’s website, email and every other “technicality” working.
Laurie McLean—conference co-director and founder of Fuse Literary, which has published numerous best-sellers.
And, of course, Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada—founders of SFWC, literary agents, and icons of the publishing world who bring us, their disciples, up to speed on the make-or-break information we need to succeed as authors.

(to name a few.)

Twitter Tips for Conference Goers

Most conferences use hashtags to communicate with others at the conference, during the conference. It’s a great way to make new connections and develop online relationships, supporting each other in your respective work. You can quote a conference speaker in a tweet and the hashtag (#SFWC18) will help people at the conference find your tweet.

Hashtags aggregate conversations so that the tweeter can channel her post into streams where it will get the most interest. Or where people looking for a particular topic can go to view posts about it. An analogy would be a party, where clusters of attendees are discussing different topics and each chat cluster has a bubble with a hashtag and word in in it denoting their topic. For instance: a group chatting about food would be #food, one talking about kids would be #kids, and so forth.

San Francisco Writers Conference’s hashtag is #SFWC18. Once the conference begins it will become a raging river. Attendees will use it to arrange meet-ups, to share conference information with others who aren’t attending, to post photos and shout-outs to their favorite speakers, the possibilities are endless.

Quote your favorite speakers and tag your tweets with #SFWC18. In addition, see if you can locate the speaker on Twitter and tag them with the @ symbol. For instance, to quote Frances Caballo, include “via @CaballoFrances” in your tweet, as well.

For the San Francisco Writers Conference, remember to end your tweets with #SFWC18.

Before flying off, I’d like to say don’t let Twitter intimidate you. There is so much about it that you don’t even need to know about. Relax. Focus. You can quickly build platform and share your product or service with thousands instantly. And if you attend the San Francisco Writers Conference please attend my session, “Twitter—Why? Why? Why?” I’ll follow you everywhere!

Join me at the San Francisco Writers Conference—I promise there will be magic.

20+ Books That Make Awesome Gifts

December 9, 2016 by Lisa Tener

Books are Great Gifts!

In thinking about the upcoming holidays, I’ve put together a short list of meaningful gifts for folks on your Christmas, Hannukah or holiday list. All of these books will inspire. Some will entertain, some have the power to transform your friends and family into better leaders, and some will change people’s lives in ways they’ve longed for or dreamed of.

Every Christmas, my kids get about a half dozen books put together and they get devoured within days. I love getting books. Do you?

This season I have super exciting gifts ideas for you—from the book that can change your good friend’s life to the inspiration that will bring joy to your auntie’s heart to the book that will help your colleague finally get his book written (or maybe it’s for you!). I even have a couple of suggestions for the kids in your life.

Book Gifts for Parents and Families

1. A World of Good: Let’s start with the kids on your list, both grade school and middle school—or the inner kid in all of us. This book is for anyone who loves the Guinness Book of World Records.

In A World of Good, Willie Nugent shares the crazy capers he’s taken on to raise money for charity—many of them record-setting and one that even landed him in the big book itself!

2. A Plant Based Life: Anyone in your family or circle of friends struggling to eat healthier? Perhaps they have a health condition or just want to feel more energy.

Micaela Karlsen’s A Plant Based Life offers strategies to move towards healthier eating, as well as strategies and tools to stick to a healthful diet despite all the temptations that the holidays provide.

Perhaps order a second for yourself if you want to avoid developing your own resemblance to Good Old St. Nick this treat-filled season.

3. Cough Cures: ‘Tis the season, but you and your loved ones don’t have to—ahem—expectorate.

Gus Ferrer, MD, director of the Cleveland Clinic Cough Center, and award winning author and homeopath Burke Lenihan, RN, help you understand what’s in all those meds at the pharmacy, how to choose the right one, avoid the ones that can land you in the emergency room, and how to know when a good old-fashioned home remedy can actually be a better choice (evidence-based!).

The authors even teach you how to make your own home remedies and teas when the cough calls for it. This is a terrific book for moms of small kids, teachers who are constantly exposed to germs, older folks who may be more vulnerable to dangerous coughs and anyone who likes to be informed and empowered when it comes to health.

4. The Soul of All Living Creatures: This book, full of heart-warming stories about real-live animals by animal behaviorist Vint Virga, D. V. M., is a winner for pet-lovers, watchers of the Discovery Channel, those who love to learn about nature and those who remember with longing their discovery of James Herriot.

5. Calming Your Anxious Child: Know a child who worries execssively, doesn’t want to go to school, won’t talk in social situations or refuses to learn to swim? Here’s the perfect gift for his or her parents. Dr. Kathleen Trainor’s advice helped my kid (he now swims underwater and doesn’t give it a second thought).

6. Reset Your Child’s Brain: It’s not a subtle gift, but maybe you’re not subtle. Has your friend or family member complained of feeling powerless when it comes to getting her kids off video games? This book by Victoria Dunckley, MD empowers with facts AND a proven program.

Books for Business People

7. Feedback First: This is great a pick for anyone who manages teams. They’ll learn to be a better leader, give and receive feedback more effectively, better motivate the millenials on their team, be culturally sensitive and have a few laughs along the way, since author Huibert Evekink includes his entertaining cartoons in every chapter.

Don’t let the cartoons fool you into thinking this lighthearted approach is lite on power. The advice and tips in this book can make a huge difference for the manager and his or her team. And no need to only give it to managers. It’s a great book to share with your own team!

8. Success Without Stress: Picture for a moment the entrepreneurial woman in your life—the one who’s trying to balance work, kids, household and aging parents…she needs this book. Desperately. You will make her life easier, saner, her work more productive and effective, her relationships more joyful.

Maybe she’ll even learn how to master Executive Coach Teri Scheinzeit’s trick—one week out of every month she skips work and instead attends to her hobby—folk music. Teri attends music camps, festivals, takes her show on the road, or works on her next song or album. Teri taught me to, “Work smarter, not harder” and she’ll do the same for readers of this terrific book that offers all it’s wisdom is easy, bite-sized chunks.

9. Start Right Where Your Are: My colleague Samantha Bennett is brilliant at helping creative people finish their projects. Now, she takes those same skills to the entrepreneurial set—or anyone wanting to complete a project. Get past your editor, your inner critic, your inner saboteur and finally tackle the project with humor and aplomb, thanks to Sam.

10. Mastering the New Media Landscape: A great book for authors or entrepreneurs who want to reach more people with their book, message or business—or all three.

Authors Rusty Shelton and Barbara Cave Henricks will empower your friends to have the influence and impact they dream of—and it can help an author sell more books, too!

11. Social Media Just for Writers: My friend and colleague Frances Caballo has helped several of my authors develop their twitter following, including Carol Lambert who started from scratch. Int his bo

12. Laugh Your Way to Real Estate Sales Success: Is there a realtor on your list? I laughed my head off just reading the introduction “loosely translated from Genesis 1.” Part of the beauty of this book is that Cathy Turney’s brilliant real estate tips are packaged in her laugh out loud humor on every page.

Books That Can Turn a Life Around

13. Women with Controlling Partners: It would be a better world if we didn’t have to worry about that BFF or sister or cousin with the abuse partner. But in this imperfect world, thank goodness for Carol Lambert, who, for several decades, has led groups for women with controlling partners and helped them take back control of their worlds.

You’ll feel empowered that you now have a gift that you can give these women in your life. In my just change theirs.

14. Moving Beyond Betrayal: It’s earth shattering when someone’s spouse or partner betrays them. There’s no way to sugar coat that situation. Yet this book by Vicki Tidwell Palmer could be the most meaningful and helpful gift that person in such a situation receives.

15. 3,000 Pulses Later: If anyone in your life suffers from depression, and especially if they wonder about treatment options other than medication, this memoir by Martha Rhodes—plus introduction to TMS therapy—could be more than just inspiring. It could change a person’s life—and has, for many.

Books That Inspire or Heal

16. Arts Awareness: Any artists in your life? Or anyone who’s a bit creative and would love to read more about the different techniques and tools artists use in the craft to create beauty and inspire?

Dr. Patricia Hoy wrote this book to help anyone use the techniques of the artist to raise their own consciousness. Arts Awareness is also a wonderful gift for arts educators and others in the arts to expand their teachings and awareness.

17. The Creativity Cure: Still a classic, this book by Carrie Barron and Alton Barron, both MD’s, will come in handy preventing the winter blues from settling in once the holiday hoopla is over.

While it’s a great antidote for the discouraged, dispirited or despondent on your list, anyone is likely to benefit from this prescription for happiness.

18. How to Meditate and Why: Have someone in your life who keeps saying they want to learn to meditate but they just find it hard? This book by Mara Zimmerman makes meditation simple and accessible. Empower the would-be meditator in your life.

19. Behind the Therapy Door: Recently picked up by Central Recovery Press, there are still a few self-published copies you can scoop up before the holidays. In it, my friend and colleague, Dr. Randy Kamen shares fascinating stories of how her clients healed their wounds of the past and took back control of their lives.

And you’ll learn the mindfulness tools behind these stories so you can use them too!

20. On the Verge: Inspire your loved ones to wake up, enjoy life to the fullest and experience more peak moments with Cara Bradley’s daily mindfulness tools.

21. 52 Ways to Love Your Body: This will help your loved one start 2017 on a body-loving high note—and keep going all year. Kimber Simpkins’ second book is light hearted yet powerful.

A Stocking Stuffer for the More Challenging People in Your Life

21. Rethinking Narcissism: I suppose you could slip this in the stocking of your favorite narcissist and he or she won’t even know whom you’re refering to, and yet you may see some subtle changes in their behavior as they read on.

A Winner for Athletes

22. Real Fit Kitchen: This one’s for the athletes in your life, especially those who don’t mind messing around in the kitchen.

The easy, healthy recipes from nutritionists Tara Mardigan and Kate Weiler will get them off those fake-healthy protein bars and bringing their own energizing treats to their next triathalon.

And the Perfect Gift for the Budding Author

23. Quick Start to Kick Start Your Book: Okay this one’s a bonus and it’s not exactly a book. I developed this self-study program to guide the budding self-help or how-to author through all the important questions to ask BEFORE writing that book.

Your author friend will get clear on vision, goals, readership, features, tone, content and even structure. It’s only $97 and one of the most thoughtful presents you can give to someone who’s wanted to write a book forever.

Oh, is that you? Well, let someone you love know what you want for Christmas! Find out more about this empowering book writing program here.

Author Spotlight: How to Create Business Opportunities with Your Book…and much more!

September 8, 2015 by Lisa Tener

One of the highlights of presenting at the San Francisco Writer’s Conference in 2014 was meeting Cathy Turney. Editing her book has honed my humor skills. And Cathy has shared many resources–including an introduction to her brilliant Amazon marketing expert and book designer, Howard VanEs. Here Cathy shares her tips for book promotion, especially on Amazon, for leveraging a book for business opportunities and for writing a great book in the first place.

Lisa: What was the inspiration behind writing Laugh Your Way to Real Estate Sales Success?

Cathy: I became hooked on seeing my name in print with my first book, Dog Stories – Hilarious Tales of a Codependent Pet Owner. And I loved how I felt when it was DONE! Laugh Your Way to Real Estate Sales Success was also part catharsis. I had to get a lot of my real estate annoyances off my chest, so to speak. It went from a litany of complaints to (thanks in huge part to you, Lisa!) a humorous, constructive, helpful “how to” book.

Lisa: Do you always write “funny”?

Cathy: Yes! Unless I’m writing a nastygram for a real estate transaction.

Lisa: A nastygram? That doesn’t sound like you.

Cathy: It’s very rare. Funny is why I write, though. It lifts my spirits and seems to lift other Realtors’ spirits. It gets the good juices going in your body. And besides, I’m no good at outline and plot.

Lisa: When you first wrote your book, did you have a business plan in mind (i.e. how you would make money with the book)?

Cathy: This is a good one! My business plan was to earn enough in real estate to cover the cost of producing my book! Ask my husband, who is delighted that I won the ABA awards because it justifies all the time and money I’ve spent on the book, in his mind. No, I sure didn’t have a business plan. But I didn’t start writing and publishing until I was near the point in my career where I could retire – or semi retire and afford to write.

book cover- laugh your way — Cathy Turney’s book and e-book won best book and e-book at the International Business Awards this summer.

Lisa: In what ways has Laugh Your Way to Real Estate Sales Success opened new doors for you professionally?

Cathy: OMgosh – it’s put me in a whole ‘nother place! I was recently invited to do a webinar for the largest real estate continuing education company in the U.S.; I was appointed to the Board of the San Francisco Women’s National Book Association; I’ve been invited to speak before Rotary; and it highlights my commitment, experience and professionalism to others in the industry. Having published a book elevates you and definitely opens doors.

Lisa: Your book and e-book have each won a national award and an international award. What are some of the results of writing an award winning book?

Cathy: I just won those awards, and I hope to capitalize on them, but they already got me noticed by the Bay Area newspaper. I know they’ll garner more attention and credibility for my future books and anything writing-related.

Lisa: Your book was an Amazon bestseller. What happens when a book becomes a bestseller on Amazon? How does Amazon boost potential sales?

Cathy: My Amazon best seller rank was accomplished via a free Kindle giveaway and tons of promotion (via Howard VanEs, as you know, Lisa!). The financial benefit came later from those who didn’t get in on time for the promotion and from others who read it and encouraged others to buy it. I don’t believe that any one thing you do to market your book makes it a best-seller – it’s a combination of marketing efforts and consistency and perseverance.

Lisa: And writing a great book to begin with! Are your readers mostly in California or are you attracting readers from all over?

Cathy: I’ve been surprised that many have been out-of-state. I don’t know the breakdown, but I’ve had comments from other states. I think the message and basic tenets about how to deal with challenges in real estate aren’t geographically specific, so it calls to anyone who needs to see the humor in real estate sales.

Lisa: What tips do you have for our readers about writing with humor?

Cathy: Do it! No matter what your topic, it warms readers to your writing. People remember lessons you impart much better if they’re delivered in a funny story or at least a story with a twist of humor. I read a lot in magazines and newspapers and online about people who put humor in what they do, and it’s met with great success – that’s why it’s being talked about.

Lisa: I’d like to note for our readers that they can read another interview you and I did where you shared very specific tips on how to write humorously for a business audience. How about tips for book sales?

Cathy: I don’t think book signing parties or events justify the time and expense. They haven’t for me. It’s much more profitable to volunteer to speak before a group and bring books to sell afterward. Getting a magazine or newspaper (online or other) to review your book is huge. Getting people to talk about you in social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter, is time well spent. Most importantly determine your target audience. Mine is Realtors, so I found groups online to join, bloggers, etc. Whatever your field, Google “(your discipline) blog” or “(your discipline) group” (use your imagination), and you’ll find many places where you can engage and promote your work. At first I tried to get my book into bookstores, and then I figured out that the amount of space, placement in the store, likelihood of the right buyer finding my book, and the money and effort it would take me to do that would never be justified.

Lisa: Any other tips for authors?

Cathy: While you’re writing your book, send the table of contents (your best effort at what will undoubtedly change by publishing date) and a few chapters to other professionals and any type of reader who would typically buy your book, and get their reviews for the front pages of your book. Great reviews at the front of a book (and on the back cover) program readers to like your book before they’ve even started it!

Go for the most prominent, recognizable, illustrious names you think would do this for you. First, I asked permission to send them the chapters and told them that I planned to reward their kindness with an Amazon gift card. It really works! And tell them you only need a few sentences, so it’s not an overwhelming request.

Lisa: Any tips for monetizing–leveraging your book for your business?

Cathy: Talking nonfiction here. There are MANY writing contests out there, some without a lot of competition. Try to win one or two so that you can call your book “award winning.” Put that in your marketing. Absolutely put an image of your book on the masthead or some other prominent place on your website. In your e-mail signature line, include “Author of (your book title)” with a link to its Amazon page. You’d be amazed at how that works – people remember that they forgot to buy your book! Plus it’s great free and subtle advertising for your business.

Whatever your profession, having published a book is huge with potential clientele. It presents you as an authority. That’s why so many public figures (ghost)write books.

Lisa: Anything we haven’t covered that you’d like our readers to know?

Cathy: The most important things you can do after you’ve written a draft that you believe is ready for the next step is to hire a “voice” coach (YOU, LISA!!!) to look at it objectively, to see if it needs restructuring and other tweaking:

Is the voice right?
Is it too much “I, I, I”?
Is the tone right?
Where is it unclear or even boring?
Does the book accomplish what you intended it to?

After you’re through with the rewrites, again, hire a professional editor or proofreader to fix the grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, spelling (spellcheck does not cut it!) because if your book is not perfect, your reviews will crucify you. And your objective is to get as many 5-star reviews on Amazon as possible. It’s fine to have a few 3s and 4s, but the preponderance should be 5s.

[bctt tweet=”If the book is not structurally almost perfect it looks like you didn’t care enough to make it so. “]It suggests “amateur.” Perfect structure can compensate for the writing – kind of.

Once your book is published, aggressively seek reviews on Amazon from friends. Many of the nice things that have happened to me since publishing Laugh Your Way to Real Estate Sales Success have been because people saw all my 5-star reviews and believed them!

Lisa: As well they should. I had so much fun editing it. The very first words in the introduction had me laughing out loud. And the real estate advice is priceless. You’ve delivered all that you promised in the title–and more.

Cathy Turney is an award-winning humorist and 28-year veteran of the real estate industry. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is Managing Partner at Better Homes Realty, Walnut Creek.

What Authors Need to Know About Amazon Marketing Tools (Part 2)

June 1, 2015 by Lisa Tener

Last week, in 3 Things Authors Need to Know About Amazon, Howard VanEs generously shared the importance of Amazon and Amazon Marketing Tools, what authors need to know about selecting keywords on Amazon (and why this is essential), BISAC categories (what are they, why you should care and what you need to know) and more.

In today’s interview, Howard de-mystifies Amazon marketing tools, including Amazon’s KDP Select Program, Pay per click, Author Central and Kindle Countdown.

LT: Why are you excited about Amazon’s marketing tools?

HV: Amazon’s marketing tools are very effective at helping authors sell books. No other platform online or offline offers anything like these. Additionally there is a lot of sales information right on the Amazon sales pages which can help you to market your book once you know what to look for.

LT: Please tell our readers about KDP Select and how to use it.

HV: The KDP Select giveaway program lets an author give away their Kindle book for 5 free days over the course of 90 days. Remember, the book is digital and doesn’t cost you anything to give it away. The promotion will get your book into the hands of people who might not normally find your book and perhaps more importantly it will drive your book’s rankings on Amazon. You want to have your book on the first page of your category or keyword: That is where most of the sales happen. Done properly, you will generate hundreds, if not thousands, of downloads that will drive your ranking on the sales page and your book will be on the first page if not in the number one position for at least a day or two, sometimes much longer. This activity primes the sales pump, so to speak. Consequently you will start to see regular sales over time.

LT: I’ve seen this in action in what you did for Cathy Turney’s book, Laugh Your Way to Real Estate Sales Success, which was in the number one position on Amazon a few months ago.

HV: Yes, keep in mind that in order for this to be successful you will need to use outside resources (off Amazon) to send people to your sales page to download your book during the free promotion period. These resources include announcing on your social media, notifying your fan base or data base, press releases and using services that announce your giveaway to their audiences.

LT: Which I know Cathy did a great job of. How about Pay per click? That’s a relatively new development…What do we need to know?

HV: Amazon pay per-click is Amazon’s newest marketing tool. Pay per click is as simple as it sounds – when someone clicks on your ad they are taken to your book page and you are charged a small of money, thus “pay per click.” This model has been around for a long time on other search engines such as Google with their “AdWords” and the ads you see on Facebook pages.

The nice thing is that you can target your ads either by product category or by keywords. You can experiment with both, but I think keywords deliver a more precise audience.

To get started you select a beginning and end date of your campaign. You will need to make a minimum commitment of $100 and each ad will have a minimum charge of $.02 cents per click. What you’re actually charged per ad depends on how many others are competing for the same keyword: You’ll be entered into an auction where your per click rate will be $.01 cents higher than the second highest in the auction.

So you need to give some thought to your pay per click price. Go too high and it may not be worth it; go to low and you might not get any ad exposure. The good news is that you can adjust, change or end your campaign at any time.

Now be sure to do your math! If you book sells for $5.00 and your ad cost is $.50 per click , you’ll lose money. Here is how it breaks out based on a 70% royalty payment for your book which is $3.50. If you commit $100 and select a price per click of $.50 then you’ll generate 200 clicks. A reasonable purchase rate would be 2.5% which means you would have sold 5 books. 5 X $3.50 (your profit for each book) is $17.50 but you spent $100. So in this case it would not be a good investment.

Let’s use the same example but with a pay per click price of $.05. This would generate 2,000 clicks X 2.5% (purchase rate) which equals 50 books sold X $3.50 = $175. Minus the $100 you would have made a profit of $75. Not bad. If you know you can invest $100 and make $75 profit along with your $100 back, you would want to do this all day long!

LT: And how about Author Central? That’s been around a while but I’m sure Amazon has been tweaking it.

HV: Amazon wants to give you your own web page and it’s called Author Central!

When you have at least one book up on Amazon you are able to have a web page there dedicated to you and your writing. Nice!

To set up your Author Central page go to https://authorcentral.amazon.com/

Your Author Central page helps Amazon customers get to know you and your writing. Once you’ve accessed your page you can do a quite a lot including:

Post your biography: don’t be shy! Tell readers if you’ve won any awards and share any interesting details about yourself
Add photos
List all of your books on Amazon
Add a blog
Upload videos/book trailers
Connect to Twitter to show your latest tweets
Have a URL for your Amazon Author Central page which you can link to and from your web site or anywhere else on the web you want to promote your Author Central page.
Post events such as speaking or book launch events
Update editorial reviews
Contact Amazon support

LT: And Kindle Countdown – I had not heard of this tool until you mentioned it.

HV: Kindle Countdown deals are similar to the KDP giveaway promotion, but instead of giving the book away for free you offer it at a discounted price, incrementally over the course of time – up to seven days. For example, if your book is normally $5.95 you can start your promotion for a day or two at .99, then go to $1.99, then $2.99 and keep making price changes until your reach your original price.

Amazon shows customers the regular price and the promotional price on the book’s detail page, as well as a countdown clock showing how much time is left at the promotional price. Amazon also helps promote the book with a dedicated website where they feature Kindle Countdown Deals. In order for your promotion to be successful you need to promote the book off of Amazon similar to the way you would promote a KDP Giveaway as described above,

If you are going to use this promotion, make sure that your original list price is high enough to show value when discounted. For example, discounting a $2.99 book to $1.99 is not a strong financial incentive to purchase, but discounting a book priced at $9.95 to .99 looks like a great deal! If you plan to change the price of your book prior to the Countdown promotion you must do so at least 30 days prior to your promotion or Amazon won’t let you run the promotion.

LT: What are some of your clients’ experiences?

HV: Most recently we did a KDP Giveaway for one of our authors and were able to achieve a number one position on Amazon. The author of great bragging rights, a best sellers badge from Amazon, and lots of sales afterwards. In an another recent giveaway promotion for a self-help book we gave away over 9.500 copies of the author’s book and drove it into the top 10 on Amazon. What is particularly interesting about this giveaway is that author had an offer inside the book and 100 people opted in to her offer over the next week and she had 7 sales of other products directly linked to this activity. After doing hundreds of these promotions we pretty much have the KDP giveaway down to a science.

LT: What are some typical mistakes authors might make in using these tools?

HV: The devil is always in the details. It is important that you have a professional looking cover and a killer book description. If you don’t, even the best promotions won’t help you sell books. So check the basics first. Some of the Amazon promotional programs are straight forward, while others are a little more involved like the KDP Giveaway. Research each carefully, read what Amazon has to say, talk to others who have used these tools successfully and consider reaching out to consultants like me to get the most from these promotional tools.

Howard VanEs is a book marketing expert and President of Let’s Write Books Inc. a company specializing in book design and marketing services for independent authors. Howard is also the author of 20 of his own books, many of which have been or are number one in their respective categories on Amazon. Full disclosure: I am a proud affiliate of “Let’s Write Books” and, as such, if you let Howard know I sent you, I may receive an affiliate commission when you work with him (this does not change the fees or come out of your pocket). As you probably know, I am very selective about affiliate programs and only choose a select few that I strongly believe in.

How to Sell More Books Through Niche Media

January 20, 2015 by Lisa Tener

If you’re the author of a business book, you may long to be quoted in the Wall Street Journal or Financial Times or Fast Company. Being quoted in a big, national news source is always good for a book and its author, but the truth is, you may sell way more books by being quoted in a media outlet that only your readers have heard of.

I’d never heard of Inman.com, yet that is the real estate equivalent of Bloomberg News for business. For Cathy Turney, author of Laugh Your Way to Real Estate Sales Success, Inman reaches the specific audience she wrote her book for and it is a much more perfect match for getting the word out to potential book buyers–leading to book sales, authority status and other opportunities.

book cover- laugh your way So when Cathy’s publicist wrote to tell her that not only does Inman plan to publish one of her stories as a guest blog, but that they would like her to become a regular contributor, Cathy was, naturally, over the moon.

As you write your book, you may want to think about how you can include anecdotes or even short chapters that would make excellent excerpts for online news sources. Where does your target audience (or core readership) hang out online? What is their trusted authority for industry news (or health news or entertainment news or whatever it is you are writing about)? Can you write a section that would make a perfect excerpt? Or perhaps a tip-list that media source might wish to re-print?

Have fun with exercise!

Treat Yourself to Book Proposal Coaching or a Book Concept Consultation

August 26, 2014 by Lisa Tener

What an exciting summer: This spring I coached six clients on their book proposals in a variety of fields—self help books on relationships, spirituality, healing PTSD with dream therapy, education, plant-based eating and one memoir.

Five of the six book proposal coaching clients landed top agents. The sixth knew that her niche did not require an agent and she sent her book proposal directly to publishers, received several offers and is signing a publishing contract with her top choice of publisher in her field (education). And one of the six actually worked backwards—I sent his proposal to the perfect publisher and then connected him with his agent.

Now as we enter September and acquisitions editors return to their desks, the agents will be pitching and selling the four remaining books—so look for announcements in upcoming newsletters.

And that leads me to your book…wouldn’t it be fun to see your publishing adventure highlighted in my newsletter or blog as a publishing success story? And even more fun to be a successfully published author, reaching readers and changing lives?

I thought so. Whether you are working on your book proposal or book, are you at a point where you could use some book coaching or guidance?
• Maybe you’ve been working on a book proposal and you’re wondering what it needs to take it that extra step to make it irresistible to agents and publishers…
• Or perhaps you’re still getting clarity on what your book exactly is and you could use help clarifying—both from the standpoint of writing a marketable, successful book and also in accessing your inner muse and creativity—to write the most dazzling book you can.
• Or maybe you’re stuck and it’s time for a brilliant breakthrough.
I have some exciting news for you. I’m offering some rare September Savings in honor of the Labor Day holiday and the “back to school” tradition.
From now through September 1:

Save $200 when you buy a block of 3 one-hour book coaching sessions:

[Note: You can use the 3 sessions at any time – no need to book by Sept. 1!]

Or if you need expert guidance on your book proposal, save $1,250 on book proposal coaching and editing here:

If you have questions about the specials feel free to e-mail me.

Here’s what clients have said:

“Lisa Tener is a miracle worker. “

“Lisa’s coaching and support changed my life in the best way possible.

“Imagine, I brought her 400 pages of raw material, mostly typed-in journal entries… and over 10 weeks she showed me how to turn it into a 300 page, readable memoir. If you follow her instructions and encouragement, and make time for it in your life, you may just find your dream coming alive on the page.

“Here’s what happened to me that never could have happened without Lisa Tener and her amazing mentorship: My self-published book got picked up by a wonderful publisher and won a nationally recognized award. If you are struggling to give birth to the book you know you have inside, I can’t recommend Lisa highly enough..”

— Kimber Simpkins,

Author of the Nautilus Award Winning Memoir, Full

book signing with book coach lisa tener — Carrie Barron and Lisa Tener at Carrie’s first book signing in NYC.

“Meeting Lisa Tener at Harvard Medical School’s publishing course changed my life. I was struck by Lisa’s ability to bring out our creativity and at the same time how well she understood the business end of book writing and publishing. She was the book writing coach for me.

book cover the creativity cure — The book proposal for The Creativity Cure helped the book land a top agent and a 6-figure book deal from Scribner

“When I met Lisa I had an amorphous idea. Lisa helped me clarify my book idea into something much more marketable than my initial concept by suggesting the perfect niche audience for my book and a spot-on title–The Creativity Cure. Lisa also guided me and my co-author step-by-step to write a top-notch book proposal–one that several agents and publishers were excited about.

“She helped us choose the right agent–who ultimately landed us a 6-figure book deal with Charles Scribner’s Sons. The clarity and advice Lisa provided contributed greatly to that outcome. Lisa’s astute pick ups and sharp thinking made all the difference.”

-Carrie Barron, MD, co-author with Alton Barron, MD of The Creativity Cure published by Charles Scribner’s Sons

“I went to the 2014 San Francisco Writers Conference looking for a book coach to rescue my real estate book. I was troubled by voice, the right balance of light and dark, humor and helpfulness. Within minutes of meeting Lisa, I knew I had found The Guru.

“I interviewed six other book coaches at the conference, spent fifteen minutes with each, and Lisa gave me more insight than all the others combined. She got into my head, totally grasping what I wanted to accomplish, and within five minutes came up with brilliant suggestions that I hadn’t even considered (for free – she didn’t even sign me before starting to share!).

“I knew that in hiring Lisa my book would have the eyes of a master on it—one who has proven results with the Big Six publishers. I am going indie, so I knew I needed her expertise even more. We have just finished editing, and I am beyond thrilled with the results.

“Your book only gets one chance to become a top seller. Don’t risk it. Let Lisa make it the best it can be.”

– Cathy Turney, author of two books, including the about-to-be-published Laugh Your Way to Real Estate Sales Success

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