Posts filed under ‘Events’
Host A DIY Book Signing Event
Since Wordclay is do-it-yourself publishing, it shouldn’t surprise you that we occasionally recommend you try some other things DIY too. Don’t worry, we’re not turning into Martha Stewart here, we just want to encourage you to think outside the box when it comes to marketing your self-published book. After all, it’s your book and you have to be the one to sell it.
Have you considered hosting a DIY book signing event? Sure, it’s going to take some work and planning, but a book signing event, especially one in your community, is a great way to get your book in front of a larger group of people.
Here are five steps to help you plan and host your own book signing:
1. Pick a venue. Bookstores are an obvious place to start, especially independent ones in your community. It’s nice to build a relationship with those stores. However, take your book signing one step further and think about hosting your signing somewhere that relates to your book. Did you write a cookbook? Ask your favorite local restaurant if you can host a signing there. Think about the audience you have for your book and try to go where those people are.
2. Work with your location. No matter where you end up hosting your event, chances are that the business is interested in bringing people in to their establishment almost as much as you are. It’s partially your responsibility to make sure people show up – don’t depend on the venue to provide all the advertising for you. When you have all the terms of the book signing agreed upon (i.e. date, time, who is providing things like tables and chairs, signage, etc.) then go start promoting your event.
3. Talk, talk, talk. The amount of advertising you do for your event will literally make or break it for you. Consider getting some fliers and postcards printed that you can mail to family and friends as well as take to other community organizations like the Chamber of Commerce. Call your local newspaper and tell them about your event. Ask other local businesses if you can hang a flier in their store. The sky is the limit to your advertising.
4. Be confident. When the day of your book signing arrives you may feel nervous and excited. That’s ok! It’s important to remember to be confident and sure of yourself – after all, you are the author. Bring a friend to help you hand out promotional items and to be your encourager if you need that. Make sure you have plenty of books to sell and additional information about where people can buy your book if they aren’t prepared to buy it that day. If you have a blog or e-mail mailing list you may also consider asking people to sign it so you can stay in touch with them.
5. Say thank you. When your book signing is over, take a deep breath, but don’t stop. It’s important to take some time to thank everyone who helped you pull off a great event. Send thank you notes to the venue and anyone there who specifically helped you. Thank people for coming through your blog or even hand written notes. If any media attended your event make sure to thank them as well. You never know where the contacts you make at your book signing event could take you next.
Doing something like hosting a book signing event on your own may seem overwhelming and intimidating. But really, when you stop and think about it, you made it through writing your book so what can be as overwhelming as that?
Keep writing,
- Kate
Oprah’s Book Club: Say You’re One of Them by Uwen Akpan
Many of us in the book world have learned that Oprah Winfrey has supreme power to influence the direction of the popular book buying community. Several titles that she selected in the past have created huge waves of sales, controversy and interest.
People have been excited recently, having heard rumors that there was a new pick on the way.
Well we have a winner.
Say You’re One of Them by Uwen Akpan is unlike Oprah’s other 60-plus recommendations. The Nigerian born author has been recognized with awards, nominations and accolades* for this collection of stories. Notably, Akpan, who teaches in Zimbabwe, has a strong talent for selecting the voice and narrator to best convey the piece.
The terrible settings and situations and the gentle nature of the characters are a hypnotic combination. The situations in Rwanda and Kenya and other African hot-spots are fully and unapologetically drawn out with brutal honesty and a powerful sense of the humanity of the individuals involved. The writing can help us to more fully understand what humanity means and what it is that makes life so precious.
Admittedly, I have not agreed with every selection for the Oprah Book Club, but this one is worth considering.
Uwen Akpan is a perfect example of what all writers might be capable of. Having come from a world in which resources were very limited, he has moved mountains with raw talent.
*Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction
Nominated for the Guardian First Book Award
Nominated for the Caine Prize for African Writing
Nominated for the Story Prize
Winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book, African Region
Nominated for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award
-1000 Chimps
Barnes & Noble Launches e-Book Store: Rumors Circulate of Plastic Logic Partnership
This week, Barnes & Noble opened their e-Book Store online. They have hit the ground running with plans to grow aggressively. The word on the Web is that they are going to be partnering with Plastic Logic to distribute content via a device scheduled for release early next year. The device is said to be a big step in the right direction, hopefully minimizing the annoying parts of the Kindle2, Kindle DX and Sony Reader.
It would be logical to assume that Barnes & Noble will be able to establish themselves in a market that they have dominated for so long. They understand books and consumers, which is quite clear when you visit their site. The eBook Store interface is extremely user-friendly. People can download the apps they need in order to interact with the new eBook Store, including options for your computer, iPhone and Blackberry.
Overall, I think that this is a healthy development. While I don’t see any indication yet that there will be an interface such as the Digital Text Platform available to upload content to the Kindle Store, I would be surprised if this is not in the works. The strength that Amazon has brought to the e-book market is a good starting ground and I believe that strong players getting into the game will drive Amazon and any other serious participants to adapt and improve.
Barnes & Noble’s new eBook Store has a clear impact on your ability to sell your book. Familiarize yourself with this new development, so that you can be one step ahead of where your target audience is going.
-1,000 Chimps
On Demand: No, Really, It’s the Future
This just in: Traditional publishing declined by 3 percent and On-Demand publishing grew 132 percent. Guess who is in the lead now …
Okay, so that sounds a little bit arrogant, but it’s refreshing to see the prediction that has driven many of us forward is correct. The structure of the traditional publishing business model is rickety and teetering. They have built their reputations and empires on being unbelievably exclusive.
Self-Publishing is remarkably inclusive.
Self Publishing is not the only group to access the Print-On-Demand technology, but it is what makes self-publishing and distribution possible. There is no need to print and pump out title after title in massive marketing waves.
Many of you who have published your books with the POD model have found this process to be accessible and reliable enough to build your business plan around. Professional speakers can maintain their own catalog of titles and have shipments waiting for them at their hotels as they travel and drive their business forward. Teachers can create their own materials to accompany (or even in some cases replace) the mainstream texts that support their curricula. Churches can document their growth and their history and expand their base through affordable means. Companies can create professional training materials that are branded for their needs and their needs alone.
Congratulations to the success of all involved, and congratulations to the traditional companies who decide to leverage this approach in the future!
Stephen Colbert Interviews Inaugural Poet Elizabeth Alexander
Two weeks ago, during an interview, Stephen Colbert actually asked interesting questions about meaning and the poetic form employed by Elizabeth Alexander. Using his naïve absurdly conservative comedic approach, Colbert asked questions such as:
- Poems aren’t true, are they?
- What’s the difference between a metaphor and a lie?
- What is a praise song?
- What is an occasional poem?
- Why not use soaring rhetoric?
Learn, laugh and check out the interview here>>
Truth is, Colbert is actually asking about figurative language and its place in literature, which is a debate that has gone on for centuries. Should we simply say what we mean? And what is the point of dressing up meaning with flowery language?
Furthermore, he also inquires (albeit humorously) about the dissection of poetry, because the honest truth is that interpreting the words chosen for a poem ain’t easy, which is also part of the analytical and emotional fun of poetry after all.
Think about it. What did you take away from Alexander’s poem Praise Song for the Day? What is your poetic style? Why do you choose the words you do? Start a discussion, comment on Alexander’s poetry and submit your thoughts on your own poetry here.
Poet Elizabeth Alexander to Read at President Barack Obama’s Inauguration
Today, after the historical induction into office of the President-Elect Barack Obama, be sure to watch Poet Elizabeth Alexander read the poem President Obama requested she write specifically for the Inauguration.
Elizabeth Alexander | 2009
Elizabeth Alexander has published five books of poems: The Venus Hottentot (1990), Body of Life (1996), Antebellum Dream Book (2001), American Sublime (2005), which was one of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize and was one of the American Library Association’s Notable Books of the Year. Most recently, her first young adult collection (co-authored with Marilyn Nelson), Miss Crandall’s School for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color (2008 Connecticut Book Award). Not to mention the fact that she’s also published two collections of essays The Black Interior (2004) and Power and Possibility (2007), and her play, Diva Studies, was produced at the Yale School of Drama.
A few months ago, Alexander was selected to compose and deliver a poem at Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration. She will be the fourth poet to read at the swearing-in ceremony: Robert Frost recited “The Gift Outright” at John F. Kennedy’s in 1961; Maya Angelou read “On the Pulse of Morning” at Bill Clinton’s in 1993; and Miller Williams’ “Of History and Hope” was also read for Clinton in 1997. Alexander will deliver her poem immediately following president-elect Obama’s inaugural address, so stay tuned this afternoon and catch what’s sure to be an inspiring and memorable moment in the history of poetry.
According to PBS’s Art Beat, asked how Alexander has been crafting her poem, she replied, “I am trying to both be quiet inside and keep my ears open outside to listen to where we are right now.” Later, she continued, “I think what I hope to symbolize and demonstrate is the important role that arts and literature can play in this moment when the country is thinking so keenly about moving forward and coming together.”
Please join us in congratulating President Obama and Poet Alexander for their significant contributions today, and let us know your thoughts on the eloquence of Obama’s address as well as the power of Alexander’s poem.
Don’t Call It a Comeback: eBooks and the State of the Market (early ‘09)
It’s not a flying surfboard or a cloned beloved pet, but the future of the e-book is something to look at. Some of us have had the inkling that the eventuality of this technology would replace the printed page. That hasn’t quite happened, and it may never happen. We have discussed various angles of the Kindle-Sony Reader growth over the past year. In that time I have personally seen the discussion go from ‘maybe we should try that out’ to ‘how can we do that for all of our titles’ here at Author Solutions.
The early advancers have adopted the machines, and the powers behind the two platforms are working to enhance the means by which publishers can go to market with these titles. Software companies have been working toward perfecting the output of various file-types for the displays, and the manufacturers of the screens and e-ink technology have been working to increase the size and function of the displays. If you keep an eye on the technology tab of your favorite news provider, you will see occasional mentions of the new prototypes, flexible displays, color displays and lower costs. If you put all of that together, it is clear that the people who sell you books believe that you will be buying e-book readers and e-books.
Ask Amazon how much of their overall income for 2008 was related to e-books for their Kindle device, and you might be surprised to find that demand for titles that are available in print or e-book has pivoted to over 12 percent preference for Kindle, a percentage which is only growing. The number of titles currently available compared to the total market is low, but the market share for the Kindle is definitely on the rise.
The discussion is exciting. There are any number of parties out there talking about the next generation Kindle and the possibility that Apple will get in on the game. This massive coalescence is still in its early stages, but it is starting to swirl. I predict that more content which is non-book in origin that will continue to drive the sales of these devices. Newspapers and magazines are getting their feet wet as we speak. In the future will you purchase a book on the Internet that you can then read or listen to or watch on one machine? Will video be a part of the package? How much of the page will need to be ads before the device is free? Will it be in your phone? Will it be flexible and online? Does anyone know for sure???
Books and Culture: 10th Annual Harlem Book Fair Held this Weekend in New York
The Harlem Book Fair celebration kicks off Friday, July 18 and concludes Sunday, July 20 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York. But the main event, the huge outdoor book fair festival, will be held on Saturday, July 19, from 11 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on West 135th Street between Lenox Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.
If you live in the area, or are up for a weekend getaway, I’ve heard that this is one event you’ll be sorry to miss. Authors, publishers, speakers, musicians and booklovers galore will flood the streets for a marathon of books and culture.
Publishers big and small will be in attendance, representing themselves and their authors. Self-published authors selling their own books will set up booths, hawking their story with bells on. Vendors slinging food and other trinkets will be in the mix, but mostly, there will be books – and lots of them.
But the Harlem Book Fair is more than a book fair, really; it’s a cultural event and celebration. It was born from the success of QBR The Black Book Review which, (more…)
