“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – Social Media Design & Kate Douglas of “Wolf Tales”
June 28th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
Lori Randall, founder of Social Media Design, and Kate Douglas, the lead author for Kensington Publishing’s erotic romance imprint, Aphrodisia, for her popular Wolf Tales series, will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com.
Ms. Randall will discuss the role of social media in the author’s platform and the top 3 mistakes writers making when they approach social media sites and networks. Ms. Douglas will talk about her latest and last book in the Wolf Tales series among her twelve books about werewolves and shapeshifters. She’ll also discuss how she writes about the explicit sex in her books and how she’s using her books as her hook. She’ll also share advice for writers who want to write and publish books about werewolves in today’s publishing world.
NEW YORK, NY (June 28th – July 4th, 2011): Lori Randall, the founder of Social Media Design, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about the role of social media in the author’s platform. She’ll also discuss each social media network separately to distinguish how 
to use them effectively.
Ms. Randall will also discuss the mistakes writers make when using social media and some do’s and don’ts. She’ll also provide advice specifically for writers about how to take their next steps with social media and the benefits they’ll reap when they do.
Kate Douglas, the lead author for Kensington Publishing’s erotic romance imprint, Aphrodisia, which was developed around her popular Wolf Tales series, will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov how and why she wrote her latest and last book among her series of books about werewolves and shapeshifters. She’ll also talk about how she got published and how she’s using her books as her hook. Ms. Douglas will also reveal how her publisher handles the explicit sex in her books and share advice for writers who want to write their own books about werewolves in today’s publishing world.
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss why social media matters for writers in all genres and categories during her Education Corner segment during the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/lnzYjz
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
Where Oh Where Have All The Books Gone?
June 24th, 2011
By Guest Blogger Aaron Patterson
#1 Amazon Kindle Best-Selling Author & the Publisher at Stone House Ink & StoneGate Ink
Books. eBooks. Audio Books.
I love books, or shall I say I love stories. I used to read three books a day when I was a kid. I love the stories, the danger, the exciting places I can go in a book. But what of the paper, the sound, the smell of a book? What is going to happen to books with the digital revolution?
I ask this with a smile and a heavy heart. I know where it is going and part of me is sad and the other part is excited. The sad part is because I like a book. I grew up reading them, and they are going away. Paper and ink are giving away to the eBook.
Are we really losing them? No, it is just changing. The excited part of me sees the cool ways we can now read stories. How we can have links and video and cram 3,000 books in a small device. How I can listen to an audio book on the same reader I can read a novel on. It all comes down to content. A story is a story no matter how it is consumed. I love story, so give me my story. I don’t care how it comes to me, in a sound over the radio or on an eReader or in a paper form.
With eBooks, I as an author can reach so many more people so much faster. I can build a fan base and make a living as an author, where even five years ago this would have been a crazy thought. I do not have to go to a book signing or travel across the country to sell books. I can do it all from my laptop. Through social media like Twitter and Facebook.
What does this mean for a bookstore?
They will shrink and turn into small specialty shops. The first editions, the signed copies, and the cream of the crop. The really good books, the classics, will be in bookstores. The price will go up and most of the new books will be published only as eBooks or print on demand publishing houses.
Is this a good thing?
Think of how many trees we will save. Think of the books that are pulped every year. If the average reader knew how many books are burned or thrown away each year, it would start a riot. Think of the cost savings. eBooks are forever, do not get old or tear, do not yellow or get lost. Is this good or the end of books? Who knows? All I know is, no matter what, the real story will never die.
Aaron Patterson
Blog: www.TheWorstBookEver.blogspot.com
Twitter: Mstersmith
Facebook: Aaron Patterson
Website: www.StoneHouseInk.net
Books:
Sweet Dreams
Dream On
Airel
19 (Digital Short)
The Craigslist Killer (Digital Short)
The eBook on eBooks (Digital Short)
Social Persona to Social Pariah at the Click of a Mouse
February 23rd, 2011
By Guest Blogger Bree Ogden, Literary Agent at Martin Literary Management
http://www.martinliterarymanagement.com
http://agentbree.wordpress.com
So you’ve landed an agent! Whew. Work’s done. Time to sit back with your Mojito and let the agent take over the reins. ::Bubble:: POP! Let’s talk reality.
True: your agent is there to get you published (hopefully). True: your agent is there to give you sound advice on your current manuscript and future works-in-progress. True: your agent is there to hold your hand when you are lost in this crazy world called publishing. False: (you knew it was coming) your agent cannot be your social persona. And unfortunately, a negative social persona can make you a publishing pariah.
As authors and potential authors, you have the world waiting to hear from you via the Internet. Twitter feeds, Facebook pages (both fan pages and personal pages), blogs, Tumblr, Web sites, even just a simple Google search could have someone reading every bit of material about you at the click of a button.
Hint: Use this to your advantage. Second hint: It’s harder than it seems. While it’s just plain common sense not to post naughty pictures of yourself on the Web, it might not be as intuitive to watch what you say. For example: Publisher X just released a book about reality television star Y, but Publisher X won’t give your “rousing book on the problem in Country Z” a second glance. So naturally you are angry and you post on Twitter: “Publisher X only cares about money and they produce total crap. I cannot believe they release this kind of trash.”
Hmmm…
Unfortunately for you, Publisher X was actually looking at your manuscript as you wrote those angry words, and you just blew it.
You might think you are invisible on the Web. If you can’t see them, they can’t see you, right? Wrong. With tools such as Google Alerts, anyone can see anything posted about them on the Internet. And it will come back to bite you. I promise.
For an agent, the client who breaches etiquette over the Internet is terrifying. They are a loose cannon and it’s hard for an agent to trust them on their own. By saying inappropriate things over Twitter/Facebook/blogs etc, they not only ruin their own reputation and chances of getting published, but they hurt their agent’s reputation as well.
True story time: An editor once told me regarding Twitter, “Once, I clicked through and saw it was your standard, unpublished (but agented) author—complaining about how long it took editors to consider her manuscript and how this would be ‘unacceptable’ in any other industry and what a bunch of bums editors were. I was considering her manuscript at the time.”
This Internet business is hard work. But worth it if you play your cards right.
“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – HARO, Social Media, Customer Service & Peter Shankman
January 29th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
Peter Shankman, the founder and creator of Help A Reporter Out (HARO), the founder & CEO of The Geek Factory Inc., and the author of two books, will appear as a guest on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com. Mr. Shankman will talk about how authors can leverage the Help A Reporter Out service for writing their next book and for connecting more quickly with journalists and the media. He’ll also discuss why he wrote his latest book, Customer Service: New Rules for a Social Media World.
NEW YORK, NY (January 25th – January 31st, 2011): Peter Shankman, the founder and creator of Help A Reporter Out (HARO), the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory Inc., and the author of two books, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about how authors can connect more quickly and easily with the media.
Mr. Shankman will discuss how authors can leverage the Help A Reporter Out (HARO) service for both writing their next book and finding interviewees as well as for answering direct inquiries from journalists and the media seeking expert interviewees for their own assignments. He’ll also share examples of some outrageous PR stunts that authors can do to attract the attention of the media and he’ll reveal his perspective on how writers can be using social media more effectively.
Peter Shankman is also the author of two books including his latest book, Customer Service: New Rules for a Social Media World, and he will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov why he wrote this book and how he’s using it as his hook to help authors and companies better understand how they can use social media to provide great customer service.
Mr. Shankman will also talk about the importance of tapping into the conversation online and listening to what your customers, advisors and markets are really saying. He’ll also reveal how to avoid wasting time with platforms that won’t help you and how to make sure everyone hears your customers when they compliment you.
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss how authors can provide great customer service during her Education Corner segment on the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/e120m6
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
Customer Service You Provide As An Author
January 29th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about the customer service provided by you as an author.
“Customer service” is an anomaly for authors. It is usually associated with products, services and companies. However, as an author, your books are your business and so customer service must therefore be a part of your overall platform.
Wondering what “customer service” means for you as an author?
Let’s take a few moments to better understand the nature of what customer service is. By definition and simply stated, a customer is one who purchases a commodity or service according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition. The word service means the work performed by one who serves – i.e.; a contribution to the welfare of others (Merriam-Webster).
Your book is a commodity purchased by others, namely your readers. You wrote it in service to and as a contribution to the welfare of them, whether you entertainment, educate or enlighten them with your book.
Therefore, there is a responsibility you have as an author to provide good “customer service” to the audience and following you’ve cultivated.
There are easy ways to provide this so no need to feel this is a daunting task. Much of it can be accomplished via a simple website with a few specific sections that make you more accessible to the reader – oh and the media.
In service to readers:
1) Make it easy for them to find your website by using your name and separately the name of your book. Own both domains and make sure that each one leads to the other.
2) Include a calendar of appearances so readers who want to meet you in person and hear you speak can find you.
3) On this same calendar, be sure to list media appearances. This is not only so readers can watch and listen, it also informs other journalists and media reps that you’re available for interviews and guest spots on their shows.
4) Provide a blog where you share your thoughts on writing, ideas for your next book and a place where readers and fans can communicate with you through comments. This requires less of your time and at the same time provides interaction opportunities for your audience.
5) Consider a social media forum. Set up a Facebook page where you can easily be found posting and engaging in a short dialogue with readers. This is another place you can show up when you want to and interact through comments. For those who are bolder and more consistent, try Twitter, a 140-character forum where you will need to take some time to learn the lingo to have quick, snappy exchanges with readers and the press. You can also create a simple automatic stream of the posts you want to make on both Facebook and Twitter using social media scheduling tools like HootSuite and Social Oomph.
Most of all, keep writing. The best customer service you can provide in service to your readers is to write your next book. If they like the first one they read, they’ll certainly be on the lookout for more.
While your book is your hook to more readers and the media, it’s also your job to use it responsibly to continue to deliver great value while creating an ongoing conversation with those who consume it and come back asking for more.
Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
Sell More Books With Text Messaging
December 27th, 2010
By Guest Blogger, Steve Kelley, founder of MESSAGEbuzz
www.messagebuzz.com
Text messaging is still one of the best communication methods for extending your personality. If you are an author, expert, speaker or coach imparting your knowledge and experience to as wide a group as possible, then text messaging will benefit you. Associated to this post is a radio interview and a case study of an author using text messaging to increase book sales.
To reveal one secret right up-front, book sales are increased by allowing people to easily opt-in via your social media tools, website or the audience you are addressing so they can start engaging with you. A daily connection with your followers encourages 50% more purchases compared to those that are not.
The reasons for using text messaging are plenty. First, text messages are accepted on a permission only basis. This is an extremely valuable aspect because it explicitly says your readers value what you are sharing with them. It is so important that watching your subscriber numbers change in either direction provides you with great insight. Second, text messaging is personal and in fact the cell phone in general is revered as very personal. Your content, your emotions, your personality delivered right to your reader’s hip pocket is powerful. As they say, the pocket is closer to the heart than the brain so include your emotions and convictions and people will respond. Third, people receiving text messages read them at a resoundingly high rate, especially when they come from known sources. Research touts that is it 99%, which I believe is too high but I bet it is 75%.
There are numerous tactics you can apply to connect with your tribe. This list is far from exhaustive and with a good strong coffee and 30 minutes of brainstorming, I am sure you can create tactics to help you achieve to your goals:
- Share content of value daily, weekly or monthly. A self-help author keeping people on track with powerful thoughts, a trainer who would like to reinforce the content of his seminar by sending follow-up text messages to those that attended or a word of the day delivered from their minister before their hectic day begins will ensure that the message is consumed are just a few examples. As you can imagine, the possibilities are endless.
- Text messaging can also be integrated with other communication methods. One of the most relevant is voice broadcasting because some personalities are sooooo big that you just cannot fit everything you need to say within 160 characters. Integrating voice broadcasting, referred to as VB or its big brother IVR, allows you to text your tribe and those that want more can reply. When they reply, instead of another text in return, their phone would ring and your prerecorded message is delivered. Again authors, TV personalities, CFO’s delivering quarterly financials could all benefit from this extended form of communication. Other integration possibilities are websites, social media and calendar.
- Explore Premium Short Message Service (PSMS) which allows you to bill your customers directly on their phone. By combining a package of services, you could enable your customers to sign-up at your next presentation and have the carrier pay you your percentage of the proceeds. Donations are another popular PSMS tool for collecting funds for non-profits. PSMS is a service that needs more explanation than available in this post but if this is of interest, search on PSMS providers on a shared shortcode to take your first step or feel free to contact me, avoidthedart@mobilemarketinginstitute.com. If you are in St. Louis, do not hesitate to participate in one of my no-cost Java Gyms where I would be delighted to answer any of your questions face-to-face, http://www.mainstreetmarketingcommunity.org/coffee.
- Solicit feedback by asking your readers to comment on a particular matter. Examples of this are, questions about how to increase the value of your service, surveys, prayer requests, sweepstakes or to gauge responses to a question(s) delivered during a presentation. I do not suppose I need to expand any further on the value of two-way real-time communication for both parties.
If the value you deliver involves extending your personality, then connecting with your readers via their mobile phones is a critical channel for you to consider. This is further reinforced if you are influencing people aged 14-34 that have grown up in a world of being connected. They are masters at avoiding pushed communication and prefer their mobile phones as their way to communicate.
These are just a few of the many ideas that could connect you with your readers. Taken into consideration with your goals, you will have the power to develop a significant connection and increase sales as a direct result.
If this post speaks directly to your needs, listen to my interview on Women’s Radio, Your Book is Your Hook, http://www.womensradio.com/episodes/Your-Book-Is-Your-Hook%21–Text-Messaging-Tips-and-Tools-to-Sell-More-Books/7926.html.
Why Text Messaging Can Help You Target More Readers
December 27th, 2010
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about why text messaging can help you target readers who want to continue the conversation with you more often.
Oftentimes we as authors employ the basic components for a strong platform including a website, a presence on the popular social media sites, and speaking and book signing appearances whenever possible to connect with our readers in person. These components are essential to a platform for every author.
However, many authors have not stuck their toes in the water yet when it comes to adding a mobile messaging component to their overall outreach to their readers.
Text messaging has become an industry unto itself. You may be thinking: yes, I know this. But do you really know?
Here are some staggering facts as of 2008 from the statistics and insights from Nielsen Mobile on the CellSigns.com website. Nielsen Mobile is a service of The Nielsen Company, which directly measures billing activity through an opt-in panel of more than 50,000 personally liable, postpaid U.S. mobile lines across the top four carriers:
US Mobile Content Market = 68.7 million text users
- 86% of the US owns a mobile phone
- 265,000,000 mobile phones users
- 240,000,000+ text enabled handsets
- 65,000,000 text & web enabled phones
That’s just in the U.S. market alone. SMS (Text Messaging) is a breakthrough communication medium as evidenced by growth year after year. As of June 2008, over 75 Billion text messages are sent every month compared to just 18 Billion in December 2006. That number grew by 250% each year for these last two years between 2006 and 2008. And that was 2 years ago.
It has quickly changed the way people communicate and access information.
Think texting is just for the younger generations? Think again. The average 38 year old sends/receives 500 texts a month compared to 200 phone calls. That’s unbelievable… and that trend isn’t slowing down. Consider these other facts:
According to a survey conducted by Tekelec (a messaging company powering telecom operator applications), 60% of 45 year olds were found to be just as likely to use SMS as they were to make voice calls from their mobile device.
In addition, more than 80 percent of respondents across all age groups thought they would get a quicker response from a text than from an email or voice message.
Women preferred to let their fingers do the talking, with 40% describing themselves as ‘mainly texter’, compared to 30% of men. This is significant since statistically women buy more books than men.
Now, maybe you have a parent like I do who doesn’t text but who enjoys reading. That’s where books like Shawn Edgington’s Read Between the Lines: A Humorous Guide to Texting with Simplicity and Style comes in – to help the different generations learn how to text and communicate using this growing technology available on their cell phones.
Text messaging extends throughout the world so you can set up a stream of text messages that your reader can opt in to – and by law, they must opt in. You can be creative and make it possible for your audience at a speaking engagement to instantly opt-in to your email list for your newsletter and at the same time opt-in to receive daily tips from you that are related to your book – right to their phones. The possibilities of what they can opt-in to as a text stream from you are endless.
Most importantly, text messaging gives you, the author, the opportunity to reach out to your reader in a continuing conversation that they’ve asked for while keeping you front and center in their minds each day.
Now that’s a great way to use your book as your hook… to keep a continuous dialogue going with your reader!
Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – Branding + “Starting Over in a 140 Character World”
December 21st, 2010
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
Michele Mattia, a best-selling author, an inspirational speaker, the renowned blogger of “Michele’s Daily Dash”, and a certified Life Design Coach and Creative Strategist, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about the dilemma authors face about whether to brand themselves or their books.
Ms. Mattia will also discuss the risks authors take when they don’t brand themselves plus she’ll share the top three things an author must do to establish his or her brand and how to get started.
Michele Mattia is also a best-selling co-author of two books released this past Fall and will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov how she got involved in these projects and the benefits of being published in a collaborative book with several authors.
Ms. Mattia will also talk about her most recent appearance in the book, The Big Book of Social Media Case Studies, Stories, Perspectives, a collaborative book edited by Bob Fine featuring contributions from select speakers from the Cool Twitter Conference World Tour social media conference last year and this year. She’ll share the story behind her popular chapter entitled “Starting Over in a 140 Character World,” and how she’s using this book as her hook.
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss why co-authoring a collaborative book could be a quick way of getting published during her Education Corner segment on the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/i4wXJN
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
Be the Brand! Be the Story!
December 21st, 2010
By Guest Blogger: Michele Mattia
Best Selling Author, Inspirational Speaker, Thought Leader, Blogger, certified Life Design Coach and Creative Strategist
www.MicheleMattia.com
Social Media. It’s not a tactic. It’s not a strategy. It’s not about isolationism or the loss of the human connection. Social Media is about expansion, engagement, connection, conversation, and collaboration. It’s the tremendous opportunity we have to learn from one another and affect change. Social networking ignites many to take action. A simple blog post can inspire someone to send an email to the author. This one email can propose a meeting over coffee. A cup of coffee at a café can result in the creation of a collaborative project because a connection was established. Social Media isn’t the loss of the human connection. This is a gift!
Each and every one of us is a brand! What a delicious knowing! As authors, we are the business. We want to make our living, and rightfully so, doing what we love. And just as a company has a platform for their vision, mission and message, so do authors. One of the exciting parts of “being the brand” is the author doesn’t hide behind a logo. It’s very authentic and transparent. We want to connect and engage with our readers. The goal for most authors is to write many books, and although these books might fall under the same genre, or are a part of a series, the common thread is the author. Your audience wants to know the person behind the words.
Long before you launch into the online community, make sure you know and understand the “why” behind your entering into the online/social networking world. Far too often I’ve seen people zeroed in on “I have to be online right away!” or “I want to be a star/celebrity!” The biggest benefit to you and your audience is to know what you want to say, the content you want to provide, and what your fans want to read/hear/know. Ask yourself questions like: What makes my heart sing? What am I passionate about? What do I find myself often talking about with others?
Recommendations on getting started BEFORE you launch:
√ Purchase your domain name right away even if your not ready to launch the website. You want to make sure you get your first and last name, especially if it’s common ~ i.e. JohnSmith.com.
√ Get creative headshots taken! Your audience is going to connect with you and not a corporate logo or book cover.
√ Research. Figure out who your target audience is and where they spend their time online and offline. Determine what content they want to hear and how this is aligned with your message. Discover what content is missing and how YOU are the right and perfect person to fill this gap!
√ Honor your skills and strengths when deciding which social networking platforms you want to launch. For example, if you’re an excellent speaker, definitely consider a YouTube channel.
√ Don’t launch all of your social networks at the same time. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogging, LinkedIn are the fan favorites. Start with one or two networks and use third party websites and software to help organize and manage: SocialOomph.com, HootSuite.com, Ping.fm, NetworkedBlogs.com, TweetDeck
You’re an author and the real you needs to shine online! Just as the words and chapters of your book tell a story, so does your online presence. What story are you going to tell?
Why Co-Authoring A Collaborative Book Could Be a Quick Way of Getting Published
December 21st, 2010
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about why co-authoring a collaborative book could be a quick way of getting published
Many writers are searching for opportunities to get their work seen by literary agents and editors at publishing houses. It is very competitive these days to get the attention of these industry professionals – but it’s not impossible!
One strategy that can be easily used in fiction, nonfiction and even children’s books is to join forces with other writers and submit a chapter or short story for a collection of writings in a book edited and published by someone other than you.
This is often done in the fiction and poetry genres through contests. Simply seek out these opportunities to submit your writing for consideration and be aware of the deadlines so you get your work in on time.
A quick search on Amazon reveals that there are 58,095 short story anthologies and collections listed in their book section alone. For you poetry writers, there are 136,875 poetry anthologies listed.
Think short stories aren’t the way to get discovered? Here is a short list of some who were discovered as a result of their short story submissions to magazines, collections and anthologies:
F.X. Toole, the pen name for boxing trainer Jerry Boyd, who at age 69 wrote the stories that inspired the Oscar-winning film Million Dollar Baby, directed by Clint Eastwood. He was published in the literary journal in San Francisco entitled ZYZZYVA.
Annie Proulx, author of the short story Brokeback Mountain which originally appeared in the collection Close Range: Wyoming Stories. She also went on to win the Pulitzer for her novel Shipping News. And The New Yorker won the National Magazine Award for Fiction for its publication of “Brokeback Mountain,” and the story was included in Prize Stories 1998: The O. Henry Awards.
Literary giants including F. Scott Fitzgerald, J.D. Sallinger, and John Updike have also used short stories as rehearsals for their books.
A great resource where you can find opportunities to submit your short story are the hundreds of smaller journals listed from A-Z that can be found in the NewPages Big List of Literary Magazines.
You can also look into the few remaining national magazines like The New Yorker, Esquire and occasionally Vanity Fair that are still publishing short literary works.
In the nonfiction categories, this is a strategy often used with great success to launch the writing careers of those authors who may not have the time to write a whole book themselves, yet still have much to offer in a chapter they can provide for a collaborative book being compiled by someone other than them.
A great example of this is The Big Book of Social Media Case Studies, Stories, Perspectives where Bob Fine, the creator of the Cool Twitter Conferences World Tour decided to solicit chapters from select speakers who appeared during his conferences. He then edited the book together and even got a foreword for the book provided by Sam Feist, CNN Political Director. While the speakers were off doing what they do professionally, that is – speaking, Bob was cobbling together their chapter submissions into a great book that provides a lot of value to the reader while offering greater exposure to the speakers from his tour. This is a good example of an opportunity that arose serendipitously for the speakers to simply write a chapter and be included in a book that is serving so many that they want to reach with their insights and wisdom.
There are also collaborations of poetry, short story collections for children, anthologies of mysteries and more.
Still not sure this is a viable way to go? Even Disney uses this strategy to bring its stories together in the paperback entitled Princess Story Collection (Disney Princess) (Step into Reading).
There are even collections of the classics on audio CD available that include the best short stories from National Public Radio’s Selected Shorts, an award-winning series of classic and contemporary short fiction read by distinguished stage and screen actors and recorded live at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City entitled Selected Shorts: Timeless Classics (Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story). They also have several other collections like this on audio including Selected Shorts: Whodunit?, Selected Shorts: Baseball and Selected Shorts: Lots of Laughs! – just to name a few.
Short stories, individual chapter contributions and poems still have a place in the literary world. You don’t have do it all yourself to get published.
However until you submit your story, poem or chapter, you won’t be able to use your book as your hook.
So get started and write yours today!
Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
