Top 5 Web Sites Promoting Non-fiction Authors and Their Books
Posted on 13 July 2010 by Karen Risch | 1 response
This was harder than I’d thought it would be: finding five Web sites that do an excellent job of promoting a non-fiction book and its author. Actually, I started out with the ambition of finding ten, and then changed my mind because I was, um, discouraged. That’s right: I was discouraged, not lazy.
Anyway, I did find five superior sites to share with you.
My Criteria for a Good Site to Promote Books and Authors
- Appealing and easy to navigate
- Offers a way to purchase the book
- Builds/reinforces the brand identity with graphic continuity
- Identifies the author by name
- Puts the product (meaning the book) front and center
- Includes a way to stay in touch: email, RSS feed for a blog, or other way for the author to contact readers who want that
- Gives media folks what they need to do their jobs
- Stays current: somebody’s paying attention and updating regularly
Here are the best sites, along with what you can learn and apply from them. Ta da!
Author Photos: Negotiate Costs and Terms Up Front
Posted on 30 June 2010 by Robert Mott | 1 response
All serious authors need high-quality black-and-white and color portraits for several marketing purposes: to use on Web sites promoting them and their books, to put on the back of their books or book flaps, to include with press materials. Whether your non-fiction book will be published by Random House, some random small publisher, or you (self-publishing), you’ll need a professionally made author photo.
Realize there will be many choices, from paying a sitting fee for studio shots to half- and full-day location shoots, as well as wardrobe and make-up options, but my overarching point here is to help you understand two basic terms of usage, which in intellectual property law refers to the agreement between a copyright holder and someone licensed to reproduce the copyrighted material. No matter which option you choose, it’s important to remember that you’re contracting an artist to capture a favorable likeness of you, and that artist/photographer owns the copyrights to his or her creation (in this case, the photo of you) until he or she signs those rights away.
Here are a couple of ways you can structure the deal with a professional photographer.
Edit for Maximum Impact (5 Ps of Story Prep, Pt. 3)
Posted on 7 June 2010 by Victoria St. George | No responses
Last week, we revealed four of the five Ps of non-fiction story preparation, first purpose and passion, and then perspective and personalization. Today, we bring you the final P in this three-part series, which we hope will give you both the last step in choosing, creating, and crafting great stories for your nonfiction book and also the motivation to put what you’ve learned to work. Remember, the stories you use to support, illustrate, and demonstrate your ideas in action are what make you and your writing particularly meaningful and memorable to your audience.
5. Do Some Serious Pruning
Once you’ve written your first draft of a story, you must prune it down to its essence: that means edit, edit, and then edit some more. Every detail must contribute to your main point in some way, setting the scene, evoking emotion, and enhancing the experience that conveys your message.
Write Like a Rock Star (5 Ps of Story Prep, Pt. 2)
Posted on 4 June 2010 by Victoria St. George | No responses
Yesterday, we introduced the five Ps of non-fiction story preparation—five critical pieces to help you come up with stories that will make you and your nonfiction book memorable—and I detailed the first two, purpose and passion. Today, let’s go on to the next two, essential for creating a connection with your audience that lasts long beyond the moment they read your words.
3. Have Some Perspective
Put yourself in your readers’ shoes: what do they want and need to know? What are their wounds and their concerns?
Remember, you need to “get” them to grab them. Think of your favorite song—the lyrics, the melody, the rhythm—don’t you love that piece of music because it expresses some part of you in a unique way?
Write to the Point: Crafting Great Stories (5 Ps of Story Prep, Pt. 1)
Posted on 3 June 2010 by Victoria St. George | No responses
The tortoise and the hare … the boy who cried “wolf” … the ant and the grasshopper … If you remember these fables from your childhood, you’ll know that Aesop had it right: When it comes to getting your message across to readers, the stories you tell often make your point better than any outline, framework or dry fact.
The apt story makes you and your non-fiction book, as well as your live presentations, more meaningful and memorable to your audience. Be sure you include a moving or matter-of-fact retelling of a real event, a metaphor or allegory, or an example of your ideas in action.
But how do you choose, create, and then write stories to suit the message you’re burning to share?
Roman Polanski’s ‘Ghost Writer’: Dead On
Posted on 13 May 2010 by Karen Risch | No responses
Last night, I went to see The Ghost Writer at my local indie film house here in my small town. There were maybe 10 people in the theater with me, which is just how I like it … except that when I laughed at certain lines in this movie (maybe they weren′t supposed to be funny?), I was alone in it, rather obvious and exposed.
My biggest chuckle came when an over-eager publisher cut an already crazy-fast deadline in half. Rewrite a really boring 600-page manuscript into a page-turner in one month for $250,000? Well, okay, if you put it like that. Now do it in two weeks? Even though Ewan McGregor’s character (referred to only as The Ghost, never by name) doesn’t even crack a smile, I couldn’t help myself.
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