| About Rob Eagar: |  |
Rob Eagar is the founder of WildFire Marketing who helps authors and publishers spread their message through innovative marketing strategies. He has trained over 200 authors, from beginners to bestsellers. The results his clients enjoy include:
● Higher book sales.
● Increased media exposure.
● More speaking events at higher fees.
● Enhanced website activity and online influence.
Click here for details about Rob's experience and author client list. |
Testimonials:
"Working with Rob Eagar has been well-worth the investment! His marketing instruction helped my new book sell over 20,000 copies in less than a year! Rob's involvement has been a key factor in my success.
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Leslie Vernick Author of 8 books, including "The Emotionally Destructive Relationship"
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| April Amazon
Comparison of ECPA Publishers |  |
Click here for a spreadsheet of the April rankings.
WildFire Marketing tracks the top 15 ECPA publishers according to the average ranking of their 20 best-selling books on Amazon.
Comparing this monthly data over time helps authors and publishers identify who is best utilizing this important online sales channel.
Note: Amazon rankings do not reflect accurate sales figures. However, they can help determine how specific publishers or titles perform over time versue their peers.
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Do you need an effective email newsletter service to help market your books?
I've relied on Constant Contact for the past four years. Click here for a free 60-day trial, and find out how they can help grow your author platform. | |
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WildFire Marketing E-Newsletter April, 2010 |
How to Set Your Author Speaking Fee
Getting paid to speak about your book is a big boost to keeping your author career financially afloat. Yet, setting and negotiating a fee can feel so uncomfortable that some authors avoid speaking altogether. Don't let fear cause you to miss out on a lucrative opportunity. Use the following steps to navigate the process in a win-win manner:
Establish a fee based on your value
In our Western society, we tend to attribute a lot of money to items or services that provide a lot of value. For example, we perceive a new Mercedes-Benz automobile as a luxury vehicle that's reliable and loaded with lavish technological features. Since everyone agrees that the car has a lot of value, many people are willing to spend a lot of money to purchase one. Mercedes is perceived symbol of quality, status, and comfort. Their high value equals a high price tag that thousands of car buyers are willing to pay.
In contrast, a used car covered in rust with a busted engine equals little or no value. Anyone trying to sell an old jalopy will have to settle for a low price. The lower value creates a perception that equals lower money to purchase.
This same principle applies to setting a speaking fee as an author. If you're a recent bestseller who has sold thousands of books, your perceived value will generally be quite high. Therefore, you can command a high speaking fee. For instance, many politicians, celebrities, and prize-winning authors routinely receive $10,000 - $50,000 for an individual speaking engagement. On the contrary, authors with little book sales and no name recognition sometimes have to settle for speaking for free.
Setting the proper speaking fee requires honestly assessing your value. If you have a history of helping people solve a problem, a reputation for being an expert, or a track record of attracting a lot of people to see you in-person, then you can probably request a substantial fee, such $5,000 - $15,000 depending on the type of event and audience size. However, if no one has ever heard of you and you're still building your author platform, you may have to shoot for a fee in the $500 - $2,500 range.
Establish your speaking fee at a reasonable fee level, and raise it as your value increases. If you become a better speaker, win an award, or get into high-demand, then increase your fee accordingly. Otherwise, start at a level that allows you to gather experience and grow your track record. Ask other authors or professional speakers that you know for a ballpark range that they think is appropriate for your level.
If you get a few paid bookings and no one balks at your fee, then it's probably too low. Lack of resistance usually means you're leaving money on the table. Try raising your fee by 10 - 20% until you get a little resistance. Then, you'll recognize a realistic range to request.
Get to the real decision-maker
Once you establish a realistic speaking fee, only share the number with the person who can truly respect it - the actual event leader. Normally, a gatekeeper, such as a secretary or administrative assistant, will make the initial speaking inquiry by phone or email. In those cases, keep in mind that their primary goal is usually trying to get a speaker booked quick and cheap. By saving time and money, the assistant looks good in the eyes of their superior.
However, these short-sighted goals can be opposed to your goals of establishing value and getting a fair fee. The best way to avoid this conflict is to get past the gatekeeper and talk directly with the real decision-maker. Only the true leader can share the actual event goals and budget limit. To get past a gatekeeper and find the real leader, ask questions such as:
· "Are you the person who is overseeing this event?"
· "Are you in charge of the direction for this event?"
· "Who is in charge of making sure the goals of this event are met?"
· "Are you making the final decision, or are you recommending me to someone else?"
If a gatekeeper resists connecting you with the leader, then mention that you have a policy of only discussing the event goals with the leader before you can accept an engagement. Use these statements if you need help:
· "I have to ensure that the event leader's objectives will be met."
· "You and I can collaborate once I've received your leader's input."
· "I require talking with the actual decision-maker to make sure that I can tailor an approach to meet his or her agenda and needs."
· "It's a strict policy of my organization, and I can't consider any speaking invitation unless I talk with the event director first."
Remember that gatekeepers usually care about saving money and handling logistics. Leaders care about investing for long-term results and life-change for their organization.
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| | Do you have author friends or know someone in the publishing industry? Think how appreciative they will be if you forward this newsletter to them. Go on. Do it now. | |
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Book Marketing Q&A
with Rob |
Question: According to your advice about an author websites, I should anticipate spending around $5000 minimum for my site. If I expect to use a publisher that will print about 5000 copies of my book and at the royalty rate of $1 per book for the author, you are saying I should only expect to break even, right? (Katharine)
Answer: Katharine, thanks for your question. According to your math, you will actually lose money, because you'll need to spend more than just $5,000 on a website. You'll need to create other marketing materials, such as newsletters, speaking demos, etc. I've heard some literary agents say that authors should expect to spend around $10,000 - 15,000 to fully help promote their book. That's the bad news.
The good news is that you can probably get a website done for less than $5,000 if you shop the project around to several designers. Also, your book is really a "loss-leader" to generate more profitable spin-off products, such as speaking engagements, audio and video teaching products, teleseminars, coaching, etc. When I was a full-time author, over half my income came from speaking and spin-off products. You've got to sell a lot of books to make a living...that's why it's important for authors to create multiple revenue streams.
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Sell Books Like Wildfire!
Learn how to sell your fiction and non-fiction books like wildfire with Rob Eagar's 5-CD audio set: Speak and Sell Books in Any Market. You will learn how to:
Disc 1: Market for More Bookings
Disc 2: Make Your Website Work for You
Disc 3: Write Newsletters that Get Results
Disc 4: Get More Media Coverage for Your Message
Disc 5: Turn Media Interviews into Book Sales
 This 5-disc audio teaching set also contains 10 bonus resources, such as listener handouts, author website checklist, and samples of professional newsletters, press releases, and speaking contracts. Purchase today at the bargain price of $125. Find out why Bethany House Publishers recently made this instructional material recommended listening to all of their new authors!
Other affordable options for authors:
$350: Public speaking is one of the best ways to sell more books. Yet, the best way to get more speaking engagements is by having a great speech in the first place! If you're not getting enough requests to speak, check out our Keynote Speech Makeover Service Send us your speech, and get expert feedback on how to turn your presentation into a powerful book selling tool - without being cheesy.
$750 - 950/month: Rob's most popular service for authors is his Marketing Mentor Program. Receive one-on-one instruction and constant encouragement to reach your book marketing goals. Choose from different levels based on your time and budget. Over 20 fiction and non-fiction authors recently graduated from this program with exciting results.
$2,000: Are you writing a new book? Don't consider it finished until your manuscript is loaded with essential marketing elements, such as word-of-mouth tools, media hooks, speech ideas, magazine article excerpts, and call-out quotes. Our new Manuscript Marketing Toolbox is a service that identifies and refines all of these promotional elements for you. This service saves the average author over 200 hours of extra work. Even better, you only have to sell 200 books to get full return on your investment.
Don't forget the FREE stuff: If you haven't visited Rob's Free Resources page, you're missing out on over 20 articles packed full of helpful content. It's free...what are you waiting for?
For more information on any of these services, call 1-800-267-2045.
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