Articles from the AP Blog for Non-fiction Authors
Why Book Signing Events are a Waste of Time for Authors New authors often ask me about book signing events. They want to know how to get them set up and what to do. My advice? Don't waste your time. While it may sound exciting to sit at a table in Barnes and Noble and enjoy a line of customers eager to purchase your book, that's not how it usually goes down. Continue reading... How to Find Book Reviewers for Nonfiction Books Most book reviews in major publications focus on fiction so it's harder to find sources willing to review nonfiction. However, here's a little trick that has worked for me: Create a Google Alert with the keywords "book review" <genre> So yours might be "book review" memoir or "book review" health. Note that "book review" is in quotes to ensure the exact phrase is found. You will begin receiving alerts with links to book reviews on news sites and blogs. Then, view the review links, verify that the site is credible and generates some decent traffic, and make note of the reporter. Continue reading... How to Establish Your Author Presence BEFORE Your Book is Published If you're preparing to publish your first book, following are some essential tasks to get your book marketing started off right! Pump Up Your Web Presence Positioning yourself as an author means that you should build a professional presence online. If you have a rickety old website or a home-grown blog, it's time for an upgrade. Develop a professional site that features you as the authority in your field. Note that for some it's not easy to "put yourself out there." But you should know that it's not about boasting or being an egomaniac, it's about stepping into your light as an author and taking ownership of your work. Be proud! Get a professional photo taken and take your work seriously so that others will also take it seriously. Continue reading... How Authors Can Break in to Professional Speaking Though it may be among people's top fears-next to the fear of flying and ahead of the fear of death-public speaking has many advantages. As the featured speaking at an event, conference or meeting, you are perceived as the ultimate authority in the room. Speakers have a tremendous amount of influence with an audience, which removes a great barrier from purchasing your books, products, and services. The best news of all? As an author, it will be far easier for you to land speaking gigs because your book establishes your authority and opens those doors! Continue reading... How to Autograph Books: Book Signing Tips for New Authors Recently a new author asked me how she should handle autographing her books. It took me back to when I had published my first book, remembering how awkward it felt to sign copies. I also thought about my first business-a bookstore-where we flipped through used books in search of autographs (the equivalent of a literary jackpot!). Some were short and sweet with just a name, while others had more personal inscriptions. Continue reading... Reason #214 Why I'm Done with Traditional Publishing Over the weekend I received a royalty statement for one of my books and it was pitiful! Thousands of copies sold, yet somehow with the bulk discounts, the obscenely low rate paid for ebooks, and miscellaneous nonsense I earned an average of $.60 per book. Outrageous! Continue reading... What topics do you want to learn about? Hit reply to send us an email and send us your blog ideas! | 
