November 2006 Southwest Signature
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In this issue
Cooperative Marketing Ideas from the Centennial State
Trade associations like ABPA provide a number of benefits to their members. Key among these are education, networking, cooperative marketing, and cooperative purchasing. You, the ABPA membership, have made it clear through numerous comments at meetings, surveys, and emails that what you want more than anything else is additional, and stronger, cooperative marketing programs. You want programs that help you sell more books. ABPA already has some excellent cooperative marketing programs, like the cooperative exhibiting and mailing opportunity coming up at the Arizona Library Association (AzLA) Conference in November, but we need more. (Contact Kristina Grant, chair of ABPA’s Trade Show & Exhibits Committee at kristina@giftedbooks.com for more information on AzLA conference participation.)
Earlier this year I traveled to Denver to give a presentation to the members of our sister organization, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA). During the trip CIPA’s then president, Mike Daniels, sat down with me and told me about some of CIPA’s innovative cooperative marketing programs, many of which might serve as models for future ABPA programs.
First, CIPA has an attractive catalog of books, featuring books published by its members. It looks much like the catalog of a small distributor or publishing house with categories ranging from Cookbooks to Personal Growth. Each book that has been awarded an Evvy, CIPA’s equivalent of the Glyph Award, has an Evvy logo printed above its listing in the catalog. The catalog is mailed to hundreds of buyers, publishers, libraries, and other organizations to advertise the books written and published by CIPA members. Visit www.cipabooks.com/catalog.htm to see the CIPA catalog.
Second, at the time of my visit, CIPA was negotiating with the major bookstore chains to establish Colorado in-store programs so that CIPA members would have an easy mechanism for getting their books on the shelves of these chains’ bookstores statewide. Mike said that they were also hoping to get end caps or other prominent displays specifically dedicated to CIPA books in these stores.
Third, there is the CIPA Brigades program. As a part of this program each member of CIPA is provided with a CIPA Brigades punch card. When CIPA members attend the book signings or events of other CIPA members, they get their cards punched. After a punch card is full, it can be redeemed for discounts on any of the meetings or other services that CIPA offers. I’ve been told that Colorado booksellers are starting to love having signings by CIPA authors, because there’s a guaranteed crowd every time. These successful signings certainly make it easier to negotiate in-store placement for books published by CIPA publishers.
Earlier this year ABPA’s board of directors approved the formation of a cooperative marketing committee to undertake setting up programs like those described above. Several ABPA members have already expressed interest in being on the committee, and I encourage any of you who are interested to email me at shenrie@wheatmark.com.
ABPA’s new cooperative marketing committee will do well to take several clues from our neighbors to the Northeast. ABPA almost definitely needs a catalog of books as a prerequisite to doing effective cooperative marketing. A program like CIPA Brigades should be easily established, and greatly beneficial to our member publishers. And, down the road, we should really try to work on an Arizona in-store program to get ABPA books placed and featured in bookstores all over Arizona.
Sam Henrie is president and founder of Wheatmark (www.wheatmark.com), a self-publishing service focused on helping authors maximize their book sales. A frequent speaker on the subjects of special market sales and self-publishing, Sam’s expertise includes new directions in production, distribution, publicity, and marketing in the world of book publishing. Sam is president of the Arizona Book Publishing Association. Sam can be contacted at Wheatmark, 610 E. Delano St. Ste. 104, Tucson, AZ 85705-5210; phone: 520-798-0888 x105; fax: 520-798-3394; email: shenrie@wheatmark.com.
Creating Online Communities to Increase Book SalesMonday, October 30, 2006
Featured Guest Speaker: Kathy Heasley
Please note our meeting location! NSA International Conference Center 1500 S. Priest Dr. (just north of Broadway Rd.) Tempe, AZ
For the the exact location, visit http://www.mapquest.com
Program (includes dinner) 5:30 p.m.— 8:00 p.m. Early Registration (by Oct. 23): $25 members $35 non-members Late Registration: $35 members $45 non-members Advance payment is required for registration; no refunds after the early registration deadline.
Kathy Heasley Founder & Principal, IMS, Inc. http://www.imsbreakthrough.com
Kathy’s program will show you how you can increase book sales through online community building. You’ll discover ways to build an online community, create buzz about your titles and make the author the “mayor” of your own online “town.” You’ll even walk away with a few how-to’s that will take the mystery out of implementing a results-based online strategy. Use technology to blast into your publishing future!
Kathy Heasley is the founder and principal of IMS, Inc. a full-service communications company that works exclusively with growing entrepreneurial organizations. IMS creates the messages that connect the heart with the mind. Brand images that deliver personality. Integrated communications that rally the troops. Sales materials that actually sell. Videos that genuinely inspire. Events that truly motivate. Ad campaigns that make the phone ring. Publicity that makes leaders and companies credible. Along with web sites that become thriving business drivers. That’s just for starters…
IMPORTANT: Arrive by 5:30! From 5:30 to 6:00, Daniel R. Siburg & Howard W. Fisher of The Fisher Company will present the results of the 2005 PubWest-Huenefeld Publishing Survey, which reveals industry statistics that impact your publishing future. Learn how publishers can use the survey to achieve greater profitability, and how to participate in future PubWest-Huenefeld Publishing Surveys.
The Fisher Company specializes in mergers and acquisitions and business development for the media industry.
Dan Siburg, CPA, CVA has worked both as a company president and CFO. He now provides mergers and acquisitions services to clients, and presents media industry operating statistics and commentary at many publishing meetings.
Howard W. Fisher, Managing Director of The Fisher Company, has 30 years’ experience as a book publisher and has had success operating four publishing companies. He has founded, built and sold two successful trade book publishing companies, one to a major newspaper chain and one to a major New York publisher. Howard has been responsible for sales and marketing efforts of over 1,000 non-fiction titles, including ten bestsellers with sales of more than 1 million copies each. He is also the co-author of a New York Times #1 bestseller with sales exceeding six million copies. He is a Past President of Publishers Marketing Association.
Win an overnight stay at the Westward Look in Tucson
Remember, when you bring a friend, who is not an ABPA member, to the October meeting, you’ll earn a thank-you gift.
Even more exciting–you could win a stay at a Tucson resort! If the person you bring to the meeting, or someone you refer, joins ABPA, your name will be entered into a drawing to win an overnight stay at the Westward Look in Tucson, which includes an overnight stay for two in a suite, a bottle of house wine or sparkling cider upon arrival, and breakfast in bed for two the next morning. The drawing will be held on November 30, 2006.
Prepayment is required for registration. By 10/23, please register below or RSVP to the ABPA hotline (602) 274-6264 or email For speedy check-in, pay in advance by credit card (Visa/ MC) or check—mail to ABPA address. Arizona Book Publishing Association 6340 S. Rural Road #118-152 Tempe, AZ 85283
How Authors Can Get Articles On Phantomwriters.Com
At the September ABPA meeting, our speaker Charlotte Risch, The Media Push, revealed that one way for authors to obtain publicity is to submit articles to article distribution websites, such as www.PhantomWriters.com. Charlotte obtained detailed insight about creating such articles from Bill Platt, the website owner.
Most authors and publishers create short articles that either exist as an excerpt from a book, or more often on topics similar to the book without taking anything from the book.
- The ideal length for an article is 700 to 1,200 words for maximum exposure. An article shorter than 700 words is unlikely to be reviewed.
- The topic of the article should be directed towards the person who is most likely to buy the book. Target marketing is everything. Figure out who your audience is, and then follow-up with article content that those people in your target market would be interested in.
- Educate or entertain the reader. Do not try to sell to the reader. This one tip can mean the difference between the success and failure of an article marketing campaign.
- It is often best not to mention the book directly in the body of the article. Few people have the clout necessary to be able to talk about their products in the body of the article. If you want to talk about your book in the body of the article, use a press release instead.
- As with a book, the title of the article is one of the most important elements of the piece. The title must be constructed to grab the reader’s attention.
Remember your two target audiences: the end reader, and the publisher or webmaster who is seeking content. Writing a title for the publisher or webmaster is more important than writing the title for the reader, because they are the ones who control how much exposure you will get with your article.
Your title must give insight to the reader about the topic material, and just as important, it must entice the reader into the article.
As a proof of the importance of a title, I once wrote an article that I thought was good; I thought it would generate some real results. I put the article out under one title, and it got zero reprints. So, I cut the first paragraph and retitled the article. It was picked up three times. The last time out, I just changed the title. The third time out, I hit gold. That article has been published more than 500 times, and it is still putting money in my pocket today.
- You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. A great title will assure that your article will be opened. But, your first paragraph must deliver on the promise. You generally have 5-10 seconds to pull the reader into your article.
- Flow is important. The flow must be able to carry the reader to the end of the article. A few items that help flow are: * Sub-headings * Bulleted Lists * Numbered Lists * A good amount of white space… On the web, paragraphs should seldom exceed 2 to 3 sentences.
At the end of the article is the About The Author Information.
- The "About The Author Information, " also referred to as the Resource Box, should always be written in third person. Shorter is always better. Make it short, sweet and to the point.
The resource box should NOT be viewed as a bragfest. People do not want to know about your past accomplishments or how many degrees you hold. People want to know what you offer that can help them. You should tell the writer’s name and give a short bio of the author, no more than 130-200 characters.
In your remaining space, you should tell your readers what you can do for "them." What is your book about and how will it answer one of their needs? The book can be educational or entertaining, but the readers need to be told why they will want to read your book. And then they need to be told which URL to go to in order to get to the information page for that book.
The Resource Box is not for selling your book. The Resource Box is for getting the reader to your sales page. Readers often want to know more information about a book than what can be stuffed into a Resource Box. Use your Resource Box to get the reader to your website, and let your website sell the book.
– Don’t generalize. Be specific with your details. The more specific your article is, the more successful it will be.
- If you are trying to tie the release date for an article with a buzz cycle, then you need to put some lead time in that process.
My polling has indicated that 42% of publishers and webmasters will use an article within 2 weeks of distribution. 50% will use the article between 2 weeks and 3 months of distribution. 8% will use the article sometime beyond the three-month stage.
- Always provide your literal URL in your resource box, in case someone just copies and pastes it from a page without getting the source code. Make sure that anyone copying the article will always get your url.
- Do put the http:// in your url. Some sites automatically change all http://www.domain.com to hyperlinks, and cannot do so without the http://
Bill Platt – owner http://thephantomwriters.com, 405-780-7327.
Librarians Are Looking For Books! Don’t Miss Your Chance to Show Them Yours!
THE EARLY DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED!Don’t miss your last chance to exhibit your titles to librarians at a discount of more than 30%!
The Arizona Library Association Conference is fast-approaching, bringing nearly 1,000 library professionals from across the state. Librarians peruse books at this trade show to make their ordering selections, and ABPA wants to help your book make the cut! That’s why we are offering the chance for ABPA members to showcase their books in a cooperative two-booth exhibit with fellow members.
As an exhibitor at this November conference, your book information will be provided to librarians by ABPA volunteers so it can be evaluated for purchase. *Note: You do not need to volunteer at the conference in order to have your titles displayed; and books do not have to have an Arizona theme.
Cooperative AZLA Exhibit & Mailing Put your book on the library shelf! ~Mesa Convention Center, Nov. 15-16, 2006 ~Fee BEFORE Oct. 31: $100 ~Fee AFTER Oct. 31: $150 ~Must receive materials by Nov. 11
Sign-up to exhibit at the AZLA conference to give your title a one-way ticket into the hands of hundreds of acquisition librarians across the state! Not only will you have gracious volunteers displaying up to three of your books for you at our booth, but you will also be able to take part in our post-conference mailing. Your flyers will be mailed to more than 300 Arizona public libraries, who will stop and look when they see an ABPA package on their desk. Sign-up now and you get all of this for less than what the postage would cost you to mail everything yourself! The fee to participate in the ABPA cooperative exhibit and mailing is only $100 if you register before Oct. 31. After this date, the price will be $150 So close the book on marketing tools that don’t work, and open it to this double-effective opportunity!
To participate, send your exhibit fee ($100 before Oct. 31; $150 after Oct. 31), two copies of each title, and prepare 500 8 1/2 X 11 flyers or marketing materials to hand out at the show and include in the library mailing.
Spaces are limited, so act today! Reserve your chance to break through the library barrier with a credit card number by calling 602-274-6264, email info@azbookpub.com, or mail a check to ABPA, 6340 S Rural Rd. #118-152, Tempe, AZ 85283. *Please have your books and flyers sent to the following address no later than Nov.11: AZLA Flyers, c/o Primer Publishers, 5738 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85012. Or avoid shipping costs by bringing them to the Oct. 30 ABPA meeting.
Sign-Up for this Event NOW!
Volunteer at AZLA! You can give yourself the chance to network with hundreds of librarians while you volunteer at the ABPA booth at the conference. Volunteers will pass out information about titles at the booth in two-hour increments. Only a few volunteer opportunities are still available, so sign-up today!
Exhibit Hours at the Mesa Convention Center ~Nov. 15, 10:00AM-8:00PM ~Nov. 16, 8:00AM-4:00PM
Be in the midst of it all! To volunteer, contact Kristina Grant at kristina@giftedbooks.com.
A special thanks to those of you already signed-up; it will be a great event! Additional details will be emailed to you within the next few weeks.
Arizona Book Festival 2007by Bill Fessler
The Arizona Book Festival will be here before you know it, and if you are interested in participating be sure to visit http://www.azbookfestival.org for an exhibitor’s application and other information. ABPA will not be reserving booth space to sub-lease to our members this year, so you need to contract directly with the Festival. There are some significant early-bird savings if you submit your application before February 16, so visit the website now and begin the process.
Professional Publishing Course—you can still participate!
More than 25 students, eager to learn the ins and outs of the publishing industry, attended day one of ABPA’s Professional Publishing Course.
Thank you to Pamela Waterman and her committee members, who have done a wonderful job of selecting great speakers for each session of the Course.
Even if you were unable to attend the first day, you can still take part in the PPC, by attending the sessions on day 2, Saturday, November 11, or by sending a member of your staff. ABPA members can register for just $45 online at http://azbookpub.com/abpa-education/abpa-ppc/ On November 11, experts will cover editing, printing, distribution, publicity and the publishing business.
At just $45, day 2 of the Professional Publishing Course is an incredible value. Sign up today to ensure that you’re registered.
Future ABPA Programs
Your Programs Committee is working on some fantastic programs for 2007 including presentations from Amazon and a major distributor. Mark these dates on your new calendar, so you won’t miss a single valuable program.
December 9 Holiday Partyat Grilled Expedition in Tempe The Holiday Party will be held jointly with NSA-Arizona, the Arizona chapter of National speakers Association. Watch for more details coming soon!
At the Holiday Party, you’ll enjoy delicious food and beverages, mingling with your fellow publishers AND speakers, plus entertainment from a very special guest and a silent auction. Please contact Gwen Henson to donate items for the silent auction. A portion of the proceeds will benefit MotherRead, which helps to bring books to Arizona families.
January 31February Meeting will be on March 1! Dominique Raccah from SourcebooksMarch 29April 30
New Members
Arizona State University J Kent Calder 4438 E Rock Wren Rd Phoenix, AZ 85044 480-965-7726
Center for Successful Children Sally Goldberg 10115 E Mountain View Rd #1068 Scottsdale, AZ 85258 480-766-6323
Zonicom Press LLC Clinton Frederick 7807 E Oberlin Way Scottsdale, AZ 85262 480-502-1617
Member News
Hollywood group names Arizona publisher “Book Marketer of the Year”
ABPA member Linda F. Radke, president of Five Star Publications based in Chandler, Arizona, has been named “Book Marketer of the Year” by Book Publicists of Southern California. Radke, who started her company in 1985, has helped thousands of authors publish and market their books, and her marketing prowess has landed her clients on CBS television’s 60 Minutes and in magazines such as Kiplingers, NEA Today, AARP, and others.
Promote your book to 300 attendees at a lavish dinner dance.
The Arizona Blind and Deaf Children’s Foundation is hosting their Lariats and Lace annual gala on November 18 at Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson. Featured at the event’s silent auction this year are local authors and publishers. Proceeds from books sold at the auction are used to help Arizona’s blind and deaf children through programs that support literacy, the arts, physical fitness and transition.
Donated books can be sent to Lariats and Lace, 2509 N Campbell #52, Tucson, AZ 85719 Please autograph the book if you can!
Arizona Blind and Deaf Children’s Foundation is a non-profit (501-c3) Their website is www.azblinddeafchildren.org. For more information contact Mark Sankey of BRB Publications at 1-800-929-3811.
Important Reminder
Remember, November 7 is Election Day. Be sure to vote! Advertise in the ABPA Newsletter and WebsiteNew advertising rates have been published for placing ads in both Southwest Signature and on the ABPA website. Associate members, this is a powerful way to reach publishers with advertising about your services for publishers and writers. Publishers, please invite your vendors to visit www.azbookpub.com and click on Advertising Opportunities. They’ll appreciate hearing about this opportunity.
About This Newsletter Southwest Signature is the monthly e-newsletter of the Arizona Book Publishing Association, a non-profit professional association. Entire contents copyright 2006 Arizona Book Publishing Association unless otherwise noted. Permission is granted to forward this e-newsletter but only in its entirety. For information, email info@azbookpub.com or call (602) 274-6264. We welcome submissions and reserve editing rights. Email your Southwest Signature submissions to gwen@azbookpub.com. |
