Golden Stylus

But I’m not a talker, I’m a writer!  Great.  That means that you should be perfectly capable of forming sentences also.  Though writing may be your expertise, having the ability to communicate without pen and paper is also very necessary to get along in the literary world.

Who ever heard of an author that would never socialize?  Well, there are some, but guess what?  Exactly.  No one knows who they are.  You couldn’t spot them anywhere at any given time because they won’t talk.  Cleverly speaking, there are many things that you could engage any person in that could lead to them enjoying your conversation, thus, reading your book.  It’s called the hook.

Now, it is similar to fishing, but less physical when it comes to the fingers.  When speaking to someone, you don’t always want to
come off directly about your book.  If that happens, when people run into you, they will scatter because they recognize that you always have a pitch.  That can become annoying.  What is really supposed to happen is true conversation, but master it.  How do you master a conversation?  Listen first, and then bounce questions off of what the other person says.  Why do you go through this?  Answer:  To show you are interested in more than just yourself.  (Just don’t be fake about it.  A fake is marked a mile away).

This is the beginning of a great conversation.  Somewhere in there, learn to guide the conversation to a topic in your book or article.  That’s when the introduction to your book can take place.  Finally, all is done.  Now, they are asking about you and your book.  This is when you only take about thirty seconds or less to sell that book of yours.

Practice makes perfect, so go on…start talking!  Actually, if you are not confident about your oral communication skills, learn from some of the best in Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders.  The goal is to have people want to not only enjoy you, but at times, even follow you!

I wrote that.  I can prove it.  If you can prove that you wrote it first, then do so.  Okay, not only do I have my very own copy, but so does the Library of Congress.  The copyright- it’s the best decision that you can make after completion of your book.

They say, many people that is, that once a writer writes something, then that something is actually and truly copywritten at that moment.  Most writers respect this type of ownership although it isn’t technically documented as belonging to you, however, there are those who will put this type of copyright to the test.  The type of people who will do this are called lifters…well, more like plagiarizers.  Plagiarize - the word does mean lift though, or to pass someone else’s work off as if it is your own.  Now, ideas nor titles are able to be copywritten, but the work itself is - the thought.

Some believe that it isn’t worth the hassle to copyright, and truly trust that no one would ever do that to me.  Not so.  Lose it and find out.  You work will soon become an easy cash cow or a way to make an A in English 101, and no credit nor payment will come your way at all.

How on earth do you get something copywritten? Glad you asked.  Visit the Library Of Congress or just click here.  The Short Form TX can get you started with the good old basic copyright for a book, but if you aren’t sure about what form to use for your particular type of ownership, your best bet is to read and choose.  You can even give them a call.  Click here to get the number.

There you have it.  Don’t deny yourself the right to copyright.  Words want to have a family, too, preferably, with your name on it.

What a world full of books that we have.  Even just as intense is the amount of bookstores that carry these great reads.  Just on one side of a city alone, there could possibly be more than 10 bookstores, ranging from independent to major.  Barnes n Noble, Borders, Books a Million, Waldenbooks and more, not forgetting the biggest bookstore in the land - the world wide web.  Giving your book shelf life in any of these bookstores is a decision one must carefully make, especially if self-published, but is it truly necessary?

Books sell.  Books are read.  Books are written.  Those are the three main things that happen that surround books.  Once the written part is over, the selling must begin.  There is no choice unless the author just enjoys tossing money, effort and time around freely.  Where do you begin to sell your book?  This must start anywhere and mainly from your home.  That’s right…not the bookstore, and here’s why.  Selling books from your home is the easiest place to start, and it is your hot market!

Family and friends and their friends and their friends’ friends…all of them want to know the new author and get an autographed copy.  Word of mouth is awesome and works.  Having a big get together or a book release party never fails and always gets the ball rolling about your title.  The absolute greatest thing about this is that the author keeps all of the profit for his or herself.  No sharing!  This is the best for someone who is selfpublished.  (For those not selfpublished, you have to find out what rights you have to sell your own books and collect under contract with a major publisher.  You may find out you don’t have as many rights as you think, so check it out before doing it).  The other great thing about word of mouth book release parties and the like is that sometimes, word of mouth is so good that the profit made from the continuous sales gives you more money by selling less, thus, relieving you of your need for a bookstore.  Key thing is…people must want to spend money on your book!

There are many more avenues, literally, that will get the word out about your book including get the money while at it.  These avenues are called literary festivals, book festivals, festivals, book fairs, conventions and the list goes on and on.  Events like these take place all year long.  Travel is required, however, research is key to the biggest and the best areas to sell books.  For example, Chicago is a reading city with a huge book festival every year that takes place in the summer called Printer’s Row.  Thousands attend and you don’t have to be a famous author for them to buy your book, read it and become a number 1 fan.

Now, back to bookstores.  Independent bookstores are cute and cuddly and known for selling books.  That’s right.  Getting your books here don’t require so much paperwork and detail.  There may be an independent right down the road from you, get a fair split, and take the books on over.  If you market the book properly in that city, the books will sell and fast.  The bookstore then sends you the check.  Done deal.

Major bookstores aren’t that easy to crack into.  There is much paperwork if the author is selfpublished and a one or two time author.  One must get a distributor, and over time, distributors have gotten more and more selective about the books they distribute, so the book has to be good.  Sometimes, distributors can take up to 70 percent of the cost of your book, leaving you with a small little amount to call all yours.  Basically, the difference between a major and independent is this, the major takes more of your money whereas the independent doesn’t.  As long as the book is in a bookstore, the book can be found.  Major bookstores are just around for the name recognition.  Simple.  They don’t offer more, they just take more, especially if self published.

So the choice is up to the author.  Bookstore or not bookstore - major chain or independent?  Can I make the same amount of money selling less books by keeping all my profit and not sharing?  Do I want the name recognition of a major chain behind my brand?  You decide.  The answer lies in your book.