Category Archives: Jim Arnold Communications

7 signs you are ready to self-publish

books, books on the shelf

Bravo, writer Damien G. Walter of The Guardian has come up with a checklist of seven items the budding self-publishing writer should have accomplished before jumping in the deep end of the scary pool of independently published books.

He doesn’t say that you must have accomplished all seven of these items, though that would certainly help. If you’ve solidly come up with four, you may actually be ready.

By and large I agree with this list – certainly, for the likelihood of a commercial success (which is what everyone wants, right?).

#1: High Concept – usually (esp. in movies) refers to the kind of plot you can describe in one sentence. So, this may not indicate that anything is good, it’s just understandable before the purchase. Walter uses “Da Vinci Code” as an example. There are, however, many great books that would be hard to describe this way – and why do we need to dumb down the field any more than it already is?

#2: Practicing 10,000 hours to achieve mastery, a la a Malcolm Gladwell hypothesis. This I like. Writing, like music or dance or painting or anything, really, gets better with practice. The more you do, the better you get.

#3: Getting serious feedback for your writing. And, this doesn’t mean your mom! I can’t emphasize how important this is. Although painful, as well. Take classes with other writers who will critique your work. Listen to what they say and understand that the world may not be on your wavelength and that you haven’t communicated.

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#5: Having a platform: Self-publishing demands this, as the traditional publisher would be the marketer of the book, and that humongous task falls to the self-publisher. So be sure you do know social media or can afford to have someone do the marketing and publicity for you.

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Tips on Social Media from Digital Hollywood

Graphic by Grapplica via Flickr

Had the opportunity for Jim Arnold Communications to attend the EPPS (Entertainment Publicists Professional Society) One Day Conference in conjunction with Digital Hollywood a while back (May, 2011) at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey.

Most of the panels I attended were on the how-to of social media marketing for entertainment products, to which I add the book category, because they are definitely entertaining!

Here are a few tips I gleaned from my day in Marina del Rey, in no particular order, re-posted from prior Jim Arnold Communications blog (and still very applicable one year later):

1) TIP: Many, if not most – or all – journalists are on Facebook and Twitter. Friend them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter. Good way to build a social media “media” list.

2) TIP: Use Twitter to find niche audiences – even more effective than Google – using hashtag (#) searches to find interests.

3) TIP: sometimes you can invite controversy on the web. For instance, if you know that there is some opposition to your book (or whatever product it is) this can be a good thing, as it stimulates a conversation, and as such, publicity.

4) TIP: Making your video go viral – what helps, though there is no universal formula – is the definite WTF factor. Also, when you need to bump up numbers a quick and sure way is to find something with cute, furry little animals (a winner every time!)

5) TRANSMEDIA definition: this is storytelling across different media – with each media type giving up something different – different information, different twist – about the story. If it’s the same message just going out on different media, that’s defined as MULTIMEDIA. The TV show “Lost” is a great example of an entertainment property that used Transmedia very successfully.

6) TIP: People are using Twitter for Customer Service requests, complaints, and recommendations – as in, trying to avoid phone trees and automated systems, people have found they get better and quicker results Tweeting about the problem.

7) OTHER GENERIC TIPS for Social Media:

Have a demographic you are trying to reach, rather than “everyone”
Think about the words you use in blog titles and tweets, as they show up in key word searches
Do optimize your links – that means, use links that are reputable and popular
Do have a strategy for your social media
For Twitter and Facebook, use separate accounts for business and for personal
Social media is about a conversation. Therefore, comment on replies/posts to your Facebook pages and respond to your tweets
Social media is also all about sharing information, so encourage it
Limit yourself to a single call for action in any particular post or tweet

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I hope these are helpful. I’m going to incorporate most of these into my own work ASAP! What are your best-working tips? Add them to the list in the comments.

New to SEO? Another good link.

Read it and Weep: half of self-published authors earn less than $500! But there is hope . . .

It’s a Reality Check, folks.

No matter which path you ultimately follow as a writer — the traditional one, where you pursue a publisher to take your book and launch it to the world — or self-publishing, where you launch it upon the world yourself — one should always do this with lots of preparation and eyes wide open.

And that “eyes wide open” thing means you accept the reality that most writers do not become rich and famous, selling gazillions of books, and most cannot support themselves by their book writing alone.

It’s like that in all the arts, always has been. Here’s some good information from The Guardian. First of all, like you’d imagine, most of the spoils in self-publishing go to the superstars, like Amanda Hocking and EL James. Like the headline says, half of all self-published authors earn less than $500 on their books. But, that also means that half earn more than that.

And, regarding genre: most successful is romance (like in traditional publishing), followed by science fiction and fantasy. It also helps to be female and it helps to be educated. Well, then, what if you’re a man and you’re writing literary fiction? It’s just more of a challenge to break out of the pack.
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And, I can’t emphasize enough, it really helps to have a professional looking product (from the report):

“Authors who tick none of these boxes would be well advised to spend time and money on making a title look professional, the survey found: self-publishers who received help (paid or unpaid) with story editing, copy editing and proofreading made 13% more than the average; help with cover design upped earnings by a further 34%.”

** For a description of the editorial and marketing services I offer to self-published authors, which include copyediting and proofreading, please click here.

Tips on Prepping Corporate Key Messages (with your freelance copywriter)

Flickr photo by leedsal

When working with an outside consultant (such as a freelance copywriter) on devising message points for an upcoming product launch, press conference or trade show, here are a few tips to keep in mind, which will likely make the process a smoother one for all involved.

First, if possible, have an in-person internal meeting of all stakeholders:

Ask your team (product design, engineers, product marketing, corporate PR, etc.) to prep beforehand, and come up with answers to:

What is the purpose of this thing/app/technology
What are this thing’s valuable features and benefits, and in what order of importance do you want to emphasize these
Where does this thing/app/technology fit in the story of the company/brand/product line, etc.

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Now to Distill – break this down to its simplest level:

Come up with workable number of key messages (1-5, more than that gets unwieldy)
- Determine which is the most important message, and which are the supporting points
- Draft a headline for each main message point
- Draft supporting statements (up to 3 or 4, but no more) that sustain the headline message point
What essential keywords and phrases can you use throughout? Use the google keyword tool to help you find appropriate keywords. By using the words/phrases you find there, this will help customers find you on the web.
Once the messages are drafted and bought into by stakeholders, practice delivering the messages until it seems effortless

Don’t forget to ask/answer these questions during this brainstorming process:

What are the product benefits and features?
How does the product fit in the marketplace?
What glaring need does this product fill?

Before your launch, press conference, trade show – you’ll want to PRACTICE:

Use flashcards – write questions on the front, answers on the back. Yes, just like grade school!
With your PR rep or Media Trainer (or even your freelance copywriter), set up some mock interviews:
Everyone gets a chance to ask and answer questions.
Use video; invaluable for improving performance.
Play devils advocate, ask tough questions in the practice sessions. Since you’re on the inside, you already know what these are.

Other helpful hints in this process:

Use stories to illustrate where you can. Keep the message simple, tie it to trends, or, if appropriate, is this something new?
What is the overall context of the announcement/launch/product – tie it in to larger picture, to the industry of which it is a part
We all have short attention spans. Repeat, repeat, repeat! Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then finish by telling them what you just told them.
Be prepared for negative responses and questions for your messages. Have answers for them worked out in advance, using same process as above (key message point and supporting points), and make sure to practice these, because without a doubt, they will be asked.

Questions? Please leave a comment and I’ll answer here on the blog or, if you prefer, Email Me

More Tips for the Beginning Brand-er

Self-Publishing Definitions

Here’s a quick definition of ten terms found in the self-publishing business put through the unique filter of Jim Arnold Communications.

Print-on-Demand or P.O.D.

Simple definition: A method of book printing where digital files are accessed at the time when a book is ordered and paid for and the copy is printed then and only then.

Pro/Con: This method frees the seller of a book, whether it’s an individual or a company, from having to have masses of inventory on hand, thereby making the printing process less expensive. It also greatly simplifies making changes to the book copy.

E-book

Simple Definition: Any way of manipulating the text of a book so that it can be transferred digitally to some kind of reading device other than a traditional paper-bound book. This includes your computer screen, e-book readers such as Kindle or Nook, and mobile devices like your smart phone.

Pro/Con: The popularity of e-books is growing at leaps and bounds. The technology makes the time to publication and cost of distribution almost zero, after initial formatting and piracy protection.

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Why Project Based Fees?

photo: epSos.de

People frequently ask me how I structure fees for self-publishing book marketing, as well as for freelance copywriting.

In my prior years as a public relations consultant and writer, or as a buyer of those services while working for larger companies, vendors usually used one of two models:

a monthly retainer
an hourly rate

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Retainers: for most PR/Communications companies, you would get a guaranteed number of hours worked on your account for X dollars (say for $1,000 per month you’d get 10 hours of the consultant’s time, etc.). Some companies would say there was no limit of hours per retainer, and that it always evened out in the end, one slow month would balance a busy month, etc., but this was rare.

This method can and does work well for companies handling a number of ongoing projects which need attention over a medium to long period of time. It’s an efficient way of developing a relationship with a company and its publics and the success that comes with familiarity.

For most self-publishers, this model is not an economic feasibility. It’s possible it would make sense for a shorter term, say six months, where a number of marketing tasks were scheduled with tightly defined parameters – and even then, it would be very similar to breaking up project fees over several months to a more even payment plan.

Hourly Rate: Sometimes a Communications professional or freelance copywriter will get a task, such as writing some collateral material for a brochure or press release, and the payment terms will be based on an hourly rate. These tasks can be estimated as to time involved, but many variables may change an initial estimate. Again, if a task takes twice as long to complete (thereby, costing twice as much) a company can absorb this cost better than an individual – the majority of self-publishers.

It’s my position as a self-employed individual that most communication tasks for authors and freelance copywriting assignments for businesses can be based on a Project Fee, which lets the author or client (you) know exactly how much a certain deliverable will cost, and gives the vendor (me) a way to reliably predict revenue on consulting arrangements.

For a current sample list of my project fees, please shoot me an email at jim@jimarnoldcommunications.com.

The Skinny on Author Advances

Irene Watson’s (Reader Views) post on author advances is worthy of your study.
Irene lays it out in terms easy to comprehend, exactly what the definitions are of the traditional publishing writer’s advance model, giving a look into the real story of the “myth” of the wealthy fiction writer (unless, as she suggests, your last name is King. or Rowling. or Grisham, etc).
Traditional publishing houses have less and less to spend on marketing budgets, hence the author is expected to kick in their own bucks – whether from the advance itself or from elsewhere – to pay for publicity, tours and so forth.

So the takeaway is – you will do a large part of the marketing yourself, whether you are a self-published author or are published traditionally with an advance – and, so, of course, don’t quit that day job. At least not yet.

Oh, and speaking of day jobs, I’ve always loved this quote from Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way: Continue reading →

Self-publishing: How to Decide on the Book Cover . . .

books, books on the shelf

The conventional wisdom says the most important factor in anybody checking out your book prior to making that all-important purchase decision is the cover. I would have to agree with that – it’s as true in the brick-and-mortar bookshop as it is while browsing Amazon or B&N online. But if you’ve made that big decision to self-publish your book, who do you trust your cover to?

Usually it will go one of two ways. Whatever self-publishing service provider you end up choosing – CreateSpace, Lulu, AuthorHouse, etc. – will have options for you, which, of course, increase along with the publishing package price. For instance, the most economical of the packages will probably have the fewest cover options – maybe a few background choices, a few typefaces for the title and your name, perhaps three or so layouts.

Of course, it’s hard for such a cover to look like anything but a template. You don’t want the person considering your work to think that they vaguely remember this cover (because they’ve seen the same design copied over and over) or worse, that it screams cheap product.

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Five Tips on How to Write a Book Synopsis

Five Tips on How to Write a Book Synopsis*

Before you market your self-published book, you need to have a piece that encapsulates the essence of your work into a form that’s sharable. This is usually called a book synopsis.

Tip One: You Need Three.

Or better put, three versions of your synopsis. First: a logline, (for fiction) which is one or two sentences which should inform us of the title, the genre, who the protagonist is, and what sort of struggle or conflict they encounter in the story. For non-fiction self-publishing, one or two sentences which include the title, genre, and what the lesson/argument is.

Second, a slightly longer version, about the length of one paragraph, which will include more details a buyer needs to know; and finally, a one-page version of your story or message that includes the plot, main characters and themes if it’s fiction, and your argument/lesson if it’s non-fiction.

Tip Two: Break it Down, Chapter by Chapter.

Where to start! Do you have a table of contents, if it’s a non-fiction book? This can provide an easy way to break down the essence of your message. If it’s fiction, try summarizing each chapter into a short paragraph and then combine, edit, then merge some more.

Tip Three: Tell a Story (arc).

Think along the lines of classic story structure. Start with your main character, and the problem or issue that character is presented with. There’s an opposing force, which is often another character. Your hero or heroine is beset with increasing complications and setbacks, ending with a climax, before ultimately achieving a goal of some kind. This kind of “spine” works just as well with a non-fiction book.

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Jimbolaya merged with Jim Arnold Communications!

Jim Arnold

If you’re a repeat visitor to Jimbolaya you may have noticed a change over the past couple of weeks. I’ve been in the process of merging the blogsite for Jim Arnold Communications into Jimbolaya, and, except for relocating a few of the posts, it’s all here.

Mainly, the other blogsite was composed of pages describing the Jim Arnold Communications consulting business and what it offers to prospective clients and why, in the two areas of business copywriting and book marketing. It finally just made sense to me to put the two blogs together, and have all my writing in one virtual place.

I recently took a series of seminars offered by Mediabistro on Job Hunting skills, which I adapted to mean, in my case, self-employment skills. There was a lot of emphasis on social media, strategies for both marketing oneself and looking for opportunities via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and through blogging. I had at the time two of most everything – personal Facebook and business page; Twitter again for both; and the two blogs (Jimbolaya and Jim Arnold Communications). It was suggested to me that I combine the Twitter accounts and the two blogs, for two reasons: 1) using just one Twitter and one Blog would be more impactful, and 2) having fewer social media accounts to keep current would give me a lot more time to do my actual work!

My work as a Los Angeles-based communications specialist now focuses on freelance copywriting. That center of attention is informed by my 20-plus years in public relations and the several years prior to that where I worked in book publishing.

One of the more common complaints I’ve heard from PR pros is that there’s a lack of writing skills in the profession, so the need is there – and not just for PR agencies, but for businesses in general, all of which have many needs to communicate in writing – whether it’s to their customers, to other businesses or even internally.

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What kinds of companies am I looking to help, specifically? Having worked in the entertainment industry for quite a few years, that’s a definite area of interest and expertise. There’s a particular need in entertainment technology, where an explosion of new firms, new products and delivery platforms are being invented and launched at what often seems a dizzying pace.

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