Book Marketing: What Really Works

"The Rule of Fives" for
Successful Book Marketing

From an internationally bestselling author,
who started out with a box of books just
like everybody else.

By Susan Kendrick
www.WriteToYourMarket.com

Every day, there are more ways available to market your book. But, if you are a new (or not-so-new) author, you want to know what really works, or just as importantly, where you should start.

Of course, we all know there is no magic bullet when it comes to book marketing. There is not one key you can turn that will keep your books flying off your website, amazon, or bookstore shelves.

Even bestselling authors and publishing experts like Jack Canfield and John Kremer will say that it is the steady, persistent effort of doing a few things every day to market your book that wins the race.

Still, some things work better than others ... right?

I asked a good client of ours this question. Patrick Snow, author of Creating Your Own Destiny, has been so successful that he now guides other new authors through the book publishing process. His book, completely self-published, has done so well that he just got picked up by Wiley Publishing for a two-book deal. (See more of Patrick's results below.)

"Great question and great topic," said Patrick. "The following is what I coach / teach my publishing clients." When I looked over Patrick's remarks, I thought of "The Rule of Fives" as a good way to help you remember what worked for his book, and what will work for yours, too.

5 Most Important Criteria for Creating a Bestseller

1. Author's Willingness to Promote Their Book for the Rest of Their Lives
2. Book Cover Design
3. Book Title / Subtitle
4. Introduction of Book
5. Actual Content

Want to know more or pick Patrick's brain a little? Patrick has offered to do a complimentary publishing consultation with anyone who contacts him through this article. In your email to Patrick, just mention that you heard about him on Susan's Book Cover Coaching blog. Email Patrick@CreateYourOwnDestiny.com.

Next, how to market your book ...

The Top 5 Ways to Market Your Book

My book cover copywriting partner, Graham Van Dixhorn, helped Patrick create his title, subtitle, and back cover copy back in 2001, in other words, Patrick has had plenty of time to market this book and be the judge of what works. Here are his top picks for how to successfully market your book.

1. Speaking
2. Giving Away Books to Movers and Shakers
3. Becoming Your Own Publicist
4. Selling Books to Direct Sales / MLM companies
5. Selling Foreign Rights of Book

* Plus ... social networking. "It's becoming a bigger part of book marketing," says Patrick, "but people are still seeing mixed results with this strategy. Many people believe it should be number one, and I would disagree with that, at least for now."

There it is, pretty straightforward. That is a list you can get to work on right now. But, Patrick didn't stop there; he is
passionate about this topic of book publishing and book marketing. He continued by saying this about his NUMBER ONE book marketing choice, speaking.

"The best way to promote your book is to speak
on the topic of your book as often as possible!"

The 5 Most Important Groups to Approach

Patrick confirmed that for speaking you have the following markets:

1. Corporations
2. Associations
3. Network Marketing / MLM
4. Colleges and Schools
5. Churches

Again, if you have questions, Patrick is offering a complimentary consultation to anyone who contacts him through this article (see details above).

So, now you have three Top-5 lists you can refer to every day as you market your book strategically and successfully, moving ahead based on what works. Here are those three lists again:

__ The 5 Most Important Criteria for Creating a Bestseller
__ The Top 5 Was to Market Your Book
__ The 5 Most Important Groups to Approach

More Results -- Or, What Can Happen When You Do What Works

Patrick has sold more than 150,000 copies of his book. He has been featured on the cover of USA Today and in The New York Times. When Patrick talks about his results, this is what he says: "My book cover was the best investment I ever made. Many people buy the book based on the title alone. My book cover has also catapulted my speaking career!" For more information on the writing and design principles at work on Patrick's cover and other successful authors, go to Bestselling Book Cover.

Patrick insisted we pass this on as well, because he knows first-hand what it takes to succeed in a field where it is easy to fail. "In no way would my book have had this success if it were not for the work that your company brought to the table with title, subtitle, and tagline.......and back cover copy."

If you have questions about the information in this article, especially regarding your book cover or how to get speaking engagements, please feel free to contact us, Graham and Susan by email or at 1-888-634-4120

Now, go do what works!
Susan

Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.writetoyourmarket.com. 1-888-634-4120.

Book Cover Critique & Consultation--What to Expect

What Really Happens During this Process?
A sneak-peek look at one author’s experience

By Susan Kendrick

www.WriteToYourMarket.com

A few of my next posts will show examples of how book covers get a major transformation through the critique and consultation process. We often hear from people who say they are interested in getting this kind of feedback, but are not sure what to expect. The following is a behind-the-scenes look at how this process started for self-employment expert Sara Morgan and her new book, No Limits: How I Escaped Corporate America to Live the Self-Employed Life of My Dreams."

Even when people hire us to write their book cover copy for them, they often come to us with working copy in place. Perfect. This is usually the best way to focus your efforts as you write your book and think about moving on to the book cover and marketing stage. Your working copy gets you ready to take this next step.

What to expect from a critique and consultation

The first question authors and experts usually ask is, “Will you tell me if my book cover copy and book cover design ideas really need help, or if I am doing OK?” Absolutely. If you are going strong and just need a few tweaks here and there, we will tell you. If we think you need more help, we’ll tell you that, too. That’s what the following is, my initial feedback to Sara about her cover. Some of my comments will be relevant to you and your book as well.

The Typical Email about Getting Help

Sara emailed me this question:
“I am currently 25% done with the manuscript and expect to be complete with it at the end of June. The name of the book is, "No Limits: How I escaped from Corporate America to live the life of my dreams". I have already purchased the ISBN & bar code for the book and I am working on the web site at this time.

“I have an image that I would like to use for the book's front cover design (if you think it would be appropriate—it is attached in this email) and also need help with my back cover copy.

“Please let me know whether you would be interested in helping me with this project, what your prices are, and whether you can work within my June 30th deadline.”

My Initial Response to Sara

The following is part of my first email back to Sara, to let her know what kind of help I thought she needed:

“Sara, from reading your proposed back cover copy, yours is not so much a copywriting task as much as a positioning task, so that what we will focus on in the critique and consultation is first what to say about your book and why … then how to say it.

What We Addressed and What We Changed

Title and Subtitle:
I did offer Sara feedback on her front cover as well and her back cover. Her proposed title/subtitle was: "No Limits: How I Escaped from Corporate America to Live the Life of My Dreams."

“Sara, your proposed title 'No Limits' is already being used by a host of other books, including one just released by Michael Phelps, http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=No+Limits. While book titles cannot be copyrighted, and you can certainly use 'No Limits,' ideally you want to create an original new presence of your own and also avoid having your book being confused with any others.”

Note:
Sara had a very strong connection with her No Limits title, as it was a mantra of sorts for her during some major transitions in her life and what she uses in her work with clients. The nature of a critique and consultation process is that the author is asking for feedback and so is, in the end, responsible for his or her own decision about how to use that feedback.

What Sara did do was use my suggestion to tweak her subtitle, so that it included the words, “Self-Employment.” Now the book has the clarity plus key words it needs to reach out to her very well-defined target market. “Self-employment” is a highly ranked term in the search engines for her topic. Adding this keyword to her title/subtitle combo gives a major boost to Sara's search engine visibility.

Back Cover Copy:
On her back cover, Sara needed to show why her book is so relevant to her target audience. It needed to be much more tightly positioned and the copy needed to be stronger and more focused.

First, get the headline right

Sara’s headline was a series of three questions. One compelling question is fine, but three can be tricky and are often simply too much to process. All three questions were also the kind that generate only a yes-no response, so if you hit it wrong and get a “no” response from the prospective buyer, you paralyze the selling process. There was no reason to keep reading. You’ve missed your first big opportunity to really grab someone’s attention.

Drill down to the particulars

“Sara, when your headline asks, 'What’s holding you back?' my immediate response is, 'from what …?' It's also like the question, 'what’s keeping your stuck?' that has become so overused at this point. You need to drill down to the particulars and deliver it in a fresh but authoritative way.

Note:

Your back cover headline should draw people into the rest of your copy. It should pique interest, surprise, alarm, make them smile, etc. Simply put, it should engage them. Your back cover is a conversation. Be the one in the room they want to listen to. Keep the conversation dynamic. Make your potential buyer expectant and hopeful that you are the expert and have the solution they’re looking for. Remember, people will only spend 10-15 seconds total looking over your back cover. Make every word count.

More Tough Love at Work

… More from my first email back to Sara:
“Overall, the rest of the back cover copy feels general and somewhat vague. It does not relate to me as the potential reader/buyer and my present situation. Nor, does it outline why this book is the solution. Remember, people seek out non-fiction books as a way to answer a question or solve a problem. What I’m not getting is who exactly this book is for?

- Is it for the person toying with the idea of leaving corporate America?
- Is for the person who, no matter what their present circumstance, wants to have more control over their time, energy, finances, location, etc.?
- Is it for the person who already has an idea or product and wants to take the next step?

“Why this book, and why now?”

“Your bullets, too, seem to span the spectrum from getting inspired, to making a move, to the hard core particulars of taxes and insurances. From your description of the book on the phone, and from the testimonial you showed me, the sense I get is that you what you supply is the inspiration and the examples necessary to get beyond the “dreaming about” stage to having the courage to make the move that either your gut or your present life circumstances tell you is the break you’re looking for. For example, there are whole books dedicated specifically to the logistical details of self-employment—see this amazon link, http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=self-employment&x=24&y=23. What is unique and special about YOUR book. Why this book, and why now?

“And, what happened to your story? That fact that you have done this, and provide examples of other people in the book who have also done this from and to a variety of work scenarios, is key to this book. Make sure that shows up on the back cover.

Be aware of other books on your topic

“Also, as an ‘expert’ on your topic, you need to be aware of other books out there directed at your target market. One reason is to position your book as a unique resource (and be able to clearly differentiate that offering on your book cover, website, etc.) Another reason is to seek out potential joint venture partners who reach out to the same target audience that you do but with a different set of non-competing tools and resources.”

De-clutter your copy

Sara and I are still working together in a consultative relationship. Right now we are fine-tuning her press release. Sara is a joy to work with because she definitely “gets it,” but just needs some “tough love” to help her focus and let her best marketing copy rise to the surface. She is one of those people who just needs someone to help her remove the clutter so that she really shines. See how Sara also followed what we teach about getting all the marketing mileage you can from your book's back cover copy by using it as the content on your book website as well.

Sara's website address, by the way, was developed using the advice in this article about how to register a domain name for your book when your book title is already taken as a domain name.

The last word … from Sara Morgan

"Susan's initial guidance and advice was invaluable to me. She patiently listened to me ramble on about what I was planning and then after reflecting over what I was trying to accomplish and who I was, she offered brilliant advice that just nailed what I needed to do next."

Sara Morgan’s new book is am terrific resource and her cover copy and design is light years from where it started. If you’d like to know if a Critique & Consultation is right for your book cover, please email me at Susan@WriteToYourMarket.com. Please put “Critique and Consultation” in the subject line.

Best!
Susan

Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.writetoyourmarket.com/, 1-888-634-4120.

Book Cover Coaching: Back Cover Headlines

How to Create a Killer Back Cover Headline
aka, the "CUT and FRY" Technique . . .

By Susan Kendrick

If you’ve spent any time brainstorming a title for your book or information product, this back cover headline technique is for you. Remember all those title ideas that didn't quite make the final cut for front cover? Go back and look at them again. One of them could be a killer headline for your back cover.

Using the "Cut and Fry" Technique
A favorite example comes from a book cover title we worked on that was published in 1998 by Larry Clapp and is still getting five-star reviews on Amazon. You’ll see below why this book cover headline is still fresh in my memory. Part of it is because of the lively team dynamic that included Dan Poynter, self-publishing expert and bestselling author of The Self-Publishing Manual, now in its 16th edition. If you don't have this book, get it! Go to http://parapublishing.com.

Larry Clapp's book is about healing from and preventing prostate cancer. This author refused to have surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy for his cancer, instead opting to investigate alternatives therapies. Since he successfully survived on his own terms, and wanted to warn others about the potential harm of more invasive procedures, he wanted to call his book:

“Don’t Let Them Cut or Fry Your Prostate”

Ouch! While this is an extremely powerful and commanding phrase . . . it only tells readers what not to do, instead of telling them what they can do or what positive benefits this book offers them. It’s also just a little scary. The solution that evolved for this title was:

“Prostate Health in 90 Days: Without Drugs or Surgery”

Much better! Again, this book is a gold mine of information, guidance, and encouragement for many men, as well as for their wives and partners. This brings up another important point about book titles. Studies continue to show that the majority of book buyers are women. While many men will read and often buy a health book like this for themselves, the more likely scenario is that many more women will buy it for their partners, husbands, sons, fathers, etc. So, which of the two titles above do you think would appeal more to the majority of buyers?

A larger part of this book’s marketing success is due to its now very powerful positive title that offers tangible results in a positive way. Imagine the relief people feel when they read or hear about this book and discover that this kind of solution is available to them. Is your book the solution people are looking for right now in their lives? Let them know exactly what it can do for them.

Back to the headline.
Here’s where “Cut or Fry” comes back into play. Imagine turning that book over, or looking at the back cover copy on your website, Amazon, or some other site, and seeing that zinger of a back cover headline, “Don’t let them cut or fry your prostate!” The author kept that phrase he initially felt so passionate about as the title, but used it where it serves the book much better.

Remember all this when you need a pull-em-in headline for the back cover of your book or information product either in print or online. Keep whatever doesn't become your title, and mine that list for ideas and power phrases that can become not only your headline, but other sound bites and taglines as well.

We recently worked with an author who used his book's title and back cover sales copy to help land a major distributor. To hear from this author and others who are using their book cover copy to successfully market their books, go to http://www.writetoyourmarket.com/action2.html

Questions? Please give us a at 715-634-4120 or email info@WriteToYourMarket.com

© Copyright 2007, Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc.
www.WriteToYourMarket.com
715-634-4120

Book Cover Coaching: Book Title Copyrighting Quiz!

Take this Quiz ...

On Book Title Copyrights

By Susan Kendrick

On September 25, I promised you:
"The Copyright Quiz! What do these three bestselling books have in common?"

OK, here's the answer--the 3 current Amazon Bestsellers I'm thinking of are:
1. Blink
2. Into the Wild
3. Louder Than Words

And, what do they all have in common? They each have titles that also show up on other books! See what I mean, below, and how you can take away some important lessons for your books and book titles.

A Closer Look:

2005 Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell
2005 Blink, by Ted Dekker

Both of these books came out in 2005. Gladwell's was already a non-fiction bestseller who has generated an international following. Dekker is a fiction thriller writer who apparently has also enjoyed great commercial success. They each appeal to non-competing markets, so no overlap there. by the way, Blink also happens to be the name of a 2003 medical thriller movie.

1996 / 2007 Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer
2007 Into the Wild, by Sarah Beth Durst

Interestingly, Durst's children’s book, that shares the same name as Krakauer's now classic work, has been released in the same year as the movie release of KarKauer's book, directed by Sean Penn. While these books are clearly in non-competing markets, I'll bet that Durst’s book is getting a lot more notice than it ordinarily would as people go searching online for Krakauer's book (and finding things like this blog article as well). This usually happens to a book when the movie comes out; book sales swell dramatically as does online search activity.

2007 Louder Than Words, by Jenny McCarthy
2004 Louder Than Words, by Andy Stanley

Jenny McCarthy's new book is about her experience with her son's Autism. Stanley, a pastor, wrote a book about character and what you accomplish in life. But here's the deal with these two books. While the other book title cases above end up serving completely different markets--non-fiction vs. fiction and adults vs. children--the two Louder Than Words books are too closely related. They are both about quality of life and wellness in some way. And both were published just three years apart. These are both good enough reasons for them not to share the same title.

By the way, there are five other items listed on Amazon for this title. All are posted as "no image available" because they were published as long ago as 1976, and include two reports to the Rockefeller Foundation--not a lot of crossover or competition there. Note that there is a lot of useful information on Amazon to help you analyze book titles, book content,genres, and publishing dates, and where yours will fit in.

Each of the three duplicate book title cases above also shows the powerful effect of book marketing for a particular book. In each case, the better known of each of these book title doubles is getting the majority of the attention because it is more recent and/or because of the considerable marketing muscle behind it. Each is a case where not only did the book title make the book, but the book--and the marketing--is also making the title.

What does this mean for you?

Try your best to come up with a unique book title for your book. If you absolutely want to use a title that is already being used, make sure it is being used in a non-competing market. Also consider the company you keep. You don’t want your book listed alongside another book on a very different topic that will put you in a bad light. On the other hand, sharing Amazon space with a bestseller gives you that much more visibility when visitors go to that page. Again, just make sure you are in a non-competing book category.

Most importantly, make sure you do everything you can to create and market a book brand that gives you the lead in your market and helps you maintain and grow that lead. You never know when your title may turn up on somebody else’s book. In short, keep the golden rule in mind, and extend the same courtesy to your fellow authors that you would want them to give you.

For greater brand security, see my posting on September 25, “Copyrighting Book Titles, or Can Two Books Have the Same Name?” about how to develop an overall brand you can trademark, using the title phrase of your book.

Don't wait for your book to start getting noticed. You can get major online and media visibility for your book before it's even released. Find out how these authors did it at: http://www.writetoyourmarket.com/action2.html

Questions? Please give us a at 715-634-4120 or email info@WriteToYourMarket.com

© Copyright 2007, Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc.
www.WriteToYourMarket.com
715-634-4120

Book Cover Coaching: Book Titles--Top 5 Tips

Getting ready to write a book title?
Keep these 5 five basic tips in mind.

By Susan Kendrick

1. Use short words. Your book title should be easy to say, hear, and remember. Also, you’re going to talk about your book—a lot. Choose a book title you can live for a long time and that other people will want to talk about, too.

2. Don’t expect the title alone to do it all. Keep copy on your book's front cover to a minimum to create a billboard effect. This will be a big help to your book cover designer. The purpose of the book title and subtitle is to magnetically draw in readers and to get them to take a closer look, online or in a bookstore. The title hits them on some gut, intuitive, or emotional level. The subtitle then steps in to define the benefits of your book for your target audience--what it's about, who it's for, what it will do for you, the reader. You then have your book's back cover sales copy for a killer headline, sales copy, testimonials, and all the other details that will get them to buy your book.

3. Decide now if your book will be part of a series. If so, build that flexibility into the title of the first book so that subsequent titles and topics can easily fit into the series format. Think Chicken Soup for the Soul for…

4. Check your best book title ideas on Google and Amazon. Chances are, if you've come up with a great book title, someone else has already have thought of it. Book titles cannot be copyrighted, but you don’t want your book to be confused with anyone else’s either. You want to create your own unique book brand and followingt. A unique book title also helps when you go to reserve it as the URL for your book’s website or book blog. This is another reason for a short, punchy title with key words that will make a simple, easy-to-remember domain name.

5. The biggest tip of all--especially when you are on your third page of book title ideas and still not coming up with one that works--is to first decide what you need to say then how to say it. Market positioning is everything. For a title with substance and flair, substance comes first.

A great book title pulls in not just readers, but also distributors, the media, corporate sponsors, cataogues, seminar companies, and more. Learn more than a dozen ways your book title can help you market your book at http://www.writetoyourmarket.com/action2.html

Questions? Please give us a at 715-634-4120 or email info@WriteToYourMarket.com

© Copyright 2007, Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc.
www.WriteToYourMarket.com
715-634-4120

Book Cover Coaching: Find a Bestselling Book Title Right in Your Book

What A Thousand Splendid Suns can tell you about finding your bestselling title

By Susan Kendrick

Have you ever had that rush of recognition, that "Aha" when you finally run into the passage in a book that contains its title? This was the case, as it is with many books, when I read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

The phrase “a thousand splendid suns,” from the poem by Saib-e-Tabrizi, is quoted twice in the novel. The first time is when Laila’s family prepares to leave Kabul. Given all we know about the characters at this point, the title comes alive in a new way. The phrase is repeated again when Laila decides to return to Kabul from Pakistan. It is also echoed in one of the final lines of the book. Each time the meaning of this phrase deepens because of what we now know, what we have seen through the lens of the story.

What does this mean for you and your book?

This example is important because it illustrates the power of taking the title of your book from a phrase in the book itself. Remember, this was the Book Title No. 1 posting, called the “Look to Your Book” book title strategy. This strategy, and the Hosseini example, do beg the question, “Which came first, the title or the book?” Did Hosseini, a lover of poetry, have the phrase, "a thousand splendid suns" in mind for the title before he wrote the book? Or, did this piece of poetry become part of the writing of the book, and then become a natural choice for the title?

For you, an author looking for the best title for your book, this second possibility should send you straight back into the pages of your own manuscript. Look for a phrase that stands out with such power--on its own and within the context of the book as a whole--that it becomes a strong candidate for your book title. Another thing to consider is that for your readers, finding the title of your book within its pages produces the same reaction described above. That phrase, the title, suddenly takes on much greater significance because they now understand it within a larger context of your book. What a great way for your readers to feel that satisfying sense of oneness with your message and loyalty to you as its author.

Again, “Look to Your Book” for the hidden gem that may be waiting to become your book title. It’s a proven method for many a bestseller and one that will gratify your readers as well, deepening their appreciation for you and what you have to offer them.

Get more help with book cover writing and design. Find out how to get 12 other bestselling book title strategies, plus insider advice from a leading book cover designer, when you click here: http://www.writetoyourmarket.com/action2.html.

Questions? Please give us a at 715-634-4120 or email info@WriteToYourMarket.com

© Copyright 2007, Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc.
www.writetoyourmarket.com
715-634-4120

Book Cover Coaching: Book Titles--One-Word Wonders

Book Title Strategy No. 2:
One-Word Wonders

By Susan Kendrick

As promised in my last post, Book Titles No.1, we’re taking a look at Bill Clinton’s new book Giving, released on September 4, 2007. The celebrity status of this author notwithstanding, Knopf Publishing Group gave this book the added advantage of one of the most powerful and reliable book title strategies out there: The One-Word Wonder. A quick look at similar titles shows the effect they have on our collective psyche and on our buying habits.

Here are other one-word titles, most from the New York Times bestseller list:

Blink . . . . . . . . . Malcolm Gladwell
Freakonomics . . . Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Godless . . . . . . . .Ann Coulter (along with her other books with one-word titles)
Leadership . . . . . Tom Peters (first in a series of four books, all with one-word titles)
Winning . . . . . . . Jack and Suzy Welch

I list these authors because most of them, like Bill Clinton, are well-known for other books or a long-standing reputation. And that’s the point for you. Using a one-word title gives your book that same presence, that I’ve-already-arrived kind of authority, the sense that you are the leader in your field—which you are, now that you’ve written a book on it.

Here’s why these titles work:

1.) They make the greatest visual impact on your front cover—fewer words creates the “billboard” effect you want
2.) They are authoritative in their simplicity
3.) They turn a common word into something memorable, now associated with your book
4.) They still have a subtitle that clinches the deal with details like who the book is for, what it’s about, and what you get out of it
5.) They are often easier than other kinds of titles that require coming up with the right mix of a few choice words.

How to create a One-Word Wonder:

One-word book titles are an overstatement or oversimplicaiton of your topic. Say it like it is, “My book is about ____________,” and create a list of possible titles that way. Try key word searches to find what words other people use when they look for information on your topic. SEO words will also put you ahead in web searches when you post your book or product on websites and blogs.

Let’s dissect these titles:
__ Giving and Winning are each A Positive or Desired Act
__ Blink is A verb, a Command to do something, take action
__ Freakonomics is A New Term, that in this case brings together for the first time two seemingly opposing ideas. It rocks the boat and takes us in a new direction.
__ Godless is a An Adjective, a Condition; it suggests a problem or a controversy
__ Leadership is A Noun, a Discipline; it positions itself as the definitive word, that it speaks not just to a part of leadership, but the entire field

These titles use a proven formula from the world of products, celebrities, and movies. A name like Nike, Apple, Google, Bono, Tiger, Titanic, Rocky, and OK, Borat, is more than just a product, a person, or a way to kick back on a Saturday night. They each have become worldwide brands. Granted, there is more to them and their creation than just the name, but that one word gave them their star appeal. Your book will also have to live up to the promise of its good name. But again, that one word helps you, right from the start, to stand out from the crowd and get noticed.

The real secret to these titles

One-Word Wonders are easy--easy to say, easy to remember, and easy to talk about. That makes them easy to promote and easy to love. A bestselling book like “Blink” or “Giving” seems to have no rival. It seems to be the definitive word. It inspires confidence. It seems to be in a category by itself. And, isn’t that what you want for your book?

Did you know that the last thing most people usually think about when publishing their books and information products is the first thing you can do to start making money?
Click here to learn more: http://www.writetoyourmarket.com/action2.html

Questions? Please give us a at 715-634-4120 or email info@WriteToYourMarket.com

NEXT: Book titles can’t be copyrighted--what does this mean for you?

Plus, look for an upcoming post about URLs for One-Word Wonders.

© Copyright 2007, Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc.

www.WriteToYourMarket.com

715-634-4120

Book Cover Coaching: Book Titles--Look inside Your Book

Book Title Strategy No. 1:
"Look to Your Book"

By Susan Kendrick

For his book, "Swim With the Sharks (Without Being Eaten Alive)" Harvey Mackay reports that he hired a creative team to hold focus groups to generate possible titles. They included “Swim With the Sharks” among the 800 titles voted on in the final ballot!

Yes, many great book titles are painstakingly developed, and some just happen. But most are usually a combination of both--strategy and serendipity, science and art, logic and (dare I say it?) pure luck. For the strategy part of the equation, having a systematic process in place saves you time, money, and the aggravation of pages and pages of ideas that are going nowhere. Here, then, is the first of many title strategies you can confidently use to come up with a book title that has bestseller written all over it.

How to "Look To Your Book"

Manuscripts are one of the most overlooked sources for a great title. Either on your own or with help from someone else who can bring new eyes to your text, read through your Table of Contents, Introduction, Chapters, even a Foreword if you have one. You are not reading for content, but for individual words and phrases that capture the essence of your book in some compelling way.

For example, sometimes you can find in your own writing an especially bold, concise, or even poetic way of saying something. It may be a phrase that speaks to a need for your book. It may relate to a benefit of reading your book. It may not encompass your entire message, but it points to it in such a powerful or offbeat way that it suddenly jumps out at you. Again, having someone else look through your manuscript is helpful because they are seeing and hearing the language you use for the first time.

Next, look for words, phrases, or expressions that are uniquely yours. Without noticing, you may have coined a new term that will set you apart from everyone else writing on your topic. Look, for example, at bestselling books like "Freakonomics." A great chapter title or heading can also translate into a powerful book title. You have no doubt already spent time coming up with these. And, while no one by itself will summarize your entire book, one chapter title or heading can express a key point that becomes an anchor for your overall idea or approach.

Finally, look for vivid images in your text. "Swim with the sharks" is a great example. An image that like might come from your picturesque way of talking in your book. If you see an image, grab it and see if it can be used as a title. Again, it may not sum up your entire message, but it does give people a strong visual that they then associate with you and your book--a great first step toward creating a powerful brand.

One more place to look for words and phrases is in the testimonials you are collecting for your manuscript, or in advance reviews you are getting for your book, which may only be circulating under an adaquate working title for now. Like the Foreword, testimonials and reviews are written by other people who talk about you and your book differently than you do. They may see things that you don't or describe your message or approach in sharp, colorful ways. Look through their comments for words and phrases that could make a great title.

As a friend of mine used to say, and what I find to be true in most situations: "The solution is always close at hand." So, "Look to Your Book" for the title you need to bring your message to life. It's true, sometime people simply miss the obvious. To learn 13 ways you can sell your book using the one powerhouse book marketing tool most authors don't even consider, click here: http://www.writetoyourmarket.com/action2.html

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NEXT: The Title Strategy used by Bill Clinton's new book and other bestsellers.

© Copyright 2007, Susan Kendrick, Write to Your Market, Inc.
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