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Your Path to a Successful Book

Our $uccess blog will feature writing, marketing, and publishing tips we continue to learn since writing our 2009 INDIE Finalist workbook $uccess, Your Path to a Successful Book keeping our readers abreast of the everchanging skills required to write, publish and sell a successful book. We will also have guest commentators. Achieving your goals as a writer is what matters. Anything we can do to help you get there is our goal. We welcome your comments and hope you will sign up for our bi-monthly (or whenever we have enough material) newsletter.

Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

POT FARM Book Release!

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
Hi Everybody,
This is Matthew Frank.  Thank you once again for your interest in my work in the past (specifically BAROLO).  My new book, POT FARM, just came out, and I am hoping the book may be of interest to you and your readers, in regards discussion/Q&A/guest-blogging, review, or general reading interest. Here’s a bit about the book:
My new nonfiction book, POT FARM (The University of Nebraska Press/Bison Books), is now available on the press website and on Amazon.  (I’ll paste the links below).  The book is a behind-the-scenes exploration of a Northern California medical marijuana farm, based on my experience as a seasonal employee.  A portion of the book deals with the food culture on such farms.  Poets & Writers Magazine recently chose the book as a New and Notable selection. Thanks so much!
Here are the links:
Here’s some advance praise for the book:
Pot Farm is the curious and compelling tale of a hazy season spent harvesting medical marijuana. The cast of characters rivals those found in the finest comic fiction, except these folks are real, and really peculiar. Pot Farm is smart, sly, revelatory, often laugh-out-loud funny, and entirely legal.”—Dinty W. Moore, author of Between Panic and Desire
“Sex, politics, intrigue, crime, adventure, life and death—it’s all here, in a strangely compelling hybrid of action flick meets postmodern philosophical meditation meets Cheech and Chong. This compulsively readable exposé from a self-proclaimed ‘unreliable narrator’ has it all, including a cast of outcast characters who simply jump off the page.”—Gina Frangello, author of Slut Lullabies
“Frank takes the reader into the fields, where a pair of good clippers can make or break a man, and describes the intricate methods used to cut and dry the product to ensure good quality. . . . Investigative research coupled with personal reflections on a controversial arena of American farm production.”—Kirkus Reviews
Additionally, my book BAROLO has gone into its second printing in paperback, and will include links to Italian Piemontese recipes.  That edition is available here:
Here’s a brief bio:
I am the author of “Barolo” (The University of Nebraska Press), “Pot Farm” (The University of Nebraska Press), “Warranty in Zulu” (Barrow Street Press), “The Morrow Plots” (forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press/Dzanc Books), “Sagittarius Agitprop” (Black Lawrence Press/Dzanc Books), and the chapbooks “Four Hours to Mpumalanga” (Pudding House Publications), and “Aardvark” (West Town Press).  Recent work appears in The New Republic, The Huffington Post, Field, Epoch, AGNI, The Iowa Review, Seneca Review, Crazyhorse, Indiana Review, North American Review, Pleiades, Crab Orchard Review, The Best Food Writing, The Best Travel Writing, Creative Nonfiction, Prairie Schooner, Hotel Amerika, Gastronomica, and others. I was born and raised in Illinois, and currently teach Creative Writing in the MFA Program at Northern Michigan University, where I am the Nonfiction Editor of Passages North.
Thanks so much for your support!  I hope all is well with you!
All the best,
Matt

Matthew Gavin Frank
www.matthewgfrank.com

CityRoom, JustLuxe, The Epoch Times, Big Blend, Spa Review Magazine, Global Writes

Finalist in the Writing and Publishing category of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, ”$uccess, Your Path to a Successful Book,”

How to post book reviews on Amazon from Midwest Book Reviews

Friday, February 17th, 2012

I frequently share posts from Jim Cox of Midwest Book Reviews. I felt this was interesting and worth your time. Book reviews are necessary to help your book.

Because of Amazon’s new policy prohibiting professional review resources like the Midwest Book Review from posting their own reviews, but leaving it up to authors and publishers to do so, I thought it would be useful to provide a general “how to” instruction guide for those who are not familiar with the process of posting reviews on the Amazon web site. The following was prepared by my web master:

Book Review Posting Guide for Amazon.com

1. To post a customer review on the Amazon web site at www.amazon.com, you first have to create an amazon.com account.

2. If you don’t have an amazon.com account, look at the top of amazon.com‘s home page where it says “Sign in to get personalized recommendations. New customer? Start here.” Click on the “Start here” link.

3. You will be prompted to enter an email address. Enter an email address that you will use reliably, and click on the circle in front of “No, I am a new customer” to fill it in with a dot. Then click on the button that prompts you to take the next step.

4. From here, amazon.com will spell out the necessary steps to finish creating your account. You’ll have to think of a password, ideally one with both letters and numbers, and you’ll also set the answers to some security questions. These are so a random person can’t sign into Amazon using your name and buy a ton of stuff on your credit card.

5. Amazon will walk you through the process with step-by-step instructions; the final step will be to go to your email account and click on the link in an automated email thatamazon.com has sent you.

6. Once you have created an account, you will have to use it to buy something before you can post reviews on amazon.com. This will most likely involve adding credit card information to your account, which is why the password and security questions are so important. I recommend buying a cheap digital download item if you want to start posting customer reviews right away.

7. Once you have created an account and bought something with it, you can go to almost any book displayed on amazon.com and click on the “create your own review” link to submit a review for that book.

8. Amazon itself has a lengthy Help section about customer reviews, displayed on its website at

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_rel_topic?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200791000

That authors and publishers can post book reviews by Midwest Book Review on Amazon seems to be going quite well. I know this because Amazon keeps sending me little emails when there are reader comments with respect to these posted reviews. The following is an example:

From: delivers@amazon.com
To: mwbookrevw@aol.com
Sent: 1/28/2012 12:45:04 P.M. Central Standard Time
Subj: New comment on your review of Tiffany by Design: An In-Depth Look at Tiffany Lamps (Schiffer Book for Designers & Collectors)

Greetings from Amazon.com Customer Discussions,

Because you requested to be notified when people commented on your review of “Tiffany by Design: An In-Depth Look at Tiffany Lamps (Schiffer Book for Designers & Collectors)”, we are sending you this e-mail.

CityRoom, JustLuxe, The Epoch Times, Big Blend, Spa Review Magazine, Global Writes

Finalist in the Writing and Publishing category of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, ”$uccess, Your Path to a Successful Book,”

Promo Day Offers for Book Expo America, BEA

Friday, February 10th, 2012

Would you like a boost with your marketing and promotion efforts for your book(s) at BookExpo America (BEA), the nation’s largest publishing tradeshow? The BEA takes place June 5–7 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

Here are five ways Cypress House can help:

  1. Pre-show and Onsite Orientation. We’ll provide you with orientation materials and suggestions before the show, then walk you around the show, focussing on marketing, packaging, and distribution possibilities for your books.
  2. Badges to attend BEA.
  3. No time or patience with paperwork? We can take care of it for you. Or, see below for how you can do it yourself.

  4. Rights Representation to Agents and Publishers: We can include your book(s) in our print and electronic international catalog. We do several pre- and post-show email blasts, too. We can meet on your behalf at our table in the International Rights Center.
  5. Autographing Your Book at BEA. If you’d like to be considered for an author signing at BEA, submissions are already underway. We can assist with submissions and liaison before the show.
  6. Full Representation by Cypress House Staff Plus Display of Your Book(s)

Please read on for pricing, details, and deadlines for each option.

1. Pre-show and Onsite Orientation with Walk-Around

Deadline: April 27, 2012

Price: $225

This offer includes orientation materials, maps, and a walk-around of the show floor. This package does not include display, badge, or representation.

2. Badge to attend BEA

Deadline: March 23, 2012

To attend BEA you need an admission badge, and neither Cypress House representation nor an autographing slot provides one. You can purchase a badge directly from BEA convention management at: www.bookexpoamerica.com. Publishers who are members of IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association) may also contact IBPA directly to obtain a badge at: www.ibpa-online.org./

or

Cypress House can obtain a badge for you. The cost is $180 plus postage, shipping, and photocopying. This price includes display of your book at the IBPA booth. Cypress House will handle the submission forms and send a copy of your book for the display to make sure your badge is waiting for you at the convention center. Please be sure your display copy arrives at Cypress House by the March 23rd deadline.

Note

: If you have also chosen Full Representation by Cypress House Staff Plus Display, your book will be displayed in two venues. If you would like a badge for another person, we can provide two badges for $260 plus postage, shipping, and photocopying.

3. Cypress House 2011 Book Expo America Rights Representation with Agents and Publishers for Translation and Other Subsidiary Rights

Deadline: April 20, 2012

Price: $300.

Representation includes an ad in our foreign-rights catalog (both print and electronic versions feature cover image, book description, and publisher contact information); inclusion in at least two email blasts to foreign rights agencies, agents, and publishers prior to BEA; meetings on your behalf at BEA; with a verbal report after the show. If queries come to us after the show, we’ll pass them along to you. Cypress House has already reserved a rights table at BEA for this year and will be listed in the program.

What we need from you: filled-out questionnaire, an electronic image of your book cover (72 dpi, 200 pixels wide, TIF or jpeg file), five sample copies of your book (these can be slightly damaged copies), and a PDF file of your book’s text, if available. (We recommend the PDF be watermarked. When offered a locked PDF in our outreach, most potential recipients requested a hard copy instead.)

For a written report after the show, please add $75. If you’d like us to negotiate on your behalf after the show, we will bill you $75 per hour plus any attendant postage, shipping, and photocopying. We do not take any percentage of rights sales or licensing.

4. Autographing Your Book at BEA

Deadline: March 1, 2012

Price: $75 per hour.

If you would like us to pitch you for an autographing at BEA, liaison time is billed at $75 per hour. If you’re given an autographing slot, BEA charges a $125 fee. You’ll need to provide 60 copies of your book for the signing. These may be prepublication galleys or finished books. Cypress House will bill you for any staff time and shipping required to get your books to BEA.

* Joe Shaw, our editor and marketing manager, can provide additional help to promote your autograph session, including story pitches to the PW Show Daily. Please inquire.

Joe can be reached at: joeshaw@cypresshouse.com or phone 800 773-7782. Signups for the limited number of autographing slots available are already underway, so please contact Joe no later than March 1.

* You are responsible for making all travel, lodging, and other arrangements.

* Note: This package does not include an admission badge.

5. Full Representation by Cypress House Staff Plus Display

Deadline: April 20, 2012

Price: $900 per title

* Discounted rates are available for multiple-title representation. Please inquire.

Our services include pre-show author/publisher orientation materials, face-out display in the New Title Showcase (NTS) cooperative display, inclusion in the NTS print and online catalogs, placement of your promotional materials in the BEA pressroom, and representation of your title by Cypress House staff at the show and at the BEA Rights Center. We also provide an email blast to international rights agents before the show and a display ad in our International Rights catalog. Our rights catalog is distributed throughout the year in print and electronic versions.

If you choose to attend BEA, this package will also include a one-hour author/publisher orientation walk-around on the show floor. We pass inquiries from prospective translation agencies and publishers along to you. If you’d like us to negotiate on your behalf, you will be billed $75 per hour plus the cost of postage, shipping, and photocopying. We do not take any percentage of rights sales or licensing.

* If your book is still in the editorial phase, it is nonetheless available for representation.

Note: This package does not include an admission badge.

Please contact Dolores McBroom regarding all of these Cypress House offers for BEA 2012. Dolores can be reached at Dolores@cypresshouse.com or 800-773-7782

Cypress House, Lost Coast Press, QED Press
155 Cypress Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
800-773-7782www.cypresshouse.com
Publishers of award-winning books and ebooks
CityRoom, JustLuxe, The Epoch Times, Big Blend, Spa Review Magazine, Global Writes

Finalist in the Writing and Publishing category of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, ”$uccess, Your Path to a Successful Book,”