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Friday, May 9, 2014

Reviews Sell Books--and How to Get a Free Copy of Goodbye Byline!



I've posted already about the ASJA Writers' Conference, which I attended last month in NYC.  (You'll find a quick roundup of tips from the conference here.) I went to the conference with several goals in mind: 

  • to introduce myself to book editors as a potential ghostwriter/book doctor for their authors who need collaborative help;  
  • to meet more content marketing clients, especially those that need writers who cover health, fitness, and nutrition; and 
  • to learn more about ways to sell my books through Improvise Press. 
Last week, I worked on the first two goals and sent six follow-up emails and pitches to editors I met at ASJA; I'll let you know how they fare. (Two book editors were particularly interested in my background, which is promising, and I came up with several solid pitches for print and online pubs as well, so I'm expecting an assignment or two as a result of the conference. Next week I'll send formal follow-ups on my pitches.)

But I haven't yet done a lot with my third goal. One of the tips I heard on the self-publishing panel, and that is that reviews sell books. Well, yes, I knew that. But what I hadn't heard yet was that according to Miral Sattar of Bibliocrunch, you should have at least 10 reviews on Amazon before you start promoting a book. (How do you get those reviews? By sending out PDFs and electronic copies of your book long before it launches.) 

So I'm on a mission to garner reviews, not only for Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: Make Money Ghostwriting Books, Articles, Blogs and More, Second Edition (which will be available in print this fall). It will be Improvise Press' third title, joining:  

As I write this, Goodbye Byline has only two reviews. (Sad face.) My goal is to have 10 reviews by end of the month, and that's where you come in. Post a comment here with a freelancing question, and you'll be entered to win a PDF of Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks. All I ask is that you review Goodbye Byline by month's end.  

If you've wanted to learn more about ghostwriting (including content marketing), here's your chance. You'll learn how to get started, how to find clients, how to work efficiently as a ghostwriter, and how to avoid common ghostwriting pitfalls--and find templates of everything from LOIs to contracts to permission forms. So post your comment below, and stay tuned to see if you're a winner! 
 

4 comments:

  1. I've read your other books and I'm sure this was covered somewhere, but it's hard to remember specific information when you need it! The question I'm pondering right now: How to break into new niches? I have many education clients and it's a niche I enjoy, but I'd love to have a little diversity to round out my work. Ideas?

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  2. I've read all your other books and really respect the knowledge you convey both as a marketer and a writer. I recently started ghost blogging and would love to have your book so I kind find ways to get more of this kind of work.

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  3. I'd really like to start writing articles to get the word out about my very specific and relatively unknown MPA Profiling specialty and would love to learn how to get started. I will add Dollars and Deadlines to my Amazon wish list!

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  4. I can't wait to hear how your ASJA pitches turn out! Thanks for all your expert advice and guidance. My question: When does it make sense to hire a virtual assistant or intern, and what's the best way to go about it? I feel like I could focus more on writing and marketing if I had someone to help me with admin tasks (and there are so many that I just don't like doing)--but I'm not sure the best way to get that ball rolling.

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