Authors and Book Publishing Industry Experts: Two New Interview Series in 2021

2021 Interview SeriesAuthors and book publishing industry experts, as well as everyone else, would no doubt agree that 2020 has been a challenging year. Yet, as one of my colleagues noted, since everyone has suffered in some way during the pandemic. It’s put things in perspective for us, helping us focus more on helping others.

In 2021 I want to focus on helping you, my readers and clients. One way I’m doing that is by introducing two new concurrent interview series in 2021. In 2020 I interviewed business podcasters so you could see if their podcast might be a good fit for you to be a guest on. You can read those interviews here. In 2021 the two interview series will be one with nonfiction authors and another with book publishing industry experts.

The Two New Interview Series

One series will start with authors I have worked with at some point over the past 15 years. In addition to providing exposure for those authors and their books, those authors will share how they weathered through 2020 during the pandemic and their favorite book marketing tip.

The other series is with experts in the book publishing industry will include editors, ghostwriters, publishing consultants, book coaches, and authors assistants. You will learn more about them and their business and find out if they are a good fit for you if you’re in need of their type of expertise. They will also share their favorite tip for using social media.

It is my hope that by highlighting the work of these authors and experts they might gain new readers and clients. And you will benefit by learning tips they share on book marketing, social media, and weathering through a pandemic.

Here are some of the people whose interviews you’ll be reading: Chrissy Das, Cristen Iris, Faith Wilcox, Jeanne Rodriguez, Anne Janzer, Laurie Buchanan.

If you know of anyone in the book publishing industry who would be a good fit for this series or a nonfiction author who launched a new book during 2020 amid the pandemic, please have them contact me.

Watch for our first 2021 interview here on the blog on January 5, 2021.

Relationship Marketing for Nonfiction Authors

Relationship marketing is used by many businesses. It focuses on customer retention and satisfaction. How can relationship marketing be used by nonfiction authors? First, let’s break down three aspects of relationship marketing.relationship marketing

  1. Customer retention

Businesses use relationship marketing to retain customers. As a nonfiction author, you want to retain your readers. We’ll discuss this in further detail in a bit.

  1. Customer satisfaction

Your customer is your reader. You want them to be satisfied with your product – your book – so they will tell others about it.

  1. Long-term customer

Keep them coming back for more – whether it’s for your next book or another service you offer.

Now we’ll discuss what those three aspects of relationship marketing mean to an author.

  1. Reader retention

How do you keep your readers coming back for more? As a nonfiction author, there are several ways you can do this. First, of course, is to be sure you’ve written something of real value. Then write another book, and another, and another is possible. Other ways you can keep them coming back is to create other products or services around your book. Perhaps you can create workbook around your book, host a webinar course, create a workshop. Put on your creativity cap and brainstorm ideas with a friend.

  1. Reader satisfaction

Those 5-star ratings at Amazon are a great indication of reader satisfaction. Encourage readers to leave reviews by mentioning at the end of your book. When you sell books in-person or mail a book out, include a sheet with tips on how to leave a review on Amazon. Don’t be afraid of negative feedback. It will happen. Don’t dwell on it; move on. Think like your reader and find out what they need so you can make the next book even better.

  1. Long-term customer, or reader

You don’t just want a reader to buy your book once and never come back. The goal is for them to become a long-term customer, or reader. They should want to buy future books, purchase more books as gifts for friends, or purchase another service you offer.

How can you build relationship marketing into your marketing plan? There are three steps:

  1. Make connections

LinkedIn is a great place to start making connections. First step, upload your contacts from your computer and start connecting. Search for and join groups related to your book’s topic. Connect with members of those groups. This is also a great place to connect with influencers in your industry, media persons, and others you may want to collaborate with.

  1. Build on those relationships

Don’t just connect; deepen those relationships. Invite your new connections to connect by phone and get to know one another. Listen to them, find out what their needs are, who their ideal client is. In turn they will do the same. I’ve done this consistently for a few years now and have made some great connections where we now refer prospects to one another.

  1. Collaborate with others

Once you’ve built those relationships, you’ll be in a much better position to collaborate with them. You may find another author whose book complements your own. Perhaps you can do a workshop together, or a virtual event (webinar), or refer to one another. Building relationships and collaborating encourages word of mouth – the best referral you could get.

Relationship marketing takes time and effort. It’s well worth it. It results in more readers because the readers you have will come back for more and tell others about you, your book, and your services.

For more great marketing tips from some of the world’s best marketers, check out this article at Insane Growth, particularly the social media marketing tip from Neal Schaffer.

15 Blogs for Nonfiction Authors to Follow

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In no particular order, here are 15 blogs I follow and recommend nonfiction authors check out. You can find them all on Twitter in my Twitter list NonfictionBloggers. You’ll find information to help with writing, publishing,promotion, using social media and more.

Build Book Buzz

Sandra Beckwith provides do-it-yourself book marketing tips, tools, and tactics.

Social Media Just for Writers

Author and Social Media Strategist Frances Caballo blogs regularly and has a free email course to teach authors how to save time on social media.

The Creative Penn

Joanna Penn, Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, provides resources to help you write, publish and market your book, as well as make a living with your writing.

The Write Practice

Includes self-guided tutorials to help you become a better writer faster.

The Book Designer

Joel Friedlander provides practical advice to build better books – everything from book design to self-publishing and book marketing.

Indies Unlimited

Named in Publishers Weekly as one of the top blogs for authors. Though aimed at fiction authors, nonfiction authors will find useful information on book trailers, publishing, and more.

Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in business strategy for authors and publishers.

Writers Helping Writers

This site is full of many one-of-a-kind tools and resources for writers, editors and teachers.

Nina Amir – Inspiration to Creation Coach

Nina is the author of How to Blog a Book & The Author Training Manual. She’ll transform you into an author & help you Achieve More Inspired Results.

The Passive Voice

A lawyer’s thoughts on authors and publishing. Check the nonfiction category specifically.

Nonfiction Authors Association    

A vast library of articles and guest posts related to writing, publishing, and promoting nonfiction books.

National Association of Memoir Writers

This website specifically targeted to memoir writers offers quick access to new books, the wisdom and craft of published authors, and tips for stimulating your creativity.

The Book Shepherd

Book publishing expert, Judith Briles, provides practical publishing guidance and much more.

Social Media Examiner

Full of original and comprehensive articles, expert interviews, original research, and the news you need to improve your social media marketing.

Jeff Goins

Jeff Goins is the best-selling author of five books including the The Art of Work and Real Artists Don’t Starve. On his blog, he shares his thoughts on writing, life, and creative work.

What blogs do you regularly follow? Let me know in the comments section so I can check them out.

Get the Best Results for Your Nonfiction Book with Social Media

Get the Best Results for Your Nonfiction Book with Social Media MarketingYou’ve written your nonfiction book and hope to build your business by promoting your book on social media. To get the best results, there are several factors to keep in mind. First, using social media marketing is not a guarantee of immediate increased book sales. Set realistic expectations and understand it takes time to build momentum. Social media marketing takes a long-term commitment as it an take six months or longer to even begin to see the beneficial results.

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9 Ways Authors Can Reach More Fans and Readers

9 Ways Authors Can Reach More ReadersAuthors, both fiction and nonfiction, want to connect with fans and readers. Here are nine ways authors can expand their reader base and create more engagement.
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