Comments on: The Challenge of Selling the Nonfiction Book http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/the-challenge-of-selling-the-nonfiction-book/ Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:06:23 -0500 hourly 1 By: Karen Robbins http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/the-challenge-of-selling-the-nonfiction-book/comment-page-1/#comment-3205 Karen Robbins Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:21:55 +0000 http://www.booksandsuch.biz/?p=5440#comment-3205 "The Marketing Savvy of Apple". Now that would be a book that would meet a "felt need." Thanks for the post Wendy. I'm reading through all of the nonfiction ones and catching up. “The Marketing Savvy of Apple”. Now that would be a book that would meet a “felt need.” Thanks for the post Wendy. I’m reading through all of the nonfiction ones and catching up.

]]> By: Wendy Lawton http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/the-challenge-of-selling-the-nonfiction-book/comment-page-1/#comment-3196 Wendy Lawton Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:02:20 +0000 http://www.booksandsuch.biz/?p=5440#comment-3196 So interesting, Bill. But you identified the sticking point: "Just gotta get them to pick up the book." If only we had the marketing savvy of Apple. So interesting, Bill. But you identified the sticking point: “Just gotta get them to pick up the book.” If only we had the marketing savvy of Apple.

]]> By: Bill Giovannetti http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/the-challenge-of-selling-the-nonfiction-book/comment-page-1/#comment-3187 Bill Giovannetti Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:50:38 +0000 http://www.booksandsuch.biz/?p=5440#comment-3187 I'd like to throw a curve ball into the "felt needs" comment. Apple tapped into a deep spot in my soul with the iPhone. They created the product I've always longed for EVEN BEFORE I KNEW I LONGED FOR IT. When I saw it, I said, "Oh, marvy electronic gadget, I've been searching for you all my life... At last I've found you." I had no concept of apps, or a touch screen, or a phone that could identify the song on the radio. I had no felt-need for such a phone... UNTIL IT WAS IN MY HANDS. Then I was hooked. I guess I'm saying that if you stay at the level of "felt needs" you'll miss deeper, underlying needs. Yes, "felt needs" sell the book. But "deeper, underlying, un-felt needs" make it profoundly satisfying. Paul told the Athenian philosophers, "The god you worship in ignorance, Him I declare to you..." We non-fiction writers say, "The search you're not conscious of, I make conscious to you..." Just gotta get 'em to pick up the book. Bill I’d like to throw a curve ball into the “felt needs” comment.

Apple tapped into a deep spot in my soul with the iPhone. They created the product I’ve always longed for EVEN BEFORE I KNEW I LONGED FOR IT. When I saw it, I said, “Oh, marvy electronic gadget, I’ve been searching for you all my life… At last I’ve found you.” I had no concept of apps, or a touch screen, or a phone that could identify the song on the radio. I had no felt-need for such a phone… UNTIL IT WAS IN MY HANDS.

Then I was hooked.

I guess I’m saying that if you stay at the level of “felt needs” you’ll miss deeper, underlying needs. Yes, “felt needs” sell the book. But “deeper, underlying, un-felt needs” make it profoundly satisfying.

Paul told the Athenian philosophers, “The god you worship in ignorance, Him I declare to you…”

We non-fiction writers say, “The search you’re not conscious of, I make conscious to you…”

Just gotta get ‘em to pick up the book.

Bill

]]> By: Jaki Robertson http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/the-challenge-of-selling-the-nonfiction-book/comment-page-1/#comment-3183 Jaki Robertson Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:13:34 +0000 http://www.booksandsuch.biz/?p=5440#comment-3183 The major hassle writers have today is keeping their eye on the ball, and remembering who owns the ball & who threw it! Unless you have first pursued you relationship with the God who freely gave you salvation you will struggle. I don't just mean pray & read scriptures every day, but actively, passionately, with ruthless honesty intimately get to know your creator, the one who gave you the talent and the things to write about. What is on Gods heart for you to bring to this lonely, love hungry, hope seeking planet. The answer is simple Himself. That will outwork according to the reason you were created to be the unique masterpiece you are. Have His heart, His vision, His passion, His purpose and His topic and His marketing strategies. This works! This time last year after doing what I just described my co-author and I sent our book outline to an agency who passed it directly to a publisher who asked for the full manuscript with 3 days and offered us a contract in 10 days! Our book is live and selling. Not surprisingly it's about the journey to discovering who you were created to be. The key is grab Gods heart & keep yourself out of it, let Him generate the words and the way. Have the courage to let Him lead and don't mess with the maker! Seize your moments Jaki The major hassle writers have today is keeping their eye on the ball, and remembering who owns the ball & who threw it! Unless you have first pursued you relationship with the God who freely gave you salvation you will struggle.
I don’t just mean pray & read scriptures every day, but actively, passionately, with ruthless honesty intimately get to know your creator, the one who gave you the talent and the things to write about. What is on Gods heart for you to bring to this lonely, love hungry, hope seeking planet.
The answer is simple Himself. That will outwork according to the reason you were created to be the unique masterpiece you are.
Have His heart, His vision, His passion, His purpose and His topic and His marketing strategies.
This works!
This time last year after doing what I just described my co-author and I sent our book outline to an agency who passed it directly to a publisher who asked for the full manuscript with 3 days and offered us a contract in 10 days! Our book is live and selling.
Not surprisingly it’s about the journey to discovering who you were created to be. The key is grab Gods heart & keep yourself out of it, let Him generate the words and the way. Have the courage to let Him lead and don’t mess with the maker!

Seize your moments

Jaki

]]> By: Rich Gerberding http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/the-challenge-of-selling-the-nonfiction-book/comment-page-1/#comment-3182 Rich Gerberding Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:04:10 +0000 http://www.booksandsuch.biz/?p=5440#comment-3182 Lots to think about here. Building a platform can be a struggle when combined with avoiding the "Kiss of Death" of quitting the day job. I speak at several conferences a year, but cannot afford the vacation and expenses of going nationwide. An invitation to a Detroit conference fell through but I'm on the list for next year. I've been asked why I continue developing and presenting a topic that I'm also looking at as a book option, and my answer is always the same - the discussions triggered by each presentation, whether with 10 guys at a breakfast or a regional conference with a mixed crowd of 70, helps guide and develop the content. If your ONLY goal is to have your name on a book, go self publish and say you did it. If your goal is to learn as much about something - and yourself, take the passions God gave you, and combine it with discussing the topics at the opportunities God gives you to share what is on your heart, and trust HIM with the next steps it takes. If your only definition of success is having written the best selling book, you have a narrow chance of success. If success means you took every opportunity to share your heart and passions with whoever God brought into your path - and hearing feedback from those people who have said your ideas opened your eyes - THAT is something that your book efforts can provide regardless of whether you take up space on the shelves of the mega-chains or local bookstores. Would I love to see my ideas go to a huge scale across the country or world? Absolutely! But I'm not going to clam up and not share something he put on my heart because it will 'let out my secret,' only to have that secret die with my in a partial manuscript and proposal. In time I may decide the way to get the book out there is to partner with an established author who has the interest and passion in line with mine, but I don't want to rush into something just to say "I have a book". I know who that person would be, but want to follow his advice to give it time to let things work on my end. His advice and encouragement has been a great blessing so far - but nothing comes close to having a few people at a workshop come up with open Bibles and say they had never noticed something I'd talked about in their Bible before. Rich Lots to think about here. Building a platform can be a struggle when combined with avoiding the “Kiss of Death” of quitting the day job. I speak at several conferences a year, but cannot afford the vacation and expenses of going nationwide. An invitation to a Detroit conference fell through but I’m on the list for next year.

I’ve been asked why I continue developing and presenting a topic that I’m also looking at as a book option, and my answer is always the same – the discussions triggered by each presentation, whether with 10 guys at a breakfast or a regional conference with a mixed crowd of 70, helps guide and develop the content.

If your ONLY goal is to have your name on a book, go self publish and say you did it. If your goal is to learn as much about something – and yourself, take the passions God gave you, and combine it with discussing the topics at the opportunities God gives you to share what is on your heart, and trust HIM with the next steps it takes.

If your only definition of success is having written the best selling book, you have a narrow chance of success. If success means you took every opportunity to share your heart and passions with whoever God brought into your path – and hearing feedback from those people who have said your ideas opened your eyes – THAT is something that your book efforts can provide regardless of whether you take up space on the shelves of the mega-chains or local bookstores.

Would I love to see my ideas go to a huge scale across the country or world? Absolutely! But I’m not going to clam up and not share something he put on my heart because it will ‘let out my secret,’ only to have that secret die with my in a partial manuscript and proposal.

In time I may decide the way to get the book out there is to partner with an established author who has the interest and passion in line with mine, but I don’t want to rush into something just to say “I have a book”. I know who that person would be, but want to follow his advice to give it time to let things work on my end. His advice and encouragement has been a great blessing so far – but nothing comes close to having a few people at a workshop come up with open Bibles and say they had never noticed something I’d talked about in their Bible before.

Rich

]]> By: Lynn Dean http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/the-challenge-of-selling-the-nonfiction-book/comment-page-1/#comment-3181 Lynn Dean Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:02:30 +0000 http://www.booksandsuch.biz/?p=5440#comment-3181 Michelle looks WAY too young to be a grandmother! Michelle looks WAY too young to be a grandmother!

]]> By: Wendy Lawton http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/the-challenge-of-selling-the-nonfiction-book/comment-page-1/#comment-3180 Wendy Lawton Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:54:52 +0000 http://www.booksandsuch.biz/?p=5440#comment-3180 Such good comments! Liz, you hit a key element to standing out in a crowded market-- upend conventional wisdom. And Bonnie-- yes, yes. Voice. It's so important. We need to write like we are standing beside with an arm around our reader, not standing in front with an index finger punctuating our truths. Brian, I look forward to sitting with you at Mount Hermon. Save me a place. Lynn-- yes! Specialists are what publishers want. And Michelle, how can you take time to write when you are about to become a grandmother at any second? Such good comments! Liz, you hit a key element to standing out in a crowded market– upend conventional wisdom. And Bonnie– yes, yes. Voice. It’s so important. We need to write like we are standing beside with an arm around our reader, not standing in front with an index finger punctuating our truths.

Brian, I look forward to sitting with you at Mount Hermon. Save me a place.

Lynn– yes! Specialists are what publishers want.

And Michelle, how can you take time to write when you are about to become a grandmother at any second?

]]> By: Rachael Phillips http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/the-challenge-of-selling-the-nonfiction-book/comment-page-1/#comment-3179 Rachael Phillips Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:46:49 +0000 http://www.booksandsuch.biz/?p=5440#comment-3179 I'm listening to all this excellent advice as I pray, research, and brainstorm. Great timing for this post, Wendy! I’m listening to all this excellent advice as I pray, research, and brainstorm. Great timing for this post, Wendy!

]]> By: Kristen Ethridge http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/the-challenge-of-selling-the-nonfiction-book/comment-page-1/#comment-3178 Kristen Ethridge Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:43:40 +0000 http://www.booksandsuch.biz/?p=5440#comment-3178 A great blog post with some concepts I've been thinking about a lot lately. I traditionally write fiction, but in mapping out my latest novel with a heroine who lost everything in a hurricane, I realized it wasn't the heroine's story...it was my story. My husband and I lost our home and business in Hurricane Ike a year and a half ago and in the process learned lessons which have changed my life. I realized that at the same time Ike was occurring, the market collapse began--and that other people are going through their own non-weather hurricanes and are having to rebuild and re-evaluate and imagine their lives differently going forward. So, I'm working on Ike 101: Life Lessons I Learned From a Hurricane (And How You Can Rebuild After the Storms in Your Own Life). I think the most important things I've come to realize through writing this project are: 1) being where God wants you to be and 2) enthusiasm for your project. I love this project. I'm having fun writing it. I am learning things that I didn't have the time to appreciate while I was living it. I feel like I'm having a conversation with friends. Even if my book doesn't get published (although I really hope it does and I think it's a book that has appeal) I'm making connections with people while I build my platform and I'm receiving notes and contacts which tell me the story is resonating with folks and helping them, so I feel confident in the direction in which I'm going. I'm looking forward to hearing more from you on this topic! A great blog post with some concepts I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I traditionally write fiction, but in mapping out my latest novel with a heroine who lost everything in a hurricane, I realized it wasn’t the heroine’s story…it was my story. My husband and I lost our home and business in Hurricane Ike a year and a half ago and in the process learned lessons which have changed my life. I realized that at the same time Ike was occurring, the market collapse began–and that other people are going through their own non-weather hurricanes and are having to rebuild and re-evaluate and imagine their lives differently going forward.

So, I’m working on Ike 101: Life Lessons I Learned From a Hurricane (And How You Can Rebuild After the Storms in Your Own Life). I think the most important things I’ve come to realize through writing this project are: 1) being where God wants you to be and 2) enthusiasm for your project. I love this project. I’m having fun writing it. I am learning things that I didn’t have the time to appreciate while I was living it. I feel like I’m having a conversation with friends.

Even if my book doesn’t get published (although I really hope it does and I think it’s a book that has appeal) I’m making connections with people while I build my platform and I’m receiving notes and contacts which tell me the story is resonating with folks and helping them, so I feel confident in the direction in which I’m going.

I’m looking forward to hearing more from you on this topic!

]]> By: Linda Stanek http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/the-challenge-of-selling-the-nonfiction-book/comment-page-1/#comment-3177 Linda Stanek Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:12:55 +0000 http://www.booksandsuch.biz/?p=5440#comment-3177 Hi Wendy, Your conference topic sounds great. I'm a children's writer, so I'm not sure if I have anything to contribute. Are you talking exclusively about the adult market? Thanks! Linda Hi Wendy,
Your conference topic sounds great. I’m a children’s writer, so I’m not sure if I have anything to contribute. Are you talking exclusively about the adult market?
Thanks!
Linda

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