1. Cold marketing

Hello, my friend, I have a great deal for you. I can get your book in front of thousands of people and promote you to my vast network. If you are interested, let me know because this deal will only last for so long.

Heard this before? I hear this every single day. The Authors’ Porch is in the marketing space for services; however, you will NEVER have us in your inbox trying to sell you something. This is becoming increasingly hard to deal with, especially in the author space, because many want to get their name out there. It’s frustrating, and it’s hard to sift through the REAL and the false. Rule of thumb, if they are in boxing, you for services, RUN! The reputable agencies who provide you with quality are not going to cold market you.

2. Copyrighting

We all see the copyright statements at the front of books. So many questions come up in groups that we see about copyrighting. Authors want to know what rules apply to their body of work and if they should send it to the library of congress before they’re protected, and so forth.

WE ARE NOT LAWYERS.

I want to put that out there; however, there is hard fast information that you can count on. If you wrote it, it belongs to you. You hold the intellectual property the moment you put it into the world.

According to copyright dot gov: What is a copyright notice? How do I put a copyright notice on my work? A copyright notice is an identifier placed on copies of the work to inform the world of copyright ownership. The copyright notice generally consists of the symbol or word “copyright (or copr.),” the name of the copyright owner, and the year of first publication, e.g., ©2008 John Doe. While use of a copyright notice was once required as a condition of copyright protection, it is now optional. Use of the notice is the responsibility of the copyright owner and does not require advance permission from, or registration with, the Copyright Office. See Circular 3, Copyright Notice, for requirements for works published before March 1, 1989, and for more information on the form and position of the copyright notice.

Now, let’s talk about the Library of Congress. Suppose you believe your book will be picked up by libraries and be mass-marketed. In that case, this is a great resource to have it cataloged with the library of congress. Libraries are more likely to pick up your book. Here is some more information. (link in comments)

According to Library of congress dot gov: The Cataloging in Publication (CIP) Program creates bibliographic records for forthcoming books most likely to be widely acquired by U.S. libraries. The Preassigned Control Number (PCN) program assigns a Library of Congress Control Number to titles most likely to be acquired by the Library of Congress as well as some other categories of books. The two programs are mutually exclusive. (link in comments)

3. What problem are you solving?

As an author, you’re saying I don’t solve a problem. Why does this pertain to me? Let me tell you unless you’re solving a problem for a person; They are not interested in what you are selling. Point blank, people are self-serving. Even the servant leader serves themselves to some point. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, people prioritize the things they need first before helping others. They will seek food, shelter, security in some form or fashion, and then their minds are free to serve others.

So, ask yourself what problem are you solving, then target your market for your book? If you are selling a romance book, what problem are you solving for those readers? When you pinpoint that, then you can sell your books.

If you write YA fantasy, what problem are you solving? If this makes little sense to you, shoot us a message. We are happy to talk.

4. Reader groups

How many of you have reader groups? Do they help? I will say that reader groups are the best thing to have as an author. They are hard to cultivate because most times; they start as your friends and family. If you don’t have a strong network, you have a hard time getting one together, but you have to cultivate the group by adding people who will value what you are putting down. Ultimately, you can’t create something and leave it. You can’t write a book, publish it and watch the numbers grow. The same concept happens for a group. Find what works within the group. Sometimes you could post for a year, maybe two, before something picks up. You need to feed your group like you feed your kids. If you’re not willing to put in the work, why would the group members be involved?

5. Wattpad

I enjoyed this platform. This platform allows you to write your story and for readers to read along.

Some will be nervous because they’re scared someone is going to steal their stories. I don’t live in fear, so for me, it was a pleasant experience to have readers read as the story unfolded inside my head.

It also gives you insight into what people are reading. You can gain new readers, and it helps you develop your story because your readers can interact with you and give you feedback.

If you are a reader, this is a great place to read a story as it’s being written. This is a highly unique experience. I would recommend it to anyone.