An Honest Conversation About Online Book Marketing by Dee Stewart

Every day I spend a significant amount of my work day online. If not creating a client’s mar-comm materials, networking with my contacts, or researching & obtaining more pr opportunities, I’m analyzing my deliverables. What tangible milestones can I bring back to my clients that shows that we are moving steps forward on our book marketing campaign? There are a few deliverables that make the grade for authors: print media placements broadcast interview placements retweets with links attached click thrus on buy back buttons book festival placements public library requests bookclub president... 

Queen of American Publishing

This week’s topic at RAW4ALL yahoo group (our literary hang-out) is on  the literary industry. What are your overall thoughts on the literary industry?  What about as it relates to African-American authors?  What do you think we’ll see in the next 5-10 years and what one thing would you do if you were in charge of things. Dee Stewart shares her answers below: If I Were Queen of American Publishing by Dee Stewart Overall: The industry is experiencing a paradigm shift. We no longer build books but information assets. Be it books, ebooks, novellas, manga, comics the way we... 

The #1 Reason Your Book Marketing Efforts Fail on Facebook

Dee on Twitter Last month I asked a question on my Facebook profile: If you could give up one social media platform– Twitter or Facebook– what would it be? Most respondents chose Facebook, because they didn’t get it. Although the results weren’t shocking, they were problematic. Many of those responders were authors… African-American authors.  But in this “Relationships are Imperative for Survival” age, black authors need to get Twitter. They need to get it like two years ago… Social Media affords us (all writers) the opportunity to communicate... 

3 Press Release Don’ts for Authors by Dee Stewart

As a literary business hybrid, I get to see the publishing industry in three dimensional terms. As a writer, I share the same pangs and long hours of marketing my latest writing project or literary event. As a publicist, I spend hours creating the best press release for my clients with hopes that it grabs my media friends attention. As a member of the press, I take great care in scrutinizing author requests to be featured in on my blog or magazine department or radio show in my charge. All three aspects of me require basic marketing acumen. All further require a brilliant press release(either on... 

Are Black Authors too Late to Jump on the Bandwagon by Dee Stewart

Are Black Authors too Late to Jump on the Bandwagon by Dee Stewart For the past month I’ve found something quite peculiar in my email inbox, tons of social media notices. From Twitter Direct Messages[DMs] to Facebook Notifications to Messages from some member of an online community I belong to. I belong to at least one hundred. Don’t be shocked. Furthermore, don’t be shocked when I state that I mostly delete those messages. Here’s why… Basic Marketing Philosophy and Psychology has proven that most people are bandwagon jumpers. And being a bandwagon jumper is not... 

You Get What You Don’t Pay For…by Dee Stewart

A few weeks ago I received an email from a Christian Fiction Blog (www.christianfiction.blogspot.com) subscriber that surprised me. He/she thanked me for my blog (it turned 5 this past July) and told me that she/he had printed many of my posts and put them in a notebook. For years he/she had been using my tips and it had proven successful for the author.  Although I was flattered by the knowledge that someone found a post or two helpful, he/she knocked the wind out of my sail. As great as I love to give great content to my readers, I also love to provide for my daughter. I wondered what value... 

Skype for Book Clubs by Dee Stewart

Summertime is one of the heaviest times of the year for book clubs to meet their favorite author. But the US economy’s recession has challenged the way authors meet their fans. Thank goodness for Web 2. 0 technology. With Voice Over Internet Protocol(VoIP) book clubs can hang out with their favorite author on the cheap and in the comfort of their own homes. Moreover using VoIP’s will greater the probability of an author meeting his/her scheduled book club, since challenges like flight delays, double bookings, etc.  VIPs give you and the author’s publicist more opportunities... 

FAFR: The #1 Reason Why Your Newsletter Bores Readers by Dee Stewart

Yesterday I arrived in Orlando for the Faith and Fiction Retreat. This town was my childhood summer home. I learned how to ride a ten-speed bike very fast, that Michael Jackson was the best thing since hot peach_cobbler with a scoop of homemade ice cream drizzled on top, and how to kiss a sixteen-year-old Jamaican boy properly. I’m excited about this trip. I wonder what new things it will teach me outside of “Why bookclubs matter?” and will I get to meet Spud McKenzie(here’s here reportedly with Dominque Wilkins?) In week four of my upcoming summer marketing mastermind session... 

A Day in the Life of a Literary Publicist by Dee Stewart

Every day people follow me on Twitter with hopes to get a glimpse of my day. Why? For some odd reason some think that having a pr firm and being a publicist is glamorous and pays well(Ha!) And others, especially authors who may have been burnt by a lit pub think that this job is a no-brainer gig and that any one can do it, so they try to copy what I do to save from hiring a peer. Then there are those who are considering hiring a publicist to handle their personal or their client’s pr needs and wonder what about the outcomes and expectations that they could receive. Finally, there are lurkers... 

Secrets Fit for the Grave by Dee Stewart

When Books Come to Life Before I blogged I was a journalist. I reported about Christian apologetics and how it affected the Christian worldview. I featured entertainers who were Christian, but didn’t necessarily believe that their art and faith needed to mix. I wrote articles about people who overcome obstacles because of their faith. Sometimes I even wrote about my life: single parenting & dating, domestic violence, my heart condition, and my concerns about my daughter’s future. I’ve shared challenges, heartbreaks, and fears…some secrets. But not the juicy kind, the... 

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