It feels kind of odd to me, because I certainly don’t consider myself a household name. In fact, most of you are probably checking my byline right now to see if my name rings a bell.

For people who follow me on social media, my two blogs (one is my author blog; the other is my business blog) or who have read any or all of my three books (A Walk In The Snark, Mancode: Exposed, and Broken Pieces), they know me. They’ve watched me go from a nowhere blogger in 2008 to bestselling Kindle author over the past two years.

They know I’m the snarky redhead who loves coffee, Nutella, and martinis (vodka, dirty, extra olives thank you very much). They knew me first as strictly the funny girl – the one who deconstructs things like genitals (you have to read it), men and women’s relationships, and love.

Most now know me as the writer of my latest release, Broken Pieces, which takes a decidedly darker turn, where I discuss my experience with sexual abuse, date rape, and the suicide of someone close to me, through essays, poetry, and prose.

If you told me last year at this time that this year I’d receive the best reviews of my career (5-stars from the Midwest Book Review, two top 10 Amazon Hall of Fame reviewers), be nominated for the Global eBook Award for Nonfiction, and have a featured article on the Ricki Lake Show website (April 2013), I’d have probably thrown water in your face, thinking you must be dreaming.

Since what I do is deconstruct things, Heidi asked me if I could pinpoint what I’ve done to get to where I am – to a place many consider to be successful. Perception is a funny thing. I’m still just that girl who writes. I’m not wildly successful, and I won’t be on Oprah’s couch anytime soon.

Okay: Yes, I can pay my rent with my royalties (plus sometimes even my car payment and health insurance). How did I get to the point of having several bestsellers, an interactive author platform, and large social media following and selling 40-50 copies per day (not huge numbers, but decent for an indie)?

How am I any different than others out there who are still struggling? I’m not. We’re all still struggling. I, personally, think all authors are always struggling!

(Please know: I know I’m not the best writer out there. I’m not even in that rarefied air known as a New York Times bestselling author. I am successful in that I am now making a living as a working author, which is more than I could have ever imagined when I ‘carried a bag’ into doctor’s offices, day after day, struggling through my long, horrible days of being a pharmaceutical rep – a job that sucked all the creativity I had into a black hole I never thought I’d climb out of).

I’m thankful for that experience though, because not only is it humbling (‘Oh, it’s nobody. Just another rep. Got any doughnuts?’), but it also taught me an immense amount about relationship selling, which is, I think more than anything, one of the biggest keys to my success.

But first let me back up to the writing.

WRITING

It took me years to give myself permission to write and to follow my own vision. I always had an excuse – too busy with the kids, too busy with the job, blah blah blah. I finally found my salvation in blogging after I’d given birth to my second child, my son (now seven) — amazingly beautiful and whip-smart, is a handful of healthy vim and vigor with a stubbornness I’d never experienced before.

Blogging saved me, even if it was only my mom and sisters who looked at it initially. Getting into the practice of writing regularly is something I think any writer can benefit from, and it’s why I still write three to four posts weekly on my own blogs, guest blogs, and articles for publications such as this (not to mention that posting fresh content regularly helps my Google ranking).

Vision. My first foray into a writing group was not helpful. One of the leaders (multi-published at that point), declared me funny but ‘unfit for publication’ – and I believed them. It took me a few years to peel away that toxic layer of skin and realize: I am a damn good writer and I have as much right as any other writer to share my work. Once I realized that, the words flowed.

Editing. I did learn a few more things about publishing once I decided to self-publish my first book, mostly through reading and asking incessant questions of people I admired, who had successfully self-published. I hired an editor, who did a content (aka structural) edit. I’d experienced editing before, but never to this scale. I’ve since become quite close friends with my editor and trust her implicitly with every book.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Once that process was completed (which by the way, I loved), I gave the book to someone else for proofreading. And someone else for formatting. And someone else for graphic design. Why all these ‘someone else’s?’

Because I’m a writer. That’s what I’m good at. I didn’t go to school to learn how to edit, or take classes, or become educated in anything but writing. Any successful writer will give up their baby for improvement – but it’s hard. Sometimes it sucks. Yet it’s a critical part of the process.

Don’t let ego get in the way of creating your best possible work. Yes, hiring an editor is an investment. Lots of authors tell me they can’t afford editing – as if that’s an option! You can afford that daily Starbucks, right? Make your coffee at home and take that $5/day (over the course of one month that’s $150!) and save up. After a few months, even you can afford it.

SOCIAL MEDIA

I mentioned earlier that relationship selling was the light bulb for me. Maybe that’s why I so love social media. I won’t go into details here about how to tweet (see my other articles for that), but I will tell you that the most successful authors are on social media (here’s an example: I’m talking with Anne Rice on Facebook right now! as I write this), regularly interacting, posting, sharing, and generously promoting others.

The one-way broadcast model works for radio (to an extent – even radio has become much more interactive), but does not work for social media. If your idea of tweeting is spamming links to your book, think again.

Social media is how we communicate now. You must be on Twitter and Facebook at the very least, and sign up for Google+, as it helps your SEO (search engine optimization) and SMO (social media optimization) – in other words, makes you more visible.

If you don’t know what to do, learn. Read Help sections, Google stuff, buy books, or hire someone to teach you/do it for you. Remember, we are adults – next to teaching, the highest form of learning is doing.

If it wasn’t for social media, I’d have never met the wonderful friend who connected me to the Ricki Lake Show website editor who approved my piece. I’d have no clients. I wouldn’t have even met my amazing editor or Heidi here at the San Francisco Book Review. And readers would know little to nothing about me.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Just as there is no one definition of success, there is also no one secret. If you have the talent, drive, and skill to interact with people and set aside your ego enough to work with an editor, you are well on your way.

Remember, just because you build it does not mean they will come. Build something great, yes, absolutely. Then get out there and interact with the world – don’t simply tell when you sell.

__________________________

About Rachel Thompson

Rachel Thompson, aka RachelintheOC, aka BadRedhead Media, is a published author and social media consultant. Her three books, A Walk In The Snark, The Mancode: Exposed, and Broken Pieces are all #1 Kindle bestsellers!
When not writing, she helps authors and other professionals with branding and social media for her company, BadRedhead Media. She hates walks in the rain, running out of coffee, and coconut.
You can find articles written exclusively for the San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Review in their monthly publications and on their website.

How do you know when your manuscript is really ready to print? As writers we don’t always have the objectivity to know when something is fit to print. A professional editor has a quality that is almost indefinable – an ability to pull apart sentences and then actually make sense out of an idea. How many times I have said to my editors, “That is what I meant to say!” Like a musician with a perfect ear, they can create a symphony out of disparate pieces. I am so grateful to the editors I have worked with who push me to get my work “just right!”

Recently a potential client sent me their already printed Self-Help book to determine if I was interested in promoting them and their material. I felt bad but had to say no. My suggestion that she needed to start over was not well received. She was her own editor and had made several major errors: the entire book was printed in italics, and there was no structure or organization to the chapters. And lastly, she was often condescending in tone which made me wonder who would be her market for her book. In my opinion, in her effort to save money she lost a bundle in printing the book without an editor. Two questions any writer needs to ask are: who are you writing for, and is your material friendly to your readers?

How do you choose an editor? The most important factors are whether the editor understands your material, and then can communicate clearly with you. Think of an editor as a midwife for your manuscript. They will literally help birth your book. Secondly you want an editor who has professional experience and credibility. Take your time to find just the right editor for you.

As a book-shepherd clients make me happy when they send me their manuscript that has already been seen by an editor. A great book will eventually be seen by both a content editor and a proofreader. I am even happier when they are willing to edit their manuscript with their market in mind, or to make their material more friendly to their readers. A happy publicist is someone who will go the extra mile for their clients, and is often passionate about the material. A well edited book has a much greater chance of winning reviews, and making better sales.

In addition to helping writers establish excellence in their work, editors can help develop a paid speaking platform for an author. Writing with an authentic voice is important. However writing well from an authentic voice marks a writer and author as a professional. With that credibility a writer shifts from just being an author, to being a credible speaker. An editor can help you outline the most salient points in your manuscript, and those salient points lead to workshop and seminar material. Make an editor happy ask them what they see as important to your manuscript. Rather than insisting that your manuscript is just perfect as it is, ask them how to improve your material. Life is about growth and change. Until your book is printed your manuscript is a living entity that follows that pattern also.

The truth is that up to the time when the book goes to press there is always room for more improvement. Prose can be polished, indexes created, copyright pages added, and outlines fulfilled. Do you have a checklist for what your manuscript needs before it goes to print? You can research the checklist by studying other books and other authors. Between the skills of an editor, and the skills of a book shepherd, you will then have all the help you need.

About Mari Selby

Mari Selby founded Selby ink in 1998 after working for a small publisher where she was successful in improving their sales from 20,000 books to over 100,000 books in one year. Prior to being a publicist Mari was a family therapist in private practice for almost 20 years. All of us at Selby ink are passionate about healing and transformation, we prefer to work with books that make a difference in people’s lives, their relationships, our society or the planet. Our passion for books, drive to make your work well-known, and international contacts will provide just the edge you need to create a successful promotional campaign. Selby ink covers all the publicity and promotional bases, from book-shepherding to traditional book tours to online services to viral campaigns. Contact Selby ink today for a free short consultation about your book and you! mari@selbyink.com or www.selbyink.com.

Literally three ingredients later, I had a mound of fluffy, hot ricotta cheese. I sprinkled on some salt and stirred, preparing it for the fridge, and then I took a little taste. And another. And another. The damage was done! I had to halt myself so we’d have enough for our pizza – but let me tell you, I am a believer now. A true convert to the religion of ricotta.
You won’t need any fancy tools like a cheese press, or mysterious ingredients like culture or rennet, just milk, lemon juice and vinegar (and salt, if you wish). You will need a thermometer, so make sure you have one on hand.
A word on milk: You can’t prepare cheeses, yogurts, or any other cultured dairy product with standard UHT or ultra-pasteurized milk. Use a low-heat pasteurized milk (they usually come in glass bottles, often proclaiming “cream top!” on the side), or raw milk. UHT or ultra-pasteurized milk, the industry standard, is completely “dead.” All the beneficial enzymes and bacteria have been killed off, and the protein structure has been altered – so much so that it is actually shelf-stable (surprised?). The milk will no longer curdle, as we wish it to do here. Milk doesn’t have to be labeled ultra-pasteurized or ultra-heat-treated by law, so ask your grocer, read the bottles carefully or look online at cheesemaking.com for a list of suggested milk sources.
A word on cheesecloth: You can use cheesecloth (see, now you know why it’s called that!) or a piece of thin fabric, like butter muslin. I used a simple, thin table napkin, laid in a regular colander that I use for pasta on other, less interesting, days in the kitchen.
Ricotta, spread on crostini with a drizzle of olive oil or honey, or sprinkled with herbs and pepper, makes a great appetizer. You can layer it in manicotti, lasagna, or dollop it on pizza or pasta dishes, or swirl it into custard for ice cream. Try tossing it with seasoned gnocchi, or flavor with lemon and sugar and roll it in crepes or blinis. Or sneak tidbits of it to eat fresh and plain, like I did!
In the DIY Cookbook, every recipe is preceded by color photographs detailing the process steps, and explanations for the instructions. If you are anxious to try this cheese but want to “see” it first, check out the book and browse the pictures!
For those of you interested in using the whey for other applications, try this website.

Ricotta Cheese:

Makes 2 pounds (4 cups)

Make today, enjoy immediately

1/3 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar, plus extra if needed
1 gallon pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized or UHT) whole milk
2 teaspoons salt

1. Line colander with butter muslin or triple layer of cheesecloth and place in sink (or in a bowl, if you wish to preserve the whey for other uses). Combine lemon juice and vinegar in a liquid measuring cup; set aside. Heat milk and salt in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring frequently with rubber spatula to prevent scorching, until milk registered 185 degrees.

2. Remove pot from heat, slowly stir in lemon juice mixture until fully incorporated and mixture curdles, about 15 seconds. Let sit undisturbed until mixture fully separates into solid curds and translucent whey, 5 to 10 minutes. (They don’t have to be fully solid, like chunks – they may look soft like silken tofu, and still firm up when you drain the whey.) If curds do not fully separate and there is still milk whey in the pot, stir in additional vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and let sit another 2 to 3 minutes, until curds separate. It will look like a clear, greenish-gold liquid floating on top of a thick, white mass. Sounds weird, but keep going!

3. Gently pour mixture into prepared colander. Let drain, undisturbed, until whey has drained from edges of cheese but center is still very moist, about 8 minutes. If you want firmer cheese to use in cannoli or lasagna, drain for an additional five to 10 minutes. It is good practice to stop draining just shy of your desired texture since as the cheese chills in the fridge, it will suck up more whey. Working quickly, gently transfer cheese to large bowl, retaining as much whey in center of cheese as possible. Stir well to break up large curds and incorporate whey. Refrigerate ricotta until cold, about 2 hours. Stir cheese before using, add salt if desired. Ricotta can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

About Andrea Huehnerhoff

Andrea Huehnerhoff has been churning up messes in the kitchen since a very young age. Chasing down fine food from coast to coast with her Navy husband and their chubby new baby, she writes about her peculiar adventures in the kitchen, on the road and sometimes on the side of the road, at Dotal Anecdotes: Life as a Wife.  Always on the prowl for a good read, she is the editor for a bloghosting short story and poetry submissions called In Short, Stories, and a reviewer for City Book Review.

Direct Traffic

Many people will land on your site by typing your website address (or domain name) into their browser or clicking a link in an email (such as a newsletter). To maximize direct traffic, choose a relevant, easy to remember domain name for your site, and promote it online as well as offline. For example, you can hand out bookmarks listing your website address.

Search Engine Traffic

As a nonfiction author, I find that nearly half of the traffic to my Savvy Book Marketer website comes through search engines like Google. Most of those people searched for keywords such as book marketing or book promotion, although some searched for my name or brand name. The process of making your site attractive to search engines is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO. See this article to learn more about how to use SEO to get traffic to your author website.

Campaigns

In this category, Google Analytics includes people who have subscribed to your RSS feed and clicked a link in the feed, and people who clicked on your pay-per-click advertisements on Google.

Referral Traffic

One of the best ways to increase traffic to your author website is to get as many quality incoming links from other sites as possible. Website traffic generated from incoming links is called “referral traffic” because it’s referred from somewhere else.

Incoming links not only draw visitors from other websites, in many cases they also make your site more attractive in the eyes of the search engines. To be most valuable for marketing and SEO, incoming links should come from “relevant” websites – meaning sites that are geared to the target audience of your book and/or related to the theme of your book or website.

Here are some ideas for generating incoming links to your author website:

• Offer guest articles on blogs that cater to your target audience.
• Comment on relevant blogs.
• Link to your website in the profile section of all sites where you have a presence (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, Flickr, discussion forums, etc.) and also link to your blog posts or other pages on your site in some of the posts that you make on your social networks.
• Do a virtual book tour where you visit other blogs and online venues to promote your book.
• Post articles in online newsletters, blog carnivals, article directories, or other websites that accept article submissions, and link back to your site in the “about the author” section at the bottom of the article.
•  Consider running pay-per-click ads on Goodreads, Facebook, and websites specifically targeted at your book’s audience.

Like other book promotion strategies, getting traffic to your author website is an ongoing process that builds over time. Try some of these ideas to increase the number of people who visit your site and are exposed to your message and your book.

About Dana Lynn Smith

Dana Lynn Smith, The Savvy Book Marketer, helps authors and indie publishers learn how to sell more books through her how-to guides, blog, newsletter, and private coaching. For more book promotion tips, get her free ebook at TheSavvyBookMarketer.com.

Despite the fact that they didn’t take me to dinner or give me flowers.

Let’s deconstruct.

Target. How do you decide whom to follow? Start with this question: who do you want to follow you? The best way to do this is to put keywords into Search (or use Advanced Search if you’re feeling fancy) and see who pops up. You can search by tweep or by tweet.

This takes a lot of time, which is why I rarely do this on Twitter itself. I use ManageFlitter. It’s a free application that does all kinds of cool stuff: allows you to follow, unfollow, tweet, and more. What’s great about it is that you can click on the fast select button and follow 100 people at a time – and unfollow same. (Note: They do not pay me for pimping them.) I don’t recommend more than that or the Twitter gods get twitchy.

I see many people on Twitter who follow back everyone who follows them. At first, that’s cool. However, once you’ve followed 2,000, Twitter imposes the dreaded 10% limit, meaning you cannot follow 20% more than is following you back. Using ManageFlitter to unfollow nevertweeteds, eggs, inactives, and fakes gets rid of the chaff.

Also, many people come on Twitter wanting thousands of followers quickly. This does not help you sell more products or services. It also matters not to the Google algorithm. Why?

Retweets. Retweets count far more in Google and other search engines than do number of followers. It’s called social authority (or influence). And it’s not whom you RT. It’s who RTs you!

Do you RT (retweet for you Muggles) others? You should. Give and ye shall receive. The number of RTs people share helps establish you as an expert…of whatever it is you do.

Lists. Most people don’t understand or even want to attempt to even figure out lists. They’re afraid of them.

Here’s what lists are: filters. As your account grows, you can’t possible keep up on your Home Feed. Create a list that says, oh, ‘people who find monkeys eating ice cream’ hilarious. Add people to that list (note: you do not have to follow someone to list them), and when you click on that list, you will only see those people you’ve added. Cool, right?

In addition, you can create up to 20 lists, each one containing up to 500 people. That’s 10,000 additional tweeps you can ‘filter’ without actually following them (at least until you get your ratios in order).

Provide Information. From a study by the Georgia Institute of Technology, message content significantly impacts audience growth. Further, the study shows people who share messages that contain information and/or resources as opposed to the hard sell, have 30% more followers (and they studied millions of tweets).

Well…duh, right? One would think this would be obvious however, if you’ve been on Twitter long enough, you see people using Twitter as their personal trash bin for links.

Don’t do that. You are spamming.

Bio and Handle. One of the most basic questions people want to know is: who are you? Do we have anything in common? And you have only a few seconds to create that information. Use your 160-character bio to provide this information. Be interesting, be funny, and be consistent. Here are mine as examples (but you can find many on Mashable): RachelintheOC and BadRedheadMedia.

How? Choose keywords (I recommend about six to eight) that represent you, your product/service, and your interests. Then provide info, posts, links (just not too freakin’ many), quips, etc., on these topics. We as humans need to quickly identify and categorize others. We all do this, and we do it with very little thought. It also helps to hashtag those keywords, which creates a hyperlink in Search, making you more exposed (that’s good in this case).

Too many people have either no pic, no bio, no header, or no background. That screams newbie. It takes seconds to create all of the above, and you can even do it from your mobile if needed.

There are many more tips I could provide but will have to share in another article. Meanwhile, check out this exhaustive study of all things Twitter.

Have questions? Disagree? Want to share your tips? I look forward to chatting with you further!
_______________________________
About Rachel Thompson

Rachel Thompson, aka RachelintheOC, aka BadRedhead Media, is a published author and social media consultant. Her three books, A Walk In The Snark, The Mancode: Exposed, and Broken Pieces are all #1 Kindle bestsellers!
When not writing, she helps authors and other professionals with branding and social media for her company, BadRedhead Media. She hates walks in the rain, running out of coffee, and coconut.
You can find articles written exclusively for the San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Review in their monthly publications and on their website.

just think of what life would be like for an author if someone like Oprah or JK Rowling endorsed his or her book.

While authors may not think they have access to celebrities or famous people, they can easily approach experts and authors.  As part of my service to both publishers and authors, I have acquired endorsements from politicians, bestselling authors, technical experts, military brass, national magazines, and nonprofit directors.  Each of these endorsers are opinion influencers who have followings of their own that will be attracted to your book because of what the endorser says on your back cover.

The first step to acquiring an endorsement is to know your book’s cover lock-down date.  Bound manuscripts or galleys should ship at least two months prior to your cover’s press date in order to be polite and honor the travel schedule and existing commitments of potential endorsers.

The second step to book endorsement acquisition is to list of your target endorsers.  I recommend aiming higher than you ever thought possible and requesting the endorsement directly from the target.  When direct contact is not possible, then add to your list the person you intend to work through to reach the endorser, whether it be an agent, personal or virtual assistant, aide, or publicist.  As a rule of thumb, I usually approach 10-20 targets to get three endorsements by cover lock-down date.  More may arrive at a later date that can be uploaded to the book’s website and press materials, but the goal is to get three short phrases for back cover consideration by cover press date.  One or two sentences per target are plenty, along with their preferred byline.

The third step to acquire an endorsement is to write an appeal.  Consider beginning by flattering the target and stating the reason why this person would make such an esteemed endorser for the book.  Tie the book’s material to the endorser’s interests, avocation, charitable inclination, or expertise.  If you don’t feel comfortable requesting their remarks on your own, then write your appeal as if your publisher is requesting an endorsement for your book.  Make sure to include the date by which you must receive remarks.  I pre-request endorsement consideration via email and only ship galleys to those who both respond and express interest in endorsing.  This also allows me to discover under which format they prefer to read.

The fourth step is to either thank the endorser or follow-up with those you have not heard from about two weeks out from your due date.  When you follow-up, if you know the target to be especially busy, you might want to include two or three sample endorsements.  As added incentive, you may also want to mention who has endorsed and who is pending endorsement of your book.

Asking for an endorsement is an exercise in both humility and confidence.  You want to appear humble and courteous enough to flatter your target, but also want to come across fully confident that your material is worthy of multiple high powered testimonials.  Although it is perfectly fine for an author to request an endorsement directly, a book publicist is the right professional to ask for assistance with this task if you want support and guidance.

About Stephanie Barko:

Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist promotes adult nonfiction & historical novels. Follow her on Twitter , Facebook, GoodReads, and view client comments at LinkedIn. 

In October 2004, my 21-month-old baby boy was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. The cancer was indolent, and we were told to watch and wait. The treatment for Nathan would be intensive, so the doctors wanted to give my son time to grow strong enough to endure what lay ahead. So we carried on as if the shadow that had been cast over our lives didn’t exist, and I did what I could to keep my children happy and secure while inside I was falling apart.
The only emotional release I allowed myself was on the written page. Writing poetry and keeping a journal somehow kept me sane and gave me the strength to be the best mum I could to Jessica and Nathan. For eighteen precious months, we hoped for the best and feared the worst, but slowly and surely Nathan’s cancer began to appear. The six month battle that followed was the stuff of nightmares and one that my three-year-old son didn’t survive. Of all my memories of that time, it’s Nathan’s immense bravery that comes to mind first and foremost and I am so proud of him. He did everything the
doctors asked of him and even at his lowest points he would still say, ‘me fine.’
It took a while for me to learn to live again, but I had to for my daughter Jessica’s sake. Besides, Nathan had not been put on this earth to devastate lives, and I was going to make sure that wasn’t his legacy. My son taught me many things in his short life. He taught me how precious life is and gave me the courage to find a dream and aspire to it. In short, Nathan taught me far more than I could ever teach him.
After he died, I had concentrated on recording all the precious memories of our lives together, but then I just carried on writing. It wasn’t until 2010, almost four years later, that I had the germ of an idea that would one day develop into my first novel, Yesterday’s Sun. I had been walking to work one day in Liverpool and started thinking about the possibilities of time travel. Something resonated in my mind, not least because I’d had such an overwhelming sense of frustration after Nathan died because I couldn’t simply step back in time and hold him again. He still felt so very close. It was time that separated us, rather than death and the passage of time served only to extend that sense of loss.
From those initial thoughts, I created a story that would allow my heroine to have the one thing that I had been denied—the opportunity to travel in time and alter fate. There was something liberating about giving my fictional mother one simple choice: her life or that of her child’s. Yesterday’s Sun opens with Holly about to go into labour, she already knows she is about to die in childbirth, but the reader only discovers how and why she was so willing to accept her fate as her story unfolds. All I can say is that the emotions Holly feels—in particular that moment when she realises what she has to do to save her baby—is unashamedly self-indulgent. I was living vicariously through my heroine as I wrote those scenes, and I think it shows.
Being a writer is part of who I am now, and I can’t help but be inspired by my children and my own experiences. I especially love tapping into the intensity of emotion that can only come from being truly tested. My second novel, Another Way to Fall is another one that lies close to my heart and in many ways was much harder to write. The third book is a work in progress and the fourth already under construction, in my head at least, and I can’t help thinking how much my life has changed in the last few years. My publishing deal was the fulfilment of a dream that had been gifted by my son. Would I go back and change a thing? In a heartbeat.

About Amanda Brook

Amanda Brooke is a single mother in her forties who lives in Liverpool with her teenage daughter, Jessica. It was only when her young son was diagnosed with cancer that Amanda began to develop her writing, recording her family’s journey in a journal and through poetry. When Nathan died in 2006 at just three years old, Amanda was determined that his legacy would be one of inspiration not devastation. YESTERDAY’S SUN is inspired by her experiences of motherhood and her understanding of how much a mother would be willing to sacrifice for the life of her child.

The author responded to me within the hour and asked me to please submit information she provided to the journalist. The journalist really liked the information but emailed me asking where this information might have appeared (since if it had gotten major coverage somewhere, she wouldn’t be able to use it). I forwarded this email to the author who immediately replied that the article was on her website and she had covered the information on her local TV station (Houston’s FOX-TV) a year ago. I then sent this information on to the journalist.

Most authors would have left it at that. And even though I had said in each email that the author would be happy to answer any specific questions, this author went the extra mile. She herself emailed the journalist at this point, simply writing, “Allison, I can always whip something up just for you:))).” By this time, it was late in the day.

At 8 a.m. the next morning, the journalist emailed the author directly commenting on the parts of the initial submission that she liked, but asking for more information on two aspects of the topic. Within an hour, the author has sent back two succinct paragraphs with tips specifically addressing the issues the journalists had asked about.

It appears clear that while the journalist MIGHT have used the initial information and credited it to the author—Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC, a nationally-known psychotherapist, and author of Start Talking: A 
Girl’s Guide for You and Your Mom About Health, Sex or Whatever (http://www.starttalkingbook.com / http://www.maryjorapini.com) —by going the extra mile, she is almost assured of being quoted and properly identified in the article. And, more importantly, Mary Jo has helped a journalist is such a nice and precise fashion, that she is likely to contact Mary Jo again.

This has proven true with many journalists over the years and now Mary Jo is contacted regularly by a reporter in Canada whose column appears in ALL of the papers across Canada and sometimes even in major U.S. newspapers, including The Washington Post. CNN and HLN have also turned to her frequently when a hot news story has to do with teen behavior or other topics that Mary Jo can address. Since her book was published, Mary Jo now writes a monthly column for Houston Family magazine, has a regular weekly spot on Fox Houston’s Morning News, is a regular columnist for HealthNewsDigest.com and more. This is in addition to building a great blog, Twitter and Facebook following. You might ask how she finds time to do all of this while also maintaining a private practice and working with a local hospital. The answer is she is always willing to go the extra mile. Are you? Kate Siegel Bandos has been doing book publicity for more than 40 years, the past 22 on a freelance basis from KSB Promotions (http://www.ksbpromotions.com). Over the years she has worked with thousands of books and authors, and can’t imagine how many media contacts she has made during that time. It still amazes her when she realizes she makes a living reading and working with books – the things she loves most (after her family).

About Kate Siegel Bandos

Kate Siegel Bandos has been publicizing books and authors for more than 40 years. For the past 24 years, she has been working as a freelancer. You can find out more about her at KSB Promotions (http://www.ksbpromotions.com). Over the years she has worked with thousands of books and authors, and can’t imagine how many media contacts she has made during that time. It still amazes her when she realizes she makes a living reading and working with books – the things she loves most (after her family).

When I first sat down to write Nowhere but Home I scrawled, “What would your last meal be?” on a Post-It and absent-mindedly stuck to a lamp on my desk. I knew the answer to this question was at the heart of the novel I was just beginning.

Nowhere but Home is about Queenie Wake, a failed chef who must return home to North Star, Texas after being fired.  Again.  Five generations of Wakes in the dirt of North Star and every last one of them has been good for nothing.

Except cooking.

With no options, Queenie must take a job making last meals for the death row inmates at a nearby prison until she can find a way to get out of North Star.  And stay out.

At the beginning of the novel, Queenie has no idea what her last meal would be.  Neither did I.  I began concocting elaborate fantasies of food I thought I should indulge in during my last minutes on this earth.  But, as I listed and dreamt of other people’s idea of what “good food” meant I just felt hollow.

Knowing what my last meal would be would mean I finally understand what matters.  And once I knew this myself, I knew what Queenie’s journey was going to be throughout Nowhere but Home:  Figuring out what matters.

What I came to learn was that in thinking about my death, I had to explore how I’d lived.  Why I lived.  Why I was here and what was important.  Truly important.  For me, it stopped being about fancy food that I’m supposed to like or lo-cal offerings that keep me healthy or something poetic and ethereal in my final hours.   It’s about how I loved.  Whom I loved.   And more importantly, how they loved me.  Soothed me.  Comforted me.  And how, in those last moments, I could feel their love through the food I’d chosen.

In choosing a last meal, we’re trying to catch lightning in a bottle.  We want to capture a moment where love dripped down our chin like a ripe strawberry and happiness warmed us like the sun on our backs during a picnic on a summer’s day.  We want to remember the Christmas dinner where the candles glowed and the laughter came easy.

In those last moments it’s about what makes us utterly and beautifully unique.  The luxuries we’ve denied ourselves and the simple meals that we’ve long forgotten become everything.  The Mac-n-Cheese from the blue box that only your mom could make.  The pasta shells with jarred tomato sauce that tasted perfect every time.  The red popsicle you finally finagled and luxuriated in while sitting on the curb as the street lights came on.

These foods are about memories.  Memories of when we felt safe.  Memories of when we were comforted by someone who knew exactly what we needed and presented it to us on that same tin plate with the bright red cherries painted on it.

These foods remind us of home.

But, home can be complicated.   So, we try to run from our pasts, not realizing that our denial of who we are and where we came from erases both the good and the bad.  We bargain that it’s worth it – the bad hurts too much and the good was fleeting anyway.

But, the senses shoot us back into those moments: Smelling a perfume, hearing a song, and tasting a meal. Experiencing these sensations that made us happy can reanimate a long dead memory.    Whether we want to or not.

What I realized is that I’d spent too long away from these things that matter just as Queenie had done.  Running from home, running from these memories and most importantly, running from the food that truly reminds us who we really are and not who we think we should be.

Nowhere but Home is a book about what matters and the realization that it’s the good, the bad and the ugly of our own histories that make us who we are, whether we like it or not.

The recipe won’t turn out unless you add all of the ingredients.

Do you know what your last meal would be?

About Liza Palmer

Liza Palmer’s Conversations with the Fat Girl became an international bestseller its first week in publication, as well as hitting number 1 on the Fiction Heatseekers List in the UK one week prior. Conversations with the Fat Girl has been optioned for series by the producers of Rome, Band of Brothers and Generation Kill.  Palmer is also the author of Seeing Me Naked and A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents. Liza Palmer currently lives in Los Angeles and is hard at work on her next novel as well as several film and television projects.  Visit: www.lizapalmer.com/aboutliza.html to learn more.

“Do book awards matter?”  YES!!
As a book publicist I am here to inform you that yes, they absolutely do matter! In fact, one of my clients won the prestigious Los Angeles Book Festival award. That then led to a flurry of media interest, which subsequently led to a major New York agent deciding to represent the book and pitch it to all the major publishing houses. Deals are in the offing. This author, needless to say, is happy he decided to enter.

Pursuing and winning book awards will give you another opportunity to reach out to the media, booksellers and agents. As a book publicist I see the media perk up when an author client has received an award. It’s the added credibility that gives them the assurance that the book is worthwhile. It takes the risk out of the equation for the producer or reporter if it’s an ‘award winning’ book.

Awards also create interest in your book, which can lead to more sales and other opportunities.  A book award may cause someone to stop in their tracks and consider picking up your book in a book store.  A book award can give you an edge and sometimes that’s all the difference you need to propel your book into bestseller territory. If you win you can say you are an “award winning author.” Doesn’t that sound better? Of course it does, and you get a little magic that comes from a third party endorsement because an authority says your work is worthy, and that’s priceless.

Most awards charge a fee to enter. Not all awards have a category for your genre and not all of these will work for every book.

Here’s a list of my Top 32 book awards worthy of your consideration.

• Enter to win The 2013 Independent Book Publisher Awards. The contest is for independent, university, small press, self-publishers and independent authors throughout North America and overseas publishers who publish books intended for the American market. https://secure.independentpublisher.com/trans_entry.php?srcg=ipggl1
• Entering the Book of the Year Awards should definitely be on your literary to-do list. Check it out here https://www.forewordreviews.com/services/book-awards/botya/
• Check out the National Book Critics Circle Awards and enter by December 1 http://bookcritics.org/awards/award_submissions/
• The Man Booker Prize for Fiction boasts that the prize is the world’s most important literary award. Entery forms are due April 2 and Finished Books are due July 1 http://www.themanbookerprize.com/node/20
• The Newbery Medal was the world’s first children’s book award. Enter before December 31 http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyapp/newberyapplication
• Enter to win the Caldecott Medal before December 31 for your Children’s picture book http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottapp/caldecottapplication.cfm
• Find out how your book can earn a Hugo Award and check out science fiction’s most prestigious award details http://www.thehugoawards.org/about/
• Strive to be nominated and win the Nobel Prize in literature. Who can nominate? Professors of literature and of linguistics at universities and university colleges to name a few. (Another reason it pays to keep the ties your alma mater!) http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/nomination/
• The Edgar Allan Poe Award for books submission deadline is September 28. See how to submit your book http://www.mysterywriters.org/?q=Edgars-Info
• FT/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year submission deadline is June 30 https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=22298&categoryid=74822
• Enter to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction before January 2013 http://www.pulitzer.org/how_to_enter
• The National Book Award deadline is June 15. Learn how to submit your book here http://www.nationalbook.org/nbaentry.html
• Enter the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards by March 2013. The “IPPY” Awards were conceived as a broad-based, unaffiliated awards program open to all members of the independent publishing industry, and are open to authors and publishers worldwide who produce books written in English and intended for the North American market.http://www.independentpublisher.com/ipland/IPAwards.php
• Learn more about how to enter to win the Stonewall Book Award. Click for details http://www.ala.org/glbtrt/award
• Enter Dan Poynter’s Global eBook Awards Don’t miss this important ebook only award. http://globalebookawards.com/
• The Deadline for the Autumn House Press award for fiction is June 30. Check it out here http://www.autumnhouse.org/contest-submissions/
• Enter to win the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. Click for more details http://www.pen-ne.org/news-noteworthy/penhemingway-award
• Check out how to enter many writing contests, grants and awards. http://www.pw.org/writing_contests/award_fiction
• Find out how to make it on the Indie Next List to win an Indies Choice Book Award http://www.bookweb.org/indiebound/nextlist/view
• Get your book recommended for The Discover Great New Writers award http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/for_publishers/discover_program/discover_program.html
• The Nautilus Book Award seeks books that make a difference and inspire. http://www.nautilusbookawards.com/
• With book trailers being an important part of all book marketing strategies. Be sure to enter your book trailer in the Moby Awards. They are looking for the best…and worst book trailers. Click for more details as they are released. http://www.mhpbooks.com/2012-moby-awards/
• Here’s a service where you can enter several book festivals at the same time for about $50 per festival. This is absolutely the best idea. I’ve used this several times. One entry form, one payment, two books, ten plus book awards spread out over a year.  Just do it. http://bookfestivals.com/
• The National Indie Excellence Book Awards competition selects award winners and finalists based on overall excellence of presentation in dozens of categories. Created especially for indie and self published authors. http://www.indieexcellence.com
• Have you written a business book? The Axiom Business Book Awards celebrate excellence in business book writing and publishing by presenting gold, silver and bronze medals in 20 business categories. They have a year-end deadline of January 12. http://www.axiomawards.com/
• ForeWord Reviews sponsors the Book of the Year Awards. It’s open to all independently- and self-published books released that year. There are sixty categories, and in each category a gold, silver, and bronze winner. The deadline to enter is January. Check out: http://www.forewordreviews.com
• The non-profit Independent Book Publishers Association’s Benjamin Franklin Awards are now in their 26th year of awarding excellence in book publishing in 55 categories.  All entrants receive direct judge feedback–unique in the industry. For more information, visit http://ibpabenjaminfranklinawards.com/
• USA Best Book Awards has a ten year track record of honoring and promoting books to the national and international community. The contest is sponsored by USA Book News which covers books from all sections of the publishing industry—mainstream, independent, & self-published. Entry deadline September 30.  http://www.usabooknews.com
• Reader Views Annual Literary Awards were established to honor writers who self-publish or who were published by small presses or independent publishers. http://www.readerviews.com/Awards.html
• Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. The Grand Prize winner will receive a publishing contract and a $50,000 advance. All you need is a CreateSpace account. Check it out.  https://www.createspace.com/abna?ref=478921&utm_id=5969
• Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Whether you’re a professional writer, a part-time freelancer or a self-starting student, here’s your chance to enter the only self-published competition exclusively for self-published books. This self-published competition spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors. http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/selfpublished
• Readers’ Favorite Awards receives submissions from independent authors, small publishers, and publishing giants like HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, with contestants that range from the first-time, self-published author to New York Times best-selling authors.  http://readersfavorite.com/annual-book-award-contest.htm

Need another reason to enter? Jim Cox of Midwest Book Review says, “The fact is award stickers help to convince buyers to purchase. I’ve seen this happen with librarians — when faced with two competing titles and a limited acquisition budget the librarians will take the one that won an award, any award, over the title that doesn’t have an award to its credit. I’m confident that this same phenomena works for bookstore patrons browsing the shelves as well.”

The bottom line, book awards do matter. Enter a few and let me know how it goes. If you know of another book award I should check out, please send me the details.

About Book Publicist Scott Lorenz

Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few. Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at http://www.book-marketing-expert.com  or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist