What I'm Listening To: Now or Never-Josh Groban
I was watching I Hate Valentine's Day (just because I was bored and am on a slight break from watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and the big concept in the movie was one of the 5 date rule. Apparently five dates is the maximum number that a couple can have before what they have constitutes as a relationship and people start to get hurt. I think that the concept was very interesting, but the execution faulty. The main character's motto was "when the romance is gone, let's just move on." I think most of this thinking and her unwillingness to take risks was because she was hurt in her relationship with her father. Here are the guidelines for the dates according to her:
Date 1: breath less flirting
Date 2: broaden your horizons
Date 3: the adventurous date
Date 4: fun and fabulous
Date 5: make it the best date ever
What do you think about the system and would you ever try it?
Also, Nathan Bransford had an interesting post on his blog about the one book that every writer should read A lot of people picked Stephen King's On Writing, some The Art of Fiction by John Gardner, or Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. For some reason there were a lot of votes for The Great Gatsby as well. All aspiring authors should at least have one of these books in their arsenal of books to become better writers, if they so choose.
There was also a good post about audience development from Writers Unboxed that people should read as well.
In addition, Rachelle Gardner has a great analysis of a query letter. If you haven't been looking at agent's responses to query letters, you should do so because they are the authority on what is a good one. Even though they all have different answers and preferences about what should stay or go, most of the time they will be in sync as far as the requirements and have good advice that can be applicable to all.
Showing posts with label Rachelle Gardner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rachelle Gardner. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Marketing Principle #4: Olympic caliber networking
What I'm Listening To: Russian Roulette-Rihanna
Here is the end of the marketing principles from the blog of the lovely Rachelle Gardner. Let me know what you think
Marketing Principles: Part 3 of 3
by Jim Rubart
Marketing Principle #4:
Olympic caliber networking
When people hear the word marketing they think ads or PR. Those are parts of marketing, but marketing is much more than that. Marketing is everything you do in public. Everything. In every moment you are marketing yourself. In the way you speak, the wit you display, the subjects you talk about, the way you dress.
And who are you marketing to? People. It always comes down to people.
With the onslaught of marketing technology like Facebook, Twitter, cell phones, e-mail, podcasts, teleseminars, etc., I think we've forgotten that at its essence successful marketing is simply having people like you and be interested in you.
Most editors and agents, if they're choosing between two authors of equal skill, will take the one they like. I know this is obvious, but it's worth repeating: If an agent, or editor, or reader likes you, the odds of them buying from you skyrockets.
Put another way—assuming you've polished your writing chops—success as a writer can be improved by successful networking.
→ Be interesting, & be brief.
→There's an old show business adage that says, "Leave the audience wanting more." It works. Remember the old Seinfeld episode where George walks out of his employer's meetings as soon as he delivers a funny line? His boss ends up firing everyone except George because he likes George and thinks he's the only employee the company needs. So contribute to the conversation. But conversations aren't monologues. Keep it brief and give others a shot on stage.
→ Ask. Listen. Ask. Listen. Ask. Listen.
→ Ask. Most people don't know how to ask questions. They ask one, never following up with another. People like to be asked questions. We are needy people. We need to know we're valued. We need to know our opinion matters. We need to know others are interested in us. So ask a question, then another, then another. People will love you for it.
→ Listen. Most people struggle to listen. They're thinking about what they're going to say next, and most don't even wait for the other person to finish. So interruptis gigantis dominates most conversations. Don't let diarrhea mouth happen to you. Try this experiment. In the next conversation you have, count to five—in your head, not out loud—before you respond to your friend's comments. You'll be amazed. Truly. (No, I'm not going to tell you what will happen, but I will tell you the great interviewers understand this powerful principle.)
→ Make it real
→ People are human lie detectors. If you're faking it, they'll know. The goal of good networking is not to get ahead. Yes, it will benefit you if you do it right. But the goal of your networking should be to care about people, to be in relationship with people who share similar passions. Am I saying it's better to give than to receive? Absolutely. And don't worry, if you have that attitude, it will come back to you in droves.
Time to get off the stage. Hopefully I've helped a bit, and maybe even left you wanting more. If so, maybe we'll do it again sometime.
Jim Rubart is the owner of Barefoot Marketing (www.barefootmarketing.com) a marketing & consulting firm in the Pacific Northwest, and his first novel ROOMS comes out in April from B&H Fiction (www.jimrubart.com). He is represented by Chip MacGregor at MacGregor Literary. (www.chipmacgregor.com)
Here is the end of the marketing principles from the blog of the lovely Rachelle Gardner. Let me know what you think
Marketing Principles: Part 3 of 3
by Jim Rubart
Marketing Principle #4:
Olympic caliber networking
When people hear the word marketing they think ads or PR. Those are parts of marketing, but marketing is much more than that. Marketing is everything you do in public. Everything. In every moment you are marketing yourself. In the way you speak, the wit you display, the subjects you talk about, the way you dress.
And who are you marketing to? People. It always comes down to people.
With the onslaught of marketing technology like Facebook, Twitter, cell phones, e-mail, podcasts, teleseminars, etc., I think we've forgotten that at its essence successful marketing is simply having people like you and be interested in you.
Most editors and agents, if they're choosing between two authors of equal skill, will take the one they like. I know this is obvious, but it's worth repeating: If an agent, or editor, or reader likes you, the odds of them buying from you skyrockets.
Put another way—assuming you've polished your writing chops—success as a writer can be improved by successful networking.
→ Be interesting, & be brief.
→There's an old show business adage that says, "Leave the audience wanting more." It works. Remember the old Seinfeld episode where George walks out of his employer's meetings as soon as he delivers a funny line? His boss ends up firing everyone except George because he likes George and thinks he's the only employee the company needs. So contribute to the conversation. But conversations aren't monologues. Keep it brief and give others a shot on stage.
→ Ask. Listen. Ask. Listen. Ask. Listen.
→ Ask. Most people don't know how to ask questions. They ask one, never following up with another. People like to be asked questions. We are needy people. We need to know we're valued. We need to know our opinion matters. We need to know others are interested in us. So ask a question, then another, then another. People will love you for it.
→ Listen. Most people struggle to listen. They're thinking about what they're going to say next, and most don't even wait for the other person to finish. So interruptis gigantis dominates most conversations. Don't let diarrhea mouth happen to you. Try this experiment. In the next conversation you have, count to five—in your head, not out loud—before you respond to your friend's comments. You'll be amazed. Truly. (No, I'm not going to tell you what will happen, but I will tell you the great interviewers understand this powerful principle.)
→ Make it real
→ People are human lie detectors. If you're faking it, they'll know. The goal of good networking is not to get ahead. Yes, it will benefit you if you do it right. But the goal of your networking should be to care about people, to be in relationship with people who share similar passions. Am I saying it's better to give than to receive? Absolutely. And don't worry, if you have that attitude, it will come back to you in droves.
Time to get off the stage. Hopefully I've helped a bit, and maybe even left you wanting more. If so, maybe we'll do it again sometime.
Jim Rubart is the owner of Barefoot Marketing (www.barefootmarketing.com) a marketing & consulting firm in the Pacific Northwest, and his first novel ROOMS comes out in April from B&H Fiction (www.jimrubart.com). He is represented by Chip MacGregor at MacGregor Literary. (www.chipmacgregor.com)
Monday, November 30, 2009
More Wisdom from Jim Rubart, Marketing Principles Parts 2 &3
What I'm Listening To: Gotta Make It-Trey Songz
Courtesy of the lovely Rachelle Gardner. See her blog here. Makes me want to go re do my website....
Marketing Principles: Part 2 of 3
by Jim Rubart
Marketing Principle #2:
If You're Not First, Forget It
• First person to fly across the Atlantic in an airplane?
• First President of the United States?
• First person to break the four minute mile?
• First person to walk on the moon?
Most of you probably came up with, Lindbergh, Washington, Banister, and Armstrong without much effort. Want to take a shot at naming the second person in each category? What? Hinkler, Adams, Landy, and Aldrin don't easily roll off the end of your brain?
Trying to be the next Grisham, Dekker, Kingsberry, etc. is futile. Be the next you.
In other words, don't imitate anyone else. The absolute best you'll achieve is becoming an incredible copy. Why would anyone buy a Gucci knock-off if they can have the original for the same price?
Editors and agents are looking for unique stories and unique voices.
So give 'em Charles Lindberg, 'cause they're never going to remember Bert Hinkler.
Marketing Principle #3:
Website Blunders to Avoid
We know the opening lines of our books have to be compelling. Then why do so many writers open their Web sites with clichéd, boring, generalities?
• "Welcome to my Web site! I'm so glad to see that you've taken the time to stop by. Explore! Take your time to look around. On my Web site I hope to share with you some things …."
• “Welcome! What a treat to have you drop by my cyber-world. What I'd like to do here is tell you about my love for writing, how I became a writer, my love for …"
Snoooozzzzz …
(In September I taught a workshop at a writing conference where writers submitted their Web sites to me before the class. Over sixty-five percent of the sites opened with "Welcome." This did not shock BROCA. This was not Lindbergh. This wasn't even Bert.)
Think of your Web site's visuals as the cover of your book. Think of the first words people read on your site as your back cover copy. Those words need to surprise, intrigue and entice your reader into exploring further.
How long do you have to hook someone visiting your site? Agent Steve Laube says the typical reader in a bookstore will spend twenty seconds deciding to buy your book. Studies say you have seven seconds to interest them in your Web site. Make your copy compelling.
Another Blunder: Making it all about YOU.
Marketing 101 says everyone has a stamp across their forehead: W.I.I.F.M.? (What's in it for me?)
It would be wonderful if readers cared about us, but they don't. They care about what we can do for them. They care about being inspired, encouraged, challenged, and entertained. Consequently the majority of your content needs to be about them, not you.
The first line of copy on my own Web site says, "Do you live with freedom?" I've yet to meet someone who says, "Yep, I'm totally free, don't need any more freedom," or "Nope, wrapped up in chains, but have no interest in getting rid of them." I try to draw people in by having a first line that brings up a universal need.
What do most successful books do? Address a need of the masses. Which one does your Web site copy address?
Last blunder to avoid: Settling. Authors often settle for a Web site that is okay. Okay isn't good enough.
I know your brother's Aunt's cousin's best friend from Jr. High loves doing Web sites and he'll do yours for $100. Resist the temptation. If your site looks amateurish, people will assume your writing is the same.
Can you design your own site and write your own Web site copy? Sure! You can also learn to play Bach if you have the time, talent, and commitment.
Your site is competing against the best author Web sites on the internet. And the internet isn't the future. It's the present. Your Web site and/or blog, is often the primary way you'll introduce yourself to readers (and often editors and agents as well).
There's a reason the good pub houses give meticulous attention to their covers. Right or wrong, people do judge books by what is on the front. Same with the look of a Web site and the copy it contains. It's worth taking the time and money to make it outstanding.
Jim Rubart is the owner of Barefoot Marketing (www.barefootmarketing.com) a marketing & consulting firm in the Pacific Northwest, and his first novel ROOMS comes out in April from B&H Fiction (www.jimrubart.com). He is represented by Chip MacGregor at MacGregor Literary.
Courtesy of the lovely Rachelle Gardner. See her blog here. Makes me want to go re do my website....
Marketing Principles: Part 2 of 3
by Jim Rubart
Marketing Principle #2:
If You're Not First, Forget It
• First person to fly across the Atlantic in an airplane?
• First President of the United States?
• First person to break the four minute mile?
• First person to walk on the moon?
Most of you probably came up with, Lindbergh, Washington, Banister, and Armstrong without much effort. Want to take a shot at naming the second person in each category? What? Hinkler, Adams, Landy, and Aldrin don't easily roll off the end of your brain?
Trying to be the next Grisham, Dekker, Kingsberry, etc. is futile. Be the next you.
In other words, don't imitate anyone else. The absolute best you'll achieve is becoming an incredible copy. Why would anyone buy a Gucci knock-off if they can have the original for the same price?
Editors and agents are looking for unique stories and unique voices.
So give 'em Charles Lindberg, 'cause they're never going to remember Bert Hinkler.
Marketing Principle #3:
Website Blunders to Avoid
We know the opening lines of our books have to be compelling. Then why do so many writers open their Web sites with clichéd, boring, generalities?
• "Welcome to my Web site! I'm so glad to see that you've taken the time to stop by. Explore! Take your time to look around. On my Web site I hope to share with you some things …."
• “Welcome! What a treat to have you drop by my cyber-world. What I'd like to do here is tell you about my love for writing, how I became a writer, my love for …"
Snoooozzzzz …
(In September I taught a workshop at a writing conference where writers submitted their Web sites to me before the class. Over sixty-five percent of the sites opened with "Welcome." This did not shock BROCA. This was not Lindbergh. This wasn't even Bert.)
Think of your Web site's visuals as the cover of your book. Think of the first words people read on your site as your back cover copy. Those words need to surprise, intrigue and entice your reader into exploring further.
How long do you have to hook someone visiting your site? Agent Steve Laube says the typical reader in a bookstore will spend twenty seconds deciding to buy your book. Studies say you have seven seconds to interest them in your Web site. Make your copy compelling.
Another Blunder: Making it all about YOU.
Marketing 101 says everyone has a stamp across their forehead: W.I.I.F.M.? (What's in it for me?)
It would be wonderful if readers cared about us, but they don't. They care about what we can do for them. They care about being inspired, encouraged, challenged, and entertained. Consequently the majority of your content needs to be about them, not you.
The first line of copy on my own Web site says, "Do you live with freedom?" I've yet to meet someone who says, "Yep, I'm totally free, don't need any more freedom," or "Nope, wrapped up in chains, but have no interest in getting rid of them." I try to draw people in by having a first line that brings up a universal need.
What do most successful books do? Address a need of the masses. Which one does your Web site copy address?
Last blunder to avoid: Settling. Authors often settle for a Web site that is okay. Okay isn't good enough.
I know your brother's Aunt's cousin's best friend from Jr. High loves doing Web sites and he'll do yours for $100. Resist the temptation. If your site looks amateurish, people will assume your writing is the same.
Can you design your own site and write your own Web site copy? Sure! You can also learn to play Bach if you have the time, talent, and commitment.
Your site is competing against the best author Web sites on the internet. And the internet isn't the future. It's the present. Your Web site and/or blog, is often the primary way you'll introduce yourself to readers (and often editors and agents as well).
There's a reason the good pub houses give meticulous attention to their covers. Right or wrong, people do judge books by what is on the front. Same with the look of a Web site and the copy it contains. It's worth taking the time and money to make it outstanding.
Jim Rubart is the owner of Barefoot Marketing (www.barefootmarketing.com) a marketing & consulting firm in the Pacific Northwest, and his first novel ROOMS comes out in April from B&H Fiction (www.jimrubart.com). He is represented by Chip MacGregor at MacGregor Literary.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Four Major Marketing Principles: Part 1 of 3 by Jim Rubart
What I'm Listening To: Strawberry Swing-Coldplay
Totally just swiped from Rachelle Gardner. I am definitely following her blog Rants and Ramblings and if you're a writer, you should too.
Marketing Principle #1:
You Must Shock BROCA
In the early 90s, when I sold radio for a Seattle station, I answered the office phone one morning with, "Dominos Pizza!" This was before caller ID, so I had no idea if it was a friend or a client. It was the latter; one I would describe as devoid of the humor gene. But my slightly insane greeting broke through and she didn't miss a beat. "Large pepperoni pizza please, extra cheese, we need it by 12:30." We laughed and then talked business. After I hung up, I called Dominos, put in her "order," and had it delivered to her office.
Did the fact I got a huge amount of advertising dollars from her later that week have anything to do with my moment of insanity? Of course. Why? I surprised Broca's area of her brain.
In 1861, French surgeon Paul Broca discovered the area of the brain responsible for speech production, specifically assigning syntax of words while listening and comprehending structural complexity. Broca's area sits just behind the pre-frontal cortex, the area of the brain where we choose to take action. It's where we process the pros and cons of a decision and ultimately choose path A or B. But before any sensory input—what we see, hear, read—can get to the pre-frontal cortex, it has to pass through Broca's area. Broca is the nine-hundred pound bouncer of the brain.
What Broca hates: Boredom. What Broca loves: Surprises.
We hear this regarding our writing: "Open with a strong hook!" "Surprise the reader!" "Develop an elevator pitch that will grab 'em!" Successful authors have learned these skills, but when it comes to marketing, we tend to say the same things, in the same way that everyone else is saying them, so we bore editors, agents and even readers. We end up sounding like Charlie Brown's parents. "Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah." It. Does. Not. Get. Through.
When you've heard a joke fifteen times and a friend starts telling it again, it's Broca's area of your brain that screams, "Enough!" Its Broca’s area of the brain that says I've seen that story, pitch, Web site, one sheet, etc., a thousand times before, and I'm bored out of my mind. It’s Broca's area that is thrilled when a movie or book twists our brain into a pretzel at the end. Remember The Sixth Sense? Or The Usual Suspects? Broca loved those movies! Surprise Broca and you'll make an impression that can last for months, sometimes years. With our Web sites, phone calls, business cards, thank you notes, one-sheets, conversations, in everything we do we must surprise Broca.
These days we live in an age of information overload on steroids. There are a zillion blogs, Web sites, Facebook posts, tweets, articles to read, let alone the books clamoring for our limited time. How in the word do we stand out? How do we get noticed as authors? How can we get ourselves to the pre-frontal cortex? Surprise Broca.
After one of my first writing conferences I wrote this to an editor I'd met: "If there was time in this life, I think we might have become friends. Maybe in eternity." Not your typical—and boring, "It was such a pleasure to meet you." Two weeks later I got an e-mail from him which started our strong, on-going friendship.
Novelist Wanda Dyson puts yellow crime tape around her table when she does books signings. Do you think that attracts more readers than tables that have nothing interesting to draw a reader's attention?
When author Sharon Hinck ran around ICRS in 2007 with a sword in her hand and a cape on her back, did it surprise Broca? Yep. Did she sell a ton of The Restorer series? Yep. Are the two connected? I think so.
One final thought: Surprising Broca is risky. Will you crash and burn with some people? Yes, absolutely. (Some people will laugh at your crime tape or your cape.) But as I tell my clients, love me, hate me, just don't ignore me.
Jim Rubart is the owner of Barefoot Marketing (www.barefootmarketing.com) a marketing & consulting firm in the Pacific Northwest, and his first novel ROOMS comes out in April from B&H Fiction (www.jimrubart.com). He is represented by Chip MacGregor at MacGregor Literary. (www.chipmacgregor.com)
Totally just swiped from Rachelle Gardner. I am definitely following her blog Rants and Ramblings and if you're a writer, you should too.
Marketing Principle #1:
You Must Shock BROCA
In the early 90s, when I sold radio for a Seattle station, I answered the office phone one morning with, "Dominos Pizza!" This was before caller ID, so I had no idea if it was a friend or a client. It was the latter; one I would describe as devoid of the humor gene. But my slightly insane greeting broke through and she didn't miss a beat. "Large pepperoni pizza please, extra cheese, we need it by 12:30." We laughed and then talked business. After I hung up, I called Dominos, put in her "order," and had it delivered to her office.
Did the fact I got a huge amount of advertising dollars from her later that week have anything to do with my moment of insanity? Of course. Why? I surprised Broca's area of her brain.
In 1861, French surgeon Paul Broca discovered the area of the brain responsible for speech production, specifically assigning syntax of words while listening and comprehending structural complexity. Broca's area sits just behind the pre-frontal cortex, the area of the brain where we choose to take action. It's where we process the pros and cons of a decision and ultimately choose path A or B. But before any sensory input—what we see, hear, read—can get to the pre-frontal cortex, it has to pass through Broca's area. Broca is the nine-hundred pound bouncer of the brain.
What Broca hates: Boredom. What Broca loves: Surprises.
We hear this regarding our writing: "Open with a strong hook!" "Surprise the reader!" "Develop an elevator pitch that will grab 'em!" Successful authors have learned these skills, but when it comes to marketing, we tend to say the same things, in the same way that everyone else is saying them, so we bore editors, agents and even readers. We end up sounding like Charlie Brown's parents. "Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah." It. Does. Not. Get. Through.
When you've heard a joke fifteen times and a friend starts telling it again, it's Broca's area of your brain that screams, "Enough!" Its Broca’s area of the brain that says I've seen that story, pitch, Web site, one sheet, etc., a thousand times before, and I'm bored out of my mind. It’s Broca's area that is thrilled when a movie or book twists our brain into a pretzel at the end. Remember The Sixth Sense? Or The Usual Suspects? Broca loved those movies! Surprise Broca and you'll make an impression that can last for months, sometimes years. With our Web sites, phone calls, business cards, thank you notes, one-sheets, conversations, in everything we do we must surprise Broca.
These days we live in an age of information overload on steroids. There are a zillion blogs, Web sites, Facebook posts, tweets, articles to read, let alone the books clamoring for our limited time. How in the word do we stand out? How do we get noticed as authors? How can we get ourselves to the pre-frontal cortex? Surprise Broca.
After one of my first writing conferences I wrote this to an editor I'd met: "If there was time in this life, I think we might have become friends. Maybe in eternity." Not your typical—and boring, "It was such a pleasure to meet you." Two weeks later I got an e-mail from him which started our strong, on-going friendship.
Novelist Wanda Dyson puts yellow crime tape around her table when she does books signings. Do you think that attracts more readers than tables that have nothing interesting to draw a reader's attention?
When author Sharon Hinck ran around ICRS in 2007 with a sword in her hand and a cape on her back, did it surprise Broca? Yep. Did she sell a ton of The Restorer series? Yep. Are the two connected? I think so.
One final thought: Surprising Broca is risky. Will you crash and burn with some people? Yes, absolutely. (Some people will laugh at your crime tape or your cape.) But as I tell my clients, love me, hate me, just don't ignore me.
Jim Rubart is the owner of Barefoot Marketing (www.barefootmarketing.com) a marketing & consulting firm in the Pacific Northwest, and his first novel ROOMS comes out in April from B&H Fiction (www.jimrubart.com). He is represented by Chip MacGregor at MacGregor Literary. (www.chipmacgregor.com)
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