BREAKING NEWS: Books (2)

How Do You Get Out Of Book Marketing Purgatory?

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 13:25:00 +0000

Let’s say you believe that you have a very good book with an interesting story. It is underselling its potential and can’t seem to gain traction with a wider reading audience. Too few people even know it exists. They would love it if only they heard about it. You are debating whether to use a promoter or marketer to help you, but you can’t seem to quite pull the trigger.

Just do it!

I am ready to pursue new opportunities to get the word out on your behalf — and I am also happy to strategically coach you on what you can do for yourself.

But I am not here to give a pep talk nor beg. If you want to move forward, let’s go. If not, simply say so. But to be in book marketing purgatory or to be like Hamlet, crippled by decision-making, is not the state of affairs that will serve you well. You know that.

Authors need to confront a simple truth: They would benefit from help. They should be asking these questions:

· Hire whom?

· To do what?

· How do I fund it?

· What if it fails?

· Can I do it myself?

· Won’t my publisher help?

· Is my book so good that it will sell itself?

Test it. Send it to paid book reviewers. See if it is received well by the critics.

Make a book marketing plan and see where — not if — you need professional help or guidance.

Don’t drag this out with internal deliberations that never conclude with an actionable decision. Think on it, but don’t drown in these thoughts. You get out of book marketing purgatory by:

1. Acknowledging a need or a problem

ie: I need more media attention for my book

2. Making an informed decision on an action step

ie: Evaluating a few promoters who can secure interviews and media exposure for my book and choosing one

3. Following through by taking action

ie: Hiring my best option for book publicity

Don’t delay.

-Don’t torture yourself.

Stop feeling stuck or inadequate.

Step away from repeating your thoughts.

Just take action — and move forward.

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” Copyright 2025.

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

A young boy cracks open the front door and peers outside. The dark shadows from the roof and the trees give a foreboding sense of something to come. Three umbrellas sit neatly in their holder, right by the door. The boy goes out to play.

“It’s sooo hot!

The ground’s burning hot!

Hot, hot!”

Soon enough, a dark grey cloud interrupts the bright blue sky. The umbrellas, still in their holder, are now prominent on the page as the boy glances at the coming storm. By the next page, the first rain drops have started and the boy stands and observes as he takes in the auditory “plip” of the fat drops falling.

The rain falls harder and an umbrella opens.

Downpour: Splish! Splash! Ker-Splash!, Yuko Ohnari, Koshiro Hata , Emily Balistrieri (trans) (Red Comet Press, March 2025)

The rest of Downpour: Splish! Splash! Ker-splash! by husband-and-wife team Yuko Ohnari and Koshir Hata is spent exploring the downpour. From splashing and feeling the rain on his face to admiring the wildlife who come out to enjoy the rain, each page looks at a different element of a summer rainstorm.

Originally written in Japanese, Downpour’s English translation is by Emily Balistrieri, who does well to try to capture the sound of rain for English-speaking audiences, while still retaining a sense of what Ohnari and Hata may have intended in the Japanese version. The rain is an equal character in the book and is given a voice. Best enjoyed as a read aloud to young children, some pages read like children’s poetry:

“Bada-bada-bada.

Bada-bada-bada.

Plip.

Bada.

Plam-pl-plam.

Plip. Bada-bada.

My umbrella’s a drum!”

Like many children’s books, it is the artwork that makes Downpour shine. Large double-page spreads are full of expressive detail, both of the boy who clearly revels in the rain and also the rain itself, with Ohnari and Hata showing the rain from different perspectives. The boy in his bright yellow t-shirt and matching umbrella contrasts well with the greys, whites and the blues of the rain. The rain is captured with as much energy as the boy’s dancing and, despite the colors, is never dull.

The boy looks joyous; so too does the rain.

Melanie Ho is the author of Journey to the West: He Hui, a Chinese Soprano in the World of Italian Opera.

The Bookish Books Reading Challenge: March Book Ideas and Link-Up for Reviews

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 16:45:00 +0000

February is a short month and it sure whooshed on by for me! I'm still a bit startled that it's March already. It was 80 degrees outside yesterday here in the Phoenix area and I am not ready for that kind of nonsense. Good thing my husband and I are spending next week in Utah. It should be much cooler there while we attend two genealogy conferences. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for no snow. Last time we went to RootsTech, we drove home had to drive for an hour in a snowstorm. Yikes!

Anyway, I only managed to read one bookish book in February and, truthfully, it wasn't even all that bookish. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano is about a mystery writer who's dealing with a recent, bitter divorce; two needy young children; an empty bank account; and a looming deadline for her a book she's already collected a hefty advance for but can't seem to get written. When a desperate woman overhears a plotting conversation Finlay is having with her agent, she mistakes the writer for a hit woman, and hires her to kill the woman's husband for a large sum of money. Finlay is only a murderer on paper, but she desperately needs the cash and the husband really is a scumbag. It may be an offer Finlay can't refuse...

Even though the plot is totally unrealistic and absurd, this novel is hilarious and fun. I loved it. It's the first in a series and I'm absolutely looking forward to reading more.

Did you read any bookish books in February? Are you planning to read any in March?

As for March, I'm not sure what I'm going to be reading exactly. I just started this one, which also features a writer as one of the main characters:

In The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan, the writer and several others are looking for a famous treasure in a small seaside town in Nova Scotia. As they soon find out, there's more to the treasure hunt than meets the eye. Folks in quaint Maple Bay are hiding dangerous secrets and someone will kill to keep them buried.

It's a fun read so far. Not all that bookish, really, but entertaining and compelling nontheless.

I'm not much of a romance reader. This one looks cute, though, and it's very bookish:

An Overdue Match by Sarah Monzon stars quirky librarian Evangeline Kelly. After her fiancé abandons her at the altar because she's losing her hair due to alopecia, she swears off love. For herself, anyway. Instead, she launches a secret matchmaking service using librarian patrons' check-out histories to pair up suited readers. When Tai Davis offers to help with the scheme in exchange for dates with Evangeline, she finds herself reluctantly in league with him, which might just lead to a match of her own.

We'll see what I actually end up reading in March, but this one sounds fun, so it's a definite maybe. I'd love to know if you have any bookish books on your docket this month.

If you are participating in the 2025 Bookish Books Reading Challenge, please use the widget below to link-up your March reviews. If you're not signed up for the challenge yet, what are you waiting for? Click here to join the party.

Are You A Good Storyteller?

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 15:19:00 +0000

I will hope that you are a good storyteller when it comes to the writing of your book. But

what about the story that you tell to sell that story? Words, when arranged well, sell other collections of words. You need a good story to market your book. Do you have one?

Every author needs an elevator speech, something they can say in 15-30 seconds that clearly states what their book is about, why they should read it, third-party validation, and something relevant about the author.

Authors need to clearly state the benefits a reader gains in reading their book. Which needs and or desires will be serviced?

Authors have to paint a picture for potential readers, luring them in with the language they use to describe their book. Giving colorful examples or using descriptive analogies can seal the deal.

But authors can’t simply say: “It’s great, you’ll love it. Just read it.” No one buys into that.

The key to a great book getting read is having a great elevator speech. You know how good your book is — now show or tell another.

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

About Brian Feinblum

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog

‘Trump Gaza Number One’

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 14:02:24 +0000

On February 25, 2025, the president of the United States of America posted a video to his socials, an AI-created vision of a postwar Gaza. To enter this Trumpian utopia you first have to pass through a large hole, like the opening of a cave, or the entrance to a mine. On one side of […]

Notes from Underground

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:30:00 +0000

Russian human rights organizations estimate that there may be as many as 10,000 political prisoners scattered across the country’s penal colonies. Last summer, Joy Neumeyer wrote to fourteen of these imprisoned dissidents, unsure whether anyone would even receive her messages. To her surprise, some of them wrote back, enclosing heartfelt, roving reflections on their childhoods, […]

What Is The Life Of A Writer?

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 14:54:00 +0000

Most writers do not make much money from their creations. They do it as a labor of love with the hope of being heard, making a difference, and if lucky, some fame and fortune.

Aside from most writers laboring in obscurity or a lack of riches, they suffer from writer’s block, stress, depression, or other afflictions that may have made writing a curative experience for them. Writers write what they know, and often it comes out of pain, loss, or despair. Not all. There are many happy or balanced writers but if you peel the paint away, you’ll see events in life -- divorced parents, bad accidents, loss of life, financial tragedy, sexual assaults, mental illness, disability discrimination, addictions, violence, and broken dreams play some kind of role for a writer's inspiration.

Writing is an art form that can inform, enlighten, inspire, and/or entertain the reader and heal the writer simultaneously. For many writers, crafting and sharing their work is essential to their being, a form of spirituality, as important as breathing, eating, and loving. The writer is on a continually evolving path of introspection, accumulating ideas, experiences, and current events that will get repackaged into fresh books, articles, and poems.

Writers, no matter what, often feel they need and desire to write. Some even view the day as a loss without writing. When you are a writer, nothing happens without writing, but anything can happen when your hand strokes the keyboard or the pen strikes the paper.

Some writers like to connect with fellow writers; many need guidance, advice, resources, and help, while others like a forum to brag of their success and offer assistance to others. But many writers shun their kind. I don’t know if it’s jealousy or fear of creative theft or something else, but most writers enjoy holding themselves responsible for their own success and simply isolate from other writers. They don’t want to be influenced by them. Call it pride - or ignorance -- but writers are the most self-reliant people that I know.

Writing can be therapeutic to the writer. Therapy can help some writers while for others, therapy could suppress or soften a rage that writers need to work their craft.

Writers make many sacrifices and compromises in order to write. Talented writers deserve our praise, support, and understanding, but even those who have not yet perfected their craft, they should always be encouraged to keep trying for the ever-elusive moment of breakthrough.

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

About Brian Feinblum

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog

Scot-Free

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 13:37:05 +0000

What happens when power and responsibility become unmoored from each other? The political events of recent months have provided new clarity to this old question. On November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) charged Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and ex-defense minister, Yoav Gallant, with crimes against humanity and war crimes and issued arrest […]