book « Robin Writes

Do you have a book coach? Have you ever used one? Do you know what a book coach does?

A book coach is exactly that—someone with knowledge and experience who will help you with all aspects of your book:

Story

Plot

Light editing

Advice on cover design

Help with formatting

Query letter assistance

Submission questions

Publishing options

Now of course, you have the phone-a-friend option, and many of you belong to different groups, online or in person, and all these things are discussed and hashed out and debated. But for a more personal touch, you may want to hire a book coach.

Many, including myself, don’t require contracts or long-term plans. I charge $35 per hour for book assistance, and the topics can be any listed above, or even something else you might think of that requires any help.

I usually meet with clients locally, in person, but I can also do Skype or messaging, or even email or phone conversations.

Sometimes it can be very helpful to have one-on-one coaching, tailored to you and your book, instead of general advice that you might get from online posts or conferences or blogs.

Last week, I gave you a list of possible sites to market your book, and now, as promised, I’m going to tell you what happened:

I submitted REDUCED to Kindle Books and Tips and was told that my book would be blasted at 9:00 a.m. on Friday; it was. It went live on their blog at 2:00 p.m. The email and the blog had a list of half a dozen books, and mine was near the bottom; the higher-paid featured book was on top, of course.

My cost: $25

My sales, twenty-four hours after the blog went live and twenty-nine hours after the email was sent: 50.

That’s a pretty big jump, and yes, I’m happy about that! I may well do it again, but I want to try a couple other sites first, just to get some perspective. But I’m not going to go crazy with this; I’ll do another one next month.

I also, starting in November 2014, hired Breakthrough Promotions. They are a publicists out of Texas, and they have quite a few media connections. They offer different packages, depending on your needs, and my contract with them runs six months, through April 2015.

I’ve had three online features, plus five radio interviews—two in California, and one each in NY, Virginia, and Orlando; I have one more scheduled, to date, in March.

As for sales, my December sales from 2013 to 2014 doubled, and my January sales—not counting the most recent promotion above, tripled.

So, yes, I think this is worth it. For me. It might not be for you. That’s something only you can decide, based on your book(s), your career, and your finances. Some authors thrive on media appearances, some would rather hide in a closet—but the only way to sell books is to get yourself, and your books, out there. And sometimes that means spending a little cash.