JO-ANNE VANDERMEULEN “Conquer All Obstacles”

NouveauWriter has interviewed Marketing Expert Jo-Anne Vandermeulen for insight on today’s publishing and marketing situation and how authors can benefit from learning about this important step in their career.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I could pick up a pencil. As a child, I wrote daily journals and pleaded with anyone who would exchange letters and be my pen-pal. In high school, I fell in love with creative writing—the process was heaven, the product or published work, I fed off the positive responses of my listeners. I continued this writing into university and studied to become an educator with an English major. Teaching for twenty years, allowed me to share my expertise and immerse myself further into my passion.

Due to an unforeseen illness, I moved from the classroom to a quiet living room. Luckily, I was able to take this devastation and turn it around as an opportunity. As of April 2006, I’ve been writing full time.

In your opinion, how has the publishing industry changed and how has this affected authors?

In seventeen days after I started writing from the solitude of my living room, I had my first manuscript completed. (I guess I had the story in me for a long time…) Instantly, I targeted agents and felt I would prosper more if I went through the traditional publishers in New York. Response was very good. Requested partials and even fulls were submitted. But like most aspiring authors, I soon discovered I had a lot to learn. The real work started.

I took online workshops and read anything I could get my hands on. Networked with other authors, joined groups, attended writer conventions, and sent my novel to readers, editors, judges in contests—anyone who would give me feedback.

At the same time, I produced a second novel. In the past year, I tried going the same route in the publishing world. But this time, I noticed a huge difference. The acceptance of partials declined, and even though I was asked to submit a full, this too was quickly rejected.

Today, I feel the traditional publishers are not taking any risks. New clients or aspiring authors have even a smaller chance of breaking into the tight traditional publishing world.

Looking at other publishing options, I am in the process of determining a new venture. My published article in my Conquer All Obstacles blog, Ruined Reputation Comes To A Halt, states publishing facts of February, 2009. I have come to accept that promotion is on the author’s shoulders and if we are going to make any money from our hard work, we’ll have to do it ourselves.

Thankfully, there are services such as Premium Promotional Services and plenty of support groups we can turn for help. Unfortunately, this carves a huge groove out of our precious writing time. Now writers cannot pursue their passions of straight writing, they are squeezing into a business suit and forced to perform duties that feel “oh so uncomfortable”.

On a positive note, this new venture of publishing puts the author into the driver’s seat. We have control and will profit from our sales, compared with going through the traditional publishers. Ruined Reputation Comes To A Halt, states the percentage of how much the author makes versus the other disbursement of income by the time one forks out the money to a book seller, publisher, agent, etc. This new avenue of publishing dictates very surprising results—favorable in the hands of the author.

How important is marketing one’s book today?

Who Likes To Get Naked? is an article I published on March 10, 2009 in my Conquer All Obstacles blog. Think of your published book sitting on the shelf or hanging in cyberspace—lonely and naked. Unless the author takes the time and has the expertise to market his/her books, this is what will likely happen. There is another alternative. The author can continue writing and purchase promotional services. This way, someone else will be taking care of all your promotional needs.

Promoting your book is VERY important. Without exposing yourself to create an audience (trusted fans and followers); targeting possible consumers; and linking your viewers to the site that sells your books; your book will just sit there shivering. There are too many other books for people to buy. As an Internet Promotional Manager, I have learned tactics to lift an author and their books to the top of major search engines. Now, the consumer doesn’t have to search for you, instead this author will be visible—totally exposed but fully dressed. And it is my job to make sure that this author and his/her books stand out and is unique from the rest by producing a professional author platform to fire out for over a BILLION Internet viewers. Talk about massive exposure!

How has the Internet changed marketing authors and their books?

Marketing and promotion has always been the success factor in selling books. Today, marketing is even more important.

“WE look for authors who not only are great writers but are willing to promote their work and who also understand the enormous sea changes in the industry. It used to be 75% about how good the book was and 25% about the marketing but now it is 75% about the marketing and 25% how good to book is.” Peter Miller – Literary Manager with PMA Literary

When we consider the Internet, the doors just fly open.

Second quarter of 2008, the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce stated that the total number of Internet users worldwide was 1,463,500,000 viewers with over 40,000 social media sites to hang out, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

Need I say any more? Talk about exposure!

Do traditionally published authors have to promote like a self-published author?

Building an Author Platform and promotion should occur even before the author is published in either forms. Many authors are publishing articles in their blogs before they are officially published. An excellent way to promote themselves.

“According to Technorati, someone creates a new blog every 1.4 seconds..” Adam Brown, FreelanceSwitch Site, 1/07/09

In order for a writer to create a following, they must establish ‘friends’. A form of trust has to happen between the writer and their future fans. This is in the form of networking. Networking, networking, networking is a must and is very time consuming, but the results are worth it. Success doesn’t occur over night—there’s no instant gratification. Promotion takes a lot of time. Yet it works like a snowball rolling down a snow covered hill.

Building an author platform before you are published is probably one of the most important marketing tactics you can create and later contribute to your success. Think of yourself, walking into a bookstore. Do you usually remember the title of the book or the author’s name?

Donna Bagdasarian from Maria Carvainis Agency: Platform is more important that it was maybe five years ago and if so, why? “Platform is crucial. To a publisher, a platform speaks to audience. So first, you need the credentials. Second, you need to form some sort of grassroots following.”

Even traditional publishers stress the importance of authors self-promoting. The authors must do a lot of the work themselves.

Tell us about your blog and your new service for authors.

My blog Conquer All Obstacles started as a way for me to find my niche in life. Sure I wanted to promote myself as an aspiring author; but at the same time, I needed to see if there were other opportunities that God had planned for my life. Since I got sick, I’ve had to throw my hands up in the air and let Him take over. Not such a bad thing, really.

I developed my personal blog to share my knowledge with fellow writers. I love to learn—research things to death. And my teaching background makes blogging just a natural way for me to educate others. Lately, my main category has focused around marketing and promoting, but scanning back through the past posts, there’s everything there. From learning the craft of writing to my personal experiences being an aspiring author, the posts are written in a friendly informal manner that allows followers to take knowledge and apply it to themselves.

My niche evolved just in the past six months. I found myself focusing more and more on the promotional aspects of writing. Believe me, it wasn’t because I wanted to—I dreaded it. The online courses spoke about how important it was for an aspiring author to market themselves and their books, but the information seemed way over my head and a lot of work I didn’t think I could handle.

Surprisingly, the more I read, researched, and networked with fellow promoters, the more interested I became. The obsession took over and I was swimming right in the thick of things, totally loving the challenging new information. Applying the information soon became even more of a thrill. I discovered techniques that actually worked and I gained instant success. Other authors began coming to me, asking for my promotional services… “What services?”

March 2, 2009 was the launch date of Premium Promotional Services, a business to meet the needs and requested demands of writers. My partner, Brian Knight—who is an expert in specific services such as author interviews, book reviews, blog generation, author tours, and revising existing blog/website, joined me in my vision. Brian is just the right person to compliment my premium promotional service. Together, we have our heart set on helping writers. We care. At Premium Promotional Services “You Write – We Promote”. Now the writers can leave ALL the promotional work to us—so they will have the time to write—to happily pursue their passion—to remain in their artistic outfit and leave the business suit to us.

I specifically provide an Author Advertising service. On a one-to-one basis, I work extremely hard and put hundreds of hours in promoting you and your books. I have the knowledge to expose your site where your books are for sale to over a BILLION Internet users and over 40,000 social media sites. I enlist your site to major search engines and link to over a dozen other highly viewed sites. I feature you and your books and send out professionally created press releases, author platforms, and selling sheets to the targeted audience I have carefully researched. I establish followers in groups, exposing you and your books even more, until soon…there are thousands clicking into your site. Now talk about massive exposure and possible success in selling your books.

You’ve put all these days, perhaps years into fulfilling your dream—publishing your book(s). Don’t you deserve to have the opportunity to expose your pride and joy to the most people possible? At Premium Promotional Services “You Write – We Promote”

Please come check us out. If you have any questions, Brian or I will be more than happy to answer them.

Jo-Anne Vandermeulen

Related Posts:

PREMIUM PROMOTIONAL SERVICES

RUINED REPUTATION COMES TO A HALT

WHO LIKES TO GET NAKED

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