Creating Trust Helps Make Sales

 

Earlier in the week, I was listening to Susan Friedman’s Book Marketing Mentor’s Podcast. Her podcast is all about how we can market our books effectively. Many but not all of her clients are independently published. Her guest for the week was Scott Carley who teaches managers how to tell who on their team or in their department has a good trust score. He was talking with Susan about how these things apply to selling your book. You can find her podcast episode here. 

As I listened to how trust in your book and in you, the author, can help sell your book to readers, I quickly realized that it also applies to selling a publisher or agent on your writing. Here is how three of the five points that Carley teaches his clients to examine apply to your query.

Vibe 

As defined by Carley, this is all about the feeling that someone gets from your book. The cover is often the first thing they notice, and it has to make a good impression. What does this have to do with your query? We no longer send out queries on quality stationary, but we can make sure that they are well organized and easy to read. Good organization and white space are a must. 

Motives 

Carley explained that people aren’t going to buy your book or class if you are simply trying to make money vs giving them something of value. The same is true of the editors and agents you query. You have to be able to show them that this is a topic you are passionate about, and your book offers something of value to the reader. This might be a piece of nonfiction that solves a problem for the reader or a novel that takes the reader on a compelling journey. You don’t want the agent to think you are just writing a romantasy because you’ve heard they are a great way to make money. 

Expertise 

This is the one that gets tricky. Carley explains that what you know is important. And it can’t just be what you know. If this is nonfiction, show that you’ve done research right there in the text. “A 2025 study at MIT revealed . . .” In your query, you can include some of the most important sources. “My research includes scientific findings from 23 academic journals including the Journal of the American Psychological Association and the Journal of Culture and Education.” 

Your expertise will also include whatever hands-on experience that you have. Carley explains that this last part is vital. Research is good, but what is your personal experience with the topic? 

A problem in any one of these areas can present a problem. If your query is poorly organized, no one will know what your book is about. If this isn’t a topic that means something to you, it is going to come across as something you’ve developed just to make money and having zero hands-on experience in an area is going to exacerbate this impression. It may be a mistaken impression, but you need to make certain your motivation and expertise shine through. 

How does your query letter score when you examine it for these topics? Your manuscript? Your independently published book? Your website? Building trust is key at all of these points and more. 

--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 80 books for young readers. To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog.

She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin on the first Monday of every month. She teaches:

• Pitching, Querying and Submitting Your Work 

• Research: Prepping to Write Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults 

• Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults 

To get a free copy of Sue’s book, What to Do When Your Book Is Banned, subscribe to her newsletter, One Writer’s Journey, here.

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Leave a Comment how to query, marketing, Scott Carley, Sue Bradford Edwards, Susan Friedman, trust

Writing is therapy – let it happen

By Kandace Chapple

In September 2018, I squeezed my eyes shut and hit “submit” on one of the saddest essays I’ve ever written. And when the editor said yes two days later, I felt two things: glee and terror.

I was totally elated. Someone liked my stuff! But.

My family might read this. It was an essay in Motherwell about the new woman wearing my deceased mother’s jacket. I wasn’t sure, suddenly, if I should let the essay see the light of day.

But I knew that I had written the truth. And, just as importantly, I had kept the essay in my POV, framed from my very own eyeballs and heart. I had not projected anyone else’s thoughts, motives or ideas onto the page. Instead, I had focused on MY experience.

At the end of the day, even though not everyone would be happy with my publication credit, I realized that this was still my story to share.

And the experience made me a different writer. I had to cast off the old guilts and worries about others in order to take my writing to the next level, to really dig in and share what turned out to be a pretty universal experience. I got several emails from others who had gone through something similar.

I knew I had done something special: I had told my story. The people who needed to read it, who could identify with it, were my readers. Not necessarily my family. Maybe it’s time to write about something that matters to you. That will bring you healing. Here are some tips on letting yourself go deeper.

MAKE YOURSELF A CHARACTER

One morning I sat down to work on my memoir. But instead of a piece on my mom, as I had planned, I switched gears and wrote in third person. I turned myself into a character and she headed out for a bike ride at dawn (it was still mostly dark), during which a deer darted across the dirt road. And she hit it! With her bike! She was fine. The deer was fine. But she was shaking, she was scared, she was… laughing.

The story was true, I had just lived it a week earlier.

And it ended up in my Mom book because as I wrote it, an epiphany arrived. I realized that I didn’t fear the dark, not like I used to. I feared losing my mother, illness and loss much, much more. My “main character” wasn’t the same anymore. She was stronger. She was bolder. She was braver. (It’s way easier to say things like that about someone else, than yourself!) In the end, the scene was a picture of what grief does to a person.

Write what comes to you. Trust your intuition. Take a real-life episode and see where it goes on the page. It just might be your mind working something out. Let it.

BEST KEPT SECRETS

What are the things you’d tell your friend over coffee? What are the things you’d tell your BEST friend over wine? Two different versions of the same story. One for public consumption. One for private.

When it comes to writing a personal essay, you need to give yourself permission to put that best friend conversation down on paper. You can always cut and delete what seems too personal later.

But I have found that when I put stuff down on paper, it isn’t as scary as I think it is. I can write tough things, but have found that in doing so, it takes the edge off them. I am able to share things I wouldn’t have dreamed of sharing if I hadn’t written them down. It’s wild the way that works. Just put it down, tell it like you would tell that one person you trust the most in the world. Write now, edit later. Nothing you say will be held against you. But, bonus, that first version carries all of your healing.

UNEXPECTED TURNS

I had no idea where that Motherwell essay was heading when I wrote it. At first I was just venting and grieving on paper. Then, I thought about that coat on another women and all the other things my mother had left me (love, memories, family), and suddenly, a wonderful calm came over me. I didn’t NEED that coat! I had so much more.

I was delighted. I had healed, another layer of my grief soothed. All because I had written that essay.

So, take time this week and see if you can sit with yourself and write about something – that thing that hurts or niggles or just sits there on your mind. See what happens when you put it on paper, as yourself or as a character. Epiphanies, laughter, healing. It’s all up for grabs, thanks to the power of writing.

***

1-2-3 PERSONAL ESSAYS: WRITE REAL, HONEST, JOYFUL (SOMETIMES SAD!) ESSAYS WITH WEEKLY FEEDBACK by Kandace Chapple starts on Monday, January 9, 2023. Reserve your spot here! Kandace Chapple published and edited Grand Traverse Woman Magazine, a regional women’s publication in Michigan, for eighteen years before closing it to open Michigan Girl, LLC. She has spent 18 years coaching writers in her publication and helping them polish their personal essays. Her own essays have appeared in Writer’s Digest, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Literary Mama, Motherwell and more. She hosts weekly #Friday500 coaching sessions where writers submit 500 words every Friday (or else!). She is also a well-known freelance writer for publications in Michigan, including Traverse Magazine. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Education with a minor in Journalism and a Bachelor’s degree in Business. She loves to mountain bike on Northern Michigan trails, hike with her dog, Cookie, and spend time with her husband and two sons. Visit her at www.kandacechapple.com. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Leave a Comment essay writing, Friday Speak Out, healing, Kandace Chapple, memoir, permission, personal essay writing, trust, WOW Classes

A Grown-Up Girl's Guide to Liking Herself?

Dear Reader,

Being a grown up can be hard. A recent conversation with a friend went as follows:

Friend: "I wish there was some sort of book we could give these girls that would help build their confidence and self esteem."

Me: "There is - I remember seeing one somewhere and I think it was an American Girl book or something. Hang on while I look it up on my phone."

Friend: "really? there is something like that?"

...we chatted, drank coffee, chased toddlers, and a few moments later...

Me: "Here it is and there's a lot of different titles to choose from, but I just ordered A Smart Girl's Guide to Liking Herself - Even on the Bad Days - I'll send you a link on Facebook."

A few days go by and the book arrives. I gave it to my 9 year old daughter and I believe my friend ordered her 9 year old daughter a copy too. My daughter is enjoying the book and I've been reading it along with her. This got me to thinking, shouldn't we create something like this for ourselves?

Seriously readers - isn't being a grown up just as difficult as being a young lady (or even more so)?

What advice would you give for the following:

* What can I do to trust myself more and stop doubting my talents and abilities?

* What can I do to be a better friend to myself?

* What can I do to make the bad days a little less daunting?

* How can I take better care of myself (body mind and spirit)?

* What are some ideas for things I can do to cheer myself up when I feel blue?

* How can I be more thankful?

Maybe there is a book out there, or maybe a blog? I think as mothers, we focus so much of our energy on helping our children accept and love themselves that sometimes we forget that the some acceptance and love is important in our busy lives too. I may have begun reading this book to help my daughter, but it really is helping me more than she knows.

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments and maybe it will inspire some future posts and ideas on how we can do a better job liking ourselves. No comments are silly - so post away! Thanks in advance!

Crystal is a church musician, babywearing mama (aka crunchy mama), business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Publicist with Dream of Things Publishing, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin with her husband, four young children (Carmen 9, Andre 8, Breccan 2, and Delphine 1), two dogs, two rabbits, four little piggies, a handful of cats and an abundance kittens (who are available for adoption by the way), and over 230 Holsteins.


You can find Crystal riding unicorns, taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books, baby carriers, cloth diapers, and all sorts of other stuff at:http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/ and http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

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1 comment being positive, confidence, hard days, like yourself, liking yourself, self esteem, trust