Amaze (and probably irritate) Your Game-mates with These New Scrabble Words
In these days of self-isolating and sheltering-in-place, we thought perhaps some of you are digging out some familiar and favorite board games. A top game for authors and writers, is naturally, Scrabble.
In keeping with our theme on WORD CRAFT, we thought it apropos to write a post on Scrabble.
Tomorrow, we will post another writing craft or marketing post, but for today, let’s play word games!
For those of you who are self-isolating all alone or just want to reach out to others, I have posted links at the end of this article that will allow you to play (for free) remotely with friends and family on your smart phone or computer.
English is an ever-evolving and vital language. Influenced by everything from hip hop to high tech to Facebook, it reflects an ever-evolving culture. Proof: Merriam-Webster has just published the sixth edition ofThe Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionaryupdated with 300 new words. It seems to me that in the Scrabble world that’s a lot. Some of them like yowsa, ew, and ok seem like no-brainers. Others like facepalm, emoji, bitcoin, hivemind, beatdown, and listicle attest to how times are a-changing, wouldn’t you agree?
Then there’sfrowny, an old word brought back into common usage. I plan to start using it. – Jessica
Even as this article is coming together in Spring 2020, the new words above are being underlined in red (thanks to my Grammarly app and Google) as incorrect. I am having to add them one by one to Google’s online dictionary. – Kiffer
For those who are like me and play occasionally, you may not know that Merriam-Webster Dictionary has THE final authority on whether or not a word makes it onto the Scrabble word list for the U.S. and Canada.
So here are some words to for those of you (who are like me) a leg-up on the master players (Here’s looking at you, Jessica.). Although, knowing Jessica, she already uses them, so I will probably lose yet another game. But I can always hope. 😊 –Kiffer
bae
fleek
mansplain
wordie
preggo
hench
fatberg
agender
puggle
schneid
bestie
Merriam-Webster says, “A thorough mastery of two-letter words is among the most important skills necessary in the creation of a successful and incomprehensible SCRABBLE board. The ability to add seemingly random letters to existing ones will allow a player to enjoy far greater latitude in placing their words on the board, and will annoy opponents who think that the game should be played with words they recognize.”
According to Merriam-Webster, one of the newest two-letter word is”ew.” As in the Friends TV series “ew.”
Ew joins another 106 two-letter words, which are aa, ab, ad, ae, ag, ah, ai, al, am, an, ar, as, at, aw, ax, ay, ba, be, bi, bo, by, da, de, do, ed, ef, eh, el, em, en, er, es, et, ex, fa, fe, gi, go, ha, he, hi, hm, ho, id, if, in, is, it, jo, ka, ki, la, li, lo, ma, me, mi, mm, mo, mu, my, na, ne, no, nu, od, oe, of, oh, oi, ok, om, on, op, or, os, ow, ox, oy, pa, pe, pi, po, qi, re, sh, si, so, ta, te, ti, to, uh, um, un, up, us, ut, we, wo, xi, xu, ya, ye, yo, and za.”
Some three-letter words are: pya, rya, yah, yak, yam, yap, yar, yaw, and yay.
I didn’t know that words for money currencies, like Qapik, are allowed in Scrabble. But they are!
Or how about aquafaba (four A’s!), the name for the water that beans are cooked in, is also allowed.
Or bizjet. Yes, bizjet is allowed and it has a Z (10 points!) and a J (8 points!) and if you can open with it and make it plural (living the dream–multiple jets!) for a whopping 120 points. t.
Scrabble Trivia
Scrabble even has its own special day: April 13th is National Scrabble Day. The game was created by Alfred Mosher Butts, an American architect, in 1938.
There are exactly 100 tiles in Scrabble
There are 225 squares on the Scrabble board
Earning at least 30 points per turn is the mark of an good Scrabble player
You can play for free (without an ad blocker) or pay $.6.99 a month. You can cancel at anytime. POGO is owned by publicly traded Electronic Arts Inc., which should be more secure than other apps.
It will take a bit to set-up on POGO, but once you are set-up, it will go much more quickly. Promise!
To start, pause your ad blocker if you have one and then enter your age on the slider on the homepage and you will be taken to the site.
You will need to register. Click the Register Now blue button (remember this is a regulated publicly traded stock, so it should be safe. And there is the LOCK secure image on the far left of the URL).
You will need a secure password. Be sure to keep track of it.
Then sign in. Pogo will have a video to show you around.
Type SCRABBLE in the search field or take a look around at all they have to offer.
You can play now or take on up to three friends. Your friends will need to register also.
Then you can create a TABLE where others can join you. I am new to this online gaming stuff, but once I figured it out it was fun. There are all sorts of options and rules for any level.
(Remember to play free, you have to have your ad blocker off). To play without ads, you will need to join for $6.99 a month, you can cancel at any time according to EA Inc terms.
Now back to the game!
Keep writing, keep dreaming, have heart. Jessica
Keep writing and creating magic. Kiffer
Take care. Be safe.
Minimize physical contact! Maximize social connecting!
I do hope that this email finds you well and safe during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic that is presenting new challenges on many fronts: globally, nationally, and locally.
If you are like me, you found yourself this past week checking on loved ones, procuring supplies for self-isolation, reading the latest news and updates on the coronavirus, and scrambling around to try to batten down the hatches for the approaching storm along with trying to make some sort of sense out of what is happening on different fronts.
We want to extend our concern and support to you, dear Chanticleer Community. We consider you our friends and colleagues. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during these trying times.
While Chanticleer Reviews is based out of a small corner in the great Pacific Northwest, in Bellingham, Wash., our community is indeed global. Chanticleerians hail from the fifty states and territories of the USA, Canada, England, Australia, Holland, Germany, Spain, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, and the list goes on. The Chanticleer Community is truly global. We are all in this together. And together we are strong.
Please know that the Chanticleer Team of professional reviewers, top-notch editors, picky book awards judges, bloggers, graphic artists, SEO and Meta-Data specialists, website masters, and others all have worked as telecommuters for years (as is now standard for many in the publishing industry) and we are ready to serve you.
As for our small admin team and student interns, we began working from our homes starting on Sunday, March 8th for the protection of our small staff and to do our part to prevent the spread of the virus. The university and the local college closed on Wednesday, March 11th sending most students back to their homes. Now that we are all working from our respective home offices for a while, the best way to reach us is by the emails listed at the close of this post.
By now, many of you know that the Chanticleer Authors Conference that was scheduled for mid-April has been rescheduled to be held on September 4-6, 2020 at the beautiful Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham. The good news is that ALL of the keynote presenters and faculty have confirmed to present and teach for the new dates. CAC20 is now a little more than five months in the future and we are looking forward to it immensely!
Meanwhile, the Spring edition of the Chanticleer Reviews magazine is about ready to publish. Our professional reviewers and editors are staying busy.
We have added new divisions to the 2020 Chanticleer International Book Awards to accommodate the increasing number of entries submitted. Judges are busy with the difficult responsibility of deciding which of the 2019 CIBA finalists will advance to the next level. We are shooting for early May to make announcements regarding the 2019 CIBAs. We will keep you posted and updated as soon as we hear anything. Promise!
Since 2010, Chanticleer has grown authentically and organically with your support and patronage. We will continue to post our informative blogs on writing craft, marketing tips and tools, the latest in publishing technology for authors and publishers in this new era of content creation for storytelling in all its forms.
We look forward to working with you on your writing projects in the 2020’s and beyond. Please look for our blog posts, emails, videos, podcasts, and social media postings. If you haven’t subscribed to our free e-news, we invite you to do so. Also, we are starting a column on the Chanticleer Reviews website to promote your good news, book launches, and promotions. We are currently reaching out to online Book Clubs and will have more news about that. So, please stay tuned!
We encourage you to stay in contact with each other and with us during this stint of practicing physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Let us know how you are doing, what is going on where you live, how are you progressing on your writing projects.
I invite each of you to join us at The Roost – a private online Chanticleer Community for writers and authors and publishing professionals.
We are active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can find us by using our social media handle @ChantiReviews
Minimize physical contact! Maximize social connecting!
The COVID-19 virus is a unique event that is presenting new challenges on many fronts globally, nationally, and locally.
At Chanticleer, we come together from across the globe not only via the internet, but in person at the annual Chanticleer Authors Conference. Each year, attendees fly in from the Britain, Australia, South Africa, Japan, Germany, Denmark, Canada — all three provinces, Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, Philippines, Spain… the list goes on. And then there are those who attend from across the United States. We consider each of you our friends and colleagues. You are on in our hearts and on our minds especially now.
I am writing this post from Bellingham, Wash. As of this morning, Monday, March 16, 2020, Gov. Jay Inslee signed an executive order to extend mandatory social distancing measures at restaurants, bars, and other entertainment venues including fitness studios and gyms statewide. Take-out and delivery services are still permitted—for now. All Washington state schools have been ordered to close for 6 weeks to help flatten the curve for the coronavirus contagion.
Closer to home in Bellingham, our city government advised last Tuesday, March 10th to cancel any gatherings of more than ten people. On Wednesday, Western Washington University and the Whatcom Community College have canceled all in-person classes and are shifting to online classes.
At Chanticleer, we began working remotely from our homes starting on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.
The COVID-19 Numbers – Washington state
Washington state is where (it seems) the COVID-19 made first landfall in the U.S.
The first confirmed death from COVID-19 in the U.S. was a Kirkland was 15 days ago —February 29, 2020.
As of March 15, at 3 p.m. PST, the Washington Department of Health reports that the number of confirmed cases has increased to 769. The number of deaths in Wash. from COVID-19 is 42.
WA DOH: “Public health experts agree that the true number of people who have been infected with COVID-19 in Washington greatly exceeds the number of COVID-19 infections that have been laboratory-confirmed. It is very difficult to know exactly how many people in Washington have been infected to date since most people with COVID-19 since the ability to get tested is still not widely available.”
U.S.A. COVID-19 Numbers as of March 13, 2020
In the U.S., the numbers for confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Friday, March 13, 2020 are (acknowledging the lack of testing available) are 1,649. Total deaths as of 3/13/20 are 41. The number of states confirming cases: 47.
The increase from 1 case to 1,649 cases happened in two weeks.
Learning from Italy COVID-19
In Italy, the first two COVID-19 cases were reported on January 30, 2020. Both cases were Chinese tourists. By mid-February, the confirmed cases increased to several hundred. The first of March more than 3,000 confirmed cases were reported. More than 10,000 confirmed cases were reported by March 10, 2020.
As of March 15, 2020, the confirmed number of cases in Italy reached 24,747 cases and rising. It has been 45 days since the first reported confirmed case.
On March 15, the COVID-19 death toll in Italy is 1,809 — 45 days from the first reported case.
Flattening the Curve of Contamination
The lesson that we must learn from Italy is to FLATTEN the CURVE of CONTAGION so that our hospitals, medical care systems, and health professionals will not be overwhelmed especially when testing is still in short supply along with protective gear and not enough medical equipment to treat bilateral interstitial pneumonia, the deadly side effect of COVID-19.
As we know and understand, the best way to flatten the curve is self-isolation. And that leads to why we decided last Tuesday to postpone the Chanticleer Authors Conference that was originally scheduled to take place April 16-19, 2020.
Postponing the 2020 Chanticleer Authors Conference
Last Wednesday, March 11th, I sent an individual email to each registrant of the Chanticleer Authors Conference alerting them that the conference has been postponed until September 3-6, 2020, due to the COVID-19 situation.
We, like many of you, are disappointed but believe that postponing is the most prudent action to take for all concerned. In hindsight, we now know that it was the best action to take.
The beautiful Hotel Bellwether has graciously offered our conference an alternate time and date to hold the event. CAC 20 is scheduled to be held September 3 -6, 2020, Labor Day Weekend.
CAC 20 Faculty and Presenters are all on-board and have confirmed for these new dates.
Scott Steindorff, A-list Film Director and Producer, Robert Dugoni–international best-selling author and now executive film producer, Paul Cutsinger — Amazon’s Alexa project lead, Chris Mottes, CEO of Hindenburg Systems, Amy Stapleton with Chatables, Simon-Pierre Marion with Bookchain, Diane Garland, Suzie Plakson, and others have confirmed that they will participate on these new dates! Everyone is being supportive and helpful with the rescheduling.
Meanwhile, we are busy here, working remotely of course, as we work out the details with this change of dates. We will be back in contact soon with more detailed information.
As you may correctly surmise, we are scrambling right now! Your patience and understanding is much appreciated and needed.
If you would like to read some of the many wonderful replies that we received from Chanticleerians upon receiving the postponement email notification, you can find them at the end of this post.
We are going to put together some podcasts and short videos so we all can keep working on our writing craft, increasing book sales, increase our online presence, and work on brand development while so many of us are in self-isolation so that we may protect others and aid medical personal by flattening the curve of contagion.
So stay tuned!
The Chanticleer Authors Conference is scheduled for September 4, 5, & 6, 2020. Master Writing Classes are scheduled for Thursday, September 3, 2020. The venue for the conference is the wonderful family-owned Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham, Wash.
We call Bellingham the “outpost” because it is surrounded by forests and woods, lakes and the sea, and mountains – Mount Baker, the Northern Cascades, and Canada’s Coastal Range. It is beautiful here, especially in early September. The Bellingham Yacht Club hosts its annual regatta – filling the Bellingham Bay with beautiful sailing boats. It is quite a sight to see!
Since 2010, Chanticleer has grown authentically and organically in this magical place with your support and patronage. Going into our second decade, we are excited about our Big Plans for sharing the latest in technology, tips, and tools for authors and publishers for this new era of content creation for storytelling in all its forms.
We are looking forward to bringing you the very best conference of 2020, right here in Bellingham, Washington.
Thank you, again, for your continued support.
Take care, be safe.
Keep writing and creating magic!
Kiffer and Sharon & Team Chanticleer
We LOVE Chanticleerians! #ChanticleerFamily
Thank you for the email, knowing how horribly hit your state has been. My prayers go out to your community and its peoples. You guys stay vigilant. I am currently booking and making arrangements for Labor Day! I hope to see everyone then. It gives me time to finish my rewrites and I hope to plunk it in someones hands for review while at conference. Maybe sooner! As a side note, if you need help getting ready for conference, I would be happy to fly out a few days early and give you guys a hand. Thank you for all that you do, Dee B.
I think now that you’ve absolutely made the prudent and best call, given the travel bans put in place… I know you and Sharon have worked so hard to pull this together – and I’m a firm believer in things working out for the best… Have a terrific (and safe) summer, and we’ll see you in September! xoxo, g
Thank you for the update, Kiffer! What a difficult situation. My family and I will hope to shift our plans to September when time together will be all the sweeter. All best to you and yours–E
ESP at work again! The past couple days I wondered if I should call and check in on the status of the conference. And once WHO declared the pandemic and President curtailed citizens from other countries coming in… I thought it might be a game changer. I will also call the hotel to update my reservations. Much appreciation for your time, effort, and dedication. K
Yes, I also feel postponing the conference until Labor Day weekend is a wise decision.This is sad but good news. I will plan to be there then. Fingers crossed. I really wanted to come. Until then, J
I will definitely be attending Chanticleer! When the time comes It looks so Freaking Awesome this Year!…We have some nice sunny weather coming up. Be healthy. B
This was really the only choice you had. And I applaud you for scheduling a “make-up date”. So many other things are just being cancelled with no expectation of happening later. Stay safe. And I definitely look forward to finally meeting you when the conference does occur. C
Thank you for re-scheduling the conference. The thought of having to cancel was heartbreaking and I kept putting it off. Now I can look forward to attending in September: I’ve already booked our hotel accommodations. Stay safe and thank you again for your concern and good judgment. N Dear Kiffer,
I’m so disappointed as I war really was looking forward to the conference and the banquet. I love meeting other authors! Please transfer my registration to Labor Day weekend. Love, M.J.
Love the new dates! Thanks so much for postponing instead of cancelling. I rebooked the Bellwether.Talk to you soon! A
And the wonderful and positive replies continue to come in!
Please stay safe and stay tuned. More info to come. Kiffer and Sharon
Elana A. Mugdan is an author and screenwriter based in New York City. She has received many accolades in the film industry, including a number of awards for her feature-length comedy, Director’s Cut. In 2015 she stepped away from film to focus on her writing career, and in 2016 her debut fantasy novel, Dragon Speaker, was released in the UK via Pen Works Media.
OZMA Grand Prize Award Winning Author Elana A Mugdan
For the past two years, Elana has devoted her time to traveling across the country on book tour. She has appeared at schools, libraries, and bookstores nationwide to talk about her award-winning series, The Shadow War Saga. Her second novel, Dragon Child, launched in May 2019 at the Union Square Barnes & Noble, the world’s largest bookstore. Her third novel, Dragon Blood, is slated for release in March 2020.
Elana A Mugdan on the Today Show
Recently, Elana garnered acclaim and media attention for her year-long stint without use of a smartphone. In a contest sponsored by Coca Cola and vitaminwater, Elana agreed to forego use of any handheld scrolling technology for 365 days. She found the experience liberating and enlightening, and has done a series of talks on the subject.
Here is her interview on the Today Show – “Vitaminwater in December launched a nationwide contest looking for one person to go one year without a smartphone in exchange for a $100,000 prize. The brand selected Elana Mugdan, a New York-based author who joins TODAY to talk about the challenge.”
Elana currently resides in Queens, living a quiet but eccentric life with her pet rescue snake, Medusa.
Elana is presenting and participating in the following sessions at CAC20
How to make your own audiobooks — by an author who did! (with Hindenburg) From set-up to ACX upload
KaffeeKlatch Round Table Discussion — The Scroll Free Life (Writing Life) Her experience with the vitaminwater challenge and how it fits with her promotional strategy
Promotional Strategy for Your Books and Your Brand
Beta Readers & Revisions – writing craft session
Film and Authors – panel (this panel is coming together)
Don’t delay. Register Today! For the Chanticleer Authors Conference – held September 4-6, 2020. There are five different registration packages available so you can choose the one that is right for you! For more INFO, please click here: https://www.chantireviews.com/chanticleer-conference/
Bookchain® is a new, flexible, secure, and innovative way of publishing, distributing and selling ebooks.
We are excited to introduce you to new global internet selling platform that is secure and at the epicenter of the new age of economics – Cryptoeconomics for today’s global market.
This new selling platform will allow you to:
Keep more of your royalties
Keep your readers within your eco-system
Give your readers the best value and keep them coming back to your website
Expand your readership by adding a new global selling platform
Secure your intellectual property with blockchain technology
BOOKCHAIN IS A NEW SELLING PLATFORM FOR GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF E-BOOKS
Chanticleer Reviews is partnering with Bookchain, an innovative and secure platform that publishes and sells ebooks. The company’s encrypted blockchain technology empowers writers and publishers to protect their works from book piracy, illegal copying, and hacking. Bookchain’s platform is 100% cryptocurrency-free making it available to everyone.
Both organizations share the common goal of promoting authors and their works while enabling discoverability among readers. Bookchain’s digital ebook distribution platform allows readers the flexibility to easily download their books from any device as long as there is access to a web browser.
Bookchain is presenting the Blue Ribbon winners of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs) with free uploading services on Bookchain’s easy to use digital ebook sales platform. In return, Chanticleer Reviews will link reviews from its website and digital magazine to any works that are available on the Bookchain distribution and sales platform. Bookchain and Chanticleer Reviews will jointly promote these works and will collaborate on social networks and at publishing industry events.
Bookchain® is a brand-new platform bringing a refreshingly flexible way to publish and distribute ebooks, based on blockchain technology. Bookchain was started in 2015 by Scenarex. The company is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec Province, Canada.
Through smart contracts, the platform enables the configuration of the security, trace-ability, attribution, and distribution settings of an ebook–even anthologies and compilations.
Endorsements
The Canada Media Fund has invested in Scenarex and its Bookchain solution.
Scenarex receives financial support from the Ministry Of Economie, Science et Innovation.
Scenarex receives financial support from the National Research Council Canada (NRC)
Scenarex created Bookchain®, the world’s only digital publishing platform built on blockchain technology without any cryptocurrency.
The first four things to know and understand about the Bookchain platform is:
You do NOT need cryptocurrency (aka Bitcoin, etc.) to sign up
You will NOT be paid in cryptocurrency (unless you want to)
You don’t need to know anything about blockchain
It is secure!
What is compelling about Bookchain is that your readers can download your book to read on multiple devices. They can also change devices frequently.
Readers can alternate reading your work on their smart phone, tablet, desktop, or laptop. Bookchain stores their library of books for them in the secure blockchain and allows them to access them wherever and whenever they have access to a web browser.
What is Blockchain? And Why Authors and Publishers Should Care
Any information (this includes books, novellas, short stories, graphics, photos, transactions…) that can be digitized can be recorded using blockchain technology. This digitized record can be referenced through a ledger entry on the intended blockchain platform which decentralizes it over its thousands of network nodes. Any time the blockchain is accessed it is timestamped with another block of digitized information.
As an author, the blockchain provides a way for you to securely publish your book andkeep control of your digital rights.It allows your published book to be treated more like a physical book, allowing your readers to own the digital book forever (as opposed to being allowed to checkout via Kindle).
You can keep your works up on other platforms too! (Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, PublishDrive, Draft2Digital, etc.)
But this is a great way to participate and learn about this new technology that is taking the publishing industry, commerce, and enterprise by storm.
“Bookchain® was specifically designed to fit the different needs of all those involved in the digital publishing industry. We created it to be fully adaptable to the reality of publishers, indie publishers, and self-publishing authors.”
And it is all about keeping book pirates at bay! And it happens more than you know!
Here are two articles by the award-winning Chanticleer Author Susan Faw. Susan experienced book piracy with her novels. You can read about it here with her three articles that she wrote to inform other Chanticleerians about this. At Digital Book World in September — it was a major concern and topic with piracy rates approaching 15%. Even the Big Four ar rattled by ebook piracy.
Bookchain is actively promoting the authors who have uploaded their books to Bookchain at the major book events around the globe!
This is a great way for your works to receive international exposure as they promote Bookchain at the most influential global book events.
To name a few:
Frankfurt Book Fair
London Book Fair
Book Expo of America
Digital Book World
and many more
Bookchain promoting the authors and their books that are uploaded to their platform.
PRICING and the Money Thing
There is a $39 USD deployment fee for each ebook title uploaded to Bookchain.*
*Members of The Roost at Chanticleer receive a discount code that will allow you to upload your books for just $10 a title (with verification).
WHAT IS THIS DEPLOYMENT FEE for? (the $39 bucks or $10 bucks with the Roost discount)
It includes hosting and securing the file, publication of the smart contract on the blockchain (which enforces the set parameters), the available data related to their digital book sale and the publication in our catalog.
* Note that this deployment fee includes hosting of the file, publication of the smart contract on the blockchain (which enforces the set parameters), the available data related to your digital book sale and the publication in our catalog.
Miscellaneous Fees
There is a fee of 42 cents USD for each digital book sold. This is a fixed fee per copy of digital books sold that includes the gas fee from Ethereum, regardless of the digital-book price. Scenarex does not collect a percentage of digital book sales.
The last fee is the transaction fee from STRIPE Connect which is $0.30 +0.0249% USD (of the transaction) per transaction. This includes the standard credit card fee and the payment processing which enables us to offer a cryptocurrency-free platform.
All transactions and monetary operations are handled by the STRIPE Connect payment platform integrated into Bookchain®. This integration is transparent for you and your customers.
STRIPE — is an online payment processing for internet business.
Royalty payments will be deposited directly into your bank account.
You can set up a Stripe account in minutes.
When and How Do I Receive Royalties from book sales from Bookchain?
The revenue from ebook sales, minus the Bookchain® miscellaneous fees, will be deposited automatically into your Stripe Connect Account and the Stripe Connect accounts of the contributors of the ebook (if applicable) on a monthly basis.
A New Year! A New Selling Platform!
Publish books on the blockchain… Don’t worry they make it easy!
How do I sign up for Bookchain
Just visit the website https://www.bookchain.ca/ and sign up.
If you have questions or issues they are extremely helpful. Just contact them.
When you’re in the chocolate business—even if it digital chocolates—it’s never too early to start planning for Valentine’s Day. So, Tellables is ready to announce their Valentine’s Writing Contest. They are looking for double chocolates stories that tell a tale of romance, love, or affection and that come in two delicious parts.
As with Tellables Holiday Writing Contest, they’re looking for stories they can publish in their “My Box of Chocolates” voice / audio experience on Amazon Alexa. And they are offering cash prizes! No entry fees!
They’re looking for delicious double chocolate stories to include in our special Valentine’s assortment. Double chocolates are two-part stories, each part a maximum of 280 words, with conversational elements sprinkled in to engage the listener.
Selected stories will be featured in TellablesMy Box of Chocolatesvoice app on Amazon Alexa. Check out this link for details and official rules on our Valentines Writing Contest.
Amazon Alexa – Is It Really For Authors?
We often hear authors say they don’t have a smart speaker and they don’t trust them. We understand. But smart speakers and voice assistants are growing tremendously popular. Now’s the time to begin experimenting with the possibilities.
You might have access to an Alexa-enabled device and not even know it. Alexa isn’t only available on an Echo, Echo Dot, or Echo Show. You can access the Alexa voice assistant from most newer model Kindle Fire tablets, from your Fire TV, and from the Amazon Alexa or Amazon Shopping mobile app. The common requirement is that you need to be logged in with an Amazon account.
If you do have access to Alexa, try out our “My Box of Chocolates” voice app. Ask Alexa to “open My Box of Chocolates.” If that doesn’t work as expected, try saying “Alexa, enable My Box of Chocolates” first.
Note from Kiffer: This is a great way to experiment with engaging readers with Voice-Driven Devices. Also, the Head of Amazon’s Alexa Code Labs (more than 100 million Alexa devices are in use), Paul Cutsinger, will present at the Chanticleer Authors Conference in April.
The My Box of Chocolates Voice App – Stories on Alexa
The Valentine’s “Double Chocolate” Writing Contest
The individual chocolate stories we publish in our voice app are “bite-size,” with a maximum of 280 words. Sometimes we publish stories in two parts. Part 1 and Part 2 are each represented in our virtual chocolate assortment by two pieces of the same type of candy. The listener needs to hear both candies in order to get the full story.
Our second post (No. 2 of 12 – Part A) discussed developing the Big Picture for your marketing and promotion strategy. Ten Points to Consider and Implement were given.
If you have not completed the work for the Ten Points, I invite you to go do so now before proceeding.
Point One:Identify 10 best-selling author in your genre that you would like to ask for an author blurb?
Tips on How to Obtain a Notable Author’s Blurb for Your Book
First WHY should you do this?
There have been a number of studies done using A/B testing. These tests show that book descriptions that include book blurbs by Notable Authors receive at least a 30% higher click through rate on selling platforms. BookBub is one of the companies that conducted the A/B testing.
[Note: *I am using Notable Author in place of names of real notable authors and sometimes abbreviating to NA. ]
Task #1 Begin following and interacting with your selected Notable Authors in Social Media. Search for them in social media and then make a friend request, follow, LIKE, SHARE their posts.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In, —wherever you can.
Schedule to interact in social media platform at least twice a month for each notable author on your list and M&P calendar (Marketing and Promotions Calendar).
If you have time, you start with two Notable Authors and keep adding to the list on a monthly basis.
Schedule these events on your calendar. Social media — twice a month, maybe three times if there is a major event such as a book release or an appearance. You don’t want to flood their comments with your stuff or appear “creepy.” But you do want to be on the notable author’s radar just enough to be recognized but not nagging or stalking. Or worse yet, not be like that super chatty person who corners you at a cocktail party.
Task#2 Purchase and read at least one book a year by the Notable Author. Then LEAVE a REVIEW on Amazon. The review can be short and sweet, but make sure that it is well worded and sincere. Showing off your writing prowess is a good thing. Make sure that the review can be traced back to you –-if it is positive. If it in not, then don’t post it and maybe reconsider your selection of Notable Authors. If you have a different name for reviews, then use that. But, then submit the review to the Notable Author using “contact info” on the Notable Author’s web-page with your writing/as name.
Interesting factoid: Amazon’s share of ALL new book unit purchases was 41% and 67% of the e-book market. Amazon controls 64% of printed books that are purchased online. Source: The Atlantic. Note: These percentages continue to increase from the time this article was published.
If the Notable Author has a back-list, then leave another review for another book in three months.
Objective:
When you are ready to ask the Notable Author if you may send your ARC (advance reader’s copy) to her, hopefully, she will be familiar with you and your writing-as name (pen name). You may be able to ask for “the favor” in Messenger or Direct Message. Or at the very least complete the contact form on the Notable Author’s website for your request.
The reason to identify 10 Notable Authors? It is because you will have about a 20 percent (2 authors) chance of having a NA respond to you (as opposed to zero by not doing tasks). Of these 2 authors, you may only end up with one blurb from your original 10 authors selected. Everyone is busy and that is especially true in the publishing industry. There are always deadlines to be met.
Each year, determine which Notable Authors that you are going to continue trying to connect with. Then replace the ones that you have decided to move on from. But always work on connecting to NA’s long as you are serious about your writing career.
And start doing this way before you are ready to publish. You don’t want to put a time limit on the Notable Author to get you your cover quote. You can state the publication date and they can take if from there. A six-to-three month lead time should be just about right. And don’t worry about the manuscript being absolutely perfect. NA’s understand the publishing process. Just make sure that the work is a compelling read.
Cover Art –
Also, send along the cover art concepts. You have been working on that haven’t you.
Make sure that your cover is a winner! Something that will make your Notable Author proud to be associated with. The cover doesn’t have to be ready for print, but it should show that you are being careful and strategic in the design of it.
A compelling cover design will get you a YES more quickly. The NA understands how important cover art is to the success of any book.
Consistency, Persistence, and Sincerity
Please note that you can’t just do a review and a few social media posts to get the Notable Author’s attention. You will have to be consistent and persistent and sincere. That is why this needs to be on your To-Do M & P calendar. It will be very easy to justnot do it this month. That, my dear aspiring author, is a slippery slope that is too easy to go down.
How do I know this strategy works? It because I have seen it in action.
I’ve been in the “faculty break rooms or green rooms” with many a Notable Author and have overheard or been told directly something to the effect of this:
“Can you imagine, this person thrusted a copy of his/her book into my hands and then asked me I would give her/him a blurb…? I don’t know this person from Adam or Eve. I’ve never seen the person on my social media. I don’t have time to read every book given to me me for an author blurb. And why bother anyway–the book has already been published….And just look at this cover…
The blurb attempt is SHOT DOWN with the copy of said book (probably) left in break room. The above scenario goes on far more often than one would think. #justsaying
But imagine, if the aspiring author could say to the Notable Author, “I find your Facebook posts so interesting. I’ve even shared a few of them. And your last book, (give the title –music to any author’s ears), was the best–especially the part about (fill in the blank). I left my review for it on Amazon (name the platform).”
Can you see how one might then be able to ask for permission to send the Notable Author an ARC or a digital file (many prefer digital PDFs)? IF not then, you could mention that you met at ??? and that you were so excited to meet one of your favorite authors.
It is just good manners. And make it easy for the Notable Author to get you the review/author blurb. And always send a thank you note (preferable hand written and in an email) before for taking the time (and a great gentle reminder) and after.
USES of the Notable Author Blurb
Then use the blurb!
On the book cover
in the front matter of the book’s interior
on your website
on shelf-talkers as a point-of-sale tool
on book marks and promotional tools
in the Editorial Reviews section of your Amazon page
in your social media branding elements
in your social media posts
in your contests and giveaway promotions
in your launch banners
Always be sure to tag the Notable Author whenever possible, every always giving credit to the author and the book that the Notable Author would like for you to promote. Or if the Notable Author is “royalty” in the publishing world there is no need to list a book title, but do list the “royalty” title. Notable Authors do book blurbs because it promotes their name and author brand.
Examples
“What a truly wonderful story! I’ve read it three times, and with each reading I find myself caring about the fabulous characters and their lives even more.”—P.J. Alderman, New York Times Bestselling Author of A Killing Tide
“J.D. Barker is a one-of-a-kind writer and that’s a rare and special thing. Stephen King comes to mind and Lee Child, John Sandford. All one-of-a-kinds. Don’t miss anything J.D. writes.”James Patterson, #1 International Bestselling Author
In conclusion – a Notable Author’s endorsement or blurb for your book will enhance your competence and credibility factors as well as gaining the attention of the Notable Author’s readers and fans. And may just enlarge your readership.
Sure it is a lot of work, but it will be worth the time when you are ready to launch your book.
And remember one day, you too will be a Notable Author. How will you decide whose books to blurb…probably the ones who have helped you generate that ethereal book buzz.
12 Must-Dos for Authors and Publishers for 2020! Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Publishing
My next post will continue with the 10 Steps be the next post will be Point Two. Identify any seasons or holidays that are associated with your titles — no matter how unknown (even better) or mundane.
Dear Chanticleerians, I have decide to write and publish this series in shorter blog-posts so I can get them out more quickly. This post is already more than 1,000 words and we have nine more points.
And I already posted one post today. I invite you to read the blog post that I wrote earlier today about the exciting Breaking News.
I will write and publish Point Two in then few days and then Point Three. Target Book Clubs – Online and Groups that Meet in Person after Sharon and I are attend the Pulpwood Queen Book Club — Annual meeting in Jefferson, Texas.
Thank you for reading our blog posts. I do hope that you find these Chanticleer’s Writer’s Toolbox Tips and Tools informative and helpful reminders.
As always, we would love to hear from you — especially if you suggestions about what to add to the blog posts.
Bookchain® is a brand-new platform bringing a refreshingly flexible way to publish and distribute ebooks, based on blockchain technology.
Through smart contracts, the platform enables the configuration of the security, trace ability, attribution, and distribution settings of an e-book.
Bookchain® was specifically designed to fit the different needs of all those involved in the digital publishing industry. They created it to be fully adaptable to the reality of publishers, indie publishers and self-publishing authors.
And now Bookchain publishes digital magazines on the blockchain!
Chanticleer Reviews magazine is the first magazine to be published on the blockchain!
What is so important about blockchain?
Blockchain is the foundation of a New Era of the Internet —
“Publishing is at the epicenter of digital disruption.”Paul Michelman, MIT & MIT Sloan.
Simon-Pierre Marion, CEO of Scenarex and its Bookchain division that is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, has reported to me that
The Chanticleer Reviews magazine is the very first magazine to be published on the blockchain and using blockchain technology.
An impromptu celebration for this historic news in publishing!
[Editorial Note: Even magazines published about the blockchain are not on the blockchain. They are available to download, but they are not available on different devices like our magazine is the one of Bookchain. – kb]
The Colibrio Reading System that is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, has made this possible with their new innovative Reading System SDK, built on the Modern Web Platform. It is a web first engine, developed using 2019 (and moving into 2020) technologies and practices and built to support new upcoming standards, as well as the current publishing formats. Bookchain uses the Colibrio Reading System.
“The Colibrio Reader focuses on preserving authors, publishers and designers original visual style. It is the only Digital Reading System which can configure detailed rules for pagination to avoid orphans, widows, split boxes and much more, regardless of document structure and semantics.”
We are going to have our past digital issues of the Chanticleer Reviews magazine published on Bookchain’s platform along with new issues.
Our advice? Set up your account today with Bookchain!
Don’t worry! Bookchain makes it easy.
What makes Bookchain’s e-pubs so different?
Their e-zines and e-pubs are downloadable on any device! You are not locked into a single device. You alternate devices. Read on your smart phone. Read on desktop. Read on your laptop when you are on the go. The freedom of reading your ebooks on different devices–because it is will be in YOUR LIBRARY that is stored in the super secure blockchain by Bookchain.
Your library — digitized and portable!
The first four things to know and understand about the Bookchain selling platform for digital publishing are:
You do NOT need cryptocurrency (aka Bitcoin, etc.) to sign up.
You will NOT be paid in cryptocurrency (unless you want to) if you sell your books on the Bookchain platform.
It is endorsed and underwritten by the Canada Media Fund, NRC, and the Canada Ministry of Economie.
It is secure!
As an author, the blockchain provides a way for you to securely publish your book andkeep control of your digital rights. It allows your published book to be treated more like a physical book, allowing your readers to own the digital book forever (as opposed to being allowed to checkout via Kindle).
Thank you, Simon-Pierre Marion and your team at Bookchain, for making this possible. We are excited to be a pioneer in this new age of digital publishing.
Chanticleer Reviews has always been steeped in technology—thanks to our technology wizard and COO, Argus Brown. Our “under-the-hood technology” has propelled Chanticleer Reviews “to the ranks of the premier, respected trade reviews in the industry” as quoted from award-winning author, Michael Hurley. Chanticleer Reviews has received the Technology Alliance Group award for our technology platform that helps to increase the digital footprint on the Internet of our reviews and of the Chanticleer International Book Awards winning titles and their authors.
And that is why we are honored to have Bookchain as an affiliate of Chanticleer Reviews & Media. It is a perfect pairing of content and technology!
Here are some handy links to articles that have been published on the Chanticleer website if you would like to read more about blockchain and the BookChain E-book and magazine distribution platform.
Creating Your Marketing and Promotion Calendar for 2020 and Beyond… Part One
I’ve been in marketing a number of years (dare I say decades?). Marketing and Promotion have always been moving targets, but now with the internet they are targets that move at light speed.
If you want to sell books and you want to have your author career advance, you will need to have a promotion and marketing plan that can pivot and is flexible.
Plan for your Success!
And if you have an M & P plan already, you will need to constantly update it, add to it, and evaluate what works and what doesn’t.
First of all, the M & P Calendar is complex and integrated at many levels, which can make it overwhelming. But that is where Chanticleer can assist.
Do keep in mind, that many of the moving parts are small and incremental steps that are not hard to do, but they will add up and add up substantially.
Promotion of a book (or any product) is a continuous exercise of good marketing and promotional habits. Many are not difficult or time consuming but most be done on a regular basis. Marketing and Promotion are NOT one trick ponies.
Let us start at the beginning. Laying the Groundwork for your M&P calendar.
Strategy – First start with the Big Picture.
What I do is keep a notebook and a calendar. I tend to be old school and like paper and pencil for my reminders and calendar. I then add the information to my Google calendar so that it will remind me on my smart phone.
Andy prefers to go all digital with no paper. He uses integrated digital calendars and custom project management software—thank goodness because that is how we track and manage the CIBAs.
Here are 10 Points to consider and implement.
We will then fill in with more detailed information in Part Two of this blog-post.
One. Identify 10 best-selling author in your genre that you would like to ask for an author blurb?
It doesn’t matter if you are launching a new work or promoting your back list.
Write their names down in your M&P notebook. We will come back to this in the next blog post. Promise.
Two. Identify any seasons or holidays that are associated with your titles.
I always think of Love of Finished Years by Gregory Erich Phillips at Christmas time because of his touching WWI Christmas Eve scene that takes place in the heat of battle. It is book that I can read and reread.
Gregory Erich Phillips Love of Finished Years won Chanticleer International Book Award for Best Book while it was still a manuscript.
Or Ann Charles’ Deadwood Series that feature Violet Parker, real estate agent and single mom gets me in the mood for Halloween.
Would your books make awesome vacation reads? Or cozy sit by the fire reads? Or perfect for traveling?
Are your books page turning thrillers that will have readers consuming it at one sitting? Or something for a reader to look forward to reading a chapter or two a night? Know your readers.
A personal favorite cozy mystery series of mine that I like to read is Michelle Cox’s Henrietta and Inspector Howardmystery series because I enjoy tthe time frame that series takes place in, and I like the protagonists. Reading the series is a wonderful escape for me.
What holidays or seasons can you target to promote your works? Write them down in that notebook.
Three. Target Book Clubs – Online and Groups that meet in person
Book clubs tend to chart out their reads months in advance if not a year in advance. Start getting “Top of Mind” share and getting on the “think about list.”
Make sure that your website, author description, Facebook page, Twitter, blog posts, and any other media alerts readers that you are available for Skyping, showing up in person, supplying stimulating questions for the group, and that you just adore BOOK CLUBS. If there are libraries that have your books in their book club kits, list them on the Book Club section of your website.
Keep a running list of Book Clubs that you want to reach out to and keep in contact with them. Put reminders in your calendar to continually reach out to book clubs of all types. They can propel an author and have far reaching affects on readership gains.
The Roost at Chanticleer will have a running list of book clubs and how to contact them. This will be up and running before the end of January.
Four. Author Events
Again, dates fill up at book stores, retail outlets, book fairs, book conventions, libraries, and specialty events. Chanticleerians have passed on to me that they have had great success at wine bars, grocery stores, flower shops, seasonal events such at the Lavender events in the PNW, comic cons, brewpubs, entertainment events if your work has a connection with them, re-enactments, hobbyists, the list can go on and on.
The award-winning Janet Shawgo has presented sessions on this at the Chanticleer Authors Conference. All in attendance were inspired by her creativity and willingness to share.
Janet Shawgo’s author event at a winery.
And I have it good advice that one shouldn’t discount small events. It is better to be a big fish at a small event rather sitting idly by while a line a mile long forms for a celebrity author. I’ve seen this happen more times than I can count.
Guerrilla marketing is the friend of aspiring authors. It can even the playing field with its unconventional interactions and surprises. Remember, readers are acquired one by one—which makes guerrilla marketing especially effective.
Be creative. Be open. But get those gigs lined up and on the calendar. Pronto! And start on next year’s events.
Make your list with the venue, date, date of contact, date of recontact, results. Continuously add venues and events as you discover them.
Add the confirmed dates to your Promotion Calendar. There will be more work to be done.
Jesikah Sundin, award-winning author of The Biodome Chronicles excels at guerrilla marketing, branding, and author events that build loyal readership. And her books deliver and keep her readers coming back for more!
Jesikah Sundin
Five.Discover experts who will resonate with your books. (We call this SLANT in the marketing industry).
Who is an expert in the field that your work is associated with?
Ann Charles is a full-time author of mysteries. Her popular protagonist is Violet Parker, a real estate agent in Deadwood? Guess who her biggest fans are? Real Estate agents! And she has targeted them and they have become evangelical fans for her series. The real estate network is huge. And so is her fan-base.
For instance, Pamela Beason writes mysteries that tend to take place in wilderness areas. She is a career author (making a living at writing) and a retired private investigator. Pam targets hikers, backpackers, wilderness protectors. One of her mystery series is focused around Neema, a communicating gorilla who can communicate using sign language. Pam targets these folks in social media. Her YA series has a rescued elephant. You get the picture? Did I mention that I am a Neema fangirl?
Pamela Beason’s wildly successful Sam Westin wilderness series.
What are your books’ angles? What is the slant? (what is the voice? what is your underlying message?)
This exercise is one that you should repeat each year with your back list.
If you can get an endorsement from experts that have a common interest in your books, you will be able to broaden your target market. It doesn’t matter if the expert is a real estate agent, or a barista, or is leader in a knitting circle… This is how word of mouth is created. Create these bonds. It will make your next book launch much more easy.
Remember Jesikah from Point #Four. Her books crossover from fantasy, YA, cyber-punk, eco-punk, gaming, science fiction, steampunk, and … just imagine all the blurbs, recommendations, and READERS and their reviews that Jesikah’s marketing attracts.
Six. Identify 10 Authors to Network within Social Media and in Real Life.
These should be authors whose readers will also enjoy your works and authors that your readers will enjoy their books.
If you have ten, then add ten more. You can never have enough.
This is called increasing your CIRCLE of INFLUENCE. The relationship should be reciprocal. We will circle back around to this.
A good test is to determine if your works and the selected authors works would be shelved together at the book store or at the local library.
Write this list down in your M & P book/ledger. Each year, continue to expand it.
J.D. Barker, a masterful storyteller, recommends that your genre should crossover… just imagine having your books shelved in more than one location at booksellers. Get the picture?
Shameless self-promotion here … you should check out his interview in the last issue of the Chanticleer Reviews magazine.
Order your copy today… 🙂
Seven. Focus Your Author Brand.
Each and every visual element associated with you as an author should have focus and should move your author brand forward on your website, in your social media, in your type fonts, in the background imagery. A reader should be able to tell in less than three seconds what overall genre you are writing in. Are your books dark and mysterious? Fantastical? Sexy? Historical? Dystopian? Everything from the icon that marks your website in the browser to the background that coordinates with all of your internet and real marketing collateral (covers, book swag, business cards, etc.). Make sure that your author photos resonate with your works. That doesn’t mean you have to be brooding in person if your books are dark and mysterious, but you should have a persona, a brand that distinguishes you from the other millions of authors and writers. A visual brand.
Ann Charles is a maestro at author branding. Visit her website and Facebook pages for inspiration (and to buy her U.S.A Today bestselling books).
Ann Charles
Eight. Become an Expert in Some Area of Publishing and Share Your Knowledge
Writers by far make up the largest number of readers. We just can’t help ourselves. An excellent way to get on writers’ reading list is to present at writer’s conferences. It is widely known that after a writer gives a presentation, his/her/they see an increase in sales. Most would say a direct correlation.
Many best-selling authors have gotten their start and created an ever increasing fan-base by sharing their knowledge and expertise with other authors and aspiring writers. Diane Gabaldon shared (and continues to) her knowledge for years by presenting at writers’ conferences. She is known for being extremely generous with her knowledge and expertise as is Robert Dugoni. The list goes on and on with international best-selling authors who share and mentor authors—authors such as J.D. Barker, C.C. Humphreys, Ann Charles, Ursula Le Guin, George R.R. Martin, Pamela Beason, are among the authors who believe in mentoring aspiring authors and giving back to the writing community.
Robert Dugoni is one of our most popular speakers at CAC. Pam Beason is conducting the panel discussion.
Discover your publishing expertise. Is it coming up with inciting incidents? Or world building? Or a knack for dialogue? Or social media posts that garner attention? Or being creative in where to do book promotions? Or how to get that first draft out of your head and into black on white? Or discovering new platforms to sell works on? Or working ? Or posture while writing? Or?
The main thing is to share your knowledge and expertise.
So start asking to present or participate in panels at author events, in schools, at libraries, in your local writing groups, or the conferences that you are planning on attending.
Write down your opportunities. Find out the deadlines for proposals. Keep a list and add to it.
Nine. Podcasting and Video Blogging — Be the Interviewer or be the Interview-ee but be in the Podcast Airwaves
With the advent of voice-driven assistants, podcasts are becoming more and more a part of daily life. Just like audio books. ( the fastest growing segment of publishing).
Chanticleer has podcasts and video blogs. It is the new and latest that is certain to replace “blog hopping.” Make sure that you get your foot in the door! Even this blog post is converted to a podcast.
As with any transition, you will need to do both: blogging and podcasting. Learn how to build your content pyramid at the Chanticleer Authors Conference 2020.
Podcasting is going to be a feature at CAC20 this year with Hindenburg Systems (programs and apps to create podcasts and audio books) presenting sessions and podcast work shops.
Paul Cutsinger, head of Amazon’s Alexa Code Labs will present and keynote.
He will discuss
Why Voice Enabled Technology is Here to Stay
The Publishing Industry and Voice Technology
StoryTelling and Voice Technology
Audiobooks and Voice
Engaging Readers with Voice-driven Devices
With more than 100 million Alexa devices in use, this a market segment that should not be overlooked in any author or publisher’s marketing plan.
Time to start lining up your calendar with podcast and video blog events.
Ten. Enter Your Works into Book Award Competitions and Contests
Book awards are a time honored tradition that help to distinguish best books and manuscripts from the millions of books that are written each year (and published).
They give authors talking points, interviewers talking points, allow for point of sale marketing, social media marketing and so much more.
Make sure to enter your works and see how they stack up against the others in your genre.
Deadlines are closer than they appear! And there is nothing like a blue ribbon to help sell more books at a book fair or author event. #justsaying
CIBA Grand Prize Ribbons!
That calendar should be starting to fill in.
Click here for a Handy Worksheet that you can print out to help you to create your Market and Promotion Calendar.
This Second Installment will take time to complete and you may need to work on it intermittently (but consistently) to get everything logged.
Then the real work will begin.
The next post will discuss implementing these first 8 Goals and creating discrete tasks to implement on a regular basis:
Annually, Seasonally/Quarterly, Monthly, Twice a Month, Weekly, Almost daily.
And social media postings, and blog postings, and articles, and…
We elaborate on the first ten items and incorporate them into the calendar and create a schedule.
Thank you for joining us in this Writer’s Tool Box series: The 12 MUST-Do’s for Authors Number Two of Twelve blog-post articles.We hope these were handy reminders or something new to consider.
If there is something we should add to this blog-post or you have an experience that you would like to share or a question that you would like to ask about this blog post, please contact us at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or SAnderson@ChantiReviews.com
We’d love to hear from you!
Thank you for joining us and please stay tuned for the next article!
How to increase SALES of your books in brick and mortar bookseller stores
Part 2 of Kiffer Brown’s
Sell More Books During the Holiday Gift Shopping Season
Perhaps you are thinking,“But Kiffer, it is December 15th! Isn’t it too late to do anything about this holiday season?”
And, I would have to reply,“No, it isn’t dear Chanticleerian. It is is just in the nick of time because of GIFT CARDS!”
GIFT CARDS and GIFT CERTIFICATES (some useful information)
More than35 billion dollars(billion, not million!) are spent onGIFT CARDS each yearfor the Holiday Season.
Gift cards topped all other potential presents, including jewelry, clothing, books, movies, music, electronics and sporting goods. National Retail Federation report.
Gift cards are the most popular items on wish lists — 13 years straight.
The majority of recipients of these GIFT CARDSdo not begin shopping with them until Dec. 26th.
Gift Cards have extended theBuying Season all the way through the month of January into mid-February.
Btw, We LOVE LOVE LOVE Indie Booksellers!
and YES, even AMAZON has brick and mortar stores — the tech giant is approaching 600 physical retail locations across the U.S. according to GeekWire research.
Make sure that some of those $35 billion in GIFT CARDS are used to purchase YOUR BOOKS!
Quick and Easy Tips to Get Your Books Ready for the Biggest Book Buying Season of the Year
Here is a Handy Checklist for Brick and Mortar stores where your books are for sale.
These Point of Sale items can make a huge difference in book sales!
It seems obvious, but make sure that wherever you have your books for sale or on consignment have them IN-STOCK. (yes, I am yelling here)
NEXT — make sure to promote in social media wherever your books are for sale and TAG the store/shop/bookseller. Be sure to use a photo of the shop and its location.
Promote your book’s cover and genre and tag the merchant again on social media.
If you can, make sure that your books have book stickers on them for any awards or kudos.
Does your book have Shelf Talkers wherever they are for sale?
Chanticleer Shelf talkerShelf Talkers P-O-S
If you have a series or other books, does each one of your books have a “bookmark” inside with all of your books listed?
Does this bookmark have your website and social media handles printed on it? If not, get on it — you can print your own at your local copy shop.
You can even add an invite to visit your website/blog to win prizes
In your next printing, make sure that at the end you include an invitation to visit your website/blogpost/social media posts for
more information
a chance to win free prizes
for advance notifications of your next book
to have a character named after the reader
Book Club benefits (visit in person, SKYPE, questions for discussion)
But for now,you can have these printed off and slip them into the books — they should not be bigger than the book. Remember, this is a surprise for the reader to find and must not add to “clutter” the book.
If you don’t live close to the booksellers selling your books, see if any of your street team members, family, friends, or other authors (you know, the ones that you are cross-promoting with) if they would stop by the shops in their neighborhoods and help implement the P-O-S plan. Make sure that they have a letter from you (they can print it out if you email it to them). Have your “street team” introduce themselves to the shop’s staff and explain what is going on.
AND now is a good time to schedule your author events for 2020 wherever your books are sale.
Remember — Help the Bookseller Sell Your Books!
Good Manners for Point of Sale Tips
Use magic tape (and carry it with you) so that you will not gum up the store’s shelves with shelf-talkers — and you don’t have to ask the staff to take time to look for some for you.
If the staff is busy, consider coming back at a later time. The holidays are a “make or break” season for most small brick and mortar stores so you don’t want to impede the staff from making sales and helping customers during this crucial time. [This is a pet peeve with booksellers about authors #justsaying]
If your books are “shop-worn” ask about exchanging them out for fresh new books.
Offer to help out-of-the-area authors with the books that are for sale in your neighborhood. Connect and reach out!
REPEAT. RESTOCK. RE-POST. REMIND.
Remember the GIFT CARD buying season stretches into mid-February.
Take advantage of this busiest season of the year and help your bookseller sell more of your books.
Handy Links
Part One of this Two-Part Series — Selling More Books ONLINE
Chanticleer Reviews Gift Certificates make great gifts for the writer in your life!
And we are offering a 15% discount on all gift certificate purchases from now until December 31, 2019. And we can mail them out in fancy gift boxes anywhere in the U.S.A.
If the recipient lives abroad, we will send out a fancy email with the gift certificate embedded in the email along with an access code.
Gift Certificates may be used for any Chanticleer Service or Product.
Use this code upon checkout to receive the 15% discount GCTGIANAT Look For the Redeem Your Coupon link under the checkout TOTAL amount.
Paul Cutsinger, head of Amazon’s Alexa Code Labs will present and keynote.
That would be me, Kiffer Brown–Mother Hen and Head Hen at Chanticleer Reviews.