The unique challenges of the pandemic will not stop us from bringing authors like you, closer to readers. We’ve been working nonstop to get some of our own AuthorHouse books and authors featured in our parent company, Author Solutions’ booth on the first ever virtual Tucson Festival of Books. That’s right— it’s all virtual. This means no road trips to Arizona for a lot of our authors; instead, they’re promoting their books from the comfort of their own homes. The exciting part, readers, wherever they are on the globe, can browse and discover books at their leisure, enjoy the same great festival discounts, and meet new authors with just a few clicks, at any time of the day!

Visit the Author Solutions’ virtual booth at the Tucson Festival of Books 2021 to find great reads from AuthorHouse. The online store has over 800 books to choose from, all at a special discount and free shipping for paperbacks. Catch the livestream event on March 6-7, 2021 for author interviews, book releases and surprise giveaways! If you’re from The Grand Canyon State, you might find familiar faces as we’re featuring Arizona-local authors, too.

Visit the Tucson Festival of Books >

This year’s virtual Tucson Festival of Books may set the tone for other book fairs and events to come for 2021, and I’m proud to announce our own AuthorHouse-published books & authors at the forefront of it all.

All the best,

Derrick Purvis

Vice President of AuthorHouse

The post AuthorHouse in the First Ever Virtual Tucson Festival of Books! appeared first on AuthorHouse.

Yes, the Zoom hangouts and daily commute from our bed to our desks might still be the norm. But, it could still be a fresh start for us all and you have the chance to turn things around this year. You have 300-something, new and exciting days, to be specific.

Now that you have clean slate, we hope you’ve begun to fill the planner we gave you with your literary goals for this year too. We know it won’t magically turn everything back to normal. But it should help keep you on track with your goals—no matter what they are.

Whether you’re dying to publish or have your book discovered, know that you can always count on us. At AuthorHouse, we’ve helped people like you publish 100,000 books in more than two decades. We want you to reach others around the world, earn accolades, get discovered, open up countless possibilities—or simply hold a copy of your book in your hands.

For now, don’t think about how this year is going to pan out. You have the chance to start fresh. You get to decide how your year goes.

All the best,

Derrick Purvis

Vice President of AuthorHouse

The post So long, 2020! appeared first on AuthorHouse.

This year was difficult, to say the least, and yet you’ve stayed with us and continued to reach for your publishing goals.

As a token of our gratitude, we’ve prepared a 2021 planner.

This basic planner is meant to help you keep track of books to read, goals, and projects on a quarterly basis. You’ll also have a little space to set your daily word count goals and whatnot. Use it to supplement your planning and keep your motivation up as you move towards your objectives in 2021.

May you fill your pages with possibilities, and may you always strive to tell your story your way.

The post Use this simple planner to prepare for your 2021 publishing goals appeared first on AuthorHouse.

Don’t you just love it when the media shares something you’re interested in?

Remember when your local newspaper announced the newest literary festival in town? You may even recall a thing or two about your favorite musician’s album signing event in your area through your go-to news channel.

Whenever an interesting story is aired or published, there’s a huge possibility that a press release made it happen. It’s only quite unfortunate that some authors are missing out on its benefits because there are still misconceptions about it!

To help clear the doubts surrounding this tried-and-tested marketing method, we’ve debunked five of the known myths about it.

Myth #1: No one issues press releases anymore.

Anyone who has access to social media platforms know that they don’t need a press release to find new reads. But this doesn’t make it obsolete. You’ll be surprised to know that when used with other marketing methods, one well-written press release article can actually go a long way.

For example, the combination of press releases and media pitches, it’s the usual strategy when you want to present yourself as a reliable source to news outlets and readers.  Here, you can simply use press releases as a reference for further details during your pitch. Press releases can be valuable content for your website and social media platforms as well.

Myth #2: You don’t need a press release when you’re online.

When almost everything from traditional advertising turned digital, press releases followed suit as well.  Now, you don’t just simply write a newsworthy article. You’ll also have to web-optimize it by filling it with keywords. With this, media audiences and consumers can search it online—just like any content in the Internet.  You can also put it on newswires. These platforms distribute news to journalists, editorial offices, and other media outlets online.

Myth #3: You only need a press release to reach out to media outlets.

Before the advent of the Internet, press releases were mainly to catch the attention of the media. But now with just a few clicks, it can now be accessed by media, readers, and buyers alike. This means that when news outlets don’t pick up your story, it can still be for consumers to read and enjoy!

Myth #4: Your chances of reaching media outlets are very slim.

The media will only ignore your book if you simply don’t make an effort to make your article newsworthy. With that said, you need to have a good reason whenever you should send one. For example, you might want to send a press release if you’re joining an important event as an author.

With the Internet, you can now also put a few multimedia tidbits to grab the press’ attention. You can add branded images, videos, infographics, and even some clips. But always remember, these are just the frills. Your article’s story should be first—always!

Myth #5: You need a huge budget for a press release.

To create an effective press release article, you’ll certainly have to spend a little. Yes, you can write one yourself and send it to free online news distribution sites. But by doing this, you’ll have to do more work as you won’t be enjoying full features from these free or affordable newswires. You might have to profile the sites that you’ll be using to make sure it’s sending to your desired channels. You may even have to monitor your article’s progress by yourself!

Despite all that, creating press release articles doesn’t ultimately have to be expensive and demanding—especially if you’re going to work with the right people.  With our team of marketing experts, you wouldn’t have to spend extra hours doing everything on your own or worry about not getting full support with your budget. We’ll definitely work with what you have. We can help you craft, distribute, web-optimize, and even monitor your article!

FACT: There’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t do a press release. Now that you’ve been enlightened on all those myths, we hope you’ve found a new addition to your book marketing arsenal. If you want to learn about how we make newsworthy articles for our authors, you can visit our Publicity Services page. When you’re ready for your press release, you can also contact your Marketing Consultant at 833.262.8899.

The post 5 Misconceptions about Using a Press Release for Book Marketing appeared first on AuthorHouse.

Held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the 2020 Book-to-Screen Pitchfest was a cozy affair—not quite the same as the usual Pitchfest due to COVID-19 restrictions, but still thrumming with the excitement of pitching your self-published book to Hollywood executives. Of course, we did our best to create a safe space for authors to learn about pitching, practice with one another, and deliver an actual pitch to execs. Participants were urged to keep their masks on and observe social distancing for the duration of the event.

Producer John Sacchi also gave a live video lecture that reflected his experience of nearly two decades as a senior production and development executive at Lionsgate Films, where he oversaw films including Confidence, Employee of the Month, They Came Together, My Bloody Valentine, The Possession, Killers, The Last Stand, Addicted, Conan the Barbarian, Punisher, My Best Friend’s Girl, Pride, and Akeelah and the Bee.

Missed the Pitchfest? Viewed through the lens of success, the exploration of your book’s screenplay potential seems to be a gamble, but that didn’t stop this year’s participants from actively considering their books’ page-to-screen feasibility—and neither should it stop you. If you still want to explore your book’s movie or TV potential, our Hollywood Book-to-Screen services can get your story in front of industry professionals looking for fresh material.

• Hollywood Coverage – Start your Hollywood journey with a script coverage for your book.
• Hollywood Treatment – Get a film treatment detailing how your book can best be adapted for the screen.
• Hollywood Screenplay – Have a full-fledged, production-ready screenplay written for your book.

Make sure to follow this blog for news about the 2021 Book-to-Screen Pitchfest!

The post The Book-to-Screen Pitchfest goes semi-virtual appeared first on AuthorHouse.

But for print ads to work, you don’t just randomly pick a publication then let chance do all the work.  You’ll need to answer these questions before you choose the right magazine or newspaper for your campaigns:

Who reads this publication?

The first thing you’ll want to do is find out who the magazine or newspaper appeals to. Is it geared for a younger audience or focused on the older generation? Don’t be hesitant to ask investigate who their target market is. You’ll be surprised to know how these brands research their readers—from their age to their daily routines.  Once you get your information, you’ll have a valuable insight that can help you prepare a targeted print ad.

Does this publication have a good reputation?

As in any industry, you can find a few bad publications among the award-winning ones out there. You’ll see brands that contain eyebrow-raising articles, and those that have simply struggled to boost their readership over the years.  It can be challenging to sift them but it’s not impossible, especially with the Internet.

By investigating online, you should be able to know about their credibility and engagement. Remember, only choose interesting and trustworthy ones for your ad! After all, you’ll want to build your reputation from eager readers and respectable publications.

How many copies are printed and sent?

Aside from knowing a publication’s trustworthiness, you also need to find out how many copies are published and where it is sent. Are 10,000 copies sent to libraries and schools? Do they send it to other countries? You might also want to investigate further and ask how many subscribers share their copies, and if there are any copies sent for free. Knowing the publication’s circulation and distribution numbers should give you an idea of your print ad’s potential reach.

How often is the print publication published?

Is your print ad part of a bigger book marketing campaign? Then you should take note if a publication is published every day, weekly, monthly, or even yearly. For instance, you’re an author who intend to promote your book as a good summer read. In this situation, you might want to choose a monthly publication that publishes and maybe, also prints special editions during the summer months. By doing this, you not only get to talk to your intended audience at the right time but you can also schedule your book campaign properly.

Is the publication available in digital format?

With everything going digital, there are plenty of publications that are now available online and in mobile. This also means that ads on print can now have digital counterparts too. As an author, you can use this as an opportunity to reach out to even a wider audience. Just make sure the publication you chose can assure that your print ad will have an online and mobile version!

Help! I don’t know where to start asking.

You don’t have to do all the research by yourself. At AuthorHouse, we’ve partnered with respectable publications to give authors only the best options for print ad placements. We can also help you create targeted and well-designed print ads too. Visit our Advertising Services page or contact us today to learn more about our services!

The post 5 Questions To Ask Before You Choose A Print Publication appeared first on AuthorHouse.

March’s Challenge Winner

Last month we asked you to write a ‘drabble’ focusing on precision and brevity. We had an overwhelming response with around forty entries! With such a fantastic response it made it very difficult to judge, after deliberating and carefully considering all entries we eventually agreed on a winner. The winner of the March AuthorHouse challenge is Gloria D. Gonsalvez, with her drabble ‘Sweet Revenge.’  Congratulations Gloria!

April 2013 Author Challenge

This month’s AuthorHouse Author Challenge focuses on book-marketing. AuthorHouse wants to know what your best book-marketing ploys were. Whether it was a stroke of luck that propelled you in the self-publishing world or an innovative marketing ploy that spread your book like wildfire, we want to know! Entries will be judged on the most unique set of circumstances or the most unique idea.

How to Submit Your AnswerAll you need to do is type your answer into the Leave a Reply box at the bottom of this page.Then click the Post a Comment button when you are ready to submit.

Reminder: Keep the deadline in mind.

The PrizeApril’s winner will be announced on the AuthorHouse Author’s Digest and via our Facebookand Twitter accounts and have their book cover featured on our official Facebook Cover Image for up to a month.

Challenge Rules

1. Entrants must be aged 18 or over at the time of entering.
2. Entries must be received before midnight (EST) or 5:00 pm (GMT) on Friday 10th May, 2013.
3. Only entries added as a comment to the dedicated challenge post on the AuthorHouse Author’s Digest will be considered.
4. Only one entry per person will be permitted.
5. The winner will be chosen by a judging panel of three AuthorHouse marketing department employees. Their decision is final.
6. The winner’s book cover will be featured on the official AuthorHouse Facebook page Cover Image for up to one month.
7. By entering, you agree that your name, published book title and entry can be used by AuthorHouse for marketing and PR of this challenge as well as AuthorHouse as a company.
8. We will not be held responsible for any entries that are not recorded on the AuthorHouse Author’s Digest due to technical difficulties.
9. No Purchase Necessary.
10. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received.
11. We cannot be held responsible for any emotional distress caused by not winning our competition.

The post AuthorHouse launches April 2013 Author Challenge appeared first on AuthorHouse.