Author: Claire McKinney

12 Signs You May Need to be Your Own Boss

Posted on by Claire McKinney

be your own bossIf you are like a lot of people, you work in a full time job, but the hours you signed up for are far fewer than the ones you actually put in, and your raises have been paltry to non-existent for the past eight or so years.  You feel like you could do better, but you aren’t sure you have what it takes to go out on your own, start your own business, and be your own boss.

Today I was listening the Business Bootcamp Podcast and I started thinking about how people might figure out whether or not they should be working for “The Man/Woman” or not.  Since my agency represents a lot of entrepreneurs, whether they be experts, authors, or thought leaders, I thought I would try to encapsulate some of the signs I’ve noticed we have in common that may be trying to steer you on a more independent path.

  1. You are working really hard, paying your bills with not much leftover, and nearly every day you think you should be doing something else.
  2. You see the need for products and services that are not yet on the market and you can’t understand why no one is doing something about it.
  3. You were hired for your creativity and yet every time you share a new idea your colleagues and peers look at you like you have two heads or like you are vying for their jobs.
  4. You share ideas with your boss who says they are outstanding and yet time after time he goes with the status quo.
  5. You try to implement a new idea at work and you are thrown under the bus when there is a problem, even though it may not have anything to do with your idea or your execution of it.
  6. You dread going to work every day.
  7. You are rarely excited during the week.
  8. You look back at your life and realize that in your younger days you were very industrious to the point of having a lemonade stand, a paper route, top dollars in girl/boy scout fundraisers, and more.
  9. Older people used to tell you about all of the potential that you had and how you might change the world.
  10. You get bored easily, are a bit ADHD/ADD, and feel like you are going to jump out of your skin if you have to sit in your chair for one more minute.
  11. You felt like you had to get out of high school to get started with your life and then in college you started to feel the same.
  12. Others are drawn to your enthusiasm and unique take on life and the universe.

Some or all of these may apply to you.  I would never say it’s easy to be your own boss or that you have to do it even if the signs are there, but if you are struggling with the idea and want some help evaluating, this may be for you.

Case Studies #4: Is Publishing Abroad the Solution to Rejection in the U.S.?

Posted on by Claire McKinney

publishing abroad in the ukFeel like you can’t get arrested in the U.S. when it comes to publishing your literary novel? Fewer publishers, especially the major ones, are accepting much new fiction from unknown authors.  The financial returns just aren’t good enough for the bottom line.  If you are willing to keep an open mind and you have already decided self-publishing isn’t for you, it’s time to get creative and consider publishing abroad.

This is what one of our clients did several years ago with a collection of short stories.  The story of how he didn’t get published in the U.S. is textbook.  First of all he is a critic for books, movies, and music, and as such is known by a lot of people in the entertainment industry (publishers too!).  He has an agent who did all the right things, and the rejection letters sang the praises of the author and the book.  But that’s just it–it was a pile of rejections, thanks but no thanks.

Through a long-time friend and with his agent’s blessing, our client was published by an independent U.K. press.  Promoting the book under these circumstances was a challenge, but I’m not so sure that it would have been so much easier if a domestic publisher had taken the book.

There are a few things to note regarding the process in this situation.  The main one being that there were very few differences in this publishing model from any indie book project. The book was available print-on-demand through the major online retailers and Ingram and it was set up as an ebook on Amazon, BN.com, and Kobo.  I’m sure in the U.K. all of the standard outlets had it as well, but for our purposes here I am focusing on the U.S. sales channels.

Since this publisher is a known entity albeit a small one, we were able to get a couple of trade reviews without paying a self-published book fee.  Both Shelf Awareness and Publishers Weekly have covered this author’s book from this publisher.  Also, because the book is very literary, we looked to the outlets we know pay attention to the genre and don’t pay particular attention to how big the house is that produces the book.  Foreword Reviews in particular covered the novel very favorably and in fact singled it out as a staff pick for one of the best novels of 2015!  There was also a feature in a local NY paper on the author, notable online coverage like Lambda Literary, and blogs.

As it turned out, the novel and author made out pretty well in the field of literary fiction.  One thing that is always important to consider is that this particular genre is not a huge money-making proposition, which is why it is not attractive for many publishing houses.  For the authors, it is about climbing and achieving little goals in search of name recognition, building a dedicated readership, and selling books.  It takes time and demands that you write, write, write, as well as devote your own resources to the process.

Here I am showing you yet another example of how people are forging ahead with their dreams to write and publish–this time, publishing abroad to find his literary audience–and finding more ways to get around the traditional industry to get the job done.

Case Studies 3: Accepting the Audience that Wants Your Book and Reaping the Benefits

Posted on by Claire McKinney

You have an MFA in Creative Writing from a respected program/university.  You have been carefully crafting your story and verbiage to create the best literary debut you can. Now for promotion and the audience that comes with it—Paris Review?  The New Yorker? Tin House? New York Times Book Review? Not likely.

Whether you are published by a traditional publisher with a lot of muscle, a small independent press, or your own book production venture, no one can count on that kind of coverage for literary novels.  For one thing, there just aren’t enough venues anymore.  The other problem is that there are too many books and too little time, and frankly, if you are not published by Knopf or Simon & Schuster, you just won’t command the kind of attention you need to get into one of those classic publications.

Whatever you do, don’t stop writing and don’t give up hope for promotion!  We need great writing and great books, and while you can’t market a work of serious fiction as a chick lit novel, you can consider what other audiences might be interested in your story.

Recently we worked with an author and a novel.  It was definitely a literary book, but it also had different attributes that gave it potential in some niche audiences that were actually bigger than the more esoteric fiction readers that serious writers like to reach. The author had supported herself in non-traditional ways while working on her writing and had achieved a position as a teacher and founder of a charity that promotes writing for children in underdeveloped countries. She definitely had the credentials of a writer.

Since we specialize in promoting fiction across multiple genres and niches, we maximized our focus to include media that covered fiction, literary fiction, romance, christian fiction, debut novelists, philanthropy, and New York City settings.  We approached bloggers, websites, print, radio, and when warranted, television.

We were pretty happy with the coverage from the general fiction audiences and the publisher secured a review in the top trade, but what really paid off was a review on USAToday.com from a reviewer interested in the romance/womens fiction angle.  This review was not only a good one, but it did a couple of things that benefitted the author in a number of ways.  First of all when it ran there was a spike in sales on Amazon.com.  We were able to use the review and its national print-to-online paper status to secure additional media including a local television station in one of her home markets.  Was she happy about the review?  Well, at first not so enthusiastic because she was concerned that she would be “pigeon holed” as a romance writer.  I say “who cares?” as long as you sell books at this stage of the game.

Now I am also a branding strategist, so I do know that is important to avoid being classified as something that isn’t appropriate for you or your career.  However, one review for a debut novel isn’t going to determine your path.  It is a milestone that needs to be appreciated for what it is and to be used in as many positive ways as possible.

One of the best things she got from the deal? She was able to get a Bookbub promotion on the first try.  If any of you have tried to secure a slot on this infamous discounted book marketing site, you may have tried two or three times and perhaps did not even get accepted in the end.  One of their requirements is that they have legitimate reviews or news coverage of a book, whether traditionally or self-published and USAToday.com definitely can help put you over the top in terms of qualifying.

Her promotion ran, and her Amazon rank went from five figures to the lower threes, somewhere around 300, which is a major leap in ranking.  Sales activity like this will increase her audience; garner more Amazon/Goodreads reviews and ratings; generate additional full price sales; and will help along with the press coverage when she wants to bring out her next book and is searching for a publisher.

A couple of lessons here: Try to find every possible way to promote your fiction even if it doesn’t lead you to the coveted New York Times review.  When you do get a big nod that isn’t exactly what you wanted, revel in it, celebrate, do the ten second dance of joy, take a breath…and get back to work.

Social Media 101: Using LinkedIn as an Author Tool

Posted on by Claire McKinney

LinkedIn logoLinkedIn was once just a medium for making connections, and it was utilized most heavily by recruiters and people looking for jobs. It has since upgraded itself to a social media site with room for postings, groups to join, and a direct way to connect with people in your area of expertise. If you are an authority on a topic or have a book related to business, science, health, and many other recognizable fields, LinkedIn is for you.

Some tips on using LinkedIn include:

1. Fill out your profile completely! Think of every place you can add information as an opportunity to present what you are trying to convey or sell.
2. Think of LinkedIn as a way to post your resume to thousands simultaneously. Whereas Facebook might have a picture of your cat associated with your profile, on LinkedIn you should use a photo of yourself or your brand’s logo, book jacket, etc.
3. If you are currently working in your field, you can list your title in your description of yourself. If you are a writer and have won a prize, you may want to identify yourself as “National Book Award Winning Writer.” Maybe you are a cook with a book on cupcakes and you have a blog under that name—identify yourself as “The Cupcake Maven” (or whatever your blog name might be).
4. Sync your contacts with LinkedIn to get immediate connections. Respond to requests to connect and send out your own inquiries. You can search for people that relate to what you are promoting and you can ask to connect with them so they start to see your posts. Also make sure to get back to people who want to reach you in a timely manner.
5. Post a couple of times per week. As with Facebook, there is no need to say something new every day. Some ideas for posts are a link to a new blog on your website (if you have one); an interesting article related to your interests; and any new development in your business or with your book.

There are two levels of membership on LinkedIn. What we have described above works on the free version. If you want to send direct messages to people through LinkedIn and otherwise interact with the platform in a more in depth way, you will need to check out their Premium service, which does carry a fee.

Do you use LinkedIn as an author tool? Tweet @mckinneypr on ways that you use it!

Writer’s Circle Speaker Series Recap: What Is a Brand & Where Can I Get One?

Posted on by Claire McKinney

Thanks to the Writers Circle for having me come in and talk about branding, publicity, and marketing with them! From the Writer’s Circle blog:

clairemckinney writer's circle

The idea of promoting my own literary work makes me want to hide under a blanket with a bag of leftover Halloween candy. Or maybe mint Oreos…, but you get the point.

Noted literary publicist Claire McKinney understands.

At a two-hour Writers Circle workshop she led on author branding and promotion last weekend, McKinney acknowledged this common reaction. “This is not something writers like to do. But in the current publishing environment, there’s a greater onus on individual authors to be involved in promoting themselves and their projects.”

Continue to the re-cap!!