3 Tips For Getting More Book Sales

Today I had the honor of interviewing Tasra Dawson, author of Real Women Scrap. I first met Tasra when she approached me to review her book. Since that initial email, we've corresponded a few times via email and I can say that she has a genuine heart for helping women slow down and live in the moment. Not only does she thrive on building relationships, but building memories are her mainstay in life. Discover how she got into writing and what the road to publication is like...

How did writing become your career? Did it find you or did you find it?

I've always been a writer. I still have stories that I wrote when I was six or seven years old, complete with illustrations, author bio, and dedication to my little brother. However, in college I was told and believed that I wouldn't be able to make it as a writer; that writing was only for the "special" or "gifted" people. So I decided to do the next best thing: teach.

Teaching is a wonderful thing and a gift to students. I taught middle school for four years. I also led clubs, coached basketball, cross-country, and started a girls dance team. My time teaching really brought me out of my timid and quiet shell because I had to be in front of 30 students every day. My fear of speaking was eliminated because of the skills I gained while teaching. This is a priceless gift.

But my heart was always with writing. In my fourth year of teaching I switched schools and had a very rough year with the new students and administration. During that time I spent many nights wondering if there was something else for me to do. With the encouragement and support of my husband, we decided that I would "try" writing for a while. I would fulfill my teaching contract for that year, but in the meantime I would pursue writing.

A month later I finished my first novel. Three months later I attended my first writer's conference in Mount Hermon, California. Six months later my first article was published in Encounter, a magazine for teens. I quit my "day job" in June and embarked on my writing career. Although it hasn't always been easy, I've never questioned that first step into the unknown that I took nearly three years ago.

What was your biggest obstacle when it came to pitching your work to a publisher or agent?

There are two primary obstacles I have faced when pitching my work to publishers: experience and focus. When it came to novels or nonfiction books, I didn't have a platform (built-in audience), writing credits, or industry connections. That lack of experience was not enough to overcome a publisher's objections to my ideas and proposals. So I began to build writing credits through magazines and other publications, as well as building an online platform through blogging and speaking engagements. It takes time and effort, but one of the best ways to begin is by attending a quality writing conference. That's where I found my start.

The focus issue is something that many writers struggle with. It's the whole branding issue as related to the book world. How will people know you? What sets you apart? What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? It wasn't until I answered these questions for myself that I was able to articulate them to others and infuse my writing with it as well. My USP is threefold:

1. To inspire people to discover their purpose and passion and live it out to the fullest every day.
2. To validate those who feel invisible overlooked, ignored and forgotten.
3. To use my life experiences, example and story to bring freedom, health, and wholeness to others.

Books sales rely on marketing efforts, what is your best marketing tip?

Only one? How about my top three? I must warn you that these may not be the most common answers to a question about marketing, but they are what I do.

1. Give Back.

The best marketing tip I can give is to give back-to your community, other authors, your readers, etc. Not only does it leave you feeling energized and inspired, but I truly believe that when we open our lives and hearts to others that unexpected doors will open. I have experienced that in my writing so many times that I know it to be true. The way I gave back initially was to teens interested in writing. I wasn't teaching anymore so I started a monthly teen writer's group at Barnes and Noble. We regularly met, critiqued work, and read books on writing. That teaching brought me in contact with the staff at the store, published authors, and some great aspiring writers. When I've approached others asking for advice or help, I often receive a favorable response and I believe that's because I first want to give. Now that I have a published book, I look for ways to give it away and truly enjoy giving more than receiving.

1. Take Risks.

You can live life in one of three ways: safe, stretch or risk.

1. • Safe is pretty self-explanatory. You keep your day job, talk about writing, dream about writing, maybe even do a bit of writing, but there are no deadlines, no accountability, no risks.

1. • Stretch is joining a writing group, setting some deadlines and goals, and maybe finding a writing buddy to keep you accountable. You're stretching your writing limits, but have you taken a risk yet?

1. • Risk is where we're uncomfortable; we don't really want to move forward because there is fear involved and possibly pain. But risk is exactly where we need to allow ourselves to go. Risk is submitting a query letter to an editor, taking a proposal to a writing conference, finishing that very first novel. Once you're published, risk is telling people about your book, sending out reviews, visiting bookstores, and asking for endorsements. This is where I'm living now as I promote my book, Real Women Scrap. It's scary, it's uncomfortable, but it's all worth it when one reader tells me that his/her life has been changed because I was willing to take a risk.

1. Get A Blog.

The blogosphere is taking over the online world. There are columns in magazines like Entrepreneur, Money, and Home Business magazine. Even more than that, you can find references to blogging in women's magazines, men's magazines and even craft magazines. If you're going to market yourself, you need a blog.

I set up my blog, Lessons from the Scrapbook Page, less than six months ago and have already had nearly 10,000 visitors. I couldn't do this in person or with a new website. A blog allows people to get to know you and when people trust you they are willing to buy from you. Establishing a blog helps you develop your niche and strengthen your voice. The discipline of maintaining a blog can help you meet your writing goals and assist in forming online connections with other writers. It's relatively cheap (from free to $15/month) and pretty painless to set up. There are a thousand free resource blogs that will guide you through the entire process. If you want to step up your marketing efforts, it's time to join the blog bandwagon.

Visit her at http://www.realwomenscrap.com/

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