WARNING: Writers, Do Not Act Out Your Characters In REAL LIFE…You May End Up Like This Author.

You all know Cat pretty well. If I come across something literary I feel is worthy of sharing? Then I will!

Please, authors, if you are going to be a writer and publish your books of romance suspense novels? Don’t act out your storyline and characters in REAL LIFE!

Actually though, not funny but ironic as someone in real life died… The Author’s Husband by her hands. I feel a new book in the making…CAT

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Nancy Brophy’s Amazon Author Profile and Published Books. Now Charged With Murder.


About The Author:  Nancy Brophy grew up reading and writing. Her imaginary friends have rich lives and less self-doubts with stories that have beginning, middles and happy ending all within four hundred pages. She lives in the beautiful, green and very wet Northwest with her husband, two naughty dogs, PB and J, and forty rowdy chickens.

Novelist Who Penned ‘How To Murder Your Husband’ Essay Charged With Husband’s Murder.


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(Nancy Crampton-Brophy has been charged with the murder of her husband, Daniel Brophy. She is the author of romantic suspense novels and, in a 2011 blog post, outlined various motives and methods of killing a husband. Credit: Portland, OR Police Bureau and NPR and The Oregonian)
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“How do you get away with murder? Maybe don’t write a blog post about getting away with murder.”

Last week, police in Portland arrested 68-year-old Nancy Crampton-Brophy. She is charged with the murder in the death of her 63-year-old husband, chef Daniel Brophy.

At 8:30 a.m. on June 2, police and medics arrived at The Oregon Culinary Institute after students and instructors arriving for class found Brophy suffering from a gunshot wound. The first responders attempted to revive him but weren’t successful. In a press conference that day, police said that they were investigating the death as a homicide and that they had no immediate suspects.

Crampton-Brophy is a self-published author of romantic suspense novels, many featuring chiseled ex-Navy SEALs — books with “rugged men, strong women, and a good story,” she touted on her website. There she described her home life — part of which read like the satisfying last pages of a romance novel:

“I live in the beautiful, green, and very wet, Northwest, married to a Chef whose mantra is: life is a science project. As a result there are chickens and turkeys in my backyard, a fabulous vegetable garden which also grows tobacco for an insecticide and a hot meal on the table every night. For those of you who have longed for this, let me caution you. The old adage is true. Be careful what you wish for, when the gods are truly angry, they grant us our wishes.

“… I can’t tell you when I fell in love with my husband, but I relate the moment I decided to marry him. I was in the bath. It was a big tub. I expected him to join me and when he was delayed, I called out, ‘Are you coming?’

“His answer convinced me he was Mr. Right. ‘Yes, but I’m making hors d’oeuvres.’ Can you imagine spending the rest of your life without a man like that?”

But in 2011, for a blog called See Jane Publish, Crampton-Brophy wrote an essay titled “How to Murder Your Husband.” (The post is no longer public.)

“As a romantic suspense writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about murder and, consequently, about police procedure,” the post read. “After all, if the murder is supposed to set me free, I certainly don’t want to spend any time in jail. And let me say clearly for the record, I don’t like jumpsuits and orange isn’t my color.”

The essay described a range of possible motives for murdering a husband, ranging from avoiding the financial hit of a divorce to infidelity by a “lying, cheating bastard,” and even the possibility that the wife is a professional contract killer. It also weighed the pros and cons of different methods: “Guns — loud, messy, require some skill. … Knives — really personal and close up. Blood everywhere. Eww.”

She warned against committing a crime of passion: “Most of the time there is a trail that leads directly to you. Each type of murder leaves clues. A crime of passion does not look like a stranger was involved.”

The couple had been married for 27 years, according to The Oregonian, and were reportedly inseparable. Brophy was a lead instructor at the culinary institute, where he was remembered as “the resident encyclopedia of knowledge” with “offbeat sense of humor and creative approach to teaching.”

The day after her husband’s death, Crampton-Brophy posted an update to Facebook.

“I have sad news to relate. My husband and best friend, Chef Dan Brophy was killed yesterday morning. For those of you who are close to me and feel this deserved a phone call, you are right, but I’m struggling to make sense of everything right now,” she wrote. “While I appreciate all of your loving responses, I am overwhelmed. Please save phone calls for a few days until I can function.”

But a neighbor, Don McConnell, told the Oregonian of an odd interaction with the widow. “She never showed any signs of being upset or sad,” McConnell said. “I would say she had an air of relief like it was almost a godsend.” He asked whether the police had been keeping her updated. “She said, ‘No, I’m a suspect,’ ” without emotion, McConnell said.

The news was a jolt to others. “It’s a big shock. It’s a big shock,” Brophy’s mother, Karen Brophy, told The Washington Post. “But we’re not making any statements.”

“Everyone that knows her, especially those close to her than myself are sick at heart,” Anna Brentwood, a writer who says she has known the couple for two decades told the Oregonian. “We are hoping the police are wrong and just going after the easiest target.”

At a candlelight vigil a week after his death, Daniel Brophy was remembered as being gruff on the outside, compassionate underneath. Attendees recalled a cow costume the instructor used with Velcro labels to illustrate cuts of beef.

The costume was hand-sewn by Crampton-Brophy, who spoke of her late husband. “He loved teaching, he loved mushrooms, and he loved family,” she said, according to the Portland Tribune. “Not only was life a science experiment, but sometimes it was an adventure.” Near the end of the blog post imagining how and why to kill one’s husband, Crampton-Brophy wrote that she finds “it is easier to wish people dead than to actually kill them.”

“I don’t want to worry about blood and brains splattered on my walls. And really, I’m not good at remembering lies. But the thing I know about murder is that every one of us has it in him/her when pushed far enough.”


Crampton-Brophy was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Thursday. The judge approved a request by prosecutors to seal the court document outlining the case against her. She wore a blue jumpsuit.

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BUT WAIT, READERS!!… Here is the CRAZY PART of this…I went to her Facebook page here Author, Nancy Brophy and her Readers are leaving her Supportive Posts for her there??? WHAT? This lady shots here husband and readers are supporting her? WOW! Now I have seen and READ it all! Now I am not a heartless person, but you are supporting a murderer, people.

There is also another Facebook page; Remembering Daniel Brophy by her husbands’ co-workers of “The Culinary Institue” in Portland, Oregon. Let’s remember a man died in this tragic event. I guess will see if Nancy is or is not his killer as she moves through the court proceedings. Yes, I know, Innocent until proven Guilty…

“I just heard on the radio here in Arkansas that Chef Brophy was shot and killed at the culinary school I attended. He was an amazing man, teacher, and friend. He and his class are the best memories I have when I think back on my time there. Flavors of the World taught me so much about spices, herbs, and of course, mushrooms. You will always have a special place in my heart and you will be missed by so many culinarians that you influenced in your life and theirs.”

 

Literary Happenings? Readers Need To Know and Cat’s Reading Den Shares It!

Welcome Friends, Readers, and New Visitors!

 

There sure has been loads going on lately with all of ‘Cat’s Authors’ I enjoy sharing, work with, and some new authors too! Now above, my girl, Popular Author and Brazil’s Daughter Adriana Gravazzoni has been traveling everywhere with her award-winning release of “Behind The Door,” book one of her Sexy Romantic Psychological Thriller Series titled; Hidden Motives. But before we get to Adriana and some of her new book reviews?

Let me share first a new book release and blog tour coming in Oct 1st — 8th, 2018 and you can Pre-Order “Comes A Specter” (Ghostland Book 2)  The Kindle Addition Now!

 

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Comes A Specter (Ghostland Book 2) by [Diablo, Keta]
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The blog tour is for the popular author and a fantastic fiction writer, Keta Diablo … Keta is a multi-published author in both erotic romance and gay fiction, historical fictions and paranormal westerns as well. She writes it all!

Here is more about the New Release:

Six months ago, Anya Fleming’s ten-year-old son, Willie-boy, found his father hanging in the barn. Traumatized over his father’s suicide, the boy hasn’t spoken a word since. Now, Willie-boy has come down with a grave, unknown illness and there’s only one man who can save him, Sutter Sky, a learned Blackfoot shaman known as Yellow Smoke—a shaman who was once deeply in love with Anya.

But Fate had other plans for Anya and Sutter—she was forced to marry Lewis Fleming, a cruel man who berated her night and day, and brokenhearted Sutter immersed himself in the mystical customs and beliefs of his People and became a shaman
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As if Anya didn’t have enough to deal with after her husband’s death and son’s illness, an evil, sinister ghost is terrorizing their ranch. Anya is convinced the spirit is Lewis, who apparently isn’t done making her life miserable.

When she turns to Yellow Smoke for help, will he put aside his bitterness and save Willie-boy? And can the renowned shaman dispel the powerful ghost from their lives and send him back to Hades?

If you are book blogger or reviewer and would like to be part of Kets’s Book Tour or host her for an interview, spotlight, etc., Please sign up with The Fabulous Babs Book Bistro here on her Google Form Schedule! To learn all about this event about the author.

 

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Next up is our Author, Kim Carter, and her next appearance ~ The Harlem Branch Library! Branch Manager: Amanda Dove 145 N Louisville St
Harlem, GA 30814 — (706) 650-5009  

Harlem Branch Library, Sept. 29, 2018, 10 a.m.-2p.m.

 

 

DEADLY ODDS    

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Fresh off being chosen as a “Finalist” for a Killer Nashville Falchion Award, Kim has many exciting events and appearances coming up like this one on September 20th, 2018 just outside Augusta, GA at – The Columbia County Library – Call Above For The Details!

She will be featuring her title; “Deadly Odds” and others. There will be several authors featured for this showing and is an amazing reader event for this area of Georgia!

 

LOCAL AUTHOR SHOWCASE

Harlem Branch Library, Sept. 29, 2018, 10 a.m.-2p.m.

Come out and meet several authors from the local area. For more information please visit our local authors’ page at http://gchrl.org

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Next up is my girl Author, Adriana Gavazzoni! This summer she has been traveling around as her books have been releasing in other countries other than Brazil and being available online! This is a snapshot of her with Book One ~ “Behind The Door” releasing in Madrid, Spain, and several other places. And just announced? Her book two of “Lara’s Journal” was chosen as a “Top Shelf Finalist for The Indie Excellence Awards!” AND? On Television!!

 

Adriana Gavazzoni

September 7 at 12:07 PM · 

Translate Please!
“The channel everything Curitiba accompanied the launch Behind the Door”


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YOUTUBE.COM

Fomos acompanhar o lançamento do livro Atrás da Porta, da escritora Adriana Gavazzoni. A obra foi publicada nos Estados Unidos, recebeu diversos…
Adriana’s “Behind The Door” is now available in SPAIN! As she traveled and did a little book tour and signings in several countries where her ‘Hidden Motives’ series will now be in Book Stores. How fabulous is that?

She has also been receiving more amazing book reviews as well and here is one I thought hot the mark spot on…

BOOK REVIEW BY 

Behind the Door | A. Gavazzoni

 

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The book “Behind the Door” tells the story of Lara dying at the hands of her boyfriend Mark, a famous New York lawyer. Carl, Mark’s lawyer, to help with the client’s defense case that Lara’s death was accidental resolves to hire the psychiatrist Simone. The psychiatrist is a famous speaker and author of books on sexual behavior who accepts her work and begins reading Mark’s detailed printed texts about her passionate relationship with Lara. She studies every detail to form her final analysis of whether the girl’s boyfriend is innocent or not.

Simone attends psychiatric patients, with sexual disturbances and unusual fantasies, while researching sadomasochistic sexual behaviors for her next book and parallel to the office traces the profile of the lawyer and Lara as she reads the stories. She has a partner who is her best friend and research-partner. Edward helps police investigate a possible serial killer who tortures and kills women.

“Assassins follow standards that ultimately lead to them. Those of these were signs of torture, the victims’ travels, the violent deaths, the absence of rape and the sperm on the bodies. This was his trademark, his morbid signature ”

Gavazzoni has a unique, fluid writing, the scenes are of a veracity that comes to give shivers, excitement, curiosity, and desire to devour each page as if there were no tomorrow. The scenarios run between New York and Paris watered by the play of words, seduction, mystery and a mix of feelings that can only feel who read the work. 

“Simone did not feel tired. The text he was reading was absorbing. If it was a novel, it would be a bestseller, one of those impossible to quit. While reading, he forgot about life, eating and resting “

 

The writer in writing the reports of Mark’s Diary, the psychiatric appointments with the strangest cases of sexual disturbance, the serial killer murders and all the complements of the work was of an excellent intelligence. Simply phenomenal!

 

It’s not just a psychological thriller, it’s a junction of categories. It is a complete work! What also surprises me is the fact that the writer is Brazilian, recognized and internationally awarded with her books in English and not so popular in our national scenario. The prejudice rooted by some who are only “good foreign authors” should fall to the ground before the writing of Adriana Gavazzoni.

 

Some awards received were: Behind The Door, won the 2017 Golden Book Award in the United States, Book Excellence Award 2017 in Canada, Honorable Mention at the Paris Book Festival 2017 and Reader’s Favorite Award 2017. I hope the author can soon be awarded nationally.

 

Finally, the work was the best book read by me in 2018 with a fantastic plot, unusual sex scenes, friendship, humor, romance, love, sadism, masochism, hilarious patients, mystery, secrets, pedophilia, suspense, psychopathy, family, life, and death. I await the translation into Portuguese of the book II- Lara’s diary. ~ 

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~ ~  All Books Above Are For Purchase on Amazon online! ~ ~ Happy Reading!!

Delighted and Had An Amazing Interview on “What’s Your Excuse” Show! With Host Max Ivy Jr. – The Blind Blogger.

Yes, I will confess I am a media hound when it comes to sharing all I do with those who invite me to be a guest on their show! On the recovery side of things, I will speak and advocate at any chance I can get. On the book promoting side, I just enjoy sharing all that I do to help new and seasoned authors. Max did a great job pulling out some of my marketing secrets!

It was a delightful interview I know all authors and writers will enjoy listening to. So have a pencil and paper ready to take notes.

What’s Your Excuse Show With Author, Catherine Lyon


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About Author and Show Host Maxwell Ivy Jr.

“While Max may not be able to see with his eyes, he opens the eyes of everyone around him. ”  ~ ‘Super Joe Pardo Show”

 

Hello; My name is Maxwell Ivey, Max to my friends; and that is what I hope we will become.

 

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I am a 49-year-old  blind gentleman who grew up in a family of carnival owners. All I ever wanted to do was to continue in my father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and be part of the family business.

As you can tell by reading this, that isn’t where I ended up. I did help in the business over the years, but couldn’t sustain it after the early death of my father (who had lung cancer). I then turned to helping people sell their amusement equipment. I do that on my other site, The Midway Marketplace.

I started blogging to promote that site and met a lot of wonderful people in the blogosphere. They told me that I had an amazing story and many commented on how I inspired them. They finally convinced me that I had a bigger purpose in store for myself.

So, I started this second blog, and in it I share more of my personal journey, struggles, and triumphs. I also got noticed by a lot of people and have appeared as a guest, an interview subject, and a motivator on many different sites. My As Seen Online page lists these places.

I do my best to help others and do so mostly by encouraging them to take steps towards their ultimate goal or to continue on the path they have started. I am now offering coaching to help people who are stuck and frustrated with not being able to find their passion or follow their dreams once they have determined what they want in their lives.

I am also available to speak to groups. I believe that by sharing the story of my personal growth and transformation, it will motivate and inspire anyone who hears it. In addition to starting a new business, I have also lost over 250 pounds through a combination of gastric surgery, diet, exercise, positive attitude, meditation, and prayer.

I believe I can help you. If you have questions for me, just ask them via the contact form. If anything, I am known for being too forthcoming!

I want to get to know you and become friends. I want to hear about your dreams and aspirations as well as your fears and concerns. I want to help you to grow to be that person you were meant to be.

I look forward to speaking with you. Let’s talk soon.  Thanks and take care out there.

Max …

 

The Blind Blogger’s NYC Adventures: + How You Can Make YOUR Dreams Come True  Leading You out of the Darkness into the Light: A Blind Man's Inspirational Guide to Success  Now on Amazon!

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I Will See You and Help You

Because I listen with my heart, I will see all of you. I will see those hidden abilities, possibilities, and opportunities.

I will see the roadblocks you put up between you and success. I will show you the lies that you tell yourself. I will correct those lies that the world has told you.

Why Me?

Because I have already done this in my own life.

When my father’s death resulted in the closure of our family’s small traveling carnival, I had to figure out what to do next.

I started by doing the only thing I thought I knew how to do. I helped other people sell their surplus amusement equipment.

Every day brought a new challenge. I had to learn so much. The amazing thing was that every time I accomplished something new, it gave me the confidence to believe that I could do even bigger things.

Since then, I have come so far and still have much farther I want to go.

My Accomplishments

I went from a morbidly obese, failed carnival owner to respected amusement equipment broker in the best health of my life.

I went from a frightened radio show guest to being a prolific online media guest to hosting my own podcast called the What’s Your Excuse Show.

I went from writing my first book on a dare to competing for and winning the Amtrak prestigious Writers In Residence Award. I’m now working on my fourth self-help book.

Are You Ready?

If you are ready to finally accomplish those big goals and dreams, then what are you waiting for?

If you want someone who has been there and done that… and who will see through your bullshit, and challenge you, then who else could you get that would be better than me?

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Max Ivey headshot

Take a chance on yourself and Visit My Website to schedule a call with me. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain!
“Life Coaching With The Blind Blogger.”

Please do visit Max as he would make an exceptional dynamic motivational speaker for your next event or conference as he inspires everyone to be their best. Maxwell Ivy Jr. Speaking and Life Coaching.

How Do You Write? Are You a Spiritual or Straight Forward Writer? Either One Is Fine …

I wanted to share with you today a good friend and his amazing writing. His blog is one of my favorite sights. Even though I mostly guest share every now and then some of his posts on my recovery blog, this particular post is about how he writes and felt it was more appropriate to share here on my book blog because as writers write for many reasons. We also write for many different purposes like for a book, a publication, an article, or just to write a new blog post.

But whatever the reason or what motivates you as a writer, we can share the process behind it. Tony Roberts does this in a unique way. His site is amazing, interesting, and informative. I surely know once you visit, you will know you are in a special place.

He is like me, he to battles with mental health challenges, but it does not stop his creative writing process. Let’s read just how Tony gets prepared! … Catherine *Cat* :-)

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~ Courtesy & By Author, Tony Roberts ~

 “Careless or Carefree Speech” 

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With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. (James 3.9)

Each time I sit down before a keyboard and stare at a blank screen, I say a quiet prayer that my words glorify God and encourage God’s people. There is so much hate speech in the world today. I count it my ministry to say something not only truthful but uplifting.

Speak the truth in love, as Paul writes in Ephesians. When we do, we make a tremendous impact on those who hear us, many of whom have been beaten down for years with messages that they are no good, that what they do is not worthy, that they will never measure up, that they are not loved.

I had a high school tennis coach who knew the power of encouraging speech. He knew next to nothing about tennis, but he knew how to inspire us. He taught us that we each had an integral role to play on the team. He made us want to improve to become as valuable as we were in his eyes. He brought in talented community players as his assistants to teach us the game.

He had nothing to pay them except his uplifting words that they were making a major difference in the lives of young men. And that was more than enough In just two years, we went from being the laughing stocks to perennial conference champs, the team to beat filled with confident young men who had someone who saw their value not just in sport. but in life.

Each of us has immeasurable value as ones created in the image of God. This image has been stained by sin, no doubt. But we don’t restore this goodness with damning speech. Too often, as James shows, we allow careless speech to slip through our lips. We beat people up with what we say and the way we say it.

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Often this is with the best intentions. We say things we think will be helpful. We talk about people under a thin veil of concern, when in fact, we are just gossiping in such a way that we tear them down.

As one who has a severe mental illness, I have experienced first hand how debilitating speech can be. When I got out of the hospital after my first episode, I found there were many more talking about me than talking to me. By God’s grace, I did receive a great deal of encouragement from some who counterbalanced the ill effects of the gossip. But it still hurt. And left permanent scars.

Instead of careless speech that tears down, we are called to a sort of carefree speech that comes from a faithful heart. When genuine faith lives in the heart, it will be connected to the tongue and impact what is said. Love, peace, and joy will be seeds of hope sown to produce hope in the lives of the hurting.

““For the rest of his life, Oliver Twist remembers a single word of blessing spoken to him by another child because this word stood out so strikingly from the consistent discouragement around him.” ― Charles DickensOliver Twist.

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Who will you encourage this week?

What will you say?

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Writing Our Books, How Much Do Publishers Think About Marketability? Featured Guest Article: Marketing Your Book 101 …

Most all my book marketing clients know when they hire me to market and promote their books that I am a stickler when it comes to research and visiting many writer and book marketing websites. I am always on the hunt for information or guest article that I know will help my authors and writers. I came across an exceptional article on the best place for all thriller, suspense, and mystery writers and readers called Killer Nashville and submit your book for a free review!

The Article is by Erik Deckers and has some solid advice about our books marketability and book promoting 101. I hope you find it informative and I will at the end share with you my thoughts about the new Twitter Promo Mode … CAT 

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Marketing Your Book 101 ~ Erik Deckers

“If you’ve been writing for any lengthy period of time, you’re familiar with the catch twenty-two of publishing: you want to write your book your way, but you also want it to sell. Sometimes, those two desires don’t run parallel.

Sacrifices are made, compromises are drawn, lines in the sand erased. In this month’s “Marketing Your Book 101”, marketing/promotion guru Erik Deckers offers up some advice on how to sell your book without selling your soul.”  ~Killer Nashville

Want to get a writer good and riled up? Do one of two things: 1) Ask where they stand on the Oxford comma; 2) Ask about the marketability of their book.

I can’t help you with the Oxford comma, but I can tell you quite a bit about a book’s marketability.

Marketability is often the last thing many authors want to think about. They want their art to stand on its own, and to write the stories they want to write, not what the masses want.

But marketability is often the first thing many publishers consider. They want to know how many people might want it, and how well you can market it.

In my first book proposal, I had to answer a few questions about whether there were books similar to mine, the size of my social media following, and whether I had an email newsletter list.

(Careful readers will note the Oxford comma in the previous sentence.)

Because the book was about social media and personal branding, my co-author, Kyle, and I both had a decent social media following, he had a sizable email newsletter list, and there were almost no books about personal branding. So we scored high on marketability, which we learned later went a long way in getting that book deal.

Yay, book marketability!

For us, marketability was a combination of whether a lot of people would buy the book, and how well we could promote it.

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The book market for social media, in general, was already being tapped out. Kyle and I had written a book about Twitter marketing the previous year, but this was new territory for us. If we hadn’t come up with a new idea that appealed to a large crowd, we never would have gotten the deal.

But my previous success has not meant automatic deals later on. I’ve proposed other book ideas since then, but the social media book market has just about run its course. If I want to write another book, I need to come up with a brand new idea.

Book marketability sucks.

How Much Do Publishers Think About Marketability?
First, just know that publishers do look at the marketability of your work, almost as much as they look at the quality of your work. And that goes into the decision of whether they’ll publish your book or not.

Don’t get me wrong. You could have 1 million Twitter followers, but if your work isn’t that great, it will never be published. (Still, if you have 1 million loyal Twitter followers, do you really need a publisher? Self-publish that sucker!)

You may have written the greatest story about teenage vampire wizards who fight zombies, but since that one has already been done to death (I hope!), you’re not going to get a lot of love from traditional publishers.

The marketability of a book is not just about the size of your social networks, it includes whether the book will be interesting to the largest number of people. When we wrote Branding Yourself in 2010, it was only the second book of its kind. But in the last several years, there have been a few hundred titles published on social media and its various sub-topics, so our publishers knew they had to strike fast. We were in the right place at the right time.

Having said that, I’ve read some pretty mediocre books published by people with big fat social networks, and it’s easy to see how much consideration the social networks were given. (Hint: way, way too much.)

So Should Marketability Affect Your Content Choices?
Yes and no.

No, it should not, because you should be free to write the book you want, and people should buy it because it’s good, not because it’s what the masses want. On the other hand. . . .

Yes, it should, because your publisher (ideally) knows what the public wants. If you can give it to them, you’ll sell lots of copies, and you’ll go on book tours where your publisher will put you up in the finest discount hotels and eat at the finest fast-casual restaurant chains. On the other hand. . .

No, it shouldn’t, because you have options! You can skip the whole traditional publishing route, and self-publish on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. (Again, note the Oxford comma.) You can market your own book, or sell print-on-demand copies at book fairs and community fairs. On the other hand. . .

Yes, it should, because you can win the greatest number of readers if you pay attention to what the public likes, and try to keep up. On the other hand. . .

No, it shouldn’t, because there’s an audience for nearly everything you can imagine (and even those things you can’t. Don’t go looking for those though. Just don’t.). Just because there’s not a huge audience doesn’t mean there’s not an audience. Even an audience of 1,000 is a good audience. On the other hand. . .

Yes, it should, because your publisher can get you into the bookstores, especially the large chain(s), which means great exposure to a wider audience. On the other hand. . .

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No, it shouldn’t, because you’re going to be doing most, if not all, of the marketing, and yet you’re only going to get a small royalty from your publisher. But if you self-publish, you get a much larger royalty.

Ultimately—I hate these kinds of indecisive answers—it comes down to what you want to do, where you think your book is going to go. If you want to write a commercially successful book that gets you invited to Killer Nashville as a keynote speaker, and your book is sold in the Barnes & Noble room, then consider your content and marketability very strongly.

But if you don’t want to be beholden to others, to let someone else dictate your story choices, or you just plain want more money than publishers offer, then marketability be damned! Your book’s—sorry, your books’—success will depend on you and how hard you’re willing to work. Happy Book Marketing!

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FYI: Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale.

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Lastly, I wanted to share a little and ask what you think about the new “Twitter Promo Mode” service they are offering. Here is what Twitter sent me this week about the new service … What author has $99 per month marketing budget just for Twitter? Please share your thoughts if you use or know about this promo service! TY! CAT

Automatically promote your Tweets to your best audience and grow your followers, without creating or managing campaigns.

Reach more peopleReach more people
Promote Mode enables your personal brand or business to be discovered by thousands of new people.

Amplify your TweetsAmplify your Tweets
Your Tweets and profile are automatically promoted, helping you grow your influence.

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Social Media War and Blunders! How Do You Handle a Rude Person on Social Media? Be Careful …

My dear friend Marsha is back from “News & Experts” and her PR Insider post with some real solid advice on how to handle “rude” people on social media while keeping your Professionalism intact …

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How To Respond When The Social Media World Gets Unpleasant 

 

Most of you are fully aware by now that social media plays a significant role in building your authority as a thought leader and expert in your field.

One of social media’s great advantages over traditional media is that you get to control your message to an extent you can’t when you’re being interviewed by a print journalist, a talk radio host or a TV show host. With social media, there is no media “gatekeeper” standing between you and your audience.

That’s the good news!

But, as wonderful as social media is for promoting your brand, it does present its own treacherous pitfalls. A particularly onerous drawback is that your social media followers can post responses to your posts that are, shall we say, less than ideal!

That happened just this week to one of our clients when one of her Twitter followers suggested quite publicly and forcefully that she quit posting about one subject (business culture) and write about a different subject (blockchain) he cared about instead! (This is the polite version. I will refrain from injuring your ears with the sailor’s language he actually used.)

It was, to say the least, quite an aggressive response to a fairly innocuous post.

Luckily for all of us, there are lessons to be learned from how this situation played out. Jay York, our senior social media strategist who manages our client’s social media platforms, says there were a few options he considered.

On behalf of the client, Jay could have directly challenged the person’s comment. He could have also tagged the blockchain community, who likely would have brought down their wrath on the errant poster.

But the option Jay chose was to send a private message to the poster, politely requesting that the comment please be removed because it didn’t help a mutual objective they both had of bridging the gap between business and blockchain people.

A few hours later, the very contrite poster replied, apologizing and removing the post.

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So, in case you ever find yourself in a similar distasteful situation with one of your social media accounts, let’s break down how you can try to duplicate what Jay did:

  • Find common ground. “In marketing, sometimes you can turn threats into opportunities,” Jay says. Let’s face it, social media has plenty of trolls who post objectionable things just to be jerks, and there’s no reasoning with people like that. But Jay says he surmised this wasn’t the case in this situation. After all, this person chose to follow our client on Twitter and seemed to respect her. By finding common ground (their shared interest in blockchain) they were able to come to a mutual understanding.
  • Be respectful. When someone is rude to you (and this post was exceptionally rude with foul language to match) there’s a natural temptation to respond in kind. You want to just let them have it! Resist that temptation. Maybe you’ve heard the old saying “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” I think Jay proved that saying has merit because the disagreeable person became agreeable in the end, doing exactly what Jay wanted to happen for our client. A hostile response might have escalated the situation rather than resolved it.
  • Look beyond the face of what’s occurring. Everything isn’t black and white, and sometimes you have to dive below the surface and explore what’s really going on. Yes, this person had come off as critical to an almost irrational degree, but he also had raised a point about the kind of social media content he was looking for from our client. Once you worked your way through the vitriol, his post really was a request for her to share more content about a subject he cared about.
What’s interesting here, I think, is that while social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and others are largely a product of the 21st century, the human beings who use them are still fundamentally the same way human beings always have been.
Just like in face-to-face business dealings, good manners are still important and can help smooth the way through those less-than-desirable situations.
Respectfully yours,

Marsha