Are you, too, missing this marketing tool?
Almost everyone you meet these days has a smart phone. And while the smart phone is one of the greatest new marketing tools, this phenomenon is contributing to one of the greatest marketing failures people commit every single day.
Let me explain:
Any new person you meet at a business mixer or social event can, technically, just tell you their phone number or email and you can simply enter it into your phone on the spot, right? Or save it in a voice memo.
So who really needs business cards these days?
Additionally, you can just have them enter your contact info into their phones when you meet them, right?
If only that were so easy….
For one, people you meet may not have time to give you their contact information and certainly no time to wait while you stumble around in your phone to open the right app. This happened to me recently and the guy was expecting me to wait patiently while he customized my contact record in his phone with any relevant data!
Also, what’s more annoying than when the person you’re trying to have a conversation with is fiddling with her phone? She may be trying to take down your phone number, but she’s still clearly not paying attention… Remember that when you’re on your phone: you’re communicating not just to the person you’re with, but to everyone around you, that you’re not paying attention.
But enough of my rant, let’s get to the point!
Because smart phones offer a simpler way to share your contact information, it’s very easy and tempting to make the #1 marketing mistake every time you walk out the door…. And that marketing mistake is simply leaving home every day without your business cards!
Business cards? What is this? 1999?
Look: I often make this mistake, so I’m simply here to offer support to a fellow offender. Don’t leave home without your business card!
What should you as an author have on your business card?
At a bare minimum your name, your book’s title, and where people can find it, such as your website or “your favorite bookseller.”
If you’re not comfortable giving out your number to everybody you meet, just have a pen ready and write it on your card on a case-by-case basis.
But ideally you want to have two more pieces of information on your cards:
One, the best way to reach you. Whether it’s your number or email, make sure it’s printed in a large font. If you have a website, always be sure to include that too!
Two, clear instructions as to what you want the person to do next.
Do you have a business where you offer a free consultation? Make sure you include a call to action such as “Call now for a free 15-minute strategy session!”
Do you want to grow the number of your readers by offering them a free gift in exchange for their email, so you could be in touch with them via an email newsletter? Be sure to say “Visit
Have 500 or 1,000 of these printed and make it a goal to give them all away in a year.
Do you have business cards as an author? How about a website?
If you need help with any of this or aren’t sure what to put on your business card, feel free to reach out.
What Defines Good Character?
Tucson, AZ – July 3, 2017 — Wheatmark, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of Restoring Character in America by Michael J. Kerrigan. This is the author’s third book about current events in America.
What defines “good character” to the average American? Is it what one does when no one is looking? Is it moral certitude about one’s actions? Is it courage? Is it compassion? Can it be taught?
Restoring Character in America identifies the decline in character in our country, but then gives the reader hope for the future by showcasing leaders whose careers are successfully turning around this trend in our schools, communities, businesses, and the military.
For more information about the book, or to schedule an interview with the author, please call Mindy Burnett at 520-798-0888 x100 or email support@wheatmark.com.
About the Author:
Michael J. Kerrigan, a self-described recovering lobbyist, after spending thirty-five years in the political arena, has turned his advocacy skills to improving character education in our nation as founder of the Character Building Project.
More About This Title:
Restoring Character in America, ISBN 9781627875257, was released by Wheatmark, Inc. on June 29, 2017. The book has 112 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $9.95 and as an ebook for $4.99.
About the Publisher:
Wheatmark, Inc., founded in 1999, is a Tucson, Arizona-based publisher of trade titles that are available wherever quality books are sold worldwide. Wheatmark titles can be purchased in paperback, hardcover, or popular ebook formats. For more information, visit https://www.wheatmark.com.
Wheatmark Announces New True Crime Release
True Story of a Serial Killer Released
Tucson, AZ – July 3, 2017 — Wheatmark, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked by Gregory A. Fournier. This book relates in detail the story of Michigan serial killer John Norman Collins.
Between the summers of 1967 through 1969, before the term serial killer was coined, a predatory killer stalked the campuses of Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan seeking prey until he made the arrogant mistake of killing his last victim in the basement of his uncle’s home. All-American boy John Norman Collins was arrested, tried, and convicted of the strangulation murder of Karen Sue Beineman. The other murders attributed to Collins never went to trial, with one exception, and soon became cold cases.
With the benefit of fifty years of hindsight, hundreds of vintage newspaper articles, thousands of police reports, and countless interviews, Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked tells the stories of the other victims, recreates the infamous trial that took Collins off the streets, and details Collins’ time spent in prison. Terror in Ypsilanti compiles an array of physical and circumstantial evidence drawing an unmistakable portrait of the sadistic murderer who slaughtered these innocent young women.
For more information about the book, or to schedule an interview with the author, please call Mindy Burnett at 520-798-0888 x100 or email support@wheatmark.com.
About the Author:
Gregory A. Fournier received his bachelor and master’s degrees from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti while the Washtenaw County murders were occurring. He lived one block up the street from John Norman Collins and had several unpleasant brushes with him. Like so many other people in Ypsilanti, it was not until Collins was arrested and his photograph ran on the front pages that Greg could link a name with the face. He has first-hand knowledge of the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor area and many of the people associated with these cases.
Greg has appeared on the Investigation Discovery Channel as a guest expert on John Norman Collins for their true crime series A Crime to Remember in an episode entitled “A New Kind of Monster.” He is the author of Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel and writes a blog entitled Fornology.
More About This Title:
Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked, ISBN 9781627874038, was released by Wheatmark, Inc. on August 1, 2016. The book has 514 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $22.95 and as an ebook for $6.95.
About the Publisher:
Wheatmark, Inc., founded in 1999, is a Tucson, Arizona-based publisher of trade titles that are available wherever quality books are sold worldwide. Wheatmark titles can be purchased in paperback, hardcover, or popular ebook formats. For more information, visit https://www.wheatmark.com.
Historical Fiction about Famous Crusader Released
Tucson, AZ – July 3, 2017 — Wheatmark, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of Envoy of Jerusalem: Balian d’Ibelin and the Third Crusade by Helena P. Schrader. This is the newest historical fiction novel by Schrader, and it follows the life of the famous crusader noble Balian of Ibelin.
Hollywood made him a blacksmith; Arab chronicles said he was “like a king.”
He served a leper, but defied Richard the Lionheart.
He fought Saladin to a standstill, yet retained his respect.
Rather than dally with a princess, he married a dowager queen— and founded a dynasty.
He was a warrior and a diplomat both: Balian d’Ibelin
Balian has survived the devastating defeat on the Horns of Hattin, and walked away a free man after the surrender of Jerusalem, but he is baron of nothing in a kingdom that no longer exists. Haunted by the tens of thousands of Christians now enslaved by Saladin, he is determined to regain what has been lost. The arrival of a vast crusading army under the soon-to-be-legendary Richard the Lionheart offers hope — but also conflict, as natives and crusaders clash and French and English quarrel.
This is Part III of a biographical novel about Balian d’Ibelin. The first two books in the series, Knight of Jerusalem and Defender of Jerusalem, were both BRAG Medallion honorees. Defender of Jerusalem won the 2016 Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction set in the Middle Ages and was also awarded the Silver (second place) for Spiritual/Religious Fiction in the 2016 Feathered Quill Book Awards. It was a finalist for the 2016 M.M. Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction.
For more information about the book, or to schedule an interview with the author, please call Mindy Burnett at 520-798-0888 x100 or email support@wheatmark.com.
About the Author:
Award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader has a PhD in history. She has published nonfiction books on the German resistance to Hitler, the Berlin airlift, and women in aviation in World War II. Her novels are set in ancient Sparta, the Crusades, and WWII. Visit her website, www.helenapschrader.com, for more information and reviews of her publications. Helena is a career diplomat currently serving in Africa. For more about the crusader kingdoms, visit www.defenderofjerusalem.com or follow her blog: defendingcrusaderkingdoms.blogspot.com.
More About This Title:
Envoy of Jerusalem: Balian d’Ibelin and the Third Crusade, ISBN 9781627873970, was released by Wheatmark, Inc. on August 1, 2016. The book has 512 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $22.95 and as an ebook for $7.99.
About the Publisher:
Wheatmark, Inc., founded in 1999, is a Tucson, Arizona-based publisher of trade titles that are available wherever quality books are sold worldwide. Wheatmark titles can be purchased in paperback, hardcover, or popular ebook formats. For more information, visit https://www.wheatmark.com.
Books for Writers and Readers
Some of the books I’m reading, or have read lately, I can recommend, and highly, to writers and those aspiring to be published authors:
Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction by Derek Thompson (Penguin Press, February 7, 2017). Fame sells books: Famous books sell, famous people’s books sell, and books about famous people and things sell. Without one of these three types of fame, making books sales can be a challenge. “Discovery” is the term of art publishing aficionados use to label the process of moving from obscurity to fame. But, how does an author get “discovered?”
In this fascinating book Derek Thompson explains, and tells stories of how it used to work when gatekeepers, like the major publishing houses, had the power to decide who became famous. He also explores in depth how discovery has changed now that “there are simply too many gates to keep.” This is a must-read for any author with the ambition to be discovered and sell more books.
The Yankee Road: Tracing the Journey of the New England Tribe that Created Modern America by James D. McNiven (Wheatmark, April 15, 2015). This book is written as all history should be, in stories as compelling as good fiction. The Yankee Road tells twenty-two such stories, seamlessly woven together as part of one larger historical story, the migration of the American tribe, the Yankees, as they moved westward. The book begins with the arrival of the Puritans in Boston and takes us through the migration of their descendants (actual and cultural), west to Chautauqua, New York, exploring the different ways the Yankees have influenced and embedded themselves into American society and life along the way. I know that the “Yankee Road” as McNiven defines it, ends in Newport, Oregon, so there is much ahead to enjoy in his sequels. I am looking forward to the release of the next one. If you want an example of how compelling nonfiction is written, read this book.
Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction by Benjamin Percy (Graywolf Press, October 18, 2016). I saw Benjamin Percy present at the Tucson Festival of Books in March, and was so impressed with the depth of his study of the writing craft, that I knew I had to read this book. A bestselling novelist himself (The Dead Lands, Red Moon, and The Wilding), Percy is one of the most popular writing instructors and coaches in America. I’ve just started the book, but already it is delivering.
Happy reading!
New Guide to Weight Loss Now Available
Tucson, AZ – June 27, 2017 — Wheatmark, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of Immaculate Consumption: The Path to Lifelong Weight Management by Deena Solomon. This program approaches weight loss scientifically and in a refreshing new light.
Did you know that the $600 billion-a-year global weight loss industry has a 95 percent failure rate for weight loss sustainability?
Immaculate Consumption: The Path to Lifelong Weight Management offers a scientifically based weight loss program designed to empower dieters to achieve long-lasting results. After years of yo-yo dieting and spinning wheels trying various commercial diets, author Deena Solomon was unhealthy and emotionally disheartened. She realized the traditional weight loss methodology — blind adherence to rules, forbidden foods, mandatory compliance — failed to adequately prepare dieters to adapt to the ever-changing temptations, often leading to an unrecoverable relapse.
The Immaculate Consumption method is refreshingly different. There are no forbidden foods or abstinence-only models. Using real-life, relatable interactions with former clients to illustrate her methods, Dr. Solomon asks dieters to become scientific researchers into their own food habits and psychology, enabling them to take personal responsibility for their eating habits in a positive way. And with a documented 84 percent success rate, the Immaculate Consumption model has proven successful in maintaining long-term weight loss.
Learn how to:
- Be the competent and proactive captain at the helm of your own journey
- Use scientifically valid empirical evidence and apply it to your own custom weight loss plan
- Profoundly change your relationship with food
- Effectively use tools such as scientific observation and food ledgers to guide you during both everyday and anomalous meal situations
- Shed the persistent shame and guilt from having “failed” at other commercial diets
This revolutionary new approach to weight loss may help you shed those extra pounds for good.
For more information about the book, or to schedule an interview with the author, please call Mindy Burnett at 520-798-0888 x100 or email support@wheatmark.com.
About the Author:
As a licensed clinician with more than thirty years of experience in the field of weight loss and weight management, Deena Solomon, PhD, has helped hundreds of clients meet their weight loss goals. She previously served on the California Board of Behavioral Science Examiners and held the title of expert examiner. She resides in Santa Monica, California. Visit her website at www.DrDeenaSolomon.com.
More About This Title:
Immaculate Consumption: The Path to Lifelong Weight Management, ISBN 9781627874823, was released by Wheatmark, Inc. on June 13, 2017. The book has 202 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $19.95 and as an ebook for $9.99.
About the Publisher:
Wheatmark, Inc., founded in 1999, is a Tucson, Arizona-based publisher of trade titles that are available wherever quality books are sold worldwide. Wheatmark titles can be purchased in paperback, hardcover, or popular ebook formats. For more information, visit https://www.wheatmark.com.
Publisher Wheatmark Announces Release of New Western Novel
Tucson, AZ – April 28, 2017 — Wheatmark, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of Beyond Bedrock by W. L. Jardine. This exciting Western tale follows the stories of three brave women as they face countless challenges.
The Old West is a harsh place for women, even under the best of circumstances. But when Jenny, Belle, and Beatrice find themselves fighting desperate situations beyond their control, they show a caliber of strength that only the worst of times can bring out. Jenny witnesses the gruesome death of her parents. Belle escapes Baltimore’s poverty while reluctantly leaving behind her quarantined mother. And Beatrice finds the courage to abandon her abusive father and hateful brothers.
Their stories eventually intersect in Colorado, but not before they encounter a variety dangers and colorful characters, including Native Americans, former slaves, and a young runaway. They are determined to better their lives and, in doing so, positively impact the formation of the West.
With a unique female focus, Beyond Bedrock is the debut from a compelling new voice in Westerns.
For more information about the book, or to schedule an interview with the author, please call Mindy Burnett at 520-798-0888 x100 or email support@wheatmark.com.
About the Author:
W. L. Jardine (aka Wendy Krause) taught industrial arts at the high school level for several years. She is a lover of history and stories that bring out the resourceful natures we are blessed with.
More About This Title:
Beyond Bedrock, ISBN 9781627874694, was released by Wheatmark, Inc. on April 28, 2017. The book has 262 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $13.95 and as an ebook for $6.99.
About the Publisher:
Wheatmark, Inc., founded in 1999, is a Tucson, Arizona-based publisher of trade titles that are available wherever quality books are sold worldwide. Wheatmark titles can be purchased in paperback, hardcover, or popular ebook formats. For more information, visit https://www.wheatmark.com.
Latest Autobiography a Journey of Courage
Tucson, AZ – April 20, 2017 — Wheatmark, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of Underneath It All: A Collection of Memoirs by Margaret Hatcher. This book takes us on a journey from fear to courage through the author’s eyes.
Margaret Hatcher was a wounded, wordless child who cried when her classmates made fun of her and put on a brave face for a mother who struggled with acute depression. As life presented her with new experiences, she slowly let go of her fearfulness, becoming an acclaimed educator who won numerous national awards, a national speaker, writer, and visual artist. Underneath It All: A Collection of Memoirs shows snapshots of her evolution: Flying out of a giant tree. A Long John Silver’s out-of-body experience. Rehab with an ex-Marine. Honorable closure. Throughout, Hatcher shares her deep love of the places that formed and informed her, from a small town in Texas to the top of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado and the high deserts of Arizona.
Spanning more than seven decades, Underneath It All takes us on an expedition to discover the truth of one remarkable woman’s life.
For more information about the book, or to schedule an interview with the author, please call Mindy Burnett at 520-798-0888 x100 or email support@wheatmark.com.
More About This Title:
Underneath It All: A Collection of Memoirs, ISBN 9781627874779, was released by Wheatmark, Inc. on April 21, 2017. The book has 402 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $18.95.
About the Publisher:
Wheatmark, Inc., founded in 1999, is a Tucson, Arizona-based publisher of trade titles that are available wherever quality books are sold worldwide. Wheatmark titles can be purchased in paperback, hardcover, or popular ebook formats. For more information, visit https://www.wheatmark.com.
The Power of the Reviewer’s Pen
Periodically I call one of our authors with a better-selling book and chat with them about their book marketing efforts, and what they believe is responsible for their sales success. I had one such conversation recently with Janet Marthers (janetmarthers. com), the lead author of Follow Your Interests to Find the Right College (ISBN: 9781627872621). The book is different from other college guides in that it uses students’ interests, both academic and non-academics, as the primary tool to help them navigate the college selection process, and discover colleges and opportunities that they might otherwise overlook. If you or someone you know is evaluating colleges, I highly recommend that you check out this unique book.
Follow Your Interests to Find the Right College was published in December of 2015. In March 2016 Forbes interviewed Marthers about the book, and she noticed an immediate spike in sales on Amazon. Shortly thereafter Library Journal published a positive review of the book in its March 2016 issue (to be followed in July 2016 by a review in School Library Journal.) Sales have been consistently higher for the many months since. Marthers believes that the Library Journal review played the critical role in the success of her subsequent sales and marketing efforts. These efforts primarily focused on libraries, whose buyers rely, perhaps more than on any other source, on the reviews in Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. One frustration Marthers did have was that many prominent publications that review books, like Kirkus Reviews, would not consider the book for review after it had been out a few months. This is something for authors and publishers to keep in mind. It’s often a good idea to submit a book for review well before it is published, even if that means delaying its release. In the best case a book receives a review from a prominent reviewer or publication prior to its release date and the review can be incorporated into the book’s design.
Tucson Festival of Books
Tucson Happenings
It is that time of year again where authors, readers, and publishers take over the University of Arizona campus to celebrate books and the art of writing. March 11-12, the Tucson Festival of Books will be in full swing, and if you have never attended before then this is your year!
Since its Tucson debut in 2009, the festival has grown to one of the most notable book fairs in the nation boasting over 350 participating authors in presentations and workshops attracting a diverse range of attendees. Whether you are looking for programming for children and teens, panels by best-selling and emerging authors, culturally diverse programs, exhibitor booths or a variety of food options, there is something for everyone at the Tucson Festival of Books.
This year, Wheatmark will be a featured exhibitor with several of our own authors joining us for the weekend. If you are planning to attend, feel free to come visit us at booth 137 near the UofA student center. Below is the list of authors that will be present at our booth.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Tucson Festival of Books: Wheatmark, Booth 137
Saturday, March 11
9:30 AM Ruth Marston
9:30 AM Chuck Preble
10:30 AM Rae Jacob
10:30 AM Cheryl Sherman
11:30 AM Stuart Harris
11:30 AM Michelee Cabot
12:30 PM James McNiven
12:30 PM Mary Anne Civiok
1:30 PM Carolyn Masters
1:30 PM Greg Vogt
2:30 PM Angela Bell Julien
2:30 PM Greg Fournier
3:30 PM Jerry Imhauser
3:30 PM Marj Charlier
Sunday, March 12
10:30 AM Heidi Yribar
10:30 AM Grael Norton
11:30 AM Julia Hilton
11:30 AM Fred Fox
12:30 PM Robert Kahl
1:30 PM Barbara Jaquay
1:30 PM Cy Vaughn
2:30 PM Duke Southard
2:30 PM Martha Damek