Welcome to the first issue of my monthly communication to our esteemed Illumify authors!
My goal for this newsletter is to keep you informed about what is happening in our publishing universe especially as it pertains to you. So here we go!
Royalties
If your book was released in 2018, you’re probably wondering what’s happening with your royalties. Per your contract, royalty statements will be sent to all authors with book sales in the final two quarters of 2018 by the end of this month (April). As a reminder, standard practice in publishing is to send royalty statements twice a year. In Illumify’s case, that would be the end of April and the end of October. Your checks will soon follow.
April Monthly Training
Last December we launched our monthly author training. So far, the feedback has been outstanding. On Tuesday, April 16 at 7:00 pm Mountain, I’ll be interviewing Erin Grantham, our Social Media Maven on the topic “Social Media Strategies That Work.”
To join us on the video call that night, click here. I'll send out a reminder that week.
Download the Book Launch Video
In February, I interviewed bestselling author Lisa Hawker about her strategy for successful book launches--and many of you asked to see it. Click here to download the
video. The link will remain live for a week.
By the end of the year we hope to have volumes of exclusive video content available to you behind a secured wall.
Circle the Date
Save July 13 for our second annual Write. Market. Publish. SELL! writers conference at Arapahoe Community College (take note of the venue change).Our keynote speakers will be Larry Yoder, retired sales rep for Macmillan and Tom Freiling, the founder of Xulon Press. Both are well-known in the publishing industry.
BookFunnel
We recently acquired access to BookFunnel, a service that enables you to give away excerpts of your book so you can pick up email addresses (called a “lead magnet”), send out advanced review copies, and most importantly, stimulate sales.
For last month’s training, Karen Bouchard shared "21 Fun, Creative Ways to Introduce New Readers to Your Book with BookFunnel." To download the recording, click here. To learn more about how to incorporate BookFunnel into your book sales strategy, email Karen Bouchard, our Acquisitions Editor.
The Implications of Lifeway Closing
Although not all of our books would be considered religious or Christian, many of them are. So some of you were probably surprised when Lifeway Christian Resources announced they were closing all 170 of their bookstores. In light
of Family Christian closing 240 of their bookstores, the news was pretty alarming. Where do we go from here?
To read a very informative article about how to reach your Christian audience, click here. The good
news is that 1,000-1,500 independent Christian bookstores still exist.
Author Survey
Because we’re committed to making your publishing experience as positive as possible, we're going to be sending you a survey in the next week or so. Companies that refuse to change, die.
Author Spotlight: Stu Fuhlendorf
If you listen to Christian talk radio, you’ve probably heard one of our authors. Stuart Fuhlendorf was a Wall Street whiz kid, taking three companies public on the Nasdaq by his early forties. On paper he was worth millions. Then his world fell apart and was transformed in a way that he could have never imagined.
With the help of our partner PR firm, Jones Literary, he’s hitting many nationally syndicated Christian talk shows including In The Market with Janet Parshall, the Bob Dutko Show, and 94.7 The Word/990 AM KRKS this Monday here in Denver at 7:30 am. Stu’s book Wall Street to the Well goes on sale this Tuesday.
Publishing Glossary
Pub Date: the official launch date of your book when selling begins. Before the pub date, books are generally pre-ordered.
Books Launching This Month
Yes, we’ve been busy!!!
Quote of the Month
“The secret to being a writer is that you have to write. It’s not enough to think about writing or to study literature or plan a future life as an author. You really have to lock yourself away, alone, and get to work.” — Augusten Burroughs
As always, please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions.
Mike Klassen, President
Geoff Stone, Editorial Director
Karen Bouchard, Acquisitions and Marketing Director
Jen Clark, Operations Director
Erin Grantham, Social Media Maven
Thanks again for choosing Illumify!
Mike Klassen
