I'm Back for More

I have not forgotten about you, or my promise to keep you in the loop of my self-publishing journey.

It has been a while since I have posted something about my self-publishing journey. So many things have happened since my last blog post. Starting from the end of February things really began to pick up in a whole new way. Since Feb 28th I have attended four different events to promote my book. Each event has been successful, not only in promoting my book, but making contacts with a lot of wonderful people. With all that being said, I have decided to dedicate this post to book marketing.

If I have not already said this, book publishing is not easy. Although there has been a shift in publishing, one that allows flexibility for an everyday person to self-publish, it does not mean that it is for everyone. That might sound surprising to hear that coming from me, but I have gained a new respect for major publishers during my experience. I stand by my decision to self-publish 100% because I am business and entrepreneurial-minded, however, a lot more groundwork goes along with self-publishing. You have got to pound the pavement constantly and cannot drop the ball (ever).

Seeing that I also hold a full-time job, it is not always easy to do that, but because of my passion and dedication I have found a way to make it happen. 

So how does this all tie in with marketing? The easiest part of publishing (in my opinion) is the writing of the book, putting it together, getting the copyright, getting the ISBN, getting it printed etc. The hardest part, especially if you are new to the scene is to MARKET the book. If people do not know about your book who is going to buy it? 
Furthermore, selling it to only friends and family will only get you so far. If you want to break-even and then some, you have to get your book out to the public. They have to know about your book, and more importantly, CARE about your book. Care enough that they at least want to buy it. 

So far I have had one article published about me in a previous issue of Community Contact (Montreal). That was a pretty big deal for me because Community Contact is a pretty well-known and successful newspaper in Montreal. Now, if I cannot get into the big papers here in Toronto, that is okay. Remember that saying, ‘start small.’ As my cousin Simon says, “All promotion is good promotion.” Local papers, neighbourhood papers are my next target. A little blurb about me in one given neighbourhood paper, in a city like this, can hit up to 5000 people. I will also be targeting community radio shows, which is a great way to get people to hear more about my book.

© Photo taken by +Maria U in a local restaurant at my website launch party, Jan 2013

From there I will have built a portfolio, one that I can post on my website, but also show larger newspapers and TV stations, “Look I’ve been featured before.” When calling in to one of our TV stations here, one of the first questions they asked me was, have I ever been featured in the media before? I have to be able to show that my book, my company etc. is newsworthy. When I approached a major bookstore about putting my book in one of their stores via consignment, they wanted to know, have I marketed my book, and have I had media coverage? They asked this because of course, they do not want my book sitting there collecting dust. 

Marketing does take a lot of time and research. Not everything that glitters is gold, and not everywhere that you can put your book means you should go there either. You have to think about the message behind your book, and who your target audience is. My book, “What If the World Had No Colour?” ($12.99 CAD, plus GST, available through www.uponastarbooks.ca) is a children’s book, so for instance if I am putting it in the media, I cannot have it in a “hot babe” magazine. Obviously that is an extreme example, but hopefully you get the idea.

It is important not to forget about my favourite, social media. As I had mentioned in one of my very first posts, “Social Mediaaaaaa" you would be hard-pressed to promote ANYTHING without having at least one social media outlet to promote from. 

For future I will not wait so long to post, no matter how busy things get. Look out for a follow-up on this marketing article, and I will also be sure to post some links on what will help you further to successfully promote your book, or whatever product it may be!

Best of luck.



Follow me (twitter):
@Jess_alex88

Follow the company:
@UponAStarBooks

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Upon-A-Star-Books-Inc/124814471027658

Check out our website (and buy the book of course!):
www.uponastarbooks.ca 

My Night at the African Canadian Achievement Awards

So last night I was invited last minute to the 28th annual African Canadian Achievement Awards. I was really in no condition to go, for several reasons, but I got myself together and I went. How could I pass up on an opportunity like that. You never know who you will meet, and even if it's just to show your face - this is a very critical step in my self-publishing journey. A year ago when I did not have a book that needed notoriety, I may have said "Um, I think I'll pass for tonight - I do not think I will be ready in time." However, this is not a year ago, this is now (see Now or Never? post below). 

I do not regret for one second going there. It was a wonderful evening where I was able to share in other peoples success stories and achievements. It was truly an inspiring evening, one that I hope I will get to be a part of again. 

I also had the opportunity to introduce myself to some important figures in the community, and pass along a few copies of my book. It is not like I am trying to be one of those hustlers who carry their CDs in their trunk, but guess what; that is exactly what I need to be right now in order to reach the next step. 

Being shy and worrying about what others might think will land me in one place: in my momma's basement with a box full of unsold books. 

As promised I will keep you posted on my ups and downs (hopefully mostly ups) of my first book publication.

~Until next time~

Now or Never?

Now or Never?

Simply put, if I was to choose between the two (now or never), I am choosing now. When it comes to my life, and going after my dreams, I cannot afford to procrastinate because who really knows what tomorrow will bring. Isn’t that why they say, “there is no time like the present.” Well my present to myself is to live in the present. However, I am not going YOLO style with this. I’m not going out there saying, “I’m young so let me live my life wild and stupid because tomorrow is never promised.” 

I am, however, going out there saying I have to go for my dreams now, and as far as I am concerned there is no such thing as the word ‘failure’ in my vocabulary. None of this “even if I fail, at least I can say I tried” anymore. No, instead I will say “Maybe, I may have setbacks along the way, but these are mechanisms to make me stronger and wiser.” Point. Blank. Period. My goals, my dreams, my aspirations, will come true by the measure of my work ethic. The scary thing is my work ethic is getting stronger everyday.

I will keep grinding, now, because if it is not now, it will be never. Who really wants to spend the rest of their lives saying what if? I know I don’t, which is why I will keep writing, and continue to keep dreaming up ways to promote my book, and continue to do what I set my mind to. 

The ‘dreaming’ is the paper, and the ‘doing’ is the pen, together it makes history, it makes the present amazing, and the future seem attainable. 

Below I have an excerpt from the upcoming newsletter for my company Upon A Star Books Inc: 

Just the beginning

By Jessica Alex

Ever since I was a little girl I loved to write and draw. That is something that 20 years later hasn’t changed. Four years ago I set out and wrote a children’s book called, “What If the World Had No Colour?” I left it, finished school and went about with my life. Then in 2012, I read my story over again and said, “Why not?” Why not publish this book. I didn’t go the traditional route by trying to find a literary agent, and subsequently a big-time publisher. 

Be sure to check out www.uponastarbooks.ca for the rest of this newsletter next week. Thank you for visiting my page, and look out for more postings!

I leave you with this, keep dreaming and start doing.

Follow me:

@Jess_alex88

Follow the company:

@UponAStarBooks

Like Us:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Upon-A-Star-Books-Inc/124814471027658

The Week That Was...

Where have I been?! I haven't posted in quite some time now. Well let's see. Last week was a blur. Not in the sense that I don't remember what happened, but in the sense that I had two events in one week. The amount of planning and running around that happened, and poof, just like that it was all over, in what seemed like an instant.

First I had the website launch party on Tuesday, January 22, where I also did a photo shoot with the photographer extraordinaire +Maria U (@MariaUst - twitter). The shoot/party was held at Goose & Firkin (@GooseandFirkin - twitter). They renovated their restaurant last year, and the place has a really cool vibe. The food was really good too. I will post pictures of what I had eaten there (like the sliders - yum!) on my Foodies, but Goodies page very soon. I will also post pictures from the event on www.uponastarbooks.ca.

Then I had a book reading and book launch party for the kiddies this past Sunday. It started off very stressful because in old Jessica fashion I planned the event and organized everything myself. Thankfully my mom and my BFF Justine were able to help me set up. Love those ladies! Then my cousin Donna was able to help out too, especially for the colouring contest. Overall I had the turnout that I wanted (10 kids) and I had a great time. Most importantly, the kids had a good time. Apparently one of the kids told their family when they got home that "it was amazing." Too cute.

I also got more positive feedback about the book, "What If the World Had No Colour?"
Since I last wrote a post, I had mentioned that I was going to be sending out emails to try and get media attention. I've come to realize that my emails are most likely going straight to the junk mail pile. Don't laugh, this is not an excuse! I first noticed this a few weeks ago when trying to book a venue for my party. The gentleman said he never received anything from me, and then a few days later he said he found it in his junk mail. So I thought it was just him, but then when I contacted a local media station, they said they never received it, and I kind of believed them because the first time I tried emailing them, I received a failed delivery notification, and then the second time I sent it, it seemingly went through [straight to the junk mail pile no doubt]. So the previous night I sent out a bunch of emails, but out of curiousity I tried sending the same email to my gmail account to see if it was working, and what do you know, it went straight to spam. So now I have to call a bunch of folks to see if they have actually been receiving my emails. My guess is no, and if that is the case, I can breathe a sigh of relief, that people aren't ignoring me, they just aren't getting my emails at all. Now of course, there is a chance that after this issue is corrected they might actually ignore me, but I am keeping POSITIVE, that I WILL receive responses, and that they will be GREAT responses!

Until next time. 

Follow on twitter:
@Jess_alex88
@UponAStarBooks
@MariaUst
@GooseandFirkin

Media Blitz

My quote of the week:

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure ~ Bill Cosby

It's Media Time

As promised I am documenting my journey as I try to publish and sell my first book.  This week is all about the media. I've been dealing with social media, but it's overdue that I push the pavement (so to speak) and let publications (both online and print), as well as local TV stations, know about my first book. So this is the next step, follow me as I try to get noticed in the media for my new book. 

I chose the Bill Cosby quote this week because contacting the media can be daunting; down right intimidating. Now is not the time to worry about rejection. It's like what we learned growing up; the worst that they can say is no. Well, the worst that could happen is that they can completely ignore me, but hey, at least I can say that I tried. Right now though, my mentality has to be in a positive mind-frame. I will contact the media. I will get a response. I will have a positive outcome by reaching out to the media. 

I have a good story that people need to hear. This is something that I have to remind myself to focus on when I am putting my product out there. 

Within the next few weeks I will continue to update the blog, and our official website (www.uponastarbooks.ca) with any media coverage that I have received. From there, I will also update you on any upcoming events that I will be hosting or attending.

Until next time! 

Who to Follow on Twitter:

@Jess_alex88 (me)
@AfroLengths (associates)
@MariaUst (associate)

Who to Follow on Google+:

+Maria U 
+Athena Alexandra Bulbulian 
+Upon A Star Books 

NEW WEBSITE!

Upon A Star Books Launches Its Official Website!

Upon A Star Books Inc. launched its first official website Saturday, January 5, 2013. This is exciting because for the first few months we had an instant page, which was great but limited in what we could publish on it. Now with our site you can get updates, see tweets (from @UponAStarBooks) and even see my blog!

When my book What If the World Had No Colour? becomes available to the public on January 22, we will give the opportunity to purchase my book online as well! If you want to check it out visit www.uponastarbooks.ca, and be sure to let me know what you think. 

This is another step in my journey to having my books available worldwide. As promised I will continue to keep you posted on my progression in the publishing world.

Until next time!

Leaving Insanity in 2012

The definition of in-san-i-ty |inˈsanitē|

Sometimes life throws things at you, things that you would never have expected. It’s guaranteed to have curve balls in your life, but what do you do when this happens? Some people learn to ‘go with the flow,’ while others try and change the flow, putting the odds back in their favour. 

What about the everyday things though? The day to day life that one lives? How do we deal with the every day rut that one can find themselves getting in to? 

According to the New Oxford American dictionary, the definition of insanity is:

{noun}

• the state of being seriously mentally ill; madness 
• extreme foolishness or irrationality

Of course we also have heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If you are living your day to day life, doing the same routine, and you’re unhappy and are looking for a change, sometimes it is time for a change! Are you doing what you really love to do? 

I know it sounds like I am oversimplifying things. It’s not always easy to just stop doing what pays the bills, and start doing what you love to do because sometimes what you love doing doesn’t guarantee a paycheque every two weeks. Even if you stay at your 9 to 5, something's got to give. Maybe you need to take a jog in the morning, take an art class after work, go to the movies more often - something positive that will change up the same old, same old. I for instance, write stories, and even started my own business to accompany my regular old 9 to 5. 

Being unhappy is not worth it, and if you think that doing the same things that don’t make you happy will suddenly one day make you happy, then you’re insane!

Follow me +Jessica Alex on Google+ or @Jess_alex88 on twitter.