For Authors Only...

 Take it for a spin--let me know what you think!

Due To Circumstances Beyond Our Control...

PSSSST...my dear author and industry friends...there have been a lot of things happening lately that nobody can do anything about. The general consensus is to ignore them but that can have some horrendous effects. Not to mention you can end up in places worse than nightmares, simply because you refused to look some monster in the face and tell it to buzz off. But who would do that?

Very few of us, my friend, and that is the truth.

Because the most common reaction is to run. I know this for a fact because I have spent many years in an Alaskan wilderness where the biggest bears in the world live. I have read all the scary stories (big mistake), memorized the rules: stand your ground, make yourself somehow look bigger than you are, wave your arms and try to look threatening (I'm 5'4"). Above all, do not show fear—they can actually smell fear and it gets them all kinds of excited and ready for a chase. If they hesitate (big if), begin to back away slow. This shows them you are not going to tear them to pieces this time and they better move on. I made all that my mantra, even included it in some survival stories. I still think they're probably the best things to do.

Except the first time I heard one coming up behind me in a huge stand of berry bushes, I took off like a shot and couldn’t stop myself. I was in a survival mode I didn’t even know I had. Something that might have kept me from being here today, if that bear hadn’t been full enough of berries, and my hero husband was brave enough to stand his ground and holler at me with his booming voice (that carries like thunder), “Stand still!” Which was enough for the bear to take off in another direction and me to keep going in mine.

Embarrassing but true. But about those bears...I’ll tell you right now why they grow so big in that part part of the world. It’s because of something I saw with my very own eyes, right out in the middle of a--

Sheesh, that’s another story and not what I came to talk about at all. I’m supposed to be saying, “Sorry for the delay in communications, dear friends, but the grand opening of Lilly’s Book Funnel Shop was unexpectedly blown up by technical difficulties and pushed back by two weeks. But the final fix rolled in yesterday, and—glory be!--TODAY I AM OPEN FOR BUSINESS! What’s more, I have prepared a special little presentation for you over there called “The Anatomy of a Book Funnel,” in which I am going to reveal something you never would have dreamed about those things. Not that I’m such a genius about the deep tech of book funnels. It’s just that with so much time on my hands while I was waiting for support, somebody left one of the lab doors open that led to a—

Good grief, I’m stopping right there. I can feel all the symptoms of being overly excited coming on. More information than anyone needs and all that. The truth is, I’m back from the wilderness after fourteen long years. And with so many things advancing to light speed around here, I’m literally awestruck at what’s been going on. Not to mention the new possibilities that are popping up everywhere. And boy do I have some ideas about what we independents can do with some of those. Worlds of opportunity! As long as you watch out for the sharks.

But no worries. Living on the water as long as I have, I know a lot about sharks...

See you at the shop!

Lilly

PS...I’ll tell you about that secrets of the bears thing in my next article. If I haven’t already told everyone who asks me at the festivities today. I don’t like to leave people hanging...

About Reverse Marketing and A Bonus

 

Happy Saturday Everybody!

UPDATE: I am looking at a possible reprieve but the results aren’t in yet. So I’m giving away an extra bonus and a few secrets about Reverse Marketing…

The Second Look

Life is full of characters and in the wide sea of humanity, anyone that sticks out for some reason always gets a second look. It’s just human nature. There’s an opportunity in a second look. As authors, a hasty editor’s note scribbled on a returned manuscript (or email these days) that if you change one thing or the other you may resubmit for a second look, can spark great hope in an aspiring writer. Sometimes even the courage to press on.

Second looks—for any reason—are triggered by one thing only: SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. A flash of light, a haunting sound, or even something as simple as an attractive hat. Laughter most always gets a second look, too, because laughter is catching and there is nothing quite so delightful as a good laugh. But the hands-down winner over all of the above is an extraordinary character. They are like honey to bees.

A Surprising Twist

Which is why—as a publisher—when I make a decision to take on an appealing manuscript, my next thought is always “How am I going to sell this author?” Because whoever first said an author was the best advertising for their own book was exactly right. Not that they have to hit so many goals in the social media realm or even be a fabulous speaker. They just have to take the most engaging part of their personality and...give it a little twist. A little SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. Quite often authors aren’t even aware of what their most engaging quality is. Many even seriously insist they don’t have one. But they do.

I’ve been working with authors for many years now and can spot an engaging quality like the sparkle of gold beneath the surface of a stream. And to tell you the truth, I have a terrible case of “gold fever” when it comes to looking for treasure. I love looking for treasure! But what does all this have to do with selling books? Everything. Because if you sell an author first, the book sales will follow. Which is where book funnels come in and why they are helping to sell more books than any other time in history.

No Kidding. Do some research and you’ll see. There’s never been more books published than this day and age and right now. But that doesn’t mean there’s no room at the top for more authors. You just need a little SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

The Added Bonus

Which is why I propose to add to last week’s Book Funnel deal and give away a little three-page “Meet The AuthorFunnel” to go along with it. For anyone who jumps into the fray and helps me meet my goal. One that will match your brand and showcase your most engaging quality. After answering a few questions found in my Reverse Marketing Personality Test. Which will tell me everything I need to know. So I can see it right off. To give it a try, just drop a note to Lilly @ lillymaytree.com. Meanwhile, have a great rest of your weekend.

Thanks for listening!

Lilly

A GOLDEN NOTE TO AUTHORS...

A NOTE TO AUTHORS  

        Hello Everybody! 

A few moments before the world went crazy—who ever heard of being told to stay in your houses until further notice and we all actually did it—I came up with a brilliant idea. Like a sudden flash of light, I could see the whole thing. I couldn’t quit thinking about it and for lack of a better name, I began to refer to it as “reverse marketing.” Like most such inspirations, I thought I invented it all by myself and was pretty sure nothing like this had ever been done before. I admit I became obsessed with it. Something that can happen when people have too much time time on their hands. 

Looking back, I think I persuaded myself that this particular idea was nothing short of divine inspiration. Which is an author trait and why all craft books on the writing trade generally agree that you should put your masterpieces aside for at least two weeks before sending them off to publishers. But by that time I WAS the publisher (not only of my own books but for other authors as well). Not to mention a small cadre of creatives that consisted of illustrators, actors, musicians and graphic designers. Most of them had been working with me for years and I felt particularly responsible for them. Which is why—after hearing the absurd announcement from Amazon that they would not be selling anything but essentials related to the pandemic for the duration—I said the first thing that popped into my mind... 

That we should all ignore the hysterics and keep writing the kind of books readers would be starving for by the time this disaster passed. A declaration I could make with complete confidence because history had already proven that all disasters eventually do end. What I wasn’t counting on were the 120 books we ended up with by the time we got there. The thing is, when I finally poked my head out to survey the market again...it looked mostly dead out there. As if some huge tornado had torn through, leaving a path of debris and destruction in its wake. 

The way things are now.

A lot of businesses had gone under, including some of the largest most distinguished publishing houses that had existed for generations. Many had been absorbed by bigger competitors and some were even grabbed up by investors from other countries. In short, it was a mess out there. But what could we do about it? Old fashioned book tours were out of the question because so many bookstores on our circuit had gone out of business or discovered themselves to no longer be in a location that readers would care much to visit anymore. It might take years to clean up such a mess!

What should we do until then? The Internet was booming but it was like the old-time oil fields before regulations were set in place. Brigands and looters were roaming in bands through the murky waters like sharks who could smell blood from miles away. Our “mysteriously different books for children” could get killed out there and very nearly did. Which weighed heavily on me since I was the administrator of the company and the one who had to ultimately decide what we should do. The general consensus of the board was leaning toward either quitting or selling out. Because it was a different world now and things might never be the same again. To which I could only reply, “Not until I try my… my Reverse Marketing Plan.”

Talking my way out of it.

“How long will that take?” someone asked.

“Until next Friday,” I replied.

“How much will it cost?” (always the next question)

“Nothing,” I promised. “Instead, I’m going to give something extremely valuable away.”

Time and space limits me from telling you what went on in the rest of that meeting. Except to say I had serious thoughts of following in the footsteps of Igor Sikorsky, who famously locked the office door so that no one could get out before they agreed to back him on some hair-brained idea to build something nobody ever heard of... called a helicopter. Which didn’t need expensive runways to land or take off from: they would simply raise themselves up into the air. A lot harder sell than “mysteriously different books for children” but look what we all got out of it.

Is it possible to raise oneself up into the air? It is if we know how. But to go against what seems like the natural order of things takes a lot of persuasion. Not to mention a great deal of courage. More often than not, it also takes a lot of people working together to actually get things done. So, I have put together a one-shot deal here, that I can share with other authors instead of just our own company. And since I have to hit my mark by Friday, I’ve added quite a bit more than I probably should to it. I’m calling it our “Golden Marketing Plan,” and here’s what it includes:

A Book Funnel for you Price until Friday: $400 
(Custom designed, fully/Advanced Funnels typically sell for ($1,500–$5,000+) and include email marketing automation, upsells/downsells, and strategy.

It will be a professionally designed, fully automated BOOK FUNNEL (we have a fabulous design team) that is yours to keep forever without further obligation and use wherever you choose. For those of you who don’t know what a book funnel is, it’s like the goose that lays golden eggs: she will keep on providing them as long as you don’t cook her. It comes with a free lifetime maintenance plan (no subscription necessary) in case of a force majeure, such as your computer blowing up or being invaded by aliens. How cool is that? Nobody covers those—it’s the universal get-out-of-jail-free-card in every contract you sign. We do and we will. If you pay for it, we take care of it. Guaranteed.

Talking too much?
Included FREE until Friday: 
A custom designed, fully automated NEWSLETTER to match your brand. Comes with 1 year of email delivery service, contact list updates, and professional copy editing. (Usually sells for: Custom Design + Coding: $500–$2,000. TFull monthly management services to go along with it can cost: $2,500+)

Included FREE until Friday: 
Automated follow-up email service for your funnel, including updates for necessary changes as needed. (This service usually requires a third-party email service. We will do it for you in-house, Free for 1 year).

Included FREE until Friday:
Digital workbook on how to set up my brilliant “Reverse Marketing Plan” to sell your own books.(normally sells for $20)

Why am I doing all this this at such a ridiculously low price? Because somebody gave me a too-good-to-be-true deal last week that will allow me to implement my own Reverse Marketing Plan with all of the state-of-the-art software to run it. So that I can lift our much-loved nonprofit company back into the air again, now that the disaster is mostly over. And the fact that I have to make my first payment (and it’s a big one) by Friday. So I decided to offer a BIG DEAL to any fellow authors that also need a boost up into this crazy new world out there. But I don’t mind saying these last few days have been some of the most intense in my life.

I might hold off another board meeting until after Friday…

Email me at: Lilly@lillymaytree.com for more info and a buy link!