By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin
One day on social media, a long-time friend posted a new book cover. Almost immediately I noticed the cover included one of the most misspelled words in publishing: Forward instead of the correct word: Foreword. In an email, I asked if the cover was the final version and mentioned the misspelled word. In a short time, he responded saying many others had seen this cover but not mentioned the misspelling. He was grateful for my message.
Because I’ve been in publishing for many years, I know the importance of these details. As individuals each of us can make a difference in our world–but only if you see something and say something about it.
As a writer, it’s easy to feel like you are writing and putting material into the world but getting little feedback and few things are changing. Or you feel like there is little you can do about incorrect things you see in your work. I understand these feelings and yet I want to tell about a couple of actions that I took. They are actions any writer can take whether you are experienced or a beginner.
As a regular practice from time to time, I will join a launch team for a forthcoming book. The launch manager sent us a list of websites where we can post our review. In general, I write my review in Microsoft Word. I also create a unique image for the book that I can post with my review. When I got this list of possible places, I opened each one, then cut and pasted my review into the right section. Some of these sites will send a confirmation email to make sure you are who you say you are. Others will take time to post the review and still others will not post the review until when the book releases.
If You See Something In Someone Else's Writing, Then Say Something by @terrywhalin on @BRMCWC #Writing #Writinglife #BRMCWC Share on XOne of the review sites on this list was a well-known bookseller. The forthcoming book was listed but did not have the book cover. Instead, they posted a generic book graphic. I posted my review but without the right book cover, my review has less visual impact on the consumer. On my computer, I had downloaded the missing book cover. At this bookseller site, I looked for how to contact customer service about this missing book cover. I filled out a form on their website and attached the book cover asking them to add it to the appropriate place (and I gave them the exact website address). After a day or two, the customer service area sent an email they had added the book cover to their site. I checked it and now the image of the book appears with the book information. My action took a little effort but hopefully helps this author sell more copies of his book. Anyone could have made this change. It did involve seeing something that was missing, then saying something so this missing element was added.
There are millions of dedicated readers on Goodreads, and I encourage every author to take the time to build their Goodreads profile and connect with friends. While the average person on the site has about 200 to 400 friends, I’ve got over 5,000 friends (the maximum). Why is this detail important? When I review a book on Goodreads, the review shows up on the main page of each of these friends. That translates into lots of exposure for my review and the book. Exposure is one of the first actions to drive book sales for every author.
While reading a recent book to review on Goodreads, I noticed the cover was white instead of blue. It was a small detail but important. The book wasn’t my book. I could have ignored it. Instead, I filled out a help form on Goodreads and sent them the cover with the right color. Goodreads has excellent support for such questions. Within 24 hours, they responded and fixed the cover.
Much in our world is outside of anything in our direct control. Yet each of us can take our own responsibility for making our own changes and fixing what we see needs to be fixed. Each of us can take these types of simple actions to improve our world. I encourage you to take these small but significant actions. What actions can you take to improve what you see and make a difference? Let me know in the comments below.
W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Id
