NEW YORK (November 16, 2007) _ The 2008 New York Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its annual program celebrating books that deserve greater recognition from the world?s publishing capital.

Last year, over 20,000 attendees enjoyed the beauty and serenity of Manhattan?s Central Park as they browsed books, listened to music and author readings and enjoyed our food vendors. This year, the day festival will offer expanded stages and new opportunities for authors, publishers, musicians and vendors.

The 2008 New York Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, children?s books, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, comics/?zines, e-books, poetry, wild card (anything goes!), unpublished stories, science fiction, horror, photography/art, romance and biography/autobiography works. Books published on or after January 1, 2000 are eligible for consideration.

A panel of judges will determine the winners based on the following criteria:

1) The story-telling ability of the author.

2) The potential of the work to win wider recognition.

Entries can be in English, Spanish, French or Italian and must be published on or after January 1, 2000. Our grand prize for the 2008 New York Book Festival Author of the Year is $1500 and a flight to New York for the awards and our day festival in Central Park.

ENTRIES: Please classify your book and enter it in the following categories. Multiple entries must be accompanied by a separate fee for each book.

1) General Non-fiction

2) General Fiction

3) Children?s books

4) E-books

5) Comics/?zines

6) Wild Card

7) Unpublished Stories

Teenage

9) Science fiction

10) Romance

11) Biography/Autobiography

12) Audio/spoken word

13) Poetry

14) Photography/Art

FESTIVAL RULES: New York Book Festival submissions cannot be returned. Each entry must contain the official entry form, including your e-mail address and contact telephone number. All shipping and handling costs must be borne by entrants.

NOTIFICATION AND DEADLINES: We will notify each entry of the receipt of their package via e-mail and will announce the winning entries on this web site shortly after the entry deadline.

Regular registration deadline submissions in each category must be postmarked by the close of business on May 25 , 2008. Winners in each category will be notified by e-mail. Please note that judges read and consider submissions on an ongoing basis, comparing early entries with later submissions.

TO ENTER: Click on the "ENTER THE COMPETITION" link at the top of this page and follow the directions to get an entry form. Forms may also be faxed/e-mailed to you by calling our office at 323-665-8080 or e-mailing us at NewYorkBookFest@aol.com. You may also register over the phone with a credit card. Applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable entry fee via check, money order, credit card payment or PayPal online payment of $50 in U.S. dollars for each submission. Multiple submissions are permitted but each entry must be accompanied by a separate form and entry fee.

Entry fee checks/money orders should be made payable to JM Northern Media LLC. We?re sorry, but entries must be mailed and cannot be delivered in person or by messenger services to the JM Northern Media offices.

Entry packages should include one copy of the book; any relevant marketing material; a copy of your official entry form; and the entry fee or receipt from online payment.

Entries should be mailed to:

JM Northern Media LLC

7095 Hollywood Blvd.

Suite 864

Hollywood, CA 90028

AWARDS: Winners of the 2008 New York Book Festival will be honored at a gala ceremony held the night before our annual day festival in Central Park. You do not need to be present to accept your award or accompanying prizes.

New York Book Festival winners in each category will be admitted free to the awards ceremony. The New York Book Festival selection committee reserves the right to determine the category eligibility of any project.

VENDORS AND MUSICIANS: If you would like to be a part of our day festival in Central Park, please e-mail us at NewYorkBookFest@aol.com for an application.

The New York Book Festival is produced by JM Northern Media LLC, producers of the Hollywood Book Festival, DIY Convention, London Book Festival and DIY Book Festival, and is sponsored by The Hollywood Creative Directory, Westside Websites and Shopanista.


http://www.newyorkbookfestival.com/

6 Book Promotion Mistakes and How to Fix Them

By Patricia L. Fry

You wrote an amazing book, designed it to perfection and even managed to get it published. But it isn?t selling as well as you thought it would. What went wrong?
As the president of the Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network, and as an international speaker, I meet many authors who are disappointed in their book sales. I think it?s fair to say that 100 percent of the time the fault lies with the author and he or she has the power to change the situation. Here are six common mistakes first-time authors make and tips for how to avoid or repair them.
The author doesn?t know that he is responsible for promotion. Obviously, this author didn?t take the time and initiative to study the publishing industry or he would have known that his job isn?t over once the book is published. Hopefully, the author will turn to informative sites, newsletters, forums and books where he?ll quickly learn that authorship requires a commitment beyond the proper dotting of i?s and crossing of t?s.

He can still launch a marketing plan. He might solicit book reviews for publication in appropriate magazines and at related web sites, submit press releases to newspapers and set up a speaking tour to promote his book, for example.

The author doesn?t take the opportunity to build promotion into his book while he?s writing it. Savvy authors think about their target audience while they are writing and designing their books. If yours would make a good reference book, for example, you?ll want to include a complete index. For a novel, choose a setting that is conducive to promotion?a town that others want to read about and that would welcome your promotional appearances locally.

You could build promotion into your how-to book by involving a lot of experts and/or organizations. These individuals and organization leaders will promote the book to their contacts. For a novel, give a character a popular ailment and present it in a positive light and related associations might just agree to help with promotion.

If you didn?t think to build promotion into your book as you were writing it, dissect it now in search of possible promotional opportunities that are imbedded within. Does your young adult novel feature a girl with a horse? Perhaps horse and riding magazines, newsletters and web sites would review it, publish excerpts or welcome your targeted article on an aspect of horsemanship. Maybe you could get some press related to your self-help book for women with phobias through health columns in newspapers nationwide, women?s magazines or on radio talk shows such as "The Satellite Sisters."

Did you interview a high profile individual for your book? Ask her to promote the book to her audience. Request an interview with her for a major magazine. Do you have some impressive expert testimonials in your book? Play them up in your promotional material.

The author neglects to establish a platform. Many new authors don?t know what a platform is. It?s the author?s following, his reach, his way of attracting his target audience. Most successful authors today have a platform in place before they produce a book.

My platform for my writing/publishing-related books revolves around my experience in this field, my exposure through previously published and distributed books and articles on these subjects, my affiliation with SPAWN and my active and far-reaching speaking and workshop schedule.

Your platform for your book on phobias might be the fact that you?re a psychologist in this area of study, that you suffered a severe phobia for years, that you work with women with phobias, and/or that you?ve written about this for years.

Even as a novelist, you?ll need a following and this can be established through published stories, a popular/active web site, the fact that you are accustomed to traveling around and speaking or are involved in storytelling. Maybe you are getting ready to retire and plan to travel and promote your book throughout states.

How can you play catch-up with regard to your platform? Start now getting exposure. Establish credibility in your field. Participate in forums on your topic, write letters to the editors of appropriate magazines and articles for magazines, speak to groups locally and beyond and create news.

The author has unrealistic expectations. Many first-time authors (we?ve all been there) expect to sell their books by the truckloads through mega bookstores. They believe that any good book will be eagerly welcomed by bookstore owners and managers. The reality is that few people outside of traditional royalty publishers with track records can get new books into bookstores. And space on bookstore shelves does not guarantee sales. In fact, books that are not selling will be returned?sometimes within the first six months.

As the author, you can get your books into bookstores. How? Make a big enough splash with your book that readers are swarming to bookstores asking for it by name. This might mean appearing on TV and radio with your book, presenting large seminars related to your book all over the U.S. and getting tons of press by creating news and submitting press releases to newspapers everywhere. Become high-profile and get enough exposure for your book and, even if you are self-published or went with a fee-based self-publishing services, your book will be accepted for sale by bookstores everywhere.

The author gives promotion just a lick and a promise. Authors need to understand that book promotion is ongoing. It should start before you write the book and continue for as long as you want to sell books.

The author gives up. I can?t tell you how often I hear "I can?t sell my book, so what?s the use?" You won?t achieve the level of success you desire if you quit.
There?s a lot to consider when entering the huge and competitive publishing business. And promotion is a major consideration. Whether you land a traditional royalty publisher, self-publish (establish your own publishing company) or go with a fee-based POD publishing service, it is up to the author to promote his or her book. And the time to start thinking about promotion is before you ever sit down and put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.
?Patricia Fry is the president of SPAWN. She is also a full-time freelance writer and the author of 27 books. Ten of her books relate to writing and publishing. If you have a book to promote or a book in the works, you must add Patricia?s newly revised book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book to your collection of reference books. If you are stuck or struggling with your project, order her NEW companion Author?s Workbook to accompany The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html. Be sure to follow Patricia?s informative blog: http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog.

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