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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Book Trailers: Vital or Wasteful?

By Steve Laubeon February 17, 2011
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Book trailers, if done well, can be a cool component to the marketing of your project. If done poorly or if done cheaply they do very little to impress a potential reader.

Most authors love to see their work done this way. In some ways if feels like the story has made it to the “big screen.”

But does it sell books? When was the last time you clicked and then bought because of the trailer?

Every once in a while you click on the video embedded in an Amazon listing. It is my understanding that to add this feature on Amazon can cost up to $1,000. So it better deliver.

I have mixed emotions on the subject. When they first came out book trailers were all the rage. But then they became commonplace. So the bar had to be raised. The quality of the piece had to go to another level of entertainment…much like the infamous Super Bowl ads.

One author was told, by their publisher, they were obligated to create a book trailer, at the author’s expense, as part of the author’s commitment to the marketing of the book. I found out about this too late to protest…the money had already been spent.

Yesterday I came across the following book trailer that simply blows the lid off the competition. Watch it and tell me what you think. It sure made me want to buy the book! (No, I have no idea how much this cost to produce.)

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Category: Branding, Marketing, Platform, TrendsTag: book trailer, Trends

Count Your Many Phrases

By Steve Laubeon February 10, 2011
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We all have our pet phrases and they can inadvertently sneak their way into our manuscripts. Yesterday I came across a marvelous web site that can help you discover how often your repeat a particular phrase in your article or manuscript.

Using the Phrase Frequency Counter online, you can actually track what phrases you overuse. It is also a great way to pick out those clichés that can creep …

Read moreCount Your Many Phrases
Category: Editing, Grammar, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Writing Craft

New and Improved

By Steve Laubeon February 8, 2011
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After more than a month of work we are excited to announce the launch of our new and improved web site!

Please take a look around and tell us what you think...and if you find any bothersome glitches. Feel free to leave your comments.

Kuddos to Thomas Umstattd and his team at Authormedia.com for their work. They bent over backwards and put up with my obsession over the most minute of details …

Read moreNew and Improved
Category: AgencyTag: Personal

What was on Your Bestseller List?

By Steve Laubeon January 11, 2011
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What was the bestselling novel or non-fiction book the week you were born? Follow this link to a delightful search engine on Biblioz, an Australian company. Make sure you type the date first (not the month).

It is a bit startling to see how fleeting the popularity of books can be. They were the most popular in the country at the time! But I have to admit that I don't recognize most of the …

Read moreWhat was on Your Bestseller List?
Category: Publishing A-Z, TrendsTag: Book Business, Bookselling, Personal, Trends

Book Tour Lesson: Listen to Publisher

By Steve Laubeon January 10, 2011
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Melanie Benjamin, author of Alice I Have Been, reflects on book tours, in an article for the Huffington Post.  Especially the difference between the one she put together herself several years ago and the one she is currently doing with the help of her publisher.
"I've also learned to listen to my publisher. When a bookstore contacts me personally about an appearance, I pass the request on to my …

Read moreBook Tour Lesson: Listen to Publisher
Category: Book Business, Career, MarketingTag: book tours, Marketing, publisher

Someone Hacked My Website

By Steve Laubeon December 22, 2010
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And a "Merry Christmas" to me... (sarcasm dripping).

In the last 24 hours someone hacked my web site by utilizing a security hole in my host server. They didn't need even my password! They were able to piggyback on these blog posts and added 853 scripts to my web site redirecting visitors to malicious sites. These little beasts are also known as Malware.

Read moreSomeone Hacked My Website
Category: AgencyTag: Agency, Hacked, Website

Lawsuit over Hyperlink?

By Steve Laubeon December 20, 2010
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In Canada a man is suing another person for linking to allegedly damaging web content on a web site (the suit is currently before the Canadian Supreme Court).  A big "thank you" to Mac Slolcum for writing about this issue last week. In his article Mac asks the pertinent question, "Is a link on your web site equivalent to an endorsement of that content?" Think about it for a second. If you click …

Read moreLawsuit over Hyperlink?
Category: Book Business, Legal IssuesTag: Endorsements, Facebook, Internet Usage, Marketing

All About E

By Steve Laubeon December 17, 2010
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This was the year of the E word. "E-Books." The topic replaced the other "e" word...the Economy...as the number one topic among authors, editors, publishers and agents. And the news media reported every nuance with breathless excitement. The iPad, the iPhone4,  the Droid, the avalanche of tablets, the Kindle, the Nook, and a deluge of e-reading devices, all commanded our time and attention.

But …

Read moreAll About E
Category: Book Business, E-Books, Get Published, TrendsTag: Book Business, Digital Books, E-Books, Get Published, Trends

E-Book Buyers Buy More Books

By Steve Laubeon November 18, 2010
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New research by the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) has made some interesting discoveries.

E-book consumers say they are buying more books overall, but fewer in print, and are decreasing their total dollars spent
More than 40% of e-book readers have reduced the number and dollars spent on hardcovers and paperbacks.
Retailers are becoming more important than publishers as a source of …

Read moreE-Book Buyers Buy More Books
Category: Book Business, E-Books, TrendsTag: Book Business, E-Books, Trends

Harris Poll Surprises Authors

By Steve Laubeon October 7, 2010
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Today the Harris Poll released the results of a survey of America's Reading Habits. Every writer should read the article and think about the big picture.

The Harris Poll Article

I normally eschew poll results. The sampling is always so small to proclaim far reaching pronouncements about whatever topic is at hand. In this case there were only 2,775 participants.

Regardless, I found it …

Read moreHarris Poll Surprises Authors
Category: Publishing A-Z, TrendsTag: Authors, Publishing A-Z, readers, Trends
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