Where the Growth Is

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■Independent PublishersYou have an association that is driven and designed2 exclusively around the goal of helping you succeed inyour publishing efforts. From the services to the educationalprograms, from the awards to the marketing opportunities,everything your association does is dedicated to helping youbecome more successful.I hope you are aware of and taking advantage of what IBPAhas to offer. In my brief six months as a member of IBPA,I have been impressed by the efforts both staff and boardmembers make to provide amazing value. A case in point isthe new Website. Because of its quality and professionalism,this site is not just useful; it represents IBPA members in away we can all be proud of.So, when we look at the numbers, we should see tremendousopportunity, be encouraged that book readers are respondingto the messages we are creating, and know that we aretaking the right pathways to create growth. Your associationis committed to helping you take advantage of today’s opportunities.Let’s grow together! ■Kelly Gallagher is vice president, content acquisition, at Ingram Content Group. He can bereached at Kelly.Gallagher@IngramContent.com.12 | IBPA Independent | February 2013
Author Websites:CommonMissedOpportunities(and What to Do About Them)Missed opportunity 1:Engaging and interactingwith visitorsWebsites let authors attract and connectwith readers in between bookreleases. Authors used to be able to dothose things only through their books,through in-print and on-air coverbyLaura Pepper WuRecently I sent a survey to authors Iwork with through my book studio.The survey asked if the author has anauthor Website, why the author has aWebsite, and what the author uses thesite for. The results surprised me.An author’s Website can be a fantastictool if and when it is used effectively.But these writers had lots of misconceptionsabout what their Websitesare for, and more often than not theyhad sites simply because they felt theyshould. As a result, they were missing alot of important opportunities.age, and through in-person events.Now, the Internet has given authorsthe power to communicate with theirreaders—and potential readers—every single day.Authors don’t haveto compete withthe other allures ofsocial media on theirown sites.I like to explain an author’s Websiteas the author’s hub, a place to build acommunity and engage in two-wayconversation with followers. At theirsites, authors have full control of theimage they want to present and thecontent they want to share with theirreaders and the media.Authors don’t have to fight for a reader’sattention on their own sites, and theydon’t have to compete with the otherallures of social media. A blog and newslettersignup on an author’s Website aregreat ways to facilitate interaction.Here are some of the typical missedopportunities along with some pointerson how to take advantage of them.While social media provide a fantasticway to facilitate continual engagement,they operate in a fast-movingworld where distractions are plentifuland authors don’t own the content. It’sshortsighted for authors to invest a greatdeal of time in sites where the rules andregulations could change so that peoplemove away and on to the next bestthing; and if a site closes down, all thefollowers an author worked so hard togain could be lost overnight.Missed opportunity 2:Generating next stepsWebsites can be confusing and overwhelmingif they are not laid out well.Authors’ sites should make it easy forpeople to know what steps to take—and tell readers who land on a site whatthe author wants them to do next.Some specifics:✓At the end of every page of a site,Visit the IBPA Website at www.ibpa-online.org | 13
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Page 4 and 5: President’s Postby Florrie Binfor
Page 6 and 7: What You Need to KnowAbout Using Th
Page 8 and 9: ■Third-Party Imagespage (e.g., qu
Page 10 and 11: BOARD MEMBER’S MEMOIndependent Pu
Page 14 and 15: ■ Websites✓✓there should be a
Page 16 and 17: From Self-Publishing to Success in
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Page 22 and 23: MARKETING OPPORTUNITIESIBPA DIRECT
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