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Welcome to the Book Business Boss Show with your host, Dr. Julia Royston, helping you get your message to the masses, turn your words into wealth, and be a book business boss.

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Well, hello. Welcome to another episode of the Book Business Boss Show. I'm your host, Dr. Julia Royston, where I'm always seeking to help you get your message to the masses, turn your words into wealth, and be a book business boss. Well, we are now officially in season five. We're rolling. We've done more than 10 episodes. I've got a lot to cover and uh a long way to get there. And really, honestly, I want to take you step by step. And even though it looks like I'm going on the slow road, I want to get it in your head. I want to get it in your heart. I want to get it in your spirit. Uh, I want when it's all said and done, and Jesus calls me home, for you to say she gave me all she had. Um, Julia Royston didn't hold back. She's not a gatekeeper. She is not one that will say, Oh, I have a secret, you don't know it. Uh-uh, no. I'm gonna over uh teach, over give more than less. Um, so last week we were talking about production. What are we gonna produce? We got to have a product. We've been talking about mindset, making moves. We've been talking about having systems in place. Now we've got to make sure our products, what we're gonna produce. Now, some of these products are current, some of them are future, some of them uh, you know, you're gonna have now, and or some of them you know you won't right away, and then some of them you know you're gonna have to build later because you're gonna have client needs that are gonna want them, and we'll talk about that in a minute. But so we talked about last week um producing things, the chicken and the egg. Um, do you market and promote first, or do you have some a product? Uh, I need you to have a product, I need you to have something in your hands. So we talked about memoirs and um and children's books and poetry. Now I'm gonna switch gears because this the first one is the hardest one. So I'm gonna lean heavy in on um the fiction uh area. So fiction, you need to be high on engagement. You need to be high on uh, and when I say high on engagement and getting it out there and telling people about the story surrounding the story, all the all the parts. Um I I will tell you that I sell fiction, but fiction is not my first go-to genre. I am a nonfiction helping you get your message to the masses. That's my number one. And then number two of what I do and sell the most, so all my self-help and all that is number one because I'm in business to help other people. My um number one is not the author side. Number one is the publisher side. But I couldn't be a publisher until I was an author. So you see how that the chicken and egg, what came first? But what came first was an artist, somebody on stage, a singer, and then became an author, and then moving to a publisher. And so therefore, I have to understand and know that sometimes it's about me, sometimes it's about my clients, but then all the time it's about my clients because the things I produce, I'm able to teach my clients. You see how that's a vicious cycle and a vicious circle? The author leads to the publisher, which leads back to more authors, which leads back to helping them publish, helping them write, helping them publish, helping them promote. Yeah, it all works together. And I love how my life is intertwined and all connected, depending on what the needs of my clients are. I usually have been in that spot. But fiction is the one I have to actively work on. And moving into the future, I'll be working on it even harder. I confess, and I'm completely transparent as much as I can, that this is a weakness of mine. This, if you ask me what's my strength, what's my weakness? Not the writing is not my weakness, not the characters, plots. People enjoy when they read it, but promotion and being able to produce for fiction is my weakness because it needs time. You need a year, you need six months, I need, I need time. So I can kind of write on it here and there and focus on it when my other books are moving and doing what they're supposed to be doing in the world. So, and doing what they're doing in the marketplace. Then I can focus on fiction. So fictions last because it takes the longest. Children's books, I can have out in no time. Self-help, 30 days, 60 days max. Um, poetry. I haven't never done another one of those, but a full poetry book. But otherwise, you know, mm-mm. Uh my thing is, but I love the fiction process. When I when I got that time and I got that window opportunity and God says go, I'm in. So this is what requires active engagement because there are so many fiction writers out there, fiction authors out there. They're uh and but fiction readers are loyal. Oh my lord. When they love you, they love you. When they're into what you write, they're gonna, they're ravenous. They, they, if they if they come to you on book five and know you've written four more books somewhere, where they at? I gotta find them. Because they want to read everything. I have a book club in South Carolina. They have read everything I've written and they're mad because I haven't written anything else, because they like what I write. And that's a beautiful and a great problem to have. But the biggest thing is that that's one book club. I don't have 25, I don't have 30. Because I don't really focus on that. I will. Don't, don't, don't sleep on me. And if you know of a book club will be interested in what I write, go for it. But most of the time when they're as a fiction writer and that's what they're known for, and that's what they focus on, they're pulling, they're punching out books, you know, or they have a catalog that's out of sight, and people just stay there and they love it. So I feed the ones who want what I have, and then I'm gonna have to eventually find a way to to find some others. But it'll happen. But what I have found is with fiction, when other people have done it and I do it and for engagement, you need um to basically be feeding that um in the voice of the author, like what I'm working on, in the voice of the characters, what they're doing, what the questions they have, what the plot is about, what the characters are about. You need to be feeding those interested readers as much as possible. So if you have a main fiction book and it's a character who journals a lot, or if you need something, uh another additional uh production of an activity book, um, do you need a site that's uh specifically devoted there, or a Pinterest uh board that's devoted specifically for that book? That has been an idea rolling around in my head to uh activate Pinterest when I get ready to do fiction because that can give me pictures surrounding what the author, or excuse me, not the author, the character would do and what they would eat, where they would go, and tie it to my fiction story. And, you know, tacos and remember that from chapter five and book three, those kinds of things. Um, fiction also uh we've talked about children's books, but even having a coloring book surrounding the fiction, so that can kind of go be an activity book along. Adult coloring books are big time right now. That is a mental health uh activity, something that people really enjoy and they get involved in, uh, full blank pages as well as already filled in encouragement papers. Um, it's it's mental health is really a huge move, and I highly suggest it. So having an adult coloring book, creating that, Canva is a good place to do that. If you have issues, you have questions around that, uh let me know and I'll I'll be happy to help. So, and then, you know, tying it to, depending on what it is, tying it to giveaways. Um, people that have been readers. Um, I know of an author in St. Louis who's really big on having a reader appreciation. So she has a reader appreciation activity. So she brings them in. Um, there's uh little cute um, you know, gift bags or gift uh um, you know, party favors and all that good stuff to come in to show appreciation. Normally, if you're doing something on that level, you're either talking out about a book who's just recently done or you're getting ready to pitch a follow-up. It there is a reason for it all. There is a reason um that you would be doing something on that level. So, you know, you gotta you gotta think, you know, um, engagement. Really think. I'm not just gonna tell you here's the book. And that's what I'm really gonna be uh focusing on with the fiction authors of of mine of let's have a meeting on how we can have we can grow these readers and grow this audience. The ones who read it and love it, they're loyal. The ones who meeting new audiences and get in front of new people, that's a struggle. So um, you know, bits and pieces, excerpts from the the book itself, creating bookmarks, creating other promotional items. What's one of the key things that's involved in that fiction book that you could find in a wholesaler, you know, and one of those like trader uh um oriental trading, something you can buy 50 of them and yeah. So produ having those production pieces already in place to go along with your fiction is really key and important. We'll be talking about marketing and promotions that's coming up next. And I'm gonna take genre by genre for business, and um, and then I'll have an online store in my online store, a marketing and promotions class that's already there available. Be on the lookout for that joyaroysonstore.com, marketing and promotion. Uh promote that book now because it is so critical and so important that you stand out and that you're um, you know, unique and people are like, ooh, what do it? Not only just the covers got to be great, but then there's some other things that need to happen too as well to go along with it. It just can't be here's the cover, buy it. Well, why do I need it? What is it about? What's the story, twists and turns? So we'll be talking more about that in the class, but also um just having the opportunity to build that reservoir. If you're if your main thing is fiction, if your main uh uh genre, and I write in multiple genres, but if your main genre is fiction, engagement, and creating a reader experience and a reader atmosphere has got to be really key. So you can tell I'm how fiction, I really am, but there's a lot of things that have to be done on the author's part because they're not only just connecting with the book, because there's plenty of mystery thriller readers out there, there's plenty of romance fiction out there options, but why do they need to read what you have? And a lot of that is tied to who you are as a person, who you are as an author, who you are as a writer, the direction, the creativity that you come from, that that avenue, that direction of what you come through and come from is what makes you special. It makes you stand out and make people want to read more and more of you. I'll be right back with more. Product creation is one of those things that's an ongoing process. It is an ability for you to have more products in the office. If you don't have many products to sell, or wonder why some people don't buy from you, it may be that they don't know how important your product is to the betterment and the benefit of their life. Start there, and I gave that one for it to you for free. Yeah, start again, Brian. If you don't have many products to sell, or wonder why some people don't buy from you, it may be that they don't know how important your product is to the betterment and benefit of their life. Start there, and I gave you that one for free. More products can lead to more profits and more opportunities for people to want to work with you, buy from you, be in your community even more. Let's find out what we need to create. Product creation by Julia A. Royston, available at julioroystonstore.com. That's juliaroystonstore.com. And we're back. You're listening to the Book Business Ball Show. I'm your host, Dr. Julia Royston, helping you get your message to the masses, turn your words into wealth, and be a book business ball. So we're talking about production. That's a part, one of the key parts to um turning your book into a business. The more products you have, the more profits. The more products you have, the more potential, different, diverse people you can sell to. If they're not looking for that genre, if you have another genre, if you have one book, you have five books, you have 10 books, oh my goodness, you have a mini bookstore to move. And I've written 150, so you know most people are looking for my brick and mortar because I have so many books on the table. But the more products you produce, the more people you're able to serve. And hopefully, if they buy it, the more profits. So um, we talked about fiction, and that's just an ongoing cycle. That's an ongoing communication with readers. And one another thing that is key to all the genres with production is listening to your reader. Listening to your reader. Now, I've told it before, I might have said it earlier with the children's uh genre, but I'll repeat it again, even with the fiction. The more people um give you ideas, that means the more they want to read specifically from you. And that means more products that you need to produce. And so um, Terence the Terrific series, I've talked about it a lot. Uh, it's one of my um most um desired, most admired, most purchased um children's book series. My other ones moved too as well. Um, but Terence the Terrific is a whole thing in and to itself. And so, therefore, with Terence the Terrific over the years, people have been asking for the comic book. And I'm like, no, no, no. But then I finally did it. And so now I have probably four or five outlets that are looking for the comic book. I I just received an order. Uh, I'm getting ready to mail them out, but that's the first, no, well, maybe not the first, but that is probably the most desired, especially for reluctant readers in children's books. So, one of the keys to production is making sure that you keep with reader engagement and keep connecting with people more and more and more. So, we'll talk more about that um engagement when we start talking about marketing promotion. Because that's a big, huge chunk of doing business. Of course, getting the money, producing the product is big, but that marketing promotion, I've got to hone in on it even more so. All right, all right, let's switch gears. Nonfiction, we're talking about production, we're talking about having more products, more profits, uh, more people to serve. Um, and nonfiction is one of those things that's um nonfiction can be how to, self-help, um you know, uh steps to a better life, steps to writing a book, step, anything that'll help um people do something, produce something, be better, feel better, all those things. And um nonfiction is really uh a major part of mine. Um, like I said, nonfiction, self-help, inspirational has been always number one on my genre list. Number two is children's, and then we get down to the other uh more creative areas of fiction, poetry, etc. But number one for me has always been nonfiction. Um I started off with inspirational and devotionals, and the devotionals I actually had an opportunity. The first one I didn't put lines in. I didn't even know to do it. It was my very first book. I was just trying to get it out there. It was um, you know, how hot is your love life? No, no, no. Uh uh Divine Inspirations for Living, uh Season in Word. Uh, and it was poetry. So there was probably about 50 poems in there, uh, roughly 90 to 100 pages. I was good to go. And but what went along with my uh poetry book was I recorded the poems and I recorded the music together. So that's kind of different, um, but it's not because poetry, um, inspirational poetry like that needs the uh MP3s, it needs the audios with it. So we talked about poetry before, but I just want to reemphasize that. That's where I started. Then I went to devotionals. So devotionals were scripturally based because remember, I was in education at the time, and I was advised not to do anything with children's books, just stay in that vein. So I was. I was, you know, going to 50 events at churches, so I was good to go. Devotionals, my first one, 30 devotionals in it, but I realized I had prayer, I had a song in there, I had an affirmation that went along. It was scripturally based. And then um my devotionals of late still has the same, maybe not a song reference, but still has an opportunity for affirmation or prayer, but definitely now has an opportunity for you to actually write in the book. So there's always line pages. I um encourage other authors to definitely do the same. So having a nonfiction book, so that's inspirational, that's um a devotional, and then also, of course, the self-help. 12 Steps to Live a Better Life, um, best you, um, God in your business, um, building the dream team, write that book now, publish. I could go on and on and on. Doing business in the virtual online space, my events and exhibitors wanted. Uh, it has a um uh planner and a journal with it. It has the uh 12 months, where are you gonna go? What did you make? What was your inventory? All that good stuff. That's really kind of not only a journal and planner, but that's an activity book. That's engagement. Um, I've had uh Ms. Peggy Dixon, I'm gonna give her a shout out. She um when we go to events together, she has her events uh planner with her. So she knows how many of each of her titles she has, how many she sold, how many people she connected with, how much money did she make. She has it on hand with her at all times. And so therefore, having a workbook to go along with it, especially if you're a coach or a mentor, or you have whether it's group coaching, one-on-one coaching, whether you're a therapist, having something that's engaging, not only just to tell you what to do, but it's gonna tell you how to do it, and then it's gonna walk them through when they do do it. So you got to, you know, you gotta really be thinking about that as far as a nonfiction book. Because you want it to be in two ways. You don't just want to, even with the memoir, etc., you don't want to just tell your story. You want it to apply. Remember, I often say that and I'll continue to serve say this. Who are we serving? How are we serving? What are the results? Will vary based on the people, how hard they go, how hard they don't go. But who are you wanting to serve? Who are you wanting to um um help? Helping you. That's my job to help you. But who are you wanting to serve? The person you serve and who I serve is maybe two different things. How you show up, how you serve is two different ways and two different things. So you've got to be ready for that. And and then the other part is how you want to serve and how they want to be served maybe two different ways. Um, you know, we're trying in the middle of streamlining systems. And, you know, my husband's like, send out an invoice and then do it. I say, well, no, everybody doesn't have the money for just the invoice, just for the just for the invoice and and go. Because some people are not paying by credit cards, strangely as it's it's kept and and largely as it's you know thought of, that's the only way, but that's not necessarily the way people want to pay. So I want to get money however they want to pay. And I I want to be able to have options for that. And you know, I don't want to do checks uh unless I've done business with you before. So my point is that serving people and clients, human beings, how they want to be served. Now, sometimes they want to be served in a way you you're not ready for. You're not even willing to make the adjustment, you're not even willing to accommodate that. And that's your prerogative. And that might not be your audience. But you want to be producing something in a way, if you can, that accommodates the most people, the most situations that you can. Okay. I hope that helps you today. I hope that um lets you know that get your ideas, get your creativity churning for what's next. Because production is an ongoing process. It is production, you're gonna be reviewing it, you're gonna be revisiting. It's not a one-time, one and done thing. It is analysis, how well did we do here versus how well we did over there, how well we did at that spot, at that event, online, social media, through our website, what did that look like? And there'll be products that you'll produce that won't work, or they need something else. In addition to the journal, they want a planner. In addition to the journal and the planner, they do want a coloring book. So it has to be revisited again and again and again. So the major Fortune 500 companies that you see online, and all of a sudden they have a flavor and vanilla, and then oh, what? Let's try orange. Oh, let's try cherry, let's try, you see what that happens. They got a core product, but it can be revisited, revised, and updated. A new edition. I'm Dr. Julia Royston. I hope that this helps you to be a book business boss. Until next time, be blessed.

SPEAKER_01 23:19

You have been listening to the Book Business Boss Show with your host, Dr. Julia Royston. For more information, visit www.bookbusinessboss.com. That's bookbusinessboss.com so you can get your message to the masses, turn your words into wealth, and be a book business boss.

SPEAKER_00 23:41

Frank Cameron here inviting you to join me for the rhythm and the praise. We play a perfect blend of today's gospel music. And we pay homage to legends and iconic performances with our gospel classic rewind. And we interview movers and shakers in gospel music. So join me for the rhythm and the praise. Wednesday at 1 p.m. right here on Invision Radio.

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What happens when God steps in and changes everything? Flip the coins four times is the powerful true story of Chauncey Turner, a life once bound by drugs in prison, now transformed by the grace of God. Through faith, redemption, and purpose, Chauncey's story proves that no past is too broken and no soul is too far gone. If God can do it for him, my child, he can do it for you. Get inspired today. Flip the coins four times is available now on Amazon.com. I'm Nina Taylor, host of the Gospel News, and you're listening to Envision Radio, where praise meets talk.