Top 10 List--A Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On!

Well, there's some new players on the scene, and they're shaking up the Top 10. For those of you who aren't familiar with Wendy Paul, she's going to want to dominate this list through Christmas, so feel free to compete with her and keep her humble *winks at Wendy*

Without further ado, here they are (and remember, these numbers represent the demand for your book from retailers last week, not necessarily those that sold through to an end consumer):

#1- 101 Gourmet Cookies for Everyone, by Wendy Paul

#2- 65 Signs talk on CD, by David J. Ridges

#3- 101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes, by Wendy Paul

#4- It's Good to be Alive, by Jack Rushton

#5- Luck of the Draw, by Rachael Renee Anderson

#6- Shattered Silence, by Melissa Moore & M. Bridget Cook

#7- Zucchini Houdini, by Brenda Stanley

#8- MEG, by Steve Alten

#9- Reluctant Soldier, Reluctant Saint, by Tom Roulstone

#10- Defensive Tactics, by Steve Westover

Last Week's Top 10

Speaking of Prudence Bice, I don't think it surpises anyone after last week's blog that she takes our #1 slot for the week. The rest are as follows, though:

#1- The Widower's Wife, by Prudence Bice
#2- City of Angels, by Sheralyn Pratt
#3- Shattered Silence, by Melissa Moore & M. Bridget Cook
#4- Zucchini Houdini, by Brenda Stanley
#5- The Old Testament Made Easier, Pt 3
#6- Becoming Kate, by Dixie Owens
#7- 33 Habits of a Really Good Man, by Yvonne Swinson
#8- The Biblical Roots of Mormonism, by Eric Shuster & Chuck Sale
#9- The Hoarders, by Jean Stringam
#10- The Road Show, by Braden Bell

Great work!

This Week's Top 10

Hello All!

There are a lot of busy, busy authors out there. Some say that summer time is a dragging time for the publishing industry, but you all are proving them wrong. Below is the Top 10 books for this week:

#1- Circle of Souls, by Preetham Grandhi
#2- The Hoarders, by Jean Stringam
#3- The Widower's Wife, by Prudence Bice
#4- Old Testament Made Easier V3, by David Ridges
#5- MEG, by Steve Alten
#6- Becoming Kate, by Dixie Owens
#7- City of Angels, by Sheralyn Pratt
#8- The Road Show, by Braden Bell
#9- The Mark, by M.R. Bunderson
#10- Mormons Under the Microscope, by Ed Lauritsen

Great job!!

Top 10, July Signings & DB's Fall Catalog

First off, the wished for Top 10 List. This list compromises the Top 10 bestselling books for the entire month of June and first week of July:

#1- The Widower's Wife, by Prudence Bice
#2- Zucchini Houdini, by Brenda Stanley
#3- City of Angels, by Sheralyn Pratt
#4- Becoming Kate, Dixie Owens
#5- Biblical Roots of Mormonism, by Eric Shuster & Chuck Sale
#6- The Hoarders, by Jean Stringam
#7- Table for One, by Camille Funk
#8- 33 Habits of a Really Good Man, by Yvonne Swinson
#9- Mormons Under the Microsope, by Ed Lauritson
#10- Healing Secrets, Jade Mangus

Congrats to all who made the list, and thank you EVERYONE for your hard work :)

Titles that will be featured in Deseret Book's Fall Catalog are:

It's Good to be Alive
101 Gourmet Cookies for Everyone
Home Cookin'

Last, if you could just take a moment to make sure I have all your signings, that would be great! Also, fun news coming up, so be sure to check the blog next week!

1-Jul Thurs Widower's Wife 11-5 pm Costco
3-Jul Sat Flecks of Gold 1-3 pm BN- LV
7-Jul Wed City of Angels 4-7 pm Costco-Sandy
8-Jul Thurs Widower's Wife 11-5 pm Costco
8-Jul Thurs Flecks of Gold 4-6 pm Borders-Brea, CA
9-Jul Fri Widower's Wife 11-5 pm Costco
9-Jul Fri OTME 11-4 pm Costco-SLC
9-Jul Fri Zucchini Houdini 1-3 pm BN- Gateway
9-Jul Fri Flecks of Gold 1-3 pm DB- South Pointe
10-Jul Sat City of Angels 10-2 pm Costco-Sandy
10-Jul Sat Flecks of Gold 1-3 pm Hastings-Ogden
10-Jul Sat Flecks of Gold 4-6 pm BN-Layton
10-Jul Sat Zucchini Houdini 10-12 pm Costco-SLC
10-Jul Sat Zucchini Houdini 1-3 pm DB- Ft union
12-Jul Mon Widower's Wife 11-5 pm Costco
14-Jul Wed City of Angels 4-7 pm Costco-SLC
15-Jul Thurs Widower's Wife 11-5 pm Costco-WVC
16-Jul Fri OTME 11-4 pm Costco-Murray
17-Jul Sat Widower's Wife 11-5 pm Costco- WVC
17-Jul Sat OTME 11-4 pm Costco-Sandy
17-Jul Sat City of Angels 10-2 pm Costco- SLC
17-Jul Sat Infertility 11-1 pm DB- Denver
17-Jul Sat Dragon War relic 1-3 pm DB- Ft union
17-Jul Sat Zucchini Houdini 12-2 pm BN- Id Falls
19-Jul Mon Widower's Wife 11-5 pm Costco
21-Jul Wed City of Angels 4-7 pm Costco- Lehi
22-Jul Thurs Widower's Wife 11-5 pm Costco
23-Jul Fri OTME 11-4 pm Costco-Lehi
23-Jul Fri Widower's Wife 11-5 pm Costco
24-Jul Sat City of Angels 10-2 pm Costco-Murray
25-Jul Sun Becoming Kate 2-4 pm Avid Reader- CA
26-Jul Mon Widower's Wife 11-5 pm Costco
28-Jul Wed City of Angels 4-7 pm Costco -Orem
29-Jul Thurs 101 Cupcakes 3-5 pm The Brass Plates

Top 10 Report is Back!!!

Due to popular demand, the Top 10 report is making a comeback. So for those of you who lobbied to bring it back, your voices were heard, and here you are!

Month-to-date, here are the Top 10 selling Cedar Fort titles:

#1-Circle of Souls (mm)
#2-The Hoarders
#3-The Widower's Wife
#4-MEG
#5-City of Angels
#6-Mormons under the Microscope
#7-The Mark
#8-The Road Show
#9-Flecks of Gold
#10-100-Day Pantry

Year-to-Date Bestselling Titles are:

#1-Agent Bishop
#2-Mother's Daze
#3-Old Testament Made Easier, Part 2
#4-Old Testament Made Easier, Part 1
#5-Circle of Souls (mm)
#6-Old Testament Made Easier, Part 3
#7-65 Signs of the Times
#8-MEG
#9-101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes
#10-Joy in Your Garden

This will be updated weekly, so be sure to check in!!

BYU Alumni Call

This is an all-call for authors who are BYU Alumni. I need to know who you are, so I can let BYU Magazine know you're a published author!

So all authors who are BYU graduates, could you please leave a comment on this thread?

Thank you!

Seagull/DB/Costco Reminder

Today's post is dedicated to reminding authors of something that is outlined documents and conversations. And yet, all it takes is one or two authors acting innocently or inquisitively to stoke a fire that makes the subject need to be addressed repeatedly.

That subject is this: DB, Seagull, and Costco want all signing requests from Cedar Fort authors to come from me, and me alone. This means, if you are wanting to sign at a Seagull, Seagull doesn't want you going to or calling the store to request the privilege with the manager. If you want to sign at a Seagull, they want you to contact corporate and get approval before bringing the subject up in the store.

This is true even if you want to hold a great, fun event there that you think the manager should be in on approving. Even in that case, Seagull corporate would like me to ask them if it is okay before the idea is brought to the store.

Additionally, remember that Seagull will only be interested in a signing if your book is featured in their current catalog. Doing this is actually a favor to you, because it means that loyal customers who come in will have already had an exposure to your book.

Similarly, Costco's current business model is to invite strong-selling authors to do signings as they place orders for books. Of course, Cedar Fort encourages them to both carry your book and host you for signings, but both decisions are made on a corporate level, not by store managers. Contacting stores directly to request signings is not appropriate, whether they are carrying your book or not.

The short message here: Do NOT contact a DB or Seagull about a signing unless you've spoken to me about it first. And do not contact Costco at all.

Conversely, B&N, Borders, and other stores are happy to work with you on a store-by-store basis! For those of you who haven't seen it yet, B&N even took the time to make an instructional video for you on what they're looking for from a signing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boamWGoSMZk

Thanks for all your hard work. Learning the ropes in a new industry can take time, but the Cedar Fort team is working hard on your behalf to make each book as successful as possible.

All the best!

Cedar Fort's 2009 Releases

January 2009

Faith Among Shadows
Living For Tomorrow
So, You're a Bishop
Walking Into A Hug
The Mystic Cypher
Previously Engaged
Sacred Hymns of the Book of Mormon
Come, Come Ye Saints

February

Confessions of a Completely (In)Sane Mother
Life it Tough: I Doubt I'll Make It Out Alive
It's All About Him
A Circle of Souls
Simply Sane
The Faith to Heal and be Healed
Torn Apart
The Divine Principles of Mothering
Wealth Will Follow
Having Hope

March

But If Not
Deadly Treasure
Keeping Love Alive
Brigham's Boys
That's Faith!
My Fairy Grandmother
Compare Isaiah
Pearls from the Plates
Be Not Afraid

April

By Love, or By Sea
So, You're a Primary Teacher
Abish, Faith Among the Lamanites
Unlocking the Idioms
Women of Virtue
Catholic Roots, Mormon Harvest
On Your Own
Conceiving in the Heart
Learning to Prosper
Bone Warriors

May

Pick-Up Games
Losing Weight for Life
Agent in Old Lace
New Frontiers of Dutch Oven Cooking
10 Secrets of a Happy Marriage
Opening the Seventh Seal
Alvor


June

A Circle of Souls
Am I Ready to Die?
Altared Plans
Starting with a Quart of Tomatoes
The Adventures of Hashbrown Winters
Experiencing Christ
The Pearl of Great Price, Made Easier

July

The Sister Pact
Hiking Boots and Gospel Truths
How to Lengthen Your Stride Without Getting a Hernia
Discipline Me Right
To Teach as Jesus Taught
Spice Up Your Life
Achieving Your Life's Mission
Scientific Discoveries that Build Testimonies and Strengthen Faith

August

Shadows of Eden
Reiyalindis
Famous Family Nights
Your Endowment
Unlikely Truths of Motherhood
Agent Bishop
Second Chances
Celebrate Dinner
Cyber Safety
101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes

September

The Legend of the Star
The Apology
Honoring Christmas in My Heart
Santa Maybe
12 Days of Christmas, Encore!
Shattered Silence
The Shell Game
Hannah's Reach
The Modern Magi

October

Simply Singing Time
I Know My Savior Lives
Tiny Talks
The Old Testament Puzzle Book
The Ball's in Her Court
65 Signs of the Times
Stand as an Example
Nephi in the Promised Land

November

Ready Resource for Relief Society
How to Survive You Child's Mission
Family Home Evening Adventures
The Dragon War Relic
They Walk with God
Monday Nights in Jerusalem
Isaiah Made Easier
Breakfast in a Cookie Jar

December

Temple Worship Simplified
Primarily for Cub Scouts
Mormon Mishaps and Mischief
Fearless Dating
Where the Sun Rises
Divinely Designed
Secrets of the Prophets
Centsible Meals

Ebooks and Catalogs

Okay, first off: news that is relevant to EVERYONE:

Ebooks have been on the rise for several years now. Kindle brought them to to forefront and now they're all but mainstream. Old school people like me will always buy the book because I like the heft, turning the pages and being able to tell at a glance how much I have left before I'm finished. Plus, I have the gift of destroying any electronic device that gets too close.

I'll stick to books.

But for those of you who are all over the new e-readers, HEAR YE, HEAR YE! Cedar Fort has signed an exclusive contract with Barnes & Noble's new NOOK.

Now, if I were going to buy an e-reader, I would definitely choose the Nook, because the marketing and perks beat Kindle hands down in my mind. All the pre-orders have sold out on the product and the demand is huge.

That is where your book will be sold exclusively. Why exclusively? Because that gives you, the author, a much bigger royalty. And when I say much bigger, I mean MUCH bigger.

So look for your book when Nook starts hitting the street!

Second, I promised to update you all as to which books made it into Books & Things. Here they are (in order by page):

I Know My Saviour Lives (cover)

101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes

They Walked With God

OTME series

Nephi in the Promised Land

65 Signs of the Times

Agent Bishop

Temple Worship Simplified

Where the Sun Rises

The Dragon War Relic

Mario's Conviction

In Love Again and Always

Soul Searching

Completely Breakfast

Go-Spell

Spice Up Your Life

Adventures with the Word of God

FHE Adventures

Monday Nights in Jerusalem

The Old Testament Puzzle Book

Centsible Meals

Fearless Dating

Prophets Game

Simply Singing Time

Primarily for Cub Scouts

Ready Resource for Relief Society

Tiny Talks

That is a serious list and they're all big ads, so congrats and have a great week!

Top 10 and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Can you believe it? The holidays are here! Where did the time go? Wasn't it just summer?

Congratualtions on the hundreds fo signings you collectively pulled off in the past few weeks. It can be exhausting to promote during the holidays (as some of you discovered), but to do so is well worth it when it means your book will wrapped with care and placed under a Christmas tree for some lucky recipient.

I hope that the holidays treat you well and are filled with good times and love. All indicators point to 2010 being a phenomenal year so rest up! You'll want to hit the new year at full speed!

As for the Top 10 of this week, I'm waiting for some of you to bust a move and give the ones hogging the top a run for their money. (Although the ones at the top ARE working it! There is every reason for them to be successful!)

All the best to you!

Cedar Fort Top 10 for 12-21-09

#1- Agent Bishop
#2- 65 Signs of the Times
#3- 101 Gourmet Cupcakes
#4- Old Testament Made Easier, Part 1
#5- Shattered Silence
#6- Hashbrown Winters and the Mahimoto Madness
#7- Ready Resource for Relief Society
#8- Prophets Game
#9- Old Testament Made Easier, Part 2
#10- Centsible Meals

Top 10

I delayed this because I wanted to announce something cool... now I'm just 2 days late in posting the list and still waiting for the good news to be official. Sowwy.

The deck was really shuffled this week on the Top 10. Enjoy!

#1- Shattered Silence
#2- Agent Bishop
#3- Ready Resource 2010
#4- Hashbrown Winters and the Mashimoto Madness
#5- FHE Adventures set
#6- Simply Singing Time
#7- Old Testament Made Easier
#8- 65 Signs of the Times
#9- 101 Gourmet Cupcakes
#10- Great are the Words of Isaiah
(#11-Ball's in Her Court--Go, Heather!)

Top 10... and Great Author Book Trailers!

In conjunction with this week's Top 10, I would like highlight some great author Book Trailers. Malcolm Leal launched his for his book "Faith Among Shadows" and I think you all will love it! Another great trailer is for "Santa's Secret." Feel free to watch both for great ideas on how to make your own videos more fun!

As for the Top 10 List, here it is:

#1- Agent Bishop
#2- 101 Gourmet Cupcakes
#3- 65 Signs of the Times
#4- Tiny Talks 10
#5- Book of Mormon Made Easier, Part 1
#6- I Know My Savior Lives, set
#7- Santa Maybe
#8- Old Testament Made Easier, Part 1
#9- MEG
#10- Stand As An Example calendar

Workshop #4 Homework

Over the past 4 weeks dozens of Cedar Fort authors have participated in the 4-Week workshop aimed at helping them find and itentify their target audience. This blog is here here to document author messaging.

Who are you?
What value do you bring to your readers?
What do you hope to accomplish?

Your catch phrase should embody ALL this in one word or in one MEMORABLE sentence. This catch phrase should be consistently implemented in all marketing, in author bios and anything that references you or your product (intros, etc).

Leave a comment to post your catch phrase or phrase you are considering for feedback from others. Or look through others' catch phrases for ideas on how to create one for yourself.

REMEMBER: the purpose is to create a "slogan" that helps you and your target audience find each other. Examples: The Cyber Safety Guy, There's Always a Reason to Bake, The Queen of Paranormal Romance, Heroes Come Back Strong, No Day But Today, Just a Spoonful of Sugar, Mexican Food that Will Make You Breathe Fire, Top Hits on a Sax, The Noir King, Spice... With a Little Sugar, etc.

You may not know what any of those are referring to (I made up several of them just now), but you DO know after reading that catch phrase if you're interested in knowing more about the product. That's the point of your catch phrase. To hook your audience with interest from the first time they hear it until they seek you out, investigate you and buy you.

So all authors from Workshop 4, remember to do your homework and post your slogan, or slogan in process that will position you within your own genre.

This week's Top 10

How time does fly! It's time for the Top 10 again. Remember all authors, that this list represents corporate-buyer demand for your book. Authors with new titles, seasonal titles, strong word-of-mouth, events or active promotion show up quickly on this list which is why I publish it... as an indicator to authors actively promoting to see if their efforts are translating into immediate demand. Also, if your book is new, you can see buyer faith in your book and move to support it! If your new book is on the list the first few weeks and then drops off you know it's not selling through even though buyers had faith in the product and packaging, which means your approach to finding your audience is likely off target and could use some adjusting.

Agent Bishop is the perfect example of a book that CFI has orders for week after week due to author efforts. Mike McPheters knows his model and is relentless in working it.

If you are actively promoting and not visible on the Top 10 it is possible that your messaging hasn't taken hold yet. No need to panic. All this list means is that there are a few authors above you who have found a good rhythm and approach for their book. They're in their zone, which doesn't mean your not going to find yours. Wendy Paul went from not even being in the Top 20 two weeks ago to #1 last week and this week she's still up there. So can you pop up that fast when your efforts start synergizing into results.

That said, here's this week's list. A big welcome to all the new faces!

#1- 101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes
#2- Agent Bishop
#3- 65 Signs of the Times
#4- Santa Maybe
#5- Meg
#6- I Know My Savior Lives set
#7- Old Testament Made Easier, Part 1
#8- Book of Mormon Made Easier, Part 1
#9- Tiny Talks
#10- Nephi in the Promised Land

MORE Whitney Award Nominees

Congratulations to the following authors who are included in the second wave of Whitney Award announcements:

Agent in Old Lace
Shadows of Eden
Santa Maybe
Having Hope
The Adventures of Hashbrown Winters

I wish you all could win, but since you can't... BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL!!!

EVENTS & CONTESTS

The Christmas Season is here! Is there ever a better time to get your book on the minds of shoppers everywhere?

(Hint: NO!)

That's why today's workshop (www.blogtv.com, keyword SheralynPratt) was on creating events and contests. Are your efforts a buckshot, bullet or laser? Do you have goals and a purpose for your events that are quantifiable? Are you learning what you want and how to get it, or are you just tossing efforts out on the wind with a hope and a prayer and waiting for providence to pour down?

This blog comment section is devoted to events and contests authors are creating to generate interest in their books this holiday selling season.

All those who have watched the workshop, please list your event/contest ad it's quatifiable purpose/goal (defined by you). Then list the either 6 (contest) or 12 (event) required elements and how you are implementing them!

Great job, everyone, and let's sell out of your books this Christmas!

The Cedar Fort Top 10... There's a Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On!

Things are ALL shook up this week, which means some authors out there are starting to bust some moves! Good for them!

Remember, this list represents store demand for your books. The Christmas season is coming and stores are stocking the books they know will sell through. Now is the PERFECT time to show stores how you can make them money :)

But without further preamble, here are last week's best sellers!

#1- 101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes, Wendy Paul
#2- Agent Bishop, Mike McPheters
#3- Book of Mormon Made Easier Part 1, David Ridges
#4- The Legend of the Star, Stacey Gooch-Anderson
#5- 65 Signs of the Times, David Ridges
#6- The Ball's in Her Court, Heather Justesen
#7- Twelve Days of Christmas, Encore!, Betty Van Orden
#8- Santa, Maybe, Aubrey Mace
#9- Old Testament Made Easier, Part 1, David Ridges
#10- Old Testament Made Easier, Part 2, David Ridges

Cedar Fort Bestsellers—11/2/09

ALL RIGHT! Looks like some of you are shaking things up out there! Last week half of the Top 10 list were books from 2 authors, and Agent Bishop was comfortably resuming its reign at #1.

Well, the #1 spot has a new title and there are multiple new titles to the list! It’s always fun to see things shaken up—so remember, in any given week, anyone can appear on this list!

#1- 65 Signs of the Times

#2- Agent Bishop

#3- Old Testament Made Easier, Part 1

#4- Shattered Silence

#5- Dragon War Relic, The

#6- Twelve Days of Christmas Encore!

#7- Forever Santa

#8- Donkey's Tale, A

#9- Shepherd's Night

#10- Santa Maybe

Congrats again!!!

The Top 10 this Week at Cedar Fort

Welcome to the Top 10 List of last week’s book sales. This list looks a little more like what you’d expect to see during the Christmas-selling season, but you’ll notice that “Agent Bishop” is still right up there at the top... resting comfortably. Just underneath him is David Ridges, who has 4 titles on the top 10 list!!! Impressive!

After a quick glance, it looks like people are going for non-fiction for gift giving with autobiography, doctrinal and seasonal dominating the list. Not shown is that “Soul Searching—a 3-year-old fiction title—is still in the top 15! Who says fiction doesn’t have shelf life?

#1- Agent Bishop
#2- 65 Signs of the Times
#3- Shattered Silence
#4- Old Testament Made Easier, Part 1
#5- Forever Santa
#6- Donkey's Tale, A
#7- Shepherd's Night
#8- Twelve Days of Christmas Encore!
#9- Old Testament Made Easier, Part 2
#10- Book of Mormon Made Easier Pt.1

Let the Training Begin!!!

Hopefully you're here because you got my email announcing the exciting changes! These will start rolling out next week and largely be in full effect 11/1/09.

This blog is dedicated to authors interested in our 1st Online Marketing Training! This will be a training for all levels of the technologically inclined, showing how to effectively use online tools to market your book. The training will be held online at www.blogtv.com from 12:00-1:00, starting Wednesday October 28, 2009 and the 4 Wednesdays following. The time was chosen because evening really doesn't work for anyone and those who work can watch on a lunch break if they choose. Everyone who watches live can interact with me live, while those who tune in later can re-watch what happened without interacting.

If you're not familiar with blogTV yet, I think you will fall in love with it... and be shocked that it is FREE!

So, if you wish to join the first online training (meaning you fit the single qualification that you have a CFI book released/releasing before March 2010), please:

-Go to www.blogtv.com and create an account. Note: create a username that is the same as all your usernames on Facebook, Twitter and other networking sites. Make it easy for fans to find you on ANY site by using the same username on every site so they know when they've found the REAL you. For example, my username is SheralynPratt. Find me before you sign off.

- Return to this blog and post your username and your real name, so I know who I'm looking for in the chat room when I broadcast.

That's it. It's that simple.

Have questions? PLEASE leave them as a comment on this post. If you have the question, chances are other people do to and it would be best to have answers easily viewable to all.

Look forward to working with you!