Every author defines success differently at different points in the arc of his or her career. For some of us, it’s finishing that first essay. Or getting a whole manuscript done. For others success is getting agent. Or getting a publishing deal.

But for most authors you haven’t arrived – you aren’t really a successful writer – until you have readers.

How Janis Jaquith, self- published author of Birdseed Cookies: A Fractured Memoir, has attracted hundreds and hundreds of readers is a study of determination and perseverance.

Not only has she been successful but she’s been creative in how she’s used several different mediums to draw attention to her writing including radio, newspaper and the net.

Jaquith, broadcasts commentaries on Public Radio: WVTF in Virginia, and nationally on PRI's Marketplace. “After writing a whole slew of these personal essays, it just made sense to compile them into a book.”

And then it didn’t take long for her to realize her best sales tool was her own show. After each essay is broadcast, she’s identified as "the author of Birdseed Cookies: A Fractured Memoir" -- great publicity!

How did she get this high profile job? By writing an essay and submitting it.

And that’s something any author with a voice or a point of view can do. Everyone has a local cable TV show, radio station and local newspaper. They all take material. You just have to be determined.

“Come to think of it, publishing success in general grows out of persistence, networking, and snowballing. It's exactly like any other kind of writing gig: find out what they need, and submit. And when it comes to submitting short, timely pieces for radio, e-mail is a must -- you can get rejected really fast, and move on!

Something else Jaquith has done that many self published authors haven’t been able to do is get bookstore readings. Especially with a Print on Demand book.

Her first reading – at an independent bookstore during the Virginia Festival of the Book happened as a result of networking with people on the Festival committee.

“ I got my foot in the door at Barnes and Noble because I was recommended by a local book reviewer (Roanoke novelist Barbara Dickinson). That reading led to two other B&N readings.”

The short answer is: networking!

Are there local festivals in your area? Local authors who might be generous enough to read your efforts? Who reviews books for the local paper? Can you give him or her a review copy of your book?

If a bookstore thinks it can sell your book, the fact that it's POD doesn't stop them, said Jaquith “It's all about selling books. That leads to more readings, “ she said.

But one very good suggestion is to give your local bookstores a free copy of your book. As a gift, And along with it send a cover letter and a news release to the storeowner, or to the readings coordinator. Follow it up with an e-mail or a phone call.

What every author can learn from Jaquith is that any and every platform can lead to attention and publicity. Being a volunteer at your child’s school, or getting involved in a fundraiser at your local church can be turned into a mention of your book title.

Jaquith doesn’t think anything she’s done in the year since self- publishing her book has been a waste of time. “Whenever you post to an online forum, or send someone a free copy of your book, you're planting seeds. One thing can lead to another and another -- it's hard to know which seed will wither and die, and which one will eventually blossom.”

Another important suggestion is to test how well your online posting are doing. You can do that by creating four different signature or sell lines for your book. Then pick four different online forums or news groups to post to. Post to just one group – with just one message for the first week. And then chooses different message and different group for the next week and so one.

Checking your Web site log to see which week spiked the highest and what messages got the best response.

“I figured the best way to find readers would be to give out free samples. That's what's happening when you hear my commentaries on the radio, or read my newspaper column, or visit my Web site -- I'm like the lady at the supermarket handing out chicken chunks on toothpicks. If people like the samples, they might buy my book,” said Jaquith.

The best advice, Jaquith says she got was to make full use of the Internet. “It is mind-boggling how many people you can reach by posting on Internet forums. And the very best Internet advice I got was to include the title of my book as part of my signature line when posting to these forums.”

Her website www.radioessays.com gets a few hundred visitors a week. And once someone finds it and looks around a bit, the numbers show that they stay around and read many of Jaquith’s essays - which are all excerpts from the book.

Also on site – for easy buying – there is a link to Amazon. And for members of the press, there’s a release, bio, and photo.

“I can post a link to one of my essays on an Internet forum, which leads to book sales. A Web site with excerpts is a fantastic tool for an author. Potential readers are only a click away.”

This pro suggests that if you are promoting yourself and your books, always use your real (or pen) name when posting online, rather than making up a screen name. And always behave yourself exactly as you would if the discussion were taking place with all those people sitting in your living room.

When it comes to being part of Web communities, Jaquith posts on the ones that relate to publishing, writing, and Attention Deficit Disorder.

“My son, Jack, and I both have ADD, and several of the essays in Birdseed Cookies are about our offbeat family life. If there's a discussion going on at the About.com ADD forum that relates to an essay in the book, I'll post a link to the essay at my Web site, where anyone can read it for free. If they're interested in buying the book, they'll find a link to my Amazon listing at radioessays.com.”

She suggests you pick the correct moment to enter into a conversation since people don’t respond well when a new poster barges into a discussion and is obviously promoting a book or a product.

But Jaquith’s best advice might be to ignore the naysayers and persevere.

“When I announced my intention to self-publish through Xlibris, my writer-friends looked at me like I had just admitted to something horrifically embarrassing -- like I was dating a monkey or had a crazy uncle locked up in the attic,” she said.

But now she has a book, and readers. “And here I am being interviewed for Writer's Digest -- so I say break those taboos and do what makes sense to you. You can't market a book that hasn't been published.”

This article has been provided by M.J. Rose (www.mjrose.com). To thank her, please buy a copy of her newest novel THE HALO EFFECT.
Writers who read other w riters get published faster.

Rose is also the author of three other novels and is the co-author, with Doug Clegg, of Buzz Your Book. Together they teach an online marketing class - Take the guesswork out of marketing - www.writersweekly.com