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book publishing

A newspaper book reviewer comments on self publishing

book reviewer discusses the top issues and challenges of self-publishing

This is a blog post from April 2008 but it’s a very good discussion by book editor and reviewer Kel Munger who writes for The Sacramento News & Review. The article delves many of the top issues discussed here at the self-publishing group and offers up a very astute perspective.

The title is: “I banish thee to PublishAmerica!”

http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/bibliolatry/blogs/post?oid=659278

Great article. Wonderful blog post as examples go.

Are books dead? Is publishing dying?

discusses what it takes to be successful publishing, promoting and publicizing

Books aren’t dead. Publishing isn’t dead. It’s just that publishing technology keeps on evolving. The way we sell intellectual property is diversifying.

I work with many, many creative people and companies and what I am observing is that the number of ways people buy written words that they can read and acquire for value is increasing. As a publisher, this represents a major challenge. But the rewards in a country of 330 million people are still phenomenal. So I believe it’s worth the effort.

In the publishing field, you can start with a single book and then do what Dan Poynter has been saying for many years now. You diversify the intellectual property and sell it in what ever way people will buy it. So that means turning a book into a tape, video, ebook, or a workshop, or a teleseminar, or a web seminar or whatever your particular target pool of people will want and purchase. You can package your IP small and big. You can format it for pdf, Kindle, large print, tape, video, audio (mp3), video (MPEG, WMV).

Promoting it is the same. First you learn what you have to say to interest people and produce the action you want. Then you incorporate that learned tested message into your marketing materials. You start with your person to person discussions. Then once you learn what turns individuals on you expand it to small groups. Then you can move on to your news releases and then use the same core copy in your direct marketing materials.

Now you also have the ability and choice to reformat the same core copy and adapt it so that you can use it in all sorts of prime media formats and Internet media formats.

What you need to do is be systematic and test and develop and retest and redevelop till you have the content and communications that produce the same effect on people each time you use them.

What I’m seeing is that the use of technology is a force multiplier. Whether you put proven messages into a news release and convince a publisher to share your news is what you are aiming for. The choices of placement are now expanded. With prime media you have newspapers (daily and weekly), magazines, radio, tv, news services, syndicates. With the Internet web sites you also have the online counterparts to all the above. But you also have content opportunities at other people’s web sites, blogs, forums, discussion groups, ezines, mailing lists, audio, video sites, and the news search engines and specialized search engines. There is also social media – blogs, and the MySpace, Facebook types of sites, and the Twitters and more. People are now receiving plug messages for good stuff in all sorts of ways. Encouraging snippets motivate people when they come from trusted sources.

So in addition to creating THE TRULT GREAT BOOK, you also need to have galvanizing copy that not only gets you published but also searches well and motivates people to action off of very small snippets. You start with the book. Then you learn and document the best way to turn people on.

Once you get that down you can leverage it using the technology and mediums available to reach people. Each technology has its own style, format and communication system requirements. This means you may have to learn new styles and ways to communicate. But if you for example have a great problem solving tips article that produces media interest, you may also be able to use that core in articles and posts online at forums, blogs, mailing lists, ezines, and other places.

Even the David Meerman Scott’s New PR methods are basically just adapting to the new technologies. They say “write news release that sells product” because people can see it on a news search engine.

However the success still hinges on the quality and remark ability of the product, and the persuasive content and quality of the news release. People respond to quality. They ignore and bypass mediocrity. The good stuff rises to the top. The bad stuff sinks away out of site.

People tell their friends when something is really good. They also steer their friends away from stuff that’s not that good. That’s because people want to be seen as helpful to others in the marketplace.

And if the statement “You gotta get this!” or “That book is incredible!” gets flowing on social media sites from person to person, you can find yourself swamped with orders.

From my perspective as a publicist who helps people achieve success, the two base requirements for creators who want to achieve success are 1. create something really good and 2. develop the proven communications needed to trigger action by your target audience.

You must learn how to sell your product by speaking to people. Your personal experience with your products with your customers and audience is very valuable. You use their feedback to guide you to the best communications you can use.

Once you have this then you can use all the available technologies to communicate meaningfully with your particular audience.

This may take some systematic careful planning and effort. But it really creates opportunities. One book can be sold in many different ways. Each one is an income stream that can be developed and can contribute to a very significant income.

The most important thing you can do is to create something remarkable. That’s what you have to do first and foremost. It’s like making candy. You test your recipe by giving it to people and refine your formula till people just get a little taste and instantly want more. You’ll know when people like your candy by their reaction.

In my view, what you need to do is simply devote yourself to being the best that you can be. I see that success is going to people who help the people that they can help the most. This is true whether they are a writer or a comedian or a manufacturer of products or a provider of services. If you devote yourself to excellence and service of others, then people recognize and appreciate what you do, because you do it so well.

My job as a publicist always seems to be trying to help people find out what they do best because sometimes they don’t really know because they have not asked the right questions and really paid that much attention to the very people they are trying to reach, help or entertain, and sell.

It’s up to you as the creative source to produce the candy that make people go crazy and tell their friends all about it. That’s the base challenge – the key requirement. The creation has to be really good. If you are an author or a publisher, you need to write a really good book. If you are an inventor, you need to create a product that really makes a difference. If you are a service provider, you need to offer advice or help so that it really does solve a problem and improve what people can do.

If you don’t do that first, then not much can happen as you try to get people interested in it.

Once you create a product that taste like candy, then you have to learn how to get people to talk about that candy.

Search Inside the Book ? Good or Bad for Book Sales?

Evaluates the "Search Inside the Book" technology and how it can affect book sales

An author on the Yahoo Self Publishing list asked:

>>I am planning on using this feature for my book, The Guru Next Door, A
>>Teacher’s Legacy but wanted to check with ya’ll first. Is there any
>> reason NOT to do this?

I was actually interviewed at the Book Expo America on this issue back in late May 2005. I was standing in the Google Booth having a fun discussion (argument maybe) with some Google reps not knowing that IDG News Service industry reporter Stacy Cowley was madly taking notes right next to me and then wrote it all up for PC World magazine. Here’s a link to the article which is still available online.

Google Woos Book Publishers
http://www.pcworld.com/article/121247/google_woos_book_publishers.html

What you have to realize is that the search inside the book feature gives people the ability to make a better buying decision based on a snippet of a search on a key word that you don’t know.

The effect on your book sales will be determined by what happens when people see inside your book. Will that help you sell books?

Maybe.

It’s a lot like what happens if someone goes to the bookstore and finds your book on the shelf. If someone picks it up and turns the pages, what happens?

That’s about the size of it only now they are browsing online.

The question as far as book sales go is this:

Will a buying decision be favored if the reader sees what’s inside?

If the answer is yes, then theoretically, sales are improved compared to buying decisions based on cover, reviews, and testimonials only.

If the answer is no, then it likely doesn’t help you sell books.

The answer is in some ways dependent on the content and style of writing, organization, presentation, font size, and other characteristics of the content inside of the book.

The answer is also dependent on what the Amazon searcher enters, and how they feel about your book after reading the snippet they receive.

You have control over of the features of the content and presentation of your book. You don’t have control over what the searcher sees.

You also don’t have control over what Amazon or Google let’s the reader see.

You can experience this effect on your own buying purchases if you actively use this feature and make these types of observations when shopping.

What happens when people pick up your book? You need to find out in person first. Then you can estimate what happens online.

You might want to test the book without the search inside the book for a month or two before you add in the feature and then compare what if anything happens.

To me this is a fairly crucial bit of decisionmaking. You may be a person who has placed a lot of effort and money into creating a book that people will find attractive enough to buy. You may have spent a lot on cover design and marketing. You may have used a professional copy editor and book designer when you created your book. If the quality and writing is high in person then the chances are a similar response will occur when someone uses the search inside the book feature.

But if you haven’t done these things, then a person who sees inside the book will be able to see the quality shortcomings up close and personal and these factors will have a serious impact on the buying decision.

So if the reaction of a person who actually gets their hands on your book is not a buy decision, then maybe the search inside the book will not be helpful to you.

Since search Inside the Book and Google Print were introduced, my early observations about the technology have been pretty well born out.

Quality sells. First impressions make a whole lot of difference. The snippet can make you or break you.

You’ll need to evaluate whether the feature helps you based on how people in your target audience make decisions when looking at books like yours.

Blog media coverage begets blog media coverage – publicity success story

blog media coverage begets blog media coverage for new autism book

I wrote and transmitted a very special news release for Karen Simmons, author and executive Director of the national organization Autism Today. The news release was transmitted on the morning of Thursday July 3, 2008. The goal is to get art created by people with autism for a new book, the second in a series.

The news release headline said the following: Art by those with Autism Sought for New Book

The creators of the award winning book Artism: Art By Those With Autism!, are seeking new original artwork to include in the next book in this series titled Artism Anew. If you or someone you know with autism has a great piece of artwork and would like to be included in Artism Anew, please send your artwork to (please keep copies as we are unable to return materials). There are no limits to the number of submissions. High quality TIFF or PNG files of artwork must be received no later than August 15, 2008. Artists can send electronic files by email to artism@autismtoday.com

The news release resulted in an article published to the excellent health blog, at the Chicago Tribune, by columist Julie Deardoff on July 5, 2008.

We then received an email from About.com Autism Guide Editor Lisa Jo Rudy who said that she saw the article on the Chicago Tribune blog, and that she also put the article information on the autism guide portion of About.com.

Pretty cool. Media blog coverage begets media blog coverage.

Key questions for a galvanizing interview news release or problem solving tips article

Key questions for a galvanizing interview news release or problem solving tips article

OK you’re ready to write a news release or have me send one out for you.

Now what do you do?

The goal is to now get people interested in you and your writing. To do this we need to make you interesting, newsworthy and entertaining. We need some exceptional material. We need your best material.

This is what I need from you so that we are successful together.

Here’s what I recommend you do:

First go to Google News and study what’s being published YOUR KEY WORDS

http://news.google.com/

You may also want to do this at my newly patented custom search word pro web site. It operates like a channel changer for search engines:

http://www.searchwordpro.com/quick.src?Action=&T=130

Once you see the existing coverage think how we can use this knowledge to create similar coverage about you. We have to interest media by giving them what they are accustomed to producing entertainment and education-wise. Look at what the best authors and entertainers do and in response to what questions or issues. Learn and take notes. Find a few examples that you really are envious of. These become your models.

Now build a presentation like this:

Imagine being in front of 20 to 30 of the very best people you think would be most interested and who in your service. Describe these people to me.

Identify the most important and interesting topic, challenges, or problem situation that will interest the maximum number of people you can think of, that relate to what you can speak about based on what you have created.

Think about being entertaining and informative at your story telling best. Use what you learned to guide you. You can use my 3 I Technique. Identify a success story. Imitate it. Innovate with your own information.

Then give me your ten best tips, problem solving actions or stories and ideas or lessons learned for your target audience. Can you give these people your ten commandments? Your best quips? The most important things you learned by writing?

I want you to pretend you have three to five minutes to give these people ten absolutely phenomenal show stoppers. That means for ten items, you have less than 30 seconds for each one, plus a one minute
intro and a one minute ending.

The goal is to create a vision for the media that clearly illustrates and allows them to visualize in their minds — How you can help them put on a good show and entertain and educate the people you can help the most.

Focus less on ideas than on actions that people can take to deliver immediate or tangible real time or near term benefits, impacts, or predictable consequences. Use real stories about things that happened to you or other people to add human interest.

These show stoppers should be “Do This Today” types of actions if it is advice you are giving to solve a problem or “Get a Load of This” type of emotionally engaging stories that are dramatic and personal and illustrate some achievement in the face of adversity.

This forms the core content to the news release/show proposal pitch.

These will also be publishable as an article with some caveats we can add to the beginning and ending of the core content to turn it into a proper news release offering. It will also become the core script
for a Q & A style interview, so they serve many purposes.

You can do five do’s and five don’ts or whatever. I just want you to be your wittiest and most galvanizing self. You can be humorous and/or serious, just be good and make them memorable. Keep them G Rated.

If you follow these instructions, please do send me these in an email message. No more than a single bullet plus a single one or two sentence inspirational explanation per bullet.

I’ll do the rest.

And then we’ll get you a bunch of media publicity, in the right place, so you are viewed and seen as helping the people you can help the most.

Paul J. Krupin Custom Targeted PR
Helping People Reach the Right Markets & the Right Media, with The Right Message
www.DirectContactPR.com 800-457-8746 509-545-2707

Getting More Book Publicity for fiction, non-fiction or ebooks – it really doesn’t matter that you wrote a book

Getting More Book Publicity for fiction, non-fiction or ebooks, it really doesn't matter

The type of book you have doesn’t matter to the media.

I’ll say it again.

The type of book you have doesn’t matter to the media.

I do a lot of work with fiction authors. I do a lot of work with non-fiction authors. I do a lot of work with ebook producers.

I used to distinguish how I wrote news releases for fiction compared to non-fiction, but over the years I’ve found that when it comes to getting publicity, it really doesn’t matter what the book is. Also, my experience to date is that I am not very enthused about book reviews, and I favor galvanizing feature stories and interviews. Book reviews tend to be most helpful to those who seek library and book store sales. For people who are working beyond the bookstore and library, and for those who sell direct, just rely on Amazon or online sales and web sites, or are pushing for quantity and special sales, problem solving tips articles, feature stories and in depth topical interviews produce far better return on investment. This is where I’ve seen the greatest gains for authors and publishers.

That’s because, from a publicity point of view, the media actually don’t care a lot about what the product is. They are only interested in publishing three things: news, education and entertainment. They honestly couldn’t care less about whether you wrote a book or have one available for sale. To most media that fact that you wrote a book is just a credential to you being a person who’s qualified to give a newsworthy comment.

Sure if they like the book, if it has real added value to a lot of people in their particular audience, then media may choose to write about the book. But for the most part, they aren’t real inclined to help you sell product. Their view is that if you want them to promote your product so you can sell books, then take out an ad.

What the media really wants to publish and what they respond to best is galvanizing quality content that is interesting to lots of people in their particular audience and that has real added value to them. This is what they need to satisfy their audience and keep the subscription and advertising revenues flowing. This is also what you need to provide them, if you want to get media coverage.

I can get people publicity whether they’ve written and published a book or not. I do this day in day out. All we have to do to be successful is focus on what the media needs. They respond to that.

Even a fiction book makes you an expert of a sort, who can offer helpful insights and information on topics germane and relevant to the book.

What that means is that we focus on using problem solving tips articles, human interest, delving into issues that people want to know about.

Some fiction examples that produced media success this year:

* For Ayna Meppelink’s book ‘I See a Red Door’, we present content talking about what it’s like to be just like her characters, a reluctant, psychic, doubting what her senses are telling her.

* For Mary Anna Evans book ‘Effigies’, we pitch talking points that explore the deep Southern culture, ethics, and biases that her characters encounter.

* For Molly Dwyers book ‘Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein’, we pitch interview and feature content that explores the feminist politic and what it’s like to be a revolutionary woman rising above desperate times.

* For Nick Ruth’s Dark Dreamweaver series, we emphasize the esteem building, character developing themes for young people, and the power of dreams and goal setting.

* For the children’s book, ‘Grandpa Grouper’, by Don Arends, we focused on the idea that the book delivers underwater adventure and contains distinctly innovative human interest. The lead sentence to the news release declares, “Grandpa Don Arends looks a lot like the main character in his new children’s book, ‘Grandpa Grouper, The Fish With Glasses.’

What you have to resist and avoid is telling the media anything at all about how your publishing struggles, marketing plans, publishing and promotional activities, and book sales. This will result in coverage that is all about you, but offers very little motivation to a reading or listening or watching audience to learn more about your products, and the knowledge, feelings, benefits and the personal experiences they can receive by getting what you offer. You need to focus what you offer on the media audience. That is your mission. That has to be your focus.

More important, you can’t just describe it, and say, it’s in the book. Your news release has to actually persuade media to call you and ask for the book to review, and to do that the release has to actually trigger some feelings, desire, want, and emotion. The news release has to do what your book does and achieve that emotional engagement in about 30 seconds. You have to deliver a thrill, a pleasure, an emotion and a personal experience. I wrote this up a while ago as a ‘rule for getting publicity success’ like this:

Tell me story (a short, bed time story), give me a local news angle (of interest to my particular audience), hit me in the pocket book (make me or save me money), teach me something I didn’t know before (educate me), amaze me or astound me (like in WOW!), make my stomach churn (in horror or fear), or turn me on (yes, sex sizzles).

No matter what type of book or service you have, getting publicity is a completely separate task and requires you to use different ideas and actions. And to get publicity that sells books you have to be very interesting, have incredible things to say, or offer truly helpful, educational, entertaining or humorous, or galvanizing ideas that interest people in who you are and what you have to offer.

This is a process of testing and refining what you say until you know that if you communicate certain things, a known action will result. You can interest media in writing about you if what you offer is exceptionally good. If create and offer something interesting, then you will improve your chances of getting favorable publicity significantly. Communicating that what you have to offer is good is crucial.

If you are at a loss for what to do here is a quick way to identify and develop your core material.

What I tell my clients is this:

Imagine being in front of 20 to 30 of the very best people you think would be most interested and who in your service.  Describe these people to me. These are your target customers so describe who they are.

Now identify the most important and interesting topic, challenges, or problem situation that will interest the maximum number of people you can think of in this pool of people, that relate to what you can speak about based on what you have created. 

Think about being entertaining and informative with your points and develop the ideas at your story telling best. Think about how you talk to people about your book, especially when the conversation results in a sale. Look at your reviewer testimonials. Why do people like what you do? Use what you learned to guide you. 

Then give me your ten best tips, problem solving actions or stories and ideas or lessons learned for your target audience.  Can you give these people your ten commandments?  Your best quips?  The most important things you learned by writing? 

Pretend you have three to five minutes to give these people ten absolutely phenomenal show stoppers.  That means for ten items, you have less than 30 seconds for each one, plus a one minute intro and a one minute ending.

The goal is to create a vision for the media that clearly illustrates and allows them to visualize in their minds what your presentation and their article or interview is going to look like — How you can help them put an article that gets favorable thank you’s by mail phone and email, or a good show that entertains and educates the people in their audience.

Focus less on passive ideas and more on actions or positions people can take that people can take today! that deliver immediate or tangible real time or near term benefits, impacts, or predictable consequences.   Use real stories about things that happened to you or other people to add human interest. 

These ‘show stoppers’ could be “Do This Today” types of actions if it is advice you are giving to solve a problem or “Get a Load of This” type of emotionally engaging stories that are dramatic and personal and illustrate some achievement in the face of adversity. 

This forms the core content to the news release/show proposal pitch.

In many cases ,these will also be publishable as an article with some caveats we can add to the beginning and ending of the core content to turn it into a proper news release offering.  It will also become the core script for a Q & A style interview, so they serve many purposes.

You can do five do’s and five don’ts or whatever.  You just have to be your wittiest and most galvanizing self.  You can be humorous and/or serious, just be good and make them memorable.  Keep them G Rated.

Hence the key to your success is being truly great at what you do. Help the people you can help the most. Please them and satisfy their needs beyond expectations. That’s what will get you attention. That’s how you create and deliver value.

That’s also how you market and achieve success and happiness.

I wrote an extensive article on this topic which you can see at my web site. It is titled:

Writing News Releases For Fiction Books

Here is another article that might be helpful to those who want more strategies in getting more book publicity titled: Cover letter or news release? Book review or feature story?

BTW – if you follow this advice, make sure you send what you create to me by email. I’ll be happy to take a look at them and give you some recommendations on what else to do next to get more publicity.

Writing ebooks for publicity and even profits – a comment

Provides ideas and insight into the marketing and promotion of ebooks

Dustin Wax creator of The Writer’s Technology Companion web site wrote an article titled Writing ebooks for publicity and even for profit…

As a publicist who sees hundreds of books of all types each year, I don’t believe that ebooks are a hot product in and of themselves. There are only certain types of people who will buy them and use them. The marketplace is actually pretty small and most people still buy and read regular books.

So in my view, and what I advise my clients is this: Once you own a body of intellectual property, sell it every way you can. An ebook is just one form of publishing. You can print it POD, publish it in with Kindle, package it in a pdf file, break it into pieces and let people subscribe to it, you can teach with it, use it as a freebie for people who pay for a workshop, you can use it as a calling card for higher cost services, and lots more.

I think you can benefit a lot if you look at what you are doing as if you are making candy.

Sweet, enjoyable, memorable candy.

It comes in all sorts of flavors and colors and sizes.

I see four types of candy on the Internet: products, services, software and information.

* Products need to be manufactured and delivered.

* Services need to be performed.

* Software can be delivered in a box or a download, and can be easily updated.

* Information can be provided in lots of ways.

There are lots of hybrid forms to these four basic types of candy on the Internet.

You can make mind candy — intellectual candy. This is candy that teaches people something and helps them grow.

People always remember where they get good candy. It produces a physical sensation that creates the sensation of physical pleasure and specific chemicals are released in the body — chemical memory is the result. This is the branding that takes place when we see or even better experience, something remarkable.

So no matter how you publish, focus first on creating something truly incredible. Then when people hear about it, they’ll want it, and they’ll be interested in anything else you sell.

So write to sell. Write content for information or code for programs. Write what you are best at.

Don’t stop the development process till you can reliably demonstrate that what you have created actually sells repeatedly to different people at a known rate. Do this once, twice, three, four, five times to different groups of people until you vereify that the communication you use produce the same action on the part of the people you present to. If you talk to, email, or communicate with ten people, and sell one product, that’s a ten percent response rate. Two products, then that’s a twenty percent response rate. Three products, and that’s thirty percent.

And that’s incredible for any product and marketing communications.

Then publish. Publish your ebook, publish your hard copies, publish your videos, and your dvd’s and mp3’s. Promote your speaking, your wrkshops and your consulting.

You can see more of my ideas on this how this translates into marketing and publicity at the free articles at my Direct Contact PR website

In particular look for the article titled “The Magic of Business”.

From a publicity point of view, the media actually don’t care what the product is. They are only interested in publishing three things: news, education and entertainment. They honestly couldn’t care less about whether you wrote a book. To most media that fact that you wrote a book is just a credential to you being a person who’s qualified to give a newsworthy comment. if they like the book, if it has real added value to a lot of people in their particular audience, then they may choose to write about the book. But for the most part, they aren’t real inclined to help you sell product. Their view is that if you want them to advertise your product, then take out an ad.

What they want to publish is the news. education and entertainment that satisfies their audience. This is what you need to provide them, if you want to be published.

So we can get people publicity whether they’ve written and published a book or not. All we focus on is what they media needs.

So no matter what type of book or service you have, getting publicity is a completely separate task and requires you to use different ideas and actions.

You can interest media in writing about you if what you offer is exceptionally good. If create and offer something interesting, then you will improve your chances of getting favorable publicity significantly.

Hence the key to your success is being truly great at what you do. Help the people you can help the most. Please them and satisfy their needs beyond expectations. That’s what will get you attention. That’s how you create and deliver value.

That’s also how you market and achieve success and happiness.

News search engine tips and tactics for authors and publishers

News search engine tips and tactics for authors and publishers

Did you know that you now have access to some of the world’s most powerful online electronic clipping tools?

They are called News Search Engines. You can use them to dramatically improve your success with the media.

News search engines are specialized search engines that visit news sites from all over the Internet and use computer algorithms to select stories for inclusion. They then cluster the stories and photos into an online magazine format. As the news changes the news search engines keep you informed of the latest developments.

They allow you to search the latest news stories from hundreds to thousands of news sources. This gives you the critical business intelligence about not only what the media is covering but how they like to publish what they cover.

Some of them also allow you to create special news alerts, which send you an email message every time a news story comes out on your special topic or keywords of interest.

This is very powerful and useful technology and at least for right now, it’s free.

Let’s explore these and find out how you can use them to get more publicity for your business, for your books, and for you and your authors.

Top News Search Engines include the following:

Google News
Yahoo News
Alta Vista News
All the Web News
MSN News
Daypop
Topix.net

Not all news search engines are created equal. Some provide coverage of some areas while others don’t. Some news search engines even let you establish channels like this one, set up to reveal news from the book publishing industry for selected news services and syndicates.

Yahoo Book Publishing News of the Day

You can search and find information on a wide number of critical topics. It is up to you to identify your key words. This is a fine art because if your search words are too general you will get way too many stories each day to be useful to you.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Seven Powers of Book Printing

What happened to books before, during and after the development of the Gutenberg Press.

The Seven Powers of Book Printing

What happened to books before, during and after the development of the Gutenberg Press. This wonderful video provides you with a perspective that should make any author or publisher think twice before finalizing their creative work.

How do you write something that will sell?

Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

How do you know when you are done? When one prospect after another picks up and doesn’t let go.