So, I did a live webinar for Writer.ly this week. The topic was “finding your target reader”. As much as my goofy headset makes me look, well, goofy, I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. I do think if you watch this, you will be able to find your target reader. Big thanks to the Writer.ly crew for hosting and facilitating. By the by, if you are an indie author or other related professional, you should check out their website. The video is… Continue Reading

One of the most positive aspects of social media is chatting with people you normally would not. I refer to social media, especially Twitter, as the great equalizer — I’ve had conversations with many famous authors (Susan Orlean, Anne Rice), actors (Jeri Ryan, aka 7 of 9), and musicians (David Poe). But you also meet many regular folks who are on social media to learn about you, the author.  Most of the time, people are very positive, supportive, and we have great conversations. Occasionally, however,… Continue Reading

Here’s the thing—being an author and being an entrepreneur/ marketing type person are often antithetical pursuits.  We get it.  While you’re actually writing the book, you have to discipline yourself to be immune to distraction, to not talk to people, and to really be a total introvert for however long it takes to get that book finished.   This pursuit really suits some (ok, most) writers, as they tend to naturally be “quiet/ shy” types (not me or my co-contributors here, but most writers we have… Continue Reading

As you can see from the title, this post is going to be about a book written by contributors to this site, so if you’re here for straight-up free social media tips and book news, totally click the links at the bottom to go to another article! Here’s the deal:  last year, awesome Booktrope CMO Katherine Sears and I wrote a book on book marketing called “How to Market a Book.”   I know, that sentence sounded like one that would be written by a… Continue Reading

There’s no question: networking with readers and media via social media is an essential piece of modern self-promotion. But it is also time-consuming. Many clients tell me that they feel completely overwhelmed (and turned off) by the different platforms to master, the time involved, not to mention the sustained (and earnest) communication with total strangers. When you break it down by platform, and make it a habit, the entire process is much more palatable. There are a lot of articles available with tips for how… Continue Reading

If ever you doubted the depths of my nerdy little marketing heart, doubt no longer. Each year (roughly) around this time, since they began in 2008, the BookStats report is released. This report is a combined effort between The Book Industry Study Group (BISG)  and the Association of American Publishers (AAP). You may also know BISG as those people who keep the list of BISAC codes (a whole other blog post). Up until this report began a few years back, no one was tracking the… Continue Reading

Authors are often confused by social media — which platform works best? How often should I be on? Scheduled or live?  The answer to all of those questions is: whichever works best for you is where you should focus your time. And time is limited, right? So rather than fighting with yourself over which channel to use, figure out which best fits your needs and style. The point of even participating in social media is three-fold: attract, retain, and convert. Let’s look at all three…. Continue Reading

I have a new puppy, so you’ll forgive my wanting to see her life (and my life with her) as one big metaphor.  That’s how my mind works!   I thought I’d include a super-cute picture of her, just as eye candy. Here’s the scoop:  she is super adorable, her name is Lula, and she came from a death-row shelter in the south when she was a mere six weeks old (she’s now ten weeks and twice this size).  She is a mix of a… Continue Reading

For many writers considering self-publishing, cost is the first question and concern. The range authors spend to self-publish varies dramatically. You can choose to self-publish completely free doing everything yourself, or you can spend thousands upon thousands of dollars paying for printing, marketing and other services. The trick is find the happy medium of buying what you need and doing what you can on your own. Read on to see three distinct budgets for authors that wish to self-publish a book. I see authors spending… Continue Reading

The first time we looked at Amazon reviews, we dug into who can leave them and who can’t. To sum up:  consumers good, sock puppets or anyone who could be mistaken for sock puppets, bad. You can read the full article here, of course. Today let’s talk about what happens when you get a one star review that: 1) you know is a mistake 2) that is actually a criticism of Amazon or 3) where the reviewer admits to not having read the book. Example… Continue Reading