Reprinted from this blog, Sept. 9, 2013 I’ve got a bit of advice for writers, publicizing themselves on blogs or social media: engage your target reader. Many writers find themselves talking to other writers when they blog, perhaps using writers’ jargon or handing out writing advice. What’s wrong with that? It’s quite possible that other […]
Three suggestions for what to say in your author newsletter
Marketing experts tell us the very best way to sell books is to gather a tribe on the Internet. You come up with a great short story that your ideal reader will love, and you use it as a carrot to get the right people to sign up for your newsletter. Next problem: what do […]
Authors: Four tips for carefully crafting your mailing list “carrot”
Your author e-mailing list needs a good, solid carrot. That’s a freebie you give to those who sign up to be on your newsletter list. So, what do you need to know about choosing a carrot? Make it something that your true fans would love to have. You may not even have one true fan […]
How not to blog
Scheduled to write a blog post? Be careful what you write. You don’t want to waste your time. Internet marketers know this axiom about blogging, but many authors don’t, in my experience. Here’s the axiom: give your readers what THEY want, not what YOU want. A typical blog reader who is a stranger to you […]
What’s a fiction author to say on social media?
I have always wondered what a great topic would be for engaging the public on social media, for an author. I had an “aha” moment when I was listening to a podcast recently. Tom Corson-Knowles, a successful indie author, had a suggestion. He said novelists should post excerpts of their work that they’re not too […]
Get busy on that email list, authors!
Setting up an email list seems like a lot of bother to many authors. They’d rather use Facebook, Pinterest, or whatever. It’s easier and more fun. Who needs an email list? You do. Marketing experts tell us the email list is the key to success, as I’ve said before. Here are some reasons: People reading […]
Increase your SEO IQ: One key way to making your website more findable
To make your website better-known, you need to get some better-known websites to link to your website. Google and other search engines rely on page rank signals in their algorithms. You can increase your page rank (and likelihood of getting found) by getting higher-page-rank websites (loosely translated as “better-known” websites) to link to your website. […]
How to write back-cover copy, from James Scott Bell
Back-cover copy–the blurb you’ll put on the back cover of your book– is a key marketing tool. You’ll use the same blurb for a query, if you’re querying agents and editors. So how do you do it right? You need to tease the potential reader with cool stuff about your book but include NO spoilers. […]
How authors can use Goodreads to sell books
How can you, an author, most effectively use Goodreads as a bridge to a huge community of potential readers for your book? I consulted the work of novel marketing expert Thomas Umstattd Jr. for some tips. Obviously it’s a great idea to start using Goodreads as a reader, sharing what you are reading with others. […]
A key marketing question: how much to charge for your ebook?
How much should your ebook cost? This key question is not just for indie authors. It’s also for authors with publishers. Publishers may become open to changing their strategies, if enough authors engage them on it. Simple market economics tell us that if you price something high, most likely you will sell fewer than if […]