We have a question about covers this week: “How do I get a great cover for my book?” First, let me emphasize how important it is to have a truly eye-catching, genre-appropriate cover for your book. The reason? That’s how your book will get noticed in the ever-increasing number of ebooks available online. You’ll want to […]
An indie author wants marketing help
Today I got an email from an indie author wanting help with marketing. Here’s what I told him: I can give you some basic advice, and you can find more if you look on our blog under marketing tips. There’s a formula that many indie authors are using to make tons of money on ebooks, […]
Six tips to strengthen an author’s bookstore strategy
There’s probably an independent bookstore in your town. You, an author, want your books in physical bookstores because readers can browse there and discover–something that’s much easier in a bookstore than online. So you’d like this local bookstore to carry and sell your books and make money for you, not to mention find new readers […]
Four tips for using hashtags for writers
Authors, in your social media efforts, it would be a great idea to incorporate relevant hashtags. Not too many, of course–that confuses your reader. Just one or two, carefully chosen. So, what is a hashtag? It’s a search keyword preceded by a pound sign. Not just any word or bunch of words shoved together. Words […]
Writers, how to find your audience
Writers, perhaps you’re wondering how you will find your audience, once your book is available. Here’s a suggestion: One reader at a time. I’m assuming the book has been edited by professionals before it’s published, and there’s no doubt that it’s worth bragging about. Before publication time, get review copies into the hands of plenty […]
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 […]
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. […]