Blog
Ask the Authors: Finding Success
What defines success for an author? Is is the number of books sold? The number of awards they recieve? Authors Brad A. LaMar and Susan Örnbratt join us for this week's Ask the Authors blog post on defining and finding success as an author. If you have any questions...
8 Things to Do with Your Author Website to Sell More Books
By Jori Hanna One of the biggest misconceptions that authors face is that their work is done once the book is published. Whether you’re self-publishing or you have a world-renowned publicist, you should expect to spend as much time marketing your book as you did...
Understanding Terms: Get Started with Email Marketing
By Jori Hanna Jumping into email marketing is one of the best steps you can take in connecting personally with your readership. Email marketing consistently leads to higher sales numbers than any other form of marketing. Jumping into this early allows your list the...
Questions to Ask When Book Sales are Slow
By Jori Hanna It’s easy to get discouraged when your book isn’t selling as well as you hoped or expected. After all, as an author, you signed up to write books. You likely don’t have a business or marketing degree, and when it comes to the world of book sales, it’s...
5 Publicity Opportunities to Help your Book Launch
By Jori Hanna In the age of digital marketing, the world is your oyster as you launch your book. There are millions of readers out there, waiting for a book like yours to cross their screen. But how do you reach them? There are a few options you can use as you create...
10 Things All Authors Need to Know About Amazon
One of the things that we continue to stress to our authors is the importance of a strong presence on Amazon. Amazon has a dedicated "Author Central" page, where authors can "claim" t books, post a bio, updates and trade reviews, and more. As one of the largest book...
6 Social Media Dos and Don’ts for Authors
By Kylee Wooten The biggest “do” of all: You should need to be on social media. These days, having a Twitter account and a Facebook page are almost as essential to your success as an author actually having a book. 1. DO: Cultivate a large, engaging network. Start with...
Online Marketing for Busy Authors
By Fauzia Burke One of the nation's leading online book marketing experts, Fauzia Burke recently published Online Marketing for Busy Authors: A Step by Step Guide. Sharing her expertise of online publicity, book publishing and social media, Fauzia points out trends...
Creating Content for Social Media
So now you have all of the accounts set up—but maintaining 2 to 3 social media platforms isn’t as easy as it seems. Creating original content for each individual site can be tricky. Do you always and only find yourself retweeting on Twitter or sharing other people’s...
How to Create an Author Newsletter
Another way to spread the word about your new book and keep readers updated is through an email newsletter. That’s right. Don’t just send one email. Send many. Invite friends, family and readers to sign up for your newsletter either online or at your launch party. If...
How to do a Cover Reveal
Everyone has heard the cliché “Don’t choose a book by its cover.” But we all still do that to an extent, don’t we? People do judge a book by its cover. Most people let their opinions of a cover at least subconsciously shadow their perception of a book. Looks matter....
Social Media Series: Goodreads
By now you know that using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are a free and effective way to build an audience. Luckily, authors and booklovers have another option to connect with readers: Goodreads. Goodreads (Goodreads.com) is a book lover’s...
Social Media Series: Reddit
Have the normal social media sites under control? Are you a Facebook genius, but want to branch out into something different? Or do you want to try something besides Twitter and FB to connect with readers? Then reddit is a great place to connect. Reddit is a pop...
Social Media Series: Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social media platform. Users can post and edit images with captions or view the images of those users and friends that you follow. News organizations, magazines, events, interest groups and more use Instagram to share...
Social Media Series: Twitter
Having trouble keeping up with what’s trending online? Confused by all the hashtags? Want a key to all the shorthand messages? The second post to guide you through the social media universe is here. Twitter is essentially a timeline of micro-blogging. By tweeting...
Online Marketing Resource Master List
No matter where you're at in your online marketing, we're here to help you represent yourself in the most effective and most helpful ways possible. This is a master list of all our resources for online marketing. We've covered everything from author websites and...
Social Media Series: Facebook
Are you tired of asking your friend’s kids for help on the Internet? Do you dread scheduling a post—let alone writing one? Are you embarrassed by your social media accounts? You can stop worrying about that now. As a sneak peak into Pub Light: A Publisher’s...
The Importance of Starting Early in Book Promotion
You’ve finished your book. You’re in your last round of edits. Your cover design is in the process of being finalized. You’re ready to pass out copies to friends. And just when you thought writing your book was the hard part, now it’s time to promote your work. But...
How To Handle a Bad Review
Are you sitting down? I have some news for you: Not everyone is going to like your book. When they don't, you have two choices: 1) Move on or 2) Move into a cabin in the woods. Nobody likes a bad review. Not you. Not your publisher. Not even the reviewer who...
How To Use Pinterest as an Author
Pinterest is the fastest growing standalone website ever. And while recipes, dream travel destinations, style tips, and adorable photos of cats seem to dominate the site's content, there is plenty of room for authors. If you are a published author or want to become...