Book Marketing Blogs
by Penny SansevieriJune 17, 2013
Welcome to the June 17, 2013 edition of tips and tricks for writers and authors. We have some great insights into book marketing and writing this week. Thank you to the contributors!
Book Marketing
Joel Friedlander presents Author Blogging 101: How Long Should Your Blog Posts Be? posted at The Book Designer, saying, “So, just how long should your blog posts be? It’s a frequently asked question. This article offers some insight.”
Writing
Chrys Fey presents Topic: Writing A Series posted at Write With Fey, saying, “Writing a series really shows your commitment to the art of writing, and to the love you have for the first book in the series. This post will tell you about the different roles each book in a series has.”
Angela Greenfield presents Copywriting (Nonfiction) posted at BecomingAWriterBlog.com, saying, “Copywriting is a lucrative career option for aspiring writers.”
Marysia Trembecka presents Q&A with Dennis Kelly, writer of Matilda, Pulling & Utopia | Love Your Creativity posted at Love Your Creativity » Podcast Feed.
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of tips and tricks for writers and authors using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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June 14, 2013
Let’s take a look at some top tweets from the past week, courtesy of bloggers, marketers, authors and others. The topics include avoiding book layout mistakes, using SlideShare for promotion, following up with journalists, and more. Happy marketing!
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* Following up Pitches to Journalists, 3 Mistakes to Avoid
If you hear silence after pitching a story about your business, this could be why:
http://publicityhound.com/blog/following-up-pitches-to-journalists-3-mistakes-to-avoid.php
* Why Writers Should Use SlideShare
Have you tried SlideShare? One author found it was a great network for book promotion:
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/why-writers-should-use-slideshare_b71968
* Self-Publishing Basics: 5 Layout Mistakes that Make You Look Unprofessional
Don’t let your book stand out for all the wrong reasons:
http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2009/09/5-layout-mistakesr/
* How Bestselling Authors Use Email To Interact with Readers
An email list can be a great way to build relationships and keep in touch with readers:
* 10 Blogging Tactics to Maximize Long-Term Results
Blogging can provide lasting value to your marketing efforts, here’s why:
http://heidicohen.com/blogging-the-long-tail-of-social-media/
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June 11, 2013
Are you ready to rock out on Twitter? This video will guide you through the steps you need to take, quick tips, shortcuts and helpful URLs designed to get you rockin’ out on Twitter. Also, we’ll look at how to integrate video (Twitter Vine!) and pictures (Instagram) in this, too!
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June 10, 2013
Welcome to the June 10, 2013 edition of tips and tricks for writers and authors. This week’s contributions include posts on what you must know about book distribution, how to write a plot, how to create characters, and more. Thank you to all of the contributors!
Colin Dunbar presents PubMyBook: Design and Format An Ebook like Pro! – Part 1 posted at PubMyBook, saying, “I’ll be the first to admit, the content (subject matter) of your eBook plays a big role in the success of your eBook. But when you consider where and how eBooks are sold, you’ll see the advantages of a professional eBook design.”
Book Marketing
Kimberley Grabas presents 13 Blog Post Blunders You Should Avoid (And What to Do Instead) posted at Your Writer Platform, saying, “What happens to your blog post after you press publish? Crickets chirping? Tumbleweeds gently rolling by? Are you starting to lose your motivation, and the belief that this whole blogging thing really has any merit when it comes to building your platform and actually selling some books? You are not alone. Blogs are abandoned every day, and the harsh reality is that the majority of blogs get less than 1000 people visiting per month. So why are some blogs incredibly successful, while others limp along for a few months and eventually fail? What can you do to ensure your blog is one of the success stories?”
Sarah Bolme presents Dear Author posted at Marketing Christian Books.
Self-Publishing
Amy Collins presents Do You Have a Book Distributor? Are You Sure? posted at New Shelves Distribution, saying, “Don’t start marketing your book until you have a process in place for people to buy it! Do you have a distributor? Are you in the major wholesalers? Can bookstores BUY your book to resell? Here is brief overview of the differences between a distributor and a wholesaler and which one you need.”
Writing
D.I. Telbat presents Bad Guys Make Good Guys Good in Christian Suspense posted at TELBAT’S TABLET, saying, “D.I. Telbat is an author writing Christian suspense and adventure novels, many times focusing on the Persecuted Church. He offers FREE weekly short stories or serialized novels on his Telbat’s Tablet site, as well as occasional thoughts on writing, research, and challenges to the Christian church.”
David Leonhardt presents How to write the plot of a story posted at A Ghost Writers Blog, saying, “Here is a generic plot summary (with Infographic) that you can use as a base for your own fiction or other story-type manuscript.”
Chrys Fey presents Writing About: Childbirth posted at Write With Fey, saying, “Need help writing a childbirth scene in your book? You’ve come to the right blog!”
Killer presents Writing made easy: Archetypes + Formulas posted at kill adjectives, saying, “Choosing Archetypes and Formulas is always a tough decision for a writer. This article dives into the reason why or why not a reader should use tools like archetypes and formulaic plots.”
Angela Greenfield presents Creating the Characters – BecomingAWriterBlog.com : BecomingAWriterBlog.com posted at BecomingAWriterBlog.com, saying, “Every story needs proper development of its most important element: the characters.”
Vikk Simmons presents Blogging secrets for book bloggers – Armchair BEA – Down the Writer’s Path posted at Down the Writer’s Path.
Chris Gonzales presents On Stock and Flow posted at Unretrofied.
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of tips and tricks for writers and authors using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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June 7, 2013
I just returned from Book Expo America, what a fab event! I’ve collected some tips and tweets that I loved about the event. There was so much going on that it’s hard to find everything, but I think these are pretty helpful.
Site tip: Check out Bloggers Recommend. Any blogger can submit a recommendation to this site (it’s free!): http://www.bloggers-recommend.com/
Best line ever: During the BEA Bloggers Conference, one of the bloggers said that submitting a book to a blogger wasn’t a guaranteed review. She said it’s not like going on a date and saying: But I bought you dinner!
Best. Line. Ever.
Tweets I loved!
@JaneFriedman: “If you’re trying to giveaway a book or sell it for 99c & it doesn’t go anywhere there’s something wrong w/packaging” #BEA13
I would 100% agree with this. We hear this a lot from folks: “But I did the free or cheap book and it’s not selling.” In some cases it could be the competition, but likely it’s the book/packaging so go back to that and see what can be fixed/modified or enhanced.
Penny Sansevieri ?@Bookgal Great idea from Wanda Jewell of @SIndies suggesting that book bloggers also recommend their fav bookstores. What a fun idea! #bea13
I love this idea, book bloggers are you listening? This is a great way to help push more readers into stores. Book bloggers are a trusted resource so let them guide you to all things books – like bookstores!
Michael Pietsch sees the 99 cent book as a way to bring a reader to a writer she hasn’t heard of before. Ex. Evelyn Waugh’s backlist. #BEA13
Totally smart and true. That’s why I love this pricing because for $.99 or even $1.99, you’re willing to take a risk on an author you haven’t heard of. Exploring new authors is great, especially when the pricing risk is low.
Riptide Publishing ?@RiptideBooks Poll: DoYOUR local bookstores sell ebooks as well as print? The need for all formats in stores being stressed at #BEA13 keynote.
I’ve said this before in a number of articles. I think that bookstores need to get on board and offer both versions of a book. Why not consider mentioning this to your local store?
RT @janefriedman: RT @LWShanley: Dan Lubart: Self-publishing on Amazon doubled in 3 months from 11/12 to 2/13. Now at 20% #bea13
WOW, I love this stat! What she means is that the amount of self-published titles has doubled, so authors publishing their books. What do you think this means for self-published titles moving forward? More exposure or more competition?
@crollwagen “Amazon controls about 80% of the market of eBooks.” (Robert Gottlieb, Trident) Yep, “controls” is the right word. #thingsthatscareme #bea13
I’m pretty much over the Amazon-hate, but I love this stat. So, if you’re worried that your book isn’t on iTunes or Nook, don’t be. Sorry guys, but Amazon has the lion’s share of sales. And for those authors wanting to cut out Amazon: Think again.
Susan Critelli ?@momzilla54 #BEA13 big publishing is broken if authors are rejected and books are judged only on perceived commercial merit.
Seriously true, this goes back to my article on permission based publishing and why it’s no longer a viable option.
Jason Pinter ?@jasonpinter Author Tip: if your literary agent is too ‘busy’ to attend BEA and asks you to find editors to submit to, they’re not a real agent. #bea13
I wanted to share this because I felt like so many authors I talk to have agents that aren’t really doing much, if anything, for them. If you have an agent that isn’t working for you, you should be shopping your work to someone who will.
I also attended UPublishU at BEA, here are some insights from the panel on creating a bestseller!
Diane O’Connell, Founder and Editorial Director of Write to Sell Your Book, LLC, offered a great tip, she said: “Know your characters inside and out – interview your character like a journalist.” This is really a fun idea if you’re in the process of creating a book, it’s a great way to go a layer deeper into your character. Better yet, have someone else interview you “in character!”
Betty Sargent says, “If you can only afford to hire one person, hire an editor.” AMEN to that. I love this tip because she’s 100% right. Editing is so important.
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June 7, 2013
Here are some insights and ideas for authors and writers found in tweets from the past week, courtesy of bloggers, marketers, authors and others. The topics include top websites for writers, how to write better tweets, why Google Authorship is so important, and more. Happy marketing!
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* What are 10 Addictive Types of Content?
Discover what kind of content makes your followers retweet or share your stuff:
http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/11/08/what-are-10-addictive-types-of-content/
June 6, 2013
I was at Book Expo last week and lucky enough to sit in a session by Patrick Brown of Goodreads. Here are some fun tips from his session and a link to the slides! Not on Goodreads? You may want to consider it. Check out the stats below!
First up, some stats: 
18 million members on Goodreads and 24 million reviews
Their reviews tend to get shared across a variety of platforms, too – and a lot of them get shared on Facebook. Reviews are a big book activity driver on Facebook.
Blog posts are a fantastic way to gain more attention to your profile. Blogs show up in the feeds of the folks who follow you or in their daily email digest. Also, blogs show up on your friends’ lists (those who follow you) so the folks following them will see the posts, making the exposure tremendous. Lesson #1, blog more on Goodreads!
Wondering how to break down the list of tasks for your Goodreads profile? Let’s start with the daily to-do’s:
- Shelve books – and write blurbs, you don’t always have to write a review or give a star rating. Just keep your shelf populated.
- Make sure your account is synched to Twitter so you get the feed to your profile
- On your Homepage, down on the right hand side you’ll see this:
- Be sure to post an update daily if you can or weekly!
Is Goodreads on your website? Be sure and add their widgets to your site. It will help your exposure there!
On Book Giveaways:
Giveaways help kick start book discovery and you can do multiple giveaways for a book. Patrick’s suggestions were as follows:
- Do a pre-pub giveaway
- Start early 3-5 months pre-pub for giveaway
- Then after book is out, do another giveaway to raise awareness
- How long do you want the promo to run, how many books? That choice is up to you, but Patrick suggested running it for a month and giving a minimum of 10 books, even better, give 50. He said the more books, the better the exposure!
- Facebook offers ads, he suggested to do a small ad around your giveaway, Enter to Win which is a great idea.
- Here’s his Goodreads presentation! www.slideshare.com/goodreadspresentations
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June 3, 2013
Welcome to the June 3, 2013 edition of tips and tricks for writers and authors. We have some great tips on self-publishing, writing, and publishing for this week’s issue. Thank you to the contributors!
Getting Published
Lauren Sapala presents Do You Know the One Thing to Do Before Finding an Agent? | Lauren Sapala posted at Lauren Sapala, saying, “I can be contacted at losapala@yahoo.com”
Self-Publishing
Nick Daws presents Using Amazon KDP’s New Cover Creator posted at Nick Daws’ Writing Blog, saying, “Kindle authors can now use a free Cover Creator tool in Kindle Direct Publishing. In this post I talk about my experiences testing the new tool and reveal a cover I designed with it!”
Brian Cormack Carr presents How To Build Your Author Platform – Brian Cormack Carr posted at Brian Cormack Carr, saying, “Platform-building for self-published authors. This is a beginner’s perspective – my first book comes out on June 8th!”
Writing
Angela Greenfield presents Show, Don’t Tell posted at BecomingAWriterBlog.com, saying, “This post has helped writers consider the benefits of showing versus telling when writing fiction.”
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of tips and tricks for writers and authors using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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May 31, 2013
We’ve got a roundup of some of the most popular tweets from the past week, courtesy of bloggers, marketers, authors and others. The topics include promoting your book on Twitter, connecting readers to your writing, using Pinterest, and more. Best of luck with your marketing and promotion!
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* How to Promote Your Book on Twitter
While Twitter can’t sell your book for you, it’s a great tool for marketing when you know how to use it:
http://www.sellingbooks.com/how-to-promote-your-book-on-twitter/
* Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Email – How Social Sharing Drives Sales
This handy infographic breaks down the sales potential of email and social networks:
http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-sharing-sales_b43355
* 5 Things Indie Authors Do Very Well
Self-published authors are bringing a lot of energy and ideas to the industry. Here’s what they do best:
http://indiereader.com/2013/05/5-things-indie-authors-do-very-well/
* Five Tips to Emotionally Connect Readers to Your Writing
Here’s what you need to know to make your posts stand out and keep readers coming back:
* 6 Ways You Can Use Pinterest to Promote Your Brand
Pinterest is the fourth largest network in the world, so learn how to take advantage of it:
http://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2013/05/28/tips-on-using-pinterest/
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May 30, 2013
Remember being in high school and wanting to hang with the cool kids? Well, maybe you were one of them. If you were, lucky you. But if you are like most of us, you weren’t in the popular clique. These days marketing is sort of like being back in high school, but it’s a popularity contest that’s skewed a bit differently. Marketing, to a large degree, is about social proof. What is social proof? It’s a sort of social influence where you assume the behavior of others is appropriate given a certain situation. Long waiting lines are a great example.
Have you ever observed a long line that spilled out the front door, even winding around the building? You probably wondered what was going on, didn’t you? You may even have stood in line with them for a time to find out what all the excitement was about. Social proof is partially driven by numbers. Let’s say you’re looking at a particular group of organizations, all catering to the same area of expertise. You look at their Facebook Pages and discover that one organization has 50,000 likes, while the others have less than 200. Which page are you most likely to join?
Social proof is also driven by consumer endorsements. People like what other people like, and word can spread about a new car, soft drink or TV show in almost the blink of an eye. Clever marketers can use this to their advantage with tricks such as the velvet rope in front of a club. Put one up and people stop to find out what’s so important that a rope is needed to hold patrons back. Soon a crowd forms. The crowd draws more passersby as everyone wants to know what’s going on and if they can get in. If they can, they may not even question the huge cover fee, assuming that it will all be worth it.
Another example of social proof is Chuck, a guy I knew in high school. Chuck was smart and spent a lot of time researching home stereo systems. He read all the Consumer Reports, reviews and shopped around for the best price. When Chuck pulled the trigger and bought a system many others followed suit, assuming he knew what he was doing. Chuck became an influencer.
These techniques are how social media works. When Chuck posts a product he likes on Facebook, his friends purchase it because they trust Chuck. Ashley is the restaurant expert and her reviews influence many of her friends to select or avoid a particular restaurant. Influencers can drive a large amount of business towards you, or away from you. And the velvet rope trick? Google launched Gmail as an invite-only service, making many of us wonder how we could score an invite. Nice!
Another reason social media works is because people like to share information.
People share online:
- To bring value
- To entertain
- To define themselves
- For self-expression and self-fulfillment
- To market their causes or brands
I know you have received a humorous email and passed it on because you just knew others would love it, too. In that case you shared to entertain your friends. It’s also interesting to note that humor is one of the biggest factors in sharing.
How Can You Find an Influencer or Expert?
I’ve had folks in the media tell me that they prefer to have people on their show or in their publication who have a lot of fans, friends or followers on one or more of the major social media sites. In other words, you could have a fantastic message, a great product or fantastic business, but you still might face an uphill climb if your social media numbers are low. It’s a sad but true statement in our society, and everyone’s marketing plan should include increasing your social proof. One of the best ways to gain access to influencers is to network with them on Facebook.
Here’s a quick tip to start building that synergy with big names: friend them or “Like” their Page and then send them a quick note, thanking them for their information or whatever it is they are contributing. Additionally, I always recommend doing an outreach to two Facebook friends or fans at least once a month—you can do more if you have the time. Send them a private message or post something appropriate on their Page. Yes, it’s a lot of work but it’s worth its weight in networking gold.
How Can You Use the Velvet Rope Trick to Create Exclusivity?
Make your Facebook Page invite only, or require approved access to a Group. I only recommend this if you have a big following or a super popular topic— in my view, you need momentum to start something like this. Yes, exclusivity rocks but you need the numbers to drive the interest and intrigue. Pinterest, for example, did this in order to get invited. They gave you a “wait time,” but if you knew someone, you could get in right away. Because the site was getting a lot of buzz, this trick worked.
How Can You Get More Shares for Your Message?
We’re going to dig into each of the social media platforms separately, but overall the goal is to be relevant, interesting and insightful. Don’t just copy what everyone else is doing. Be unique. That’s easy to say and hard to do, I know. But let’s face it, the numbers never lie. When you put an article or blog post out there that gets a lot of buzz, you know you’ve hit your mark. In order to define how to make your content more relevant, try asking yourself the following questions:
- What does my audience really need?
- What’s the biggest challenge my market faces right now?
- What’s the biggest hot button my audience has?
- What’s next in my market?
The above questions may or may not work for you, but it should give you some general guidance on where your content needs to be focused. It should be extremely audience-driven. In other words, it doesn’t matter what you think, it only matters what your consumer wants. That’s the key.
What Is a Social Network?
Social networks, also referred to as social media, are places where people can join and become members of an online community. These networks provide tools that enable members to configure a customized version of a user page; create profiles and bios; manage invites and contact lists; upload photos, video and music files; and interact with each other via multiple channels.
People join social networks for a variety of reasons: to socialize, share and/ or self-promote. The one caveat to this is that social networks are not receptive to marketing messages or sales hype, but users on these sites are looking for answers and advice. So your presence on a social networking site should be about 80% education and 20% sales. Users on social networking sites are seeking friends, mentors, experts and guidance. If you can offer one or all of these things, you can certainly grow your list.
Excerpt from Red Hot Internet Publicity: An Insider’s Guide to Marketing Online by Penny Sansevieri, available now on Amazon.com:http://www.amazon.com/Red-Hot-Internet-Publicity-Marketing/dp/1480224952/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367371151&sr=1-1&keywords=Red+Hot+Internet+Publicity
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