Book Marketing

Jo Linsdell presents PROMO DAY: The Benefits of Attending Promo Day posted at PROMO DAY, saying, “Promo Day is a free online event for people in the writing industry dedicated to promoting, networking, and learning. This year’s event takes place on Saturday 25th May at www.PromoDay.info”

Writing

Chrys Fey presents Writing About: Holidays posted at Write With Fey, saying, “In our lives, we treat Thanksgiving (the day for giving thanks) and Christmas (a time for love and peace) with special importance. Then why can’t we give these holidays equal importance in the stories we write? We can!”

Bryan Chau presents Keeping Poetry In Motion – The Breakdown posted at Success Pen Pal, saying, “poetry, writing, success, breakdown analysis, etc.”

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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* Myth-busting: Self-Publishing to Pick up a Publisher. What You Should Know

Should you self-publish with the idea that you’ll be able to use that book as leverage for a traditional publishing contract? One author weighs in:

http://www.rebekkahniles.com/2013/05/myth-busting-self-publishing-to-pick-up.html

* Check Your Website: What’s Located in One of the Most Important Sections?

Your website might as well be a billboard people glance at while speeding down the interstate. You have only a snippet of time to prove your site is worthy of a visit:

http://janefriedman.com/2013/05/15/3-ways-to-improve-your-website-design/

think of your website as a billboard

* Readers: How You Can Help Your Favorite Authors

Here are a few things you can do to help support your favorite author – and for authors, don’t hesitate to post this list somewhere on your website. If you need help (and who doesn’t) you need to ask for it:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c-sansevieri/readers-how-you-can-help_b_3268018.html

* Managing Your Personal Brand with Facebook Lists – A Great Tool!

Lists allow Facebook users the ability to either grant or deny profile access to Facebook friends depending on the relationship you have with them:

http://socialmediatoday.com/jennifer-baker-consulting/1454251/managing-your-facebook-lists-personal-brand

* How to Use Pinterest Analytics: 6 Metrics Worth Measuring

It’s important to know if your social media efforts are working:

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/pinterest-analytics/

Nina Amir presents What’s A Market and Why Do You Need One? posted at Write Nonfiction NOW!, saying, “If you want to publish a successful book, you must have a market that produces enough book sales to reach your sales goals or those of a publisher. Many aspiring authors write their books without first evaluating markets to determine if enough interest exists to support sales of their books and, thereby, publication. Or they propose books to publishers without doing so only to be rejected because no market exists for their books. In this post you learn what a target market is for a book and why you need one.”

Book Marketing

Kimberley Grabas presents How to Market a Book and Strengthen Your Author Platform with Goodreads posted at Your Writer Platform, saying, “Imagine a magical place that gathers together 17 million of the most passionate readers who want to talk about, review and buy your book. A place that not only allows, but encourages, both new and established authors to promote their books. A place that provides FREE opportunities to – get your book in front of thousands of buyers, – conduct informal research (polls), – participate in a highly viral environment, – join or create groups with like-minded people on every literary topic imaginable, – create an author presence, connecting your book, your blog and your social media platforms. Now imagine if Amazon purchased this magical realm of high quality, book-buying, book-loving influencers in the spring of 2013, likely leading to big opportunities to align your Amazon marketing to this Utopia. If such a paradise existed, would you want to be a part of it?”

Self-Publishing

Sarah Bolme presents Smart Books posted at Marketing Christian Books.

Social Media

John Schmoll presents Taking the Plunge: Marketing Your Small Business posted at Frugal Rules, saying, “Running a small business can be cost limiting on a number of levels. However, with a little creative thought you can often find very effective ways through social media to market your small business and gain more clients.”

Writing

Chrys Fey presents Writing About: A Kidnapping posted at Write With Fey, saying, “I wrote a kidnapping in my book and figured that other aspiring writers may need to, too. This post has tips on how to write about a kidnapping effectively.”

David Leonhardt presents You might be a writer posted at A Ghost Writers Blog, saying, “If you ask your child whether the new kid in school is the protagonist or the antagonist, you might be a writer … and dozens more clues that might implicate you in this writing conspiracy.”

UB Hawthorn presents ADVICE FOR WRITERS: Q&A with Story Circle Network’s Mary Jo Doig | The Mindful Word posted at The Mindful Word.

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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* How to Keep Writing – Even When You Hit Roadblocks

Every writer dreams of writing a book, and every published author dreams of having a bestseller. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. One writer shares how she’s moving forward anyway, and it provides great inspiration:

http://everestbyfog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/how-to-keep-writing-by-lorrie-porter.html

* Using Twitter, a Guide for Authors New to Twitter

If you haven’t used Twitter yet, or would like some ideas, this post offers some great tips:

http://www.sellingbooks.com/using-twitter-a-guide-for-authors-new-to-twitter/

* 7 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Engagement

Are you hearing crickets on social media? Here’s how you can jump-start your engagement:

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-ways-to-improve-your-social-media-engagement/

* Do Free eBooks Really Hook New Readers?

Has the glut of freebies worn down readers? An interesting discussion about the pros and cons of free eBook promotions:

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2013/05/do-free-ebooks-really-hook-new-readers.html

* How to Optimize Your Amazon Book Page to Sell More Books

These six areas are key pieces to your Amazon page being a successful sales tool:

http://bubblecow.net/how-to-optimize-your-amazon-book-page-to-sell-more-books/

* Proof that Social Media Drives Sales! [Research]

Social media generates 14% of all leads and 13% of all customers, and customers translate to sales, according to Hubspot’s 2013 State of Inbound Marketing whitepaper:

http://heidicohen.com/proof-that-social-media-drives-sales-research/