Welcome to the May 13, 2013 edition of tips and tricks for writers and authors. We’ve got some great tips on book marketing, self-publishing, and writing. Thank you to the contributors!

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.