I don’t know about you, but I love great resources – so for all you serious book marketers out there, this list is for you! And I’ve done lists like this before, but this year I decided to create something a bit different.
This year I’m digging into resources, but I also included some fun check lists, and even a link to our free book marketing planner to help kick the new year off right.
Though I’ve tried to be thorough (without creating a list that was too overwhelming) please let me know in the comments if there’s a resource you love that didn’t make this list!
Author Learning and Publishing Industry Resources
A combination of publishing tips and marketing advice, this blog is not one to miss. Jane also offers classes and her HotSheet newsletter (a paid subscription). We love it, it’s jam-packed full of industry news, marketing trends, and other insights book marketers will love. @JaneFriedman
Anne gives so much back to this industry, it’s hard to know where to start when recommending her blog. She’s been voted one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers. Ann also updates her blog weekly and includes regular contributions from former Big Six editor, Ruth Harris. @annerallen
3. IBPA – Independent Book Publishers Association
I love this organization and I’ve been a member of IBPA for as long as I can remember. Created for both authors and publishers, this organization is a fantastic resource for any indie author! They offer monthly webinars, informative e-newsletters and a print magazine, all for one low-yearly membership fee. They also have a yearly conference that’s being held both in-person and virtually in 2022! @IBPA
4. ALLI – Alliance of Independent Authors
Another great organization for authors to join is ALLI, the Alliance of Independent Authors has several great resources include a newsletter, a super active and helpful blog, webinars and their writers conference- which I highly recommend! They also vet all of their vendors and book promotion information, so they’ve basically done all of the work for you! @IndieAuthorALLI
Midwest Book Review always gives back and they’re definitely a site worth checking out in regards to book marketing. They’re a book review service, but they also have a fabulous newsletter, and if you’re looking for more, here’s a link to many (many) other places for savvy book marketers to dig into: http://www.midwestbookreview.com/links/othr_rev.htm.
I’ve often wondered where super-savvy book marketer, David Gaughran finds the time to keep his blog up to date, write books, and stay on top of all things Amazon. His blog is packed with some great book promotion advice and he has several books out which I always recommend! @DavidGaughran
7. Helping Writers Become Authors
We’ve worked with K.M. Weiland several times and she’s one of our favorite authors. She offers a lot of information on her site, and also mentors authors through her blog, one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers. @KMWeiland
Website Tools for Savvy Book Marketers
8. Neil Patel – My All-Star SEO Guy
If you’ve ever wanted to dig into keywords, or tackle some SEO for your website, this is our go-to guy for all things nerdy. His site is free, informative, and his newsletter is jam-packed with easy to implement website tips for better visibility. You do not have to be an expert to follow this guy or implement his tips. Nerd-adjacent authors welcome! @NeilPatel
Media Tools for Authors
When we pitch our authors to the media, they don’t always tell us when and where the author is featured, so we track them with media hits trackers like TalkWalker.com It’s really time to track your media hits, isn’t it? But this site goes even deeper, Talkwalker can show you any mention of your name, or book title on any blog, website, even a mention in the comments so you can track what’s being featured and written about you. @Talkwalker
10. Top 100 Media Markets in the US
Why would you care about media markets? Well, if you’re pitching yourself to local media, this list will absolutely matter. Here’s a tip: if you are in a top 30 media market there’s a chance your local story could go national. And this is one of the many reasons why I love local media markets! Check the link above to find out where your local market sits in this top 100 list!
It seems like every author I talk to wants to get on a podcast, but where do you start? Well, this link is a great search tool. Just pop in your keyword and start digging. You’ll find more than enough podcasts to pitch yourself to!
Free Downloads and Quizzes
If you’re ready to put on your learning hat, then I’ve got some cool links and downloads for you. With everything from our monthly book marketing planner to our blog outreach tracker, you’ll be geared up and ready to meet your new year’s book promotion goals in no time!
12. Monthly Book Marketing Planner
18. Why Isn’t Your Book Selling? Quiz
Book Awards
I love book awards but there’s always so much confusing information out there on the awards available to authors. Which ones are legit and which ones aren’t? It’s often a confusing process! ALLI (also recommended in the link above) has taken all the guesswork out of this process by creating this list of vetted book awards which includes their fees and links to submit your book.
19. Book Awards for Self-Published Authors
Taming the Email Beast
For years I’ve used Sanebox and love, love, love it so much. It’s basically an email filter on steroids. I use it to keep my inbox clean by forwarding messages to my future self. For example if there’s something I need to remind myself to do, or a link to check, instead of adding that to my to-do list, I can forward the email using a specific date. Sanebox also has a newsletter filter (super helpful if you get a lot of newsletter content). There’s also an inbox called “blackhole” where you can dump stuff you don’t want to see. @sanebox
Image and Design Sites
It seems like it’s all about imagery and video these days, isn’t it? The sites below are a mix of free places to get stock photos, and tools for creating vibrant, fun social media content!
21. Unsplash, Stockvault, and Pexels
I’m listing these all as one item, but they’re all different sites to get some free images for your social media content!
Canva which pretty much does all of your work for you. There’s a free version and a paid version. If you’re looking to up level your graphics game this year, look no farther than the ever-awesome Canva. @Canva
I hope this list is helpful and I’d love to know if there’s a resource you’ve love to share that I missed please feel free to post it in the comments!
Even More Free Resources and Downloads
Update Your Author Platform with These 3 Easy Tips
Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using December Observances
Awesome resources, Penny. Thanks muck for including us and for the nice write-up.
Thanks, Penny!
I need to check out these awesome resources!
This will take hours to go through all of these, but the podcast link alone was like a Christmas present! Thanks for your willingness to help us authors! Merry Christmas! I’ll review your podcast as a gift in return.
Penny:
Thanks for all of these resources. Your newsletter is very helpful. Happy Holidays to you. Joan Ramirez, author