If you want to be a successful author, you will be a busy one. Books do not sell themselves, and being lazy, whether it’s while writing the book or when promoting it, is going to end up with poor results. Here are some things not to do if you want to be successful as an author. When it comes to being an author, the old saying, “If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing … [Read more...]
8 Ways to Use Social Media to Promote Your Book
Let us hearken back to the days when dinosaurs ruled the earth…or at least when it was publishing dinosaurs who decided which books would make it to print and which would never see a bookstore shelf. How could a budding author gain readers without a publisher? How do you start a business? What's that lump on my neck? The world got its answers as the Internet put the power to … [Read more...]
Sell Books Like Stephen King: 16 Ways to Promote Your Book
So you've finished the long, painstaking task of writing your book. Congratulations! Now comes the long, painstaking chore of promoting it. But don't be discouraged. A little effort that's channeled into various directions can build some strong buzz for your book - and maybe even land you a major book deal! Hey, even Stephen King had to start somewhere. Here are sixteen … [Read more...]
6 Book Publicity Tips for the New Year!
Happy New Year! Once the major holiday buzz subsides, media contacts are back in their offices, and the New Year’s news is unfolding. This is an important time to map out your book publicity plans for the next several months. These six simple book publicity tips will help set you on the path to book promotion in the new year. 1) Tie your book into the New Year hype. What … [Read more...]
Tips for Authors: How to Build Your Author Platform
If you’re an author, I’m sure you’ve heard by now about the ‘author platform.’ Every book publicist, publisher, distributor, literary agent, etc. will tell you – a book’s success depends largely on the author’s platform. So what is the author platform? And, more importantly, how do you build yours? The author platform is often the heart of a book publicity campaign. It is, … [Read more...]
Marketing Ideas for Budding Authors
As a freelance Internet marketer, I learned very quickly that I need to speak with everyone I meet, because you never know who has a website, or knows someone who needs help promoting theirs. As I spoke with my next-door neighbor last year, he told me that he’s an aspiring author who just secured an agent. Given my profession, I immediately started running through ways that I … [Read more...]
E-Book Promotion Tips from a Full-Time Indie Author
I published my first ebook in December of 2010 and made about $40 that month, mostly from friends and family members who took pity on me and bought my book. As I write this, it’s September, 2011, and I’m the verge of quitting the day job, thanks to my ebooks. You may be thinking I’m one of those internet marketing folks who sells ebooks on how to get rich, how to find love, how … [Read more...]
Your Book Publicity Campaign: Content Relevance and Media Lead Times
A major component of a successful campaign is content relevance. What is content relevance? It’s matching your book with what is happening in the world. Here are some examples: • Is any part of your novel set during a holiday? • Are there any themes in your memoir that can be tied into an awareness month (i.e.: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month)? • Is your … [Read more...]
The 5 Most Important Things Authors Should Know About Book Publicity and Promotion
The publishing industry is in the midst of a revolution. Thanks to independent publishing, more books than ever are released every day. No longer do a small number of literary gatekeepers at major publishing houses determine what will reach the market. It is indeed the best of times for authors, and yet many encounter frustration and disappointment after their book is written. … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Promote Your Nonfiction Book
There are two things every author must know about promoting your nonfiction book. First, it isyour responsibility, no matter what publishing method you use — conventional, print on demand (POD), or do-it-yourself. Second, promotion should begin long before your book is finished. In fact, you should be thinking about it from the very beginning of the planning process. One of … [Read more...]