What I Did to Launch My Book in its First Seven Days

October 5, 2012 by 20 Comments
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It’s here!! My book The Indie Author Revolution is finally in print. I can’t help but cringe just a little that my words will be read by at least a few people (mom, dad, hubby, grandma) and I no longer have it on my computer screen to scrutinize in private. I always tell authors I work with that this is the real work — marketing your book. There’s no break from writing and publishing — you’ve got to get your book in front of as many people as possible from the beginning. I’ve advised hundreds on what to do. Confession: now that it’s my turn, I can’t say that I’d give myself an A+ in my first week of marketing,… [read more]

Filed Under: Authorpreneur, Book Launch, Book Marketing, Self-publishing Tagged With: , ,

Viva La Indie! ‘The Indie Author Revolution’ by Dara M. Beevas

September 28, 2012 by 5 Comments
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      It’s not a trend.   It’s not a fad.   It’s not deniable.   It’s the age of the indie author. Above: Dara M. Beevas. Photo by Bridget Marchesi I (Amy) live in a career (yes, that verb choice was intentional—I brainstorm about my authors in my sleep!) where I am constantly surrounded and inspired by creative, innovative, driven people who write books for hundreds of reasons and for innumerable audiences. One of the most inspiring authors I’ve come across? One particular author motivated to write for the audience described above—the audience of creative, innovative, driven people who just need to know how to navigate the crooked, difficult, and infinitely rewarding path of independent authorship. Last night, I… [read more]

Filed Under: Authorpreneur, Book Launch, Indie Publishing, Literary Trends, Motivational, Pub. Industry, Self-publishing, Traditional Publishing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Secret to Becoming an Amazon Bestseller in 4 Fool-Proof Steps

June 20, 2012 by 2 Comments
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This guest post is by Ken Thurber, author of Big Wave Surfing and Do NOT Invent Buggy Whips   Many authors hope that their book will become a bestseller. The harsh reality: it’s not impossible to accomplish this feat but it is very improbable. This blog post will examine the reality of becoming a bestselling author. One would think that best sellers are books that sell the most copies. But, my research has indicated that traditional retailers don’t exactly operate that way. There is no question that big publishers influence the best seller lists. Dirty truth: Best seller lists are compiled by surveying the sales from a selection of retailers. If you are not able to sell your book through the specific outlets… [read more]

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The Golden Promise You Should Make to Your Book

May 18, 2012 by 1 Comment
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This guest post is by Ken Thurber, author of Big Wave Surfing   Your book is not just a book. It is a product. You have just finished your prized tome and you have managed to get it into “print.” Now what? Where you go from here is based upon your perception of your book. Did you publish a book or did you develop a product? If you “published a book” you may have not completely understood the reality that only now is beginning. You must have a plan to sell your book. If your view is that you’re just publishing a book and not creating a product, you are in trouble. The single sign that your on your wrong path?… [read more]

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The 7 Secret Weapons of Groundbreaking Indie Authors [Plus Infographic]

March 26, 2012 by 2 Comments
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We’ve got a lot to say on this topic, so we’re going to cut to the chase. Here are the tried-and-true secret weapons that will take your good book idea to star status.   1. A Kick-ass Book Cover Your cover is the first impression-maker. It must be thoughtful, well-designed, and eye-catching and is one of two places you cannot cut corners (the other is in editing). One literary agent we met once told us she accepted a new author largely due to the beautiful cover she hired a designer to create for her self-published book. This author’s book cover showed the agent that she meant business and that author soon received a large advance and book publishing deal. A… [read more]

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The Indie-Author Marketing Pie: Bite-Sized Tips for Your Book’s Success

March 23, 2012 by 7 Comments
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“You mean I have to try to get on radio stations nationwide, and have a crazy-active Twitter account, and have a blog, and also do a blog tour, and have book signings, and worry about getting my book in bookstores, and have book reviews, and write a newsletter, and have a book trailer, and do speaking engagements, and what about a book launch? And sell it to my friends and have them do book clubs, and Facebook, and submit my books for awards, and how do I get readers? This is all so overwhelming!” We agree. It’s a big bite. When you’re an indie author and you try to swallow the whole big marketing pie, of course you’re not going… [read more]

Filed Under: Book Marketing, Motivational Tagged With: , ,