Why Your Book Isn’t Selling (Part Two)

May 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Why Your Book Isn't Selling

A continuation from Tuesday’s post. For Part 1, click HERE.   6. Your Efforts are Automated & Lack Flavor So many authors see marketing as a nuisance that they hire a publicist to “just do it.” Or they’re so busy with other things, they put their marketing on auto-pilot so they can feel good. The problem is, competition will kick your ass if you do this. And readers can see right through it. Avoid the spam approach to marketing through email, Twitter, and Facebook (we’ll discuss this more in latter points). Likewise, avoid the generic press release distribution service (it won’t work), and the one-size fits all marketing package purchased online. You wrote an amazing book — it contains purposeful content that… [read more]

Filed Under: Authorpreneur, Book Marketing, Planning Tagged With: , , , , ,

Is Your Author Website Working for You or Against You?

April 5, 2013 by 3 Comments
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By now we all know how important it is to have a website for any business. Your book is your business if you’re an indie author, so chances are you have a website. Websites are tricky animals. They’re a necessary evil. We all need one, but few of us can design one ourselves and even fewer of us know what to do after we’ve had one designed. You know the drill: get a website, make obvious updates in obvious places, and let cyberspace handle it from there. Except that’s not enough. Your website is delicate and needy–like a newborn baby waking you up at three in the morning–it needs you. Your website will never be self-sufficient. It’ll never grow and… [read more]

Filed Under: Book Marketing, Branding, Design Tagged With: , ,

Lady Gaga’s Four Tips for Captivating your Audience

February 15, 2013 by 1 Comment
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Last Wednesday I (Dara) had the privilege of seeing Lady Gaga in concert. My good friend Oscar and I enjoyed Gaga’s “Born this Way Ball” and it was a night to remember. Between you and me, I’m not a Gaga die-hard, otherwise known as a “Little Monster.” In fact, I went as a cynical observer. It was all that you might imagine: loud, fun, crazy, and otherworldly. I danced, screamed, and cried–and I’m only talking about the first five minutes. From the costumes, to the dancing, to Gaga antics galore, I could hardly catch my breath the entire show. Her audience loved every second. By the end of the night, I had a different opinion of Lady Gaga. I also… [read more]

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Use Email Without Feeling Like SPAM [Guest Post from Author Matthew Turner]

January 16, 2013 by 4 Comments
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Today’s post is a guest post from Matthew Turner, author of Beyond Parallel.    Let me guess: you wake up each morning and open your email. Joy, you have 200 new messages. Wow, how popular you are. Happy days, right?   Absolutely, until you realise that 199 of those are SPAM and that you spend far too much time deleting newsletters you signed up for four-years ago. Email = SPAM, right? Any writer who chooses to participate in email is a slimy kid, yes? Wrong! Using email is fine, so long as you do it to connect with your most important folk…yes, that’s right…your readers. You are a modern day writer. You’re better than sending a silly sales pitch every morning. Are you with me?   Obscurity… [read more]

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Why Every Author Should Create a Goodreads Profile

December 17, 2012 by 4 Comments
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One of our discoveries of 2012 was Goodreads. A free social network for readers that tracks the books you’re currently reading and books that you want to add to your “to-read” list — how did we not jump on this bandwagon sooner? In all honestly we’ve had accounts set up with Goodreads for ages. However, it clicked recently why authors should join the Goodreads Author Program. Read about it here. In a nutshell, here’s why we love it: It allows you to add a picture and bio like Facebook and Twitter — your readers get to know you intimately. You can share your list of favorite books and recent reads with your fans! (Add your own book to your “book… [read more]

Filed Under: Self-publishing, Social Media Tagged With: , ,

Serious Advice for Serious Independent Authors from Author M. Elias Keller

November 26, 2012 by 8 Comments
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This is a guest post from M. Elias Keller, author of Strange Case of Mr. Bodkin & Father Whitechapel.  Having recently independently published a novel, I’ve come upon plenty of “how-to” or “what-not-to-do” articles about the process. Most of the advice is sound enough—yes, you must proofread your work until your eyeballs vomit—but I haven’t found many articles that target serious writers who are trying to accomplishing more than seeing their name in print.  An author published by a large publishing house is, in a way, an employee. The company has invested in the author’s work and the author is compensated based on product sales. If sales meet certain benchmarks, the company continues to invest in the employee—if not, the author… [read more]

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How to Use Your Blog to Sell Books

October 8, 2012 by 1 Comment
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The most amazing thing about having a blog,  is having readers. Supporters who enjoy your content. They want to see you succeed. They want you to share with them your book’s journey. If you’re an author with a blog, the primary reason for it should NOT be to sell your book. But, if you’re having fun with your blog, using it to share your journey as an author, and supporting other authors with it, selling your book will happen naturally as a result. Blogs are better for authors than a static website. Before I had a blog, I recommended that authors have websites. Now I recommend that authors have both and if it came down to choosing, I’d go with… [read more]

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The 11 Key Questions Every Indie Author Must Know about the Competition

September 24, 2012 by 3 Comments
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I’m sure your approach and spin on your book’s subject is trailblazing, but there are certain steps that bestselling authors take BEFORE  their book is published. The number one secret of bestselling authors: knowing what’s already in the market. The questions below are things to consider as you research competing titles. In the business world, this is known as a competitive analysis. Your answers to the following questions will not only help strengthen your vision, but will help you create the book that will stand out from the pack.   1. What is the current demand within your book’s genre? A simple way to figure this out is by tracking sales and researching book trends. Sites like www.bookbusiness.com and www.publishersweekly.com… [read more]

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The Top 10 Awards for Indie Authors

July 11, 2012 by 6 Comments
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As we sipped cocktails tonight brainstorming work stuff, planning events for the fall (one we’re especially excited about), and discussing our wonderful Wise Ink readers, it crossed our mind we haven’t yet tackled one of our favorite resources for authors. Awards.   We’ve witnessed doors open for authors because they took the time to apply for awards. It’s quite simple: awards raise your cred.   A sticker on your book, “award-winning author” before your name, and a list of the awards your book has won all leave a powerful impression in your readers’ minds. Check out this impressive list of awards on indie author Ken Thurber’s website.   With all of the time that goes into marketing, applying for awards… [read more]

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Back-to-School Marketing for ALL Authors!

July 9, 2012 by 2 Comments
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I know, I know—it’s not even really mid-July yet. The Fourth of July was last week, for crying out loud! You’re probably thinking, “But I’m not even fully healed from my sunburn yet!”   While that may be true, there are three important reasons to start planning back-to-school/fall promotions right now:   1)    Back-to-school is one of the biggest times for shopping in the entire year; 2)    Back-to-school shopping takes place from July to September, so it has already started; 3)    Retailers are making promotional plans for back-to-school right now, so you should too!   Back-to-school season isn’t just a time to market children’s books—it’s a time for fresh starts (and last-chance indulgences) for everyone. And let’s not forget who… [read more]

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