Guest Post: Authors and the Art of Self-Promotion, by Rachael Oku

April 25, 2013 by 1 Comment
Rachael Oku

Authors and the Art of Self-Promotion by Rachel Oku   In every industry, the cliché goes that you have to “pay your dues” before you can make it. Is this really true of writing? Recently published author Rachael Oku wonders. . . . If someone told me I’d be a published author within five years when I graduated college in 2008, I’d have laughed in their face. If someone told me I’d be a published author within five years when I graduated college in 2008, I’d have laughed in their face. Surely I’d have to labour over my ideas and live as a tortured artist in order to hone my craft? Not so. In this the digital age, it’s easier… [read more]

Filed Under: Authorpreneur, Book Launch, Book Marketing, Branding, Guest Post, Motivational, Pitching, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Indie Author’s Guide to Facebook Fan Pages

April 16, 2013 by 4 Comments
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So you’ve got your personal Facebook page going and you’ve got plenty of friends following you, right? Good. Question: does your book have a fan page separate from your personal page? If your answer is yes, that’s awesome. Keep reading. If you’re answer is no, read this excellent article on how to set one up first. We were just speaking to an author this week on the importance of using her Facebook fan page to promote her book and here’s what we explained. Your Facebook fan page is a requirement for your book because it creates camaraderie around your book beyond your reader holding it in their hands. Also: It will attract new fans through shared posts Provides unlimited ability to… [read more]

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: , ,

3 Ways to Market Your Book RIGHT NOW!

April 9, 2013 by 8 Comments
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If you’re an indie author, you know that writing, publishing, and marketing your book is an incredibly busy job, and one that really doesn’t end once the book is out. In fact, this job doesn’t end as long as you still want your book out into the world. Book publishing is kind of like parenting–it’s not like your job ends after the nesting and delivery process, because then you have to raise your child. The fact is, YOU ARE ONE PERSON! You can only do, in one day, what one person is capable of doing in a day. Also, remember that life you had? With the friends, spouse, kids (real–not paper or e-ink), pets, etc.? Yeah, they’re still important. So… [read more]

Filed Under: Blogging, Book Marketing, Content, Guest Post, Self-publishing, Social Media, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

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: , ,

Indie Author Blogging 101: Simple Tips for Your Blog

November 12, 2012 by 3 Comments
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An author we work with emailed us last week, hoping we could give her a few tips for her blog. Of course, we’re fairly new to the blogging game, but as we crafted our response to her, we had to admit that we’ve learned a lot in a short time. If you’re an author (or planning on being one) you should have a blog.  Blogs engage your audience and help solidify your place as a player. A blog doesn’t have to keep you from writing. Some author bloggers post once or twice a week and that’s absolutely fine. Here’s the advice we gave to our newbie indie author who had just launched her blog: 1. Add your Twitter (and other… [read more]

Filed Under: Blogging, Indie Publishing, Social Media, Twitter Tagged With: , ,

The Two Major Ways Getting Social Helps Your Writing [Guest Post]

October 3, 2012 by 1 Comment
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This is a guest post by Peter Margolis who writes for DX3 For a lot of independent writers (and filmmakers, photographers, musicians… it applies to us all) trying to get a piece finished and published can be quite difficult, not only is there the hard work that goes into finishing it, but there is also work to raise money, gain exposure, and a number of other things that have nothing to do with the actual writing. Traditionally, you needed a known name or brand to get attention. Luckily, we have the Internet now, and with the Internet and social platforms, we can efficiently take care of harder book-selling tasks like fundraising and exposure. Whether you are a newbie writer or… [read more]

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

Our 10 Favorite Author Twitter Homepages

September 17, 2012 by 4 Comments
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If you’re an author and on Twitter, integrating your book with your homepage is a must. Your Twitter homepage is great real estate to showcase your book. What we’ve found is that there are tons of authors who are not taking advantage of their Twitter homepage. If you do, you’ll likely stand out and be noticed. You’ll be the savvy author who went the extra mile. Here are ten authors who fall in that category. We love what they’ve done with their Twitter homepage and how they have creatively incorporated their books. Let’s use them as our inspiration. @TheWriterMama, Christina Katz     @RachelintheOC, Rachel Thompson       @DirtyWhiteCandy, Roz Morris       @Scott_Fox, Scott Fox    … [read more]

Filed Under: Book Marketing, Social Media, Twitter Tagged With: , ,

Book Marketing Tips: 5 Golden nuggets for newbie self-published authors [Guest Post]

September 7, 2012 by 1 Comment
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1. Give yourself permission to use your voice on your blog, on social media, and everywhere else.  How do you write when you write an email to a friend? Keep this in mind whenever you create new content. Be human. Be you! You’ll attract the right readers and fans, and speak directly to them about something they actually care about. 2. Social media is no more complicated than making friends at elementary school. Really! Note I said no more complicated, not no more difficult. Making friends isn’t always easy for everyone, but it certainly isn’t rocket science. We all know that to connect socially and have a good conversation, we need to listen, ask questions, and say something funny, interesting… [read more]

Filed Under: Audience, Book Marketing, Guest Post, Self-publishing Tagged With: , ,

3 Reasons Your Tweets Are Not Working!

July 20, 2012 by 1 Comment
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You think you’re doing everything right–multiple tweets per week, retweeting the right people, using #hashtags, sharing interesting articles–but it doesn’t seem to be gaining you any new followers. Or maybe you’re just not tweeting the right way because you’re not into it…yet. Below are 5 reasons your tweets alone might not be working! Reason #1: You aren’t promoting others The culture of Twitter is very much tit-for-tat. The more you support others, the more they will support you. It’s easy to fall into the mindset that you have to be promoting yourself all the time. In reality, Twitter is a tool you should be using to find allies! To find allies who will support you, you need to reach out and show… [read more]

Filed Under: #hashtags, Pitching, Social Media, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , , ,

15 Fill-In-the-Blank Blog Ideas for Every Authorpreneur

July 18, 2012 by 3 Comments
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Does it ever happen to you that you’ve got a blog entry to write and . . . nothing comes? Below are 15 blog ideas (and examples) that any authorpreneur can quickly fill in with the themes and needs of their own markets! Use them for FREE! 1. The 10 Best-Kept Secrets for Reaching ________ (The 10 Best-Kept Secrets for Reaching CEOs) 2. The Top 5 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before ________ (The Top 5 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Sending Your Manuscript) 3. 6 Rules You Can Break when Trying to ________ (6 Rules You Can Break when Trying to Make Sales Online) 4. 20 Twitter Hashtags for ________ (20 Twitter Hashtags for Reaching Readers) 5. The… [read more]

Filed Under: Blogging, Social Media, Twitter, Writing Prompts Tagged With: , , ,
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