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Set Outrageous Goals
I recently heard a sermon on “setting outrageous goals.” If we set small goals, the speaker said, we will be satisfied when we meet them and not strive harder or do more. But if we set outrageous goals—goals we don’t think we can meet—we are much more likely to make those goals. And even if…
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Shameless Self-Promotion – With a Heart
I have a friend who talks about “shameless self-promotion.” She thinks it’s a great thing, and something that most of us just don’t do enough. Most authors I know are afraid to promote their books. Why? I think it is because our books are very personal to us. They are our babies. And promoting our…
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What is Hybrid Memoir?
Hybrid Memoir You’ve decided to write your memoir. You know exactly where you want to start. The first scene has been written in your head for months, years or even decades. Now it’s time. You sit down and write that first chapter. But where do you go from here? I hope I can help you…
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Don’t Let Perfection Paralysis Stop You From Publishing
Do you find yourself writing, writing, writing; always adding another chapter, thinking of a new small piece of information that just must go into your book, changing a sentence only to change it back again … and again … and …? Well you get the picture. At some point it is time to say, “Enough,…
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The Rise of AI in 2024
AI, or artificial intelligence is the biggest, hottest, trendiest thing in every industry today, and publishing is one area where the use of artificial intelligence is already sparking controversy. You may think that you will never use AI, but my guess is that you already have. Whether you have consciously used ChatGPT the “natural language…
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A Year of Marketing Tips and Tactics
Last January I declared 2023 my Year of Marketing, and throughout the year I’ve tried to look into what’s in, what’s out, and what are the basics every author still needs to be successful. Here’s a recap of some of the marketing tips we’ve discussed in this newsletter in the last 12 months. This is…
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10 Tips to Finish Your Book During Nanowrimo
Have you made your Nanowrimo resolutions yet? If you aren’t familiar with this peculiar acronym or its importance in the writing world, Nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It’s kind of a combination of New Year’s and Lent: you make a resolution and see if you can stick with it for an entire month.…
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SMART Rewards
It’s October. Raise your hand if you have decided to finish your next book before the end of the year. Yep. I see a lot of hands raised out there in newsletter land. Now, put down your hand if you have worked on that book project since you made that goal on Labor Day. What?…
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Are You Preparing Your Platform?
Most authors I know first write the book, then publish the book, and finally think about marketing the book. But book publicists know that this is exactly the opposite way to do things. You should start developing your platform two to three years before your book is published. This is not as hard as it…
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Category Listings
You may have heard that Amazon KDP is changing its category selections, or as they call it, the “category experience.” What does this mean for you as a self-published author? You are limited to three categories per book. This makes it even more important that you pick the categories that best help readers find your…
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Ten Apps to Help the Self-Published Authors
There are some great new apps, software and video programs out there to help the self-published author write and market their books. Here are ten of them that either I have used or writers I know recommend. Online Self-Publishing Course You always wanted to write a book but don’t know where to start? You have…
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Direct Sales Make the Most Profit
Direct sales to customers online, at the back of the room after a speech, or as part of a seminar package, earn the author the greatest return per book. Here are some more figures to consider. As Amazon and other retailers take more and more of author profits, direct sales is something all writers must…
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Price Changes at KDP and Ingram
What You Need to Know Both Ingram and KDP have announced changes in pricing in recent weeks. Changes at Ingram The good news is that Ingram is getting rid of set up fees for both print and ebooks. This applies to authors using both Ingram Spark and Ingram Lightning Source. This is a substantial change…
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How Novelists Can Turn Guest Blogging Into Their Secret Weapon
By Sandra Beckwith Guest blogging is a popular book marketing tactic because it’s an effective way to reach more readers using one of your best skill sets: writing. While guest blogging typically involves writing an article on a relevant topic for a blog that reaches your audience, it can also take the form of a…
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Build Book Buzz: Finding the Good Guys in Author Services
The best way to avoid publishing predators is to learn more about how legit author services providers operate. Here’s a Q&A with one of them.
