- Agents
- Author News, Deals
- Awards
- Bad Poetry
- Blog News
- Books
- Career
- CBA
- Collaborating and Ghosting
- Conferences
- Current Affairs
- Deep Thoughts
- Favorite Books
- Featured
- Film
- Marketing and Platforms
- Proposals
- Publishing
- Questions from Beginners
- Quick Tips
- Religion
- Resources for Writing
- Self-Publishing
- Social Media Critique
- The Business of Writing
- The Writing Craft
- Thursdays with Amanda
- Trends
- Uncategorized
- Web/Tech
Category : Marketing and Platforms
-
Continue Reading "Thursdays with Amanda: How to Use Facebook as an Unpublished Writer"Thursdays with Amanda: How to Use Facebook as an Unpublished Writer
Amanda Luedeke is a literary agent with MacGregor Literary. Every Thursday, she posts about growing your author platform. You can follow her on Twitter @amandaluedeke or join her Facebook group to stay current with her wheelings and dealings as an agent.
This one’s tricky. I’m not going to lie. In all honesty, Facebook probably isn’t the best way to gain a readership if you’re an unpublished author. I’d much rather you blog or speak or write articles. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. It’s just going to be more difficult…and the focus definitely needs to shift.
In going through these tips on how to grow your author platform, we tend to focus on reaching as many potential readers as possible. I’ve encouraged hashtags, multiple article submissions, and given you a few tips on making your blog posts more searchable. But for Facebook, we need to scale it back.
Because unlike all of those other media outlets, Facebook is one of those places where you can quickly turn into an annoying friend.
Take me for example…I joined Facebook way back in 2005. My reason for joining was so that I could stay in touch with my college friends after graduation (that, and I got pressured into it). So for 7 years I’ve been using Facebook primarily to strengthen friendships, stay in touch with family, and stalk the occasional random person.
So when I became an agent two years ago, I knew I couldn’t just turn my Facebook profile into a neverending advertisement for my career. Unless I seriously wanted to annoy my friends.
The first rule of using Facebook for both private and professional use is that you must must must separate the two. Keep a personal profile for yourself and then put together a professional page for your career-self. Sure, you can link to your professional page now and then or share really
-
Continue Reading "Thursdays with Amanda: Using Facebook as an Author"
Thursdays with Amanda: Using Facebook as an Author
Using Facebook to promote yourself as an author seems like a no-brainer. After all, everyone’s doing it. You should too. Right? Well…
I think I speak for all of us when I say that I roll my eyes, groan loudly and hit “delete” when faced with “like” requests from pages like Kaufmann Realty or Investors’ Insurance or … and I’m not making this one up … the Cardinal Fitness Cardinal. It’s not that I don’t like those companies. It’s just that they haven’t answered the million dollar question…
What’s in it for me?
While Facebook is highly commercialized, it’s still a very personal experience. It’s a representation of who you are. And while you may not know every person on your friends list, you certainly want to give them the chance to know you. So, you dig around for only the best timeline cover photo. You painstakingly rearrange your activity so that only the most impressive things show up. You carefully select music, movies and hobbies that reflect who you are.
And as for “likes?” You only “like” things that reflect your personality. Your style.
UNLESS! Unless they offer something in return that is simply irresistible.
Cardy the Cardinal had nothing to offer. No coupons for free spin cycle classes. No updates on “dead times” at the gym. I couldn’t even find updated information on local running events or gym hours. There was nothing in it for me. And since I had no connection with Cardy the Cardinal other than the fact that I was a member of his gym, I deleted the request.
This, my friends, is an example of the main pitfall of using Facebook
-
Continue Reading "Thursdays with Amanda: How to Hit the Kindle Best Seller List"
Thursdays with Amanda: How to Hit the Kindle Best Seller List
Amazon’s KDP Select program (part of their Kindle Direct Publishing platform) comes with a lot of strings. First, the author must agree not to have their book published elsewhere for a period of 90 days. Second, they must agree to have their book be part of the Lending Library Program. And third, they have to be ok with the fact that there’s no set structure for payment of titles lent out through the Lending Library. You basically just get a portion of the money pool based on how many books you lent in comparison to the total number of books lent (quite a mouthful).
In exchange for all of this, you get 5 days to offer your book for free on Amazon.
Is it worth it? Absolutely. But only if you’re smart about it.
Amazon is designed in such a way that the more an item sells, the more air time it gets. And the more air time it gets, the more it sells. This happens through their recommendation program (that list of Amazon Recommendations that appears at the bottom of a product page) and their “Customers who bought this also bought…” program. When your book hits these promotional venues, it can find fans who never knew you or it even existed. And if priced right, shoppers will throw your book in their cart, assuming that since they like Joe Schmoe, they’ll like you.
So what does this have to do with KDP Select? Everything. KDP Select is the quickest way to get your book air time. When it gets air time, it will start selling. And when it starts selling as few as 300 or 400 copies a
-
Continue Reading "Thursdays with Amanda: How to Hit the Kindle Best Seller List"
Thursdays with Amanda: How to Hit the Kindle Best Seller List
Amazon’s KDP Select program (part of their Kindle Direct Publishing platform) comes with a lot of strings. First, the author must agree not to have their book published elsewhere for a period of 90 days. Second, they must agree to have their book be part of the Lending Library Program. And third, they have to be ok with the fact that there’s no set structure for payment of titles lent out through the Lending Library. You basically just get a portion of the money pool based on how many books you lent in comparison to the total number of books lent (quite a mouthful).
In exchange for all of this, you get 5 days to offer your book for free on Amazon.
Is it worth it? Absolutely. But only if you’re smart about it.
Amazon is designed in such a way that the more an item sells, the more air time it gets. And the more air time it gets, the more it sells. This happens through their recommendation program (that list of Amazon Recommendations that appears at the bottom of a product page) and their “Customers who bought this also bought…” program. When your book hits these promotional venues, it can find fans who never knew you or it even existed. And if priced right, shoppers will throw your book in their cart, assuming that since they like Joe Schmoe, they’ll like you.
So what does this have to do with KDP Select? Everything. KDP Select is the quickest way to get your book air time. When it gets air time, it will start selling. And when it starts selling as few as 300 or 400 copies a
-
Continue Reading "Thursdays with Amanda: How to Host a Successful Book Giveaway"
Thursdays with Amanda: How to Host a Successful Book Giveaway
Book giveaways happen all the time. Whether it be through Goodreads, at a conference, over the radio during an author interview or at a good, old-fashioned book signing, every day, thousands of books are given away free of charge. The goal behind these giveaways is to generate interest—a hope that the person receiving the book will A) read it, B) love it, and C) talk about it, resulting in D) money in the author and publisher’s pockets.
But with thousands of books being handed out daily, how many authors are actually seeing results C and D?
This week, we’ll focus on giveaways in general…the basics of hosting a successful giveaway, and next week, we’ll go over the KDP Select program (the Amazon program that allows you to offer your ebook for free).
HOW TO HOST A SUCCESSFUL BOOK GIVEAWAY
1. Plan in advance. This isn’t a seat-of-your-pants affair. I don’t care how busy you are or whether you gravitate to chaos over organization, the best way to ensure success with your giveaway is to start planning well ahead of go-time. For example, a July 10th-15th, giveaway could start being planned June 1. The goal here is to give yourself plenty of time to get the chips in place.
2. Give your giveaway plenty of time. One-day-only giveaways bomb (unless you’re someone with a million followers, of course). Successful giveaways don’t just happen out of nowhere. They build over time. Give your readers 5-10 days to finalize their entries before you choose a winner. This will give your book more time in the spotlight.
3. Research, research, research. Spend time identifying what blogs, forums, message boards
-
Continue Reading "Thursdays with Amanda: 5 Steps to Build Book Hype on Goodreads"
Thursdays with Amanda: 5 Steps to Build Book Hype on Goodreads
Last week, guest blogger and author Jennifer Murgia did a fab job of introducing us to Goodreads.com and many of you asked for more!
While we're not going to do a step-by-step with screenshots (most of your how-to questions can be answered by spending time on the site…see #1 below), we've come up with 5 steps to building hype for your book on Goodreads:
1. Participate. Just like any social media site, Goodreads requires participation in order for the magic to happen. So the first step is to to be a regular, old Goodreads participant. This means reviewing books, tracking your bookreading progress, adding books to your shelves, commenting on friends' shelves and statuses, and getting comfortable with how the site works and how people use it. For any Goodreads virgin looking to use it for personal promotion, I think it would be helpful to spend a month or two learning the ropes. Don't just dive into it with the intention of selling books. Figure out what works and doesn't work from a user's perspective. Follow a few of your favorite authors and see what THEY do. Learning and participating are the first steps.
2. Maintain your author page. Treat your page as you would your author website (check out Jennifer Murgia's Goodreads page for reference). Dump book trailers, blog posts, and information on yourself as often as you can. You can even use both of those mediums (video and blog) to interact with fans, make announcements, and more. Before you start promoting yourself, you want this page to be full of information so that you don't appear to be a ghost author.
And while we're
-
Continue Reading "Thursdays with Amanda: 5 Steps to Build Book Hype on Goodreads"
Thursdays with Amanda: 5 Steps to Build Book Hype on Goodreads
Last week, guest blogger and author Jennifer Murgia did a fab job of introducing us to Goodreads.com and many of you asked for more!
While we're not going to do a step-by-step with screenshots (most of your how-to questions can be answered by spending time on the site…see #1 below), we've come up with 5 steps to building hype for your book on Goodreads:
1. Participate. Just like any social media site, Goodreads requires participation in order for the magic to happen. So the first step is to to be a regular, old Goodreads participant. This means reviewing books, tracking your bookreading progress, adding books to your shelves, commenting on friends' shelves and statuses, and getting comfortable with how the site works and how people use it. For any Goodreads virgin looking to use it for personal promotion, I think it would be helpful to spend a month or two learning the ropes. Don't just dive into it with the intention of selling books. Figure out what works and doesn't work from a user's perspective. Follow a few of your favorite authors and see what THEY do. Learning and participating are the first steps.
2. Maintain your author page. Treat your page as you would your author website (check out Jennifer Murgia's Goodreads page for reference). Dump book trailers, blog posts, and information on yourself as often as you can. You can even use both of those mediums (video and blog) to interact with fans, make announcements, and more. Before you start promoting yourself, you want this page to be full of information so that you don't appear to be a ghost author.
And while we're
-
Continue Reading "Thursdays with Amanda: How to Promote Your Book on Goodreads"
Thursdays with Amanda: How to Promote Your Book on Goodreads
NOTE: Today's post is from one of my authors, Jennifer Murgia, and it's geared a bit more toward those who on their way to being published (whether with a big house, a small house, a digital house or something they're doing on their own).
Jennifer is one of those authors who started out with a small press. But she didn't let that slow her down. She worked tirelessly to promote her first book, Angel Star, and ended up with the kind of sales numbers that impress both agents and publishers. Here, she talks about one of the methods in which she was able to gain a following.
If you’ve been following Thursdays with Amanda, then you’ll see a growing pattern: promoting yourself as an author via various social networks – and learning to do it well. In recent posts we’ve learned the tips to Tweet to your audience and how to grow a speaking platform. One of the best vessels I’ve been able to promote myself as an author on has been Goodreads.
Goodreads.com is a reader’s social haven. Here you’ll find bookworms, virtual librarians, discussion groups, and the fun part – a complete online cataloguing system catered just for you. It’s the easy way to keep track of the books you’re reading, want to read, and have read, along with a place to share what you think. For an author, this is a promotional wonderland!
Here’s how it works: During the initial stages of publication, your book’s info is fed to Amazon, which feeds directly to Goodreads. In some cases, adding your book manually may be necessary. Yes, it’s true your book
-
Continue Reading "Thursdays with Amanda: How to Promote Your Book on Goodreads"
Thursdays with Amanda: How to Promote Your Book on Goodreads
NOTE: Today's post is from one of my authors, Jennifer Murgia, and it's geared a bit more toward those who on their way to being published (whether with a big house, a small house, a digital house or something they're doing on their own).
Jennifer is one of those authors who started out with a small press. But she didn't let that slow her down. She worked tirelessly to promote her first book, Angel Star, and ended up with the kind of sales numbers that impress both agents and publishers. Here, she talks about one of the methods in which she was able to gain a following.
If you’ve been following Thursdays with Amanda, then you’ll see a growing pattern: promoting yourself as an author via various social networks – and learning to do it well. In recent posts we’ve learned the tips to Tweet to your audience and how to grow a speaking platform. One of the best vessels I’ve been able to promote myself as an author on has been Goodreads.
Goodreads.com is a reader’s social haven. Here you’ll find bookworms, virtual librarians, discussion groups, and the fun part – a complete online cataloguing system catered just for you. It’s the easy way to keep track of the books you’re reading, want to read, and have read, along with a place to share what you think. For an author, this is a promotional wonderland!
Here’s how it works: During the initial stages of publication, your book’s info is fed to Amazon, which feeds directly to Goodreads. In some cases, adding your book manually may be necessary. Yes, it’s true your book
-
Continue Reading "Thursdays with Amanda: Authors on Twitter – Who’s Doing It Well and Who’s Missing the Mark"
Thursdays with Amanda: Authors on Twitter – Who’s Doing It Well and Who’s Missing the Mark
Last week, we looked at some basic rules for using Twitter as an author as well as how to write a great Tweet. But what does all of that look like when put into practice?
First, I think it’s important to note that most big-name authors aren’t on Twitter. Take JK Rowling for example. The Harry Potter author stayed away from Twitter until she got so fed up with people posing as her, she created her own account back in ’09 @jk_rowling. She’s Tweeted 10 times since, and most of those seem to be her reminding fans that she’s alive and that the @jk_rowling handle is the real her. Oh, and she has over a million followers. Pretty sure, that number is more related to sheer popularity than it is exceptional Tweeting, but the fact stands: most authors are avoiding Twitter altogether. They've recognized that it's not the medium for them and THAT'S OK. If there's anything I want you to learn from this series on platform, it's that you should choose your social media battles. Start with one medium and go from there. All is not best.
Anyway, back to the post…
There are plenty of published authors who are on Twitter and doing it well…just as there are plenty who are doing it poorly.
Good Example
Seth Godin (@thisissethsblog for those of you following along) is a marketing and social media guru. He’s published thirteen books and has most likely sold over a million copies. His Twitter account is the shining example of most everything done right.
Its sole purpose is to Tweet links to his new blog posts. That’s all, folks. No wishing