Tag: book promotion

Categories
The Intentional Writer

Tap into the Power of Collaborations

The intentional writer

Experts continue to tell writers that their email list is one of the best ways to turn followers into book buyers. Therefore, growing your email list is great strategy for promoting your writing. Here’s a simple way to expand your reach and potentially gain new email subscribers—Author collaborations.

Collaborating with other writers enables you to leverage off each other’s followers, so you can quickly reach a whole new audience. Here are some tips to make collaborations work for you.

  • Look for someone who writes for a similar target audience. Your audiences don’t need to be identical, but they need to overlap. For example, a writer who targets young moms overlaps with a writer who targets healthy family relationships.
  • Look for someone who writes about similar topics or themes. Your book topics, lead magnets, or blog themes need to be something the other writer’s audience will find interesting and useful.
  • Avoid a collaboration where both writers are promoting almost identical products, such as two authors who both wrote books about gluten-free diets. The idea is to overlap so the audience wants both products rather than competing for the same purchase slot.  

Don’t forget the goal

If your goal is to build your email list, you need to have a lead magnet to promote. Without an incentive to join your list and a clear call to action, the other writer’s audience isn’t likely to visit your blog or sign up for your newsletter.

If your goal is only to promote your book, being featured by your collaboration partner may be sufficient. Again, don’t forget an enticing call to action that includes links to purchase your book

Types of collaborations

  • Guest post swap. If both writers have blogs, you can agree to exchange guest posts. Don’t forget to mention your lead magnet in your guest post!
  • Newsletter lead magnet swap. Both writers can agree to share each other’s lead magnets in their newsletters.
  • Newsletter (or blog) book review swap. The collaboration partners can agree to review each other’s books for their newsletter. Don’t forget to disclose that you have agreed to swap books. NOTE: Amazon does not approve of authors trading reviews, so if you swap book reviews, don’t post them on Amazon. (It’s probably best to skip other review sites as well.)
  • Interview swap. Bloggers, podcasters, or YouTubers can choose a pertinent topic and take turns interviewing the other on their blog/show.  
  • Gift Guides. Two or more authors can create a book gift guide on a particular theme. The guide includes one or more of each author’s books plus other excellent books that fit the theme. For example: Great Action Books for Middle Schoolers or Powerful Books to Help You Overcome Negative Thinking.

Always keep the audience in mind

Whatever collaboration you try, always remember your first goal is to serve your partner’s audience. (Not to promote yourself or sell something.)

The better you meet the needs of the audience, the more those people will be interested in your work, and the more likely the other writer will want to work with you in the future. Collaborations can be the beginning of a fruitful and long-lasting partnership.

You can be a collaborator

Even if you are not yet published, you can still begin to collaborate with other writers through swapping guest posts or lead magnets. It’s a small, doable step even beginning writers can try.

Who will you reach out to this week to discuss a possible collaboration?

Lisa E Betz

Lisa E. Betz is an engineer-turned-mystery-writer, entertaining speaker, and unconventional soul. She inspires others to become their best selves, living with authenticity, and purpose, and she infuses her novels with unconventional characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her Livia Aemilia Mysteries, set in first-century Rome, have won several awards, including the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021).

She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in her novels. Lisa directs church dramas, hikes the beautiful Pennsylvania woods, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes. Visit lisaebetz.com.

Categories
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

Lest We Forget . . .

lighter look at a writer's life

I am Almost an Author “original member,” writing for this blog since it began; I am not even sure how many years have passed. From almost the beginning, my pieces have posted on the sixth of the month, reliable as Old Faithful.

An important part of blogging is promotion. Obviously, if you write something—that you are proud of, that took a lot of time and thought, that features a message you think should be heard—you want people to read it. The last thing you want is for that piece to float in cyberspace, with no one noticing it.

You would think, with me having a post on the sixth of the month for what seems like forever, I would remember to share and to promote it. You would think I would have it marked on the calendar and ingrained in my psyche. You would think that. You would be wrong.

I tend to forget the post nearly every month. When I remember, I share and share and share, but, by then, the post has already been floating out there, as mentioned above, for days, left to fend for itself with no boost from its author.

Take last month, for example. Like clockwork, my post was up on the sixth of the month, to which I was oblivious. Like sand in the hourglass, the days passed (Yes, I was raised with a grandmother who watched her stories every day). On the morning of the thirteenth, I woke up, and, out of the blue, it hit me: I had a post published LAST WEEK!

I got up, grabbed my laptop, and found my post. I shared it on all of my social media, and, much to surprise, it got a great response with many comments and shares. Imagine how much better it would have been if I had, you know—REMEMBERED THE DAY IT ACTUALLY POSTS.

Promotion is important, but I like to think God watches out for people with poor memories like mine. If He wants people to see a certain message, He will make it happen, even if it is a few days (or a week) late.

You might be reading this post on the sixth, or you might be reading it whenever I remember to share it. Either way, I hope you are blessed by it.

Now, where did I leave my keys?

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.

Categories
Guest Posts

5 Effective Ways To Promote Your Book on Social Media

Guest posts

Ever since the lockdown of 2020, there has been a flux of self-published authors all over social media promoting their publications. Nowadays, it is so much easier to make the dream of being a published author a reality without ever hiring anyone to assist in the process.

From pen to paper, to paperback printing, to promoting and finally selling, here are five effective ways to promote your book on social media:

1. Post pictures with book blurb on all platforms

2. Promote a contest on all platforms giving the book away

3. Create a website and social media pages dedicated to the book

4. Go live and read a chapter from your book and do a Q&A

5. Grow your niche network

Being self-published also means you are your book’s biggest fan and promoter. Ensuring you have reached as many fans and potential customers is the next important step in getting your work noticed. Keeping reading for effective ways to promote your book on social media.

1. Post Pictures on Social Media

It is all about pictures when it comes to social platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Investing in a good photo software app can really bring your book photos to the next level. Make sure to have a title that pops and a book cover that speaks for itself. Get a little more creative and showcase yourself holding the book or a group of friends lounging on the beach enjoying a read. Whatever the photo is, make sure to add links in the description and hashtag till your fingers bleed!

2. Have a Book Contest Giveaway

Everyone loves free stuff, and what better way to get your book out there than having a fun giveaway contest. You can generate a buzz about your book using social media to post blurbs or parts of chapters in the book and get participants eager for more. Creating a contest that involves a theme in the book, for example, cupcakes, get people involved like the first five people to comment on their favorite cupcake, get a free e-book, or the 100th person to like the post about my book gets a free copy.

Some good contest ideas include:

  • Random winner generator app
  • Scavenger hunt – winner gets a free book
  • Go live first X people get the first chapter free
  • Hashtag contest- the person with the best hashtag for the book wins

Writing An Email Blast

When promoting a book for marketing, most authors will use contacts on their already existing email list and do an email blast showcasing a personal statement from the book and details on when and where it will be available. Choosing to have a professional, like a write my paper website, is a really easy way to hire a writer at affordable prices to take the pressure off of coming up with content for marketing your book in an email.

3. Create a Dedicated Website and Social Media Platform

People often try to mix their personal platforms with their professional ones, and the problem with that is everything gets combined, and a lot can get lost. It is important when branding yourself as an author that your work has its own separate website and dedicated social media platforms. This way, customers know exactly where to go to get all they need about your product and not be inundated with pictures from a birthday party you went to last weekend.

Some items you may want to have on your website can include:

  • Links to social media
  • YouTube channel link – for any live streams of reading the book
  • Customer review tab for new reviews and old
  • Blog – let readers know what is new and upcoming

4. Go Live on Social Media Platforms

Going live on any social media platform is the best way to get your book promoted by far. Promote a go-live session where you read a chapter of your book out loud and then do a Q & A session with viewers at the end. This will allow your customers and supporters to get a glimpse into the book’s energy and some insider viewpoints on burning questions readers may have.

5. Grow Your Niche Network

Promoting your book to other authors in the same niche category is a great way to efficiently build a network that will work for you. Whatever niche your book may be, for example, thriller, murder mystery, sci-fi, and the list goes on, make sure you utilize social media to build a network of like-minded authors. Their people will talk to your people, and those people will talk to other people, and before you know it, the link for your book has been passed around a bunch of times throughout all social media platforms.

Summary

Social media is free; it is easy to navigate and just as easy to use for marketing just about anything. It can be the thing that boosts your book to be a bestseller or the tool that helps get your book noticed by legit book publishing companies.

Jessica Fender is a professional writer and educational blogger at Writeload. Jessica enjoys sharing her ideas to make writing and learning fun.

Categories
Authorpreneur

Supercharge Your Reach, Part One

 “Ah! I’ve had too many sales!” said no author ever. The truth is, sales are directly tied to what marketers call your reach. Your reach is basically your sphere of influence. Whether traditionally or indie published, authors must consistently strive to increase their reach in order to maintain or boost sales. Reach has become even more important as sales have become more difficult to obtain from paid online advertising. The big question is, why should consumers buy from you and not someone else? As the number of consistent readers continues to decrease in the United States and the number of authors continues to increase, committed writers need to be prepared to devote more time and effort to increasing their reach.

Over the next few articles, I’ll focus on free or low-cost ways that authors can increase their reach. In our first post on this topic, we will focus on the power of stages. What are stages? Why are they essential and how can you get them?

What are stages?

Now, when I say “stages”, I mean a physical or virtual space where you can get an audience. This can be as informal as a gathering of friends, a tuxedo-worthy event or anything in-between. Speaking at conferences, leading workshops, representing a cause are all good examples. But a stage can also be a virtual experience. Podcasts, “going-live” on social media, or broadcasting digital content on channels like YouTube are great examples of a virtual stage. However you do it, once you have a stage, you are taking the next step to growing your reach—and that’s a good thing.

Why are stages important?

If you think about it, humans have been influenced by stages for millennia. From the old oracles of the ancient world to our televised national debates, stages are an opportunity to influence your audience and to build relationships. Research indicates that most people purchase books if they have a relationship with the author—heard the author speak, follow the author’s social media—or if they have a friend who has a relationship with the author and speaks highly of his/her book.

 Why is this?

Well, the answer may lie in our subconscious. According to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman, most purchasing decisions are made based on emotion (Chierotti, 2018). Therefore, as you speak to audiences and make emotional connections, or relationships, you increase the likelihood of a sale.

Stages also serve to boost the credibility of the speaker by association. We humans are hardwired to learn by association. If we see a certain author on stage with someone we already respect or trust, we are likely to extend a certain measure of trust to that author. By developing key relationships and earning a place on stage with people who already have the respect of their audience, you dramatically increase your own chances of success.

Finally, stages give you an opportunity to bring happiness, because the heart of sales is the pursuit of happiness. I’ll explain what I mean in a moment but first, let’s talk about why people buy. The truth is, no matter what you’re selling, if the consumer does not think it will make him or her happy, there will be no deal. The key to selling anything is simply finding out what people want and giving it to them. As word spreads, consumers will come to you because you have what they think they need in order to be happy. Without your product, they’re missing out.

I know that might sound rather cold, and I’m sorry if that’s the case, but it is a core business principle. Let’s take an example that’s not related to books to make this a little more clear. Consider pocketbooks for a moment. Why do shoppers pay more for luxury brands of pocketbooks simply because it has the name of the manufacturer printed all over it? In reality, you’re paying to advertise someone’s brand. But it makes consumers happy to do so. Perhaps they want others to notice that they can afford a luxury item. Perhaps they simply think it’s a great product. Regardless of the reason, the consumer is willing to give money up for the pocketbook because she believes it will make her happy.

Now what does this have to do with stages?

Everything.

When you’re on stage, you have the unique opportunity to present a problem and share how your book presents information that can help the audience solve the problem. You don’t want to present your book as being the solution—your book is there to help the audience solve the problem. This is true for fiction as well as non-fiction. You just have to develop your message in a way that will speak to your audience.

How can you win stages?

Start by thinking about what the core message is in your book. What did you want people to learn? Then move from that point to identify a few groups in your town or nationally that might benefit from the themes you discuss.

For example, if your book discusses domestic abuse, racism, or forgotten veterans (even slightly), you might be able to connect with a group that has an interest in those topics. If your book is geared toward a Christian audience, try speaking to small church groups that might benefit from its themes.

But think bigger than your direct audience. Can you partner up with a local charity and speak at their event while donating a portion of your proceeds to their cause? The publicity you gain can make it worth your time.

In short, stages are a great way to increase your reach, ultimately boosting sales. For personalized information, or to identify stage opportunities for your work, connect with me online at JPRobinsonBooks.com.

JP Robinson gained experience in the marketing field doing promotional work for multi-million dollar medical facilities and non-profit groups over the past decade. He is an international speaker, educator, and prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction.

JP also conducts writing seminars in various parts of the country and heads Logos Publications, LLC, an emerging publishing and book marketing team.

When he isn’t writing or teaching, JP loves spending time with his wonderful wife and children.

Categories
Platform and Branding

Nailing Your Metadata: Keywords

Last month we talked about categories. Now we’re going to dig into the other side of the metadata equation: keywords.

Nailing your Keywords

Your keywords are the 7 (on Amazon) particular words/phrases that you’d like your book to come up under if someone searches for them. Most authors make the mistake of picking a few descriptive terms like “bible study” or “romantic comedy”. Unless you’re a NYT Bestseller, it’s unlikely that you’ll rank first on this page of results.

Alternatively, some people pick keywords that no one is interested in or actually typing in. If you are trying to rank in ultra-competitive keywords, you’re in shark-invested waters without a float. If no one is searching for the keywords you’re using, you’re in the desert.  So what’s the key? Picking keywords that are being searched for often, but don’t have much competition. There is a fine line, and it’s a tightrope to balance.

 There’s a statistic that says if your book ranks first overall for a search term, there is a 27% chance a shopper will click on your book. If your book is the second result, that number drops to 12%. The odds of someone clicking on your book if it ranks on the second page are only 7% (for all 10-15 results on the page).

So, you want to be on that first page, and you want to be that first result if possible. But you also want to make sure there are people actually interested in that keyword.

Your job is to research various terms related to your book and analyze the market for it. You need to break down the monthly traffic volume for each possible term, and then look at how fierce the competition is based on the highest-ranking titles’ sales rank. With these numbers in mind, you can choose the 7 most effective keywords to keep your book visible to the right audience.

Pro Tip: How do you analyze the traffic of each term? Well that’s a good question. I use a tool called KDP Rocket to analyze traffic data for all of my clients. It digs into the Amazon numbers to tell you just how often (per month) a term is being searched for, and how competitive that term is. You might be surprised by the results. This is the best tool I’ve found to help with keyword research.

Putting It All Together

Optimizing your metadata might not become a bestseller overnight. It doesn’t have the kind of immediate effect that ad campaigns or discount promotions have. But what it does give you is a competitive advantage and the ability to maintain long-term success from the short-term sales strategies. By updating your categories and keywords, you instantly become more discoverable to target readers, and that is always a good thing.

Vincent B. Davis II is an author, entrepreneur, speaker, and soldier. His first novel The Man with Two Names was published in July 2017 and has since become an Amazon International Best Seller. He is passionate about helping authors improve their brand and platform. He works with publishing companies and individual clients to help them sell more books in the modern publishing environment. Vincent is also the Senior Editor for blueridgeconference.com. If you are interested in contributing a blog for the site, or have any other queries, you can reach him at Vincent@thirteenthpress.com

Categories
Book Reviews Writer Encouragement

Getting Reviews Part 2

Elaine Marie Cooper

If you have not read Part 1 of this two-part series on getting reviews, click here to read it.

Assuming you have been hard at work gathering potential reviewers, you should have sent out dozens of requests by now. Be prepared that you may not receive a reply from some. Others may reply but say they cannot commit to this project at this time. Always send a gracious response in return. Perhaps in the future they may accept another request.

Hopefully you will have an enthusiastic group who are excited to help you launch your book baby.

Here is the next VERY important step: The letter that accompanies your PDF.

Open your letter with an expression of thanks. They are taking out many hours of their time to help you. Be grateful.

Your next paragraph should include something like this:

After reading (Name of your book) please write the review as soon as possible while it is still fresh in your mind. Please send me the text of your review so I can keep a file and use the quotes. Also, please SAVE the review in your files somewhere so you can post it on Amazon and Goodreads when the book releases on (date of release). I will send a jpg of the book cover before it releases.

Road to Deer Run - Cover

Many of your readers may never have written a review before. Here are helpful tips that I include in this letter:

 

  • Include the title of the book in the review
  • If you have any kind of relationship with me (friend, relative, etc.) please do NOT include that in the review.
  • Short reviews are fine—sometimes preferable.
  • Please do not include any spoilers, i.e. giveaways to the plot.

 

You would be amazed at some of the well-meaning reviews that say something like “This author is my best friend!” or worse, give a complete synopsis of the book from start to finish.

Help them out. You will both appreciate the final result.

Hopefully, by the time your literary baby is birthed, it will be wrapped in a snug bundle of positive reviews that will help catch the eye of future readers. Best wishes!

 

Green typewriter image courtesy of Just2Shutter via freedigitalphotos.net