Tip O'Day #441 - Marketing Yourself

Guest blogger Cara Brookins on self-promotion, and when it becomes shameless.

Writers write. We’ve heard that statement countless times and of course it’s true. But writers also promote. It doesn’t sound as glamorous as creating exotic worlds or listening to the mysterious voices of our characters, and maybe that’s why we keep it on the down low. If writing and editing are something like a 10%/90% time split for most writers, where does promotion time come from? The well-guarded secret is that it comprises all the other waking moments of our life.

Your life is your promotion. That’s a bold statement, but my definition of promotion is broad. As a writer, you are marketing yourself, which turns every word and move into a part of your marketing platform. But here is where the balance comes in. This doesn’t mean that you should promote yourself and your book in every conversation — both real and digital. It’s a real problem if your Facebook posts, tweets, and visits to the dentist all begin and end with things like:

The one thing missing in your life today is… my book!
Here is a quote from my book that divulges the meaning of life.
In my book you’ll learn the proper way to extract a molar.
My book is for sale today… just like I reminded you it was yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that.

The only thing this sort of person makes me want to buy is Chinese finger cuffs for each of their digits.

You must tweet. Of course, some of the shameless digital promotion is necessary. Asking your cyber friends to like your author page or review your book is all part of a good marketing strategy. Do this with obvious taste and respect. Be subtle. Be classy. Most of all, be organized by keeping track of your requests. For example, when I ask a group of people to read an ARC and post an early review, I keep extremely detailed records. I create a spreadsheet showing who I asked and on what date. If they agree, I enter the date I provided them with a copy of the ARC. Another column shows the date (about a month later) when I send a link to the review sites. Finally, I list the date of their review post which is followed by my thank you email. If they fail to post a review within two weeks of the link being sent, I send a single reminder before marking them as complete - and ceasing my requests for reviews, likes, or anything else I’ve asked for.

Writing is a business. If you want to be perceived as a professional, this sort of organization is the only way to build respect as a professional author.

Show don’t tell. I know what you’re wondering, if you aren’t telling people how much they need your book every third second, how are they going to know how wonderful it is? The best way to explain my belief is in writer speak. When you develop a character for a novel, you try hard not to narrate the character’s personality to the reader. You want them to discover the character’s type by watching their actions and listening to their words. Promotion should be handled in much the same way. Use Facebook, Twitter, your website, and your blog to show (not tell) your writing ability and your personal character. Write posts that are eye catching, well formed, and thought provoking. Make your cyber mates think, “I love the way this author writes, and I really need to buy one of those books!”

Buy me. In short, instead of promoting some author character you want people to think you are, be the author who you would like to read. This step is the primary way to turn writing from a hobby or a job into a vocation. If writing is your calling, then learning to be a better, more rounded, and complete person through your writing is the only way to find success.

Now start the count on those promotion hours by displaying the character of an author whose work you would enjoy reading.

Cara is a fulltime senior programmer/systems analyst by day and a writer by night. In between these passions she creates works of art including paintings, mosaics, concrete structures, jewelry, paper-mâché wall art – and her home. See Cara’s website for more information.

The shift has hit the fan. The first in Cara Brookins’ Timeshifters trilogy was released on May 14, 2013. Check it out at https://www.Timeshiftersbooks.com or https://www.facebook.com/TimeshiftersBooks

Tip O'Day #431 - Look Out Below!

Guest blogger Gerald G. Griffin on two categories of writers within the third group of writers. Ouch, my head hurts.

"A lot of people think they have a book inside them, but for those who try to write it, they usually fail," a friend once commented to me. "Why is that?"

I shrugged, giving him an are-you-kidding look. "Hell if I know!"

If answering him now, I'd probably say this: Let's start by dividing novice or would-be writers into three groups. First, there are those novices who can write great stuff immediately, as though born to it, and have little trouble getting published. Second, there are those who haven't a chance in hell of ever writing a book because they lack the creative aptitude, imagination, passion, dedication and discipline to do so. Third, there are those who fall in between the first and second groups.

Let's divide this third group into two categories. The first involves those who might squeak through a book, but it won't be published, and they skip the Indie route. The problem with these writers is that they write as though they are part of some freakish high wire circus act as he or she leaps haphazardly from the swing, twisting spasmodically into thin air, then frantically grasping outward toward his or her catcher's hands just at the moment their partner is suddenly seized with severe dizzy spells killing any semblance of timing.

"Look out below!"

The second category is a crazy one. These novice writers manage to finish their books. Then, by hook or by crook -- including the Indie route -- they have their books published. Their work is usually mediocre but the writers are convinced it's fantastic and will sell big if only it has the correct marketing. So enter the marketing scene, with all its madness! These writers are likely to be totally unprepared to deal with it but leap into it helter-skelter, the marketing madness enhancing their delusions.

Subsequently, these writers are prey for promising marketing schemes invariably failing to deliver, including social networking and engines leaving them in a mire of their own delusional madness. These novices are forever seeking that elusive, flashy review of their book that will turn that formidable trick leading to literary glory, never realizing that glory is beyond their reach.

Finally, for most of these writers, after suffering through all of this, their books not selling, their book signings a bust, libraries and book stores not carrying their works, their exhaustive madness having worn them down to the bone, they are left glassy-eyed, their literary salvation gone, leaving them with the stifling prospect of a mind numbing, everyday job.

Oh, what could have been!

To learn more about Gerald G. Griffin and his novel, check out this link. Among other things, it discusses the making of Of Good And Evil into a movie, and where the book can be ordered. The book can also be ordered on Gerald’s blog at http://geraldggriffin.blogspot.com/ or from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Tip O'Day #416 - Hello, Lurkers!

Guest blogger Lucy Pireel rants about online forums for authors.

When Dixon asked me whether I would like to supply him with a guest post for his blog, I jumped at the opportunity — like I always do. Head first and oblivious to the existence of shallow, shark infested waters. But that’s me.

Anyway, I had a nice topic to ramble on about — where to get new ideas — but got distracted. By? Yup, the evil Book of Faces. It has me in its clutches and won’t let go. Mind you, I’ve liked being on there ever since I signed up rather reluctantly. It’s a major distraction, but also a source of great fun and a wonderful means of reaching out to people. We get to ‘meet’ individuals we would have never known without Facebook.

I thought it would be useless to me, but to be honest I’ve learned quite a bit about self-publishing and marketing during the mere month since being suckered in. Hahaha. But there’s a balance to be kept, because before you know it — Poof! — there went another day that could, no should, have been spent on writing, editing, or other writerly habits.

So, there you have the topic of today. Facebook. Let’s take a long hard look at it. Fun? Yes! Useful? Yes, and… Oh, well, yes. Even if I sometimes think the authors gathered there are mainly promoting our works to one another, I still honestly believe that there must be other people watching and reading too. People who lurk in the shadows and think, because they do not write, they have no right being part of an authors group.

How wrong they are. There are heaps of readers too. Readers who love to connect with writers. Take for example the Book Junkies group, a gang of readers who not only love books, but are also dedicated to helping writers get their names and works more exposure throughout the online universe. Book Junkies members think ‘outside the box’ and have set up not only their group, but also a site to promote authors, and a site to promote books by posting reviews. They offer a complete platform for writers.

And there are many other similar groups.

Not only are there promotional groups, but recently a new group called Authors Against Piracy has been formed. Now we not only unite in the search for an audience, but we’ve started the effort to protect our intellectual property against thieves. Much like the music industry struggles to protect itself, we ought to do the same. Digital books need the same kind of protection that recorded music has. And I don’t mean that lousy excuse they call DRM, because any second grade digital thief can take that off any file in a jiffy, ruining a beautifully formatted book while at it. Leaving the ripped off copy a mucked up mess.

So Facebook and other online forums offer an opportunity for authors to network and create friendships all over the globe. We get to learn more about the craft of writing, about the publishing business, and about our legal rights. We have the chance to discover what readers are looking for, and how they choose which books to purchase. For those of us in rural or isolated locales, we have the opportunity to create a writing platform.

And the lurkers get plenty of places to hang out.

The End of Exclusivity?

Mark Coker is the founder and CEO of Smashwords, and we spoke recently about an Amazon ‘December surprise.’

Last December, Amazon shook up the Indie publishing world with the announcement of the KDP Select program. In exchange for you giving it exclusive rights to sell your eBook, Amazon would give you certain promotional benefits. One attraction is the ability to have “free days” where you hopefully raise your Amazon ranking by giving away a book for up to five days during each 90-day exclusive period. After a free day, the price returns to normal without any delay or confusion.

People like to talk and speculate, and the publishing world is no different. Rumors abound about another coming December surprise, with many folks guessing Amazon will give the authors of the world a Christmas present by eliminating exclusivity. Mark Coker discusses this in the following excerpt from the October 5th post on the Smashwords Site Updates page (used with permission - see the entire post at https://www.smashwords.com/about/beta )

In recent weeks, the tea leaves point to more exclusivity. With the recent launch of their distribution to India, they added a requirement that if you want 70% royalties on India sales, you must enroll in KDP-Select and remove books from all other retailers. It seems they've also stepped up the aggressiveness of their automated price-matching. Their emails now threaten authors with account termination if they're enrolled in the 70% royalty rate (this is independent of KDP-Select) and another retailer is offering a lower price. No other retailer tightens the screws upon the knuckles of authors like Amazon. It's so unnecessary.

I for one hope for a kinder, gentler Amazon in the future. I think it's in their best interest. Amazon has a brilliant retail platform, great discovery, and smart people working there. Why treat authors like such pawns? And why do so many authors fall prey and willingly submit to such oppressive policies?

In a message to me on Saturday, Mark wrote: “I hope Amazon does the right thing and drops exclusivity. If they did that, I'd become a huge supporter of KDP Select.”

I agree.

Tip O'Day #397 - Grafton vs Indies

Guest blogger Simon Alexander Collier on “Busking Outside Carnegie Hall.”

American novelist Sue Grafton brought a wave of criticism on herself through a number of disparaging remarks about those, like me, who choose to self-publish their fiction. Like these critics, I think she is mistaken, but since she has subsequently apologized and expressed a desire to learn more about changes in the publishing world, I won’t add my droplet to that wave. I too occasionally err, as my wife kindly points out.

Ms Grafton’s original comments did raise a couple of points that are worth considering, even if she herself has since rowed back. The first is the idea that self-publishing is a “short-cut,” a way of avoiding the hard work required to become a published author in the orthodox fashion. As many indie writers who responded to Ms Grafton correctly pointed out, there is an enormous amount of work required to get your own work out there and publicize it. Self-publishing isn’t about avoiding work as much as substituting productive work – publishing and marketing your story – for the unproductive task of spending months or years in a (likely) futile attempt to find an orthodox publisher.

Another issue raised was that self-published authors have an inflated sense of self-worth, acting like “a student managing to conquer Five Easy Pieces on the piano and then wondering if s/he's ready to be booked into Carnegie Hall.” Well, an element of ego is probably involved in any public display of artistic output, but it is difficult to see why any more is involved in self-publishing. It would also be easy to highlight many conventionally published authors whose mastery of their craft is well short of the average concert pianist’s. Ultimately, this line of reasoning rings of “know your place,” a location of which I have long remained proudly ignorant.

Since the musical analogy has been introduced, it may be worth recalling the spirit of the punk movement of the 1970s. A reaction to the corporatisation and blandness of much of the music of that era, this promoted the idea that anyone could be in a band and gave us groups such as the Sex Pistols and the Clash, whose music stands up pretty well these days. Democratization of the creative process should surely be welcomed, and while there may be some semi-literates producing fourth-rate bodice rippers who are not exactly the Johnny Rottens de nos jours, it is likely that self-publishing will lead to some works of merit seeing the light of day that otherwise would not have done so.

Fundamentally, it is a mistake to see publishing as a moral issue. There is no ethical requirement for hard work – that is unavoidable in one form or another anyhow – or for only the “deserving” (whoever they might be) to have a chance of an audience when so much rubbish gets put out by conventional publishers. I make no apologies for saying that I would love to find a short-cut or any cut at all to the literary equivalent of stadium filling. Frankly, however, at the moment I’m playing a couple of tunes I wrote to a few friends and the odd passerby at open mic night in my local boozer. The closest I get to Carnegie Hall is busking outside. But greatly enjoying it.

Dixon says: If I understand it right, busking is a British term for street music or performance, what’s sometimes called guerilla theatre. A pretty cool word, don’t you think? I plan to use it frequently (and probably incorrectly).

Simon is the author of Milligan and the Samurai Rebels. If you’d like to learn more about this writer, check out his busking good website.

Tip O'Day #394 - Publishing, the new Wild West

Guest blogger John Scherber on publishing without New York.

You’re ready to publish your great novel, the one that took you eight years of agony to write, but no one’s interested. You even have an agent. Signing with her made you feel you were really on your way, but now she rarely returns your calls, and you don’t know exactly what she’s doing with your manuscript. You looked briefly at self-publishing options, but when you scanned the lists of self-published books on Amazon, your stomach became all fluttery, and you knew you could never be part of that pathetic loser crowd. Your book is different.

Every day you get up and you’re a day older, but that’s the only thing in your life that’s truly in motion. When you attended an expensive writer’s conference in a western city, you found that most of the other attendees were much like you, only their book was probably not as good, or in most cases not even finished. You felt superior to most of them because you already had a completed book and an agent.

The reality is this: it’s been a great run, but the old-line New York publishers are not what they were. Through bankruptcy and merger, their ranks have thinned. Although they position themselves as the gatekeepers of great writing, working to exclude the unworthy, they are mainly focused on a shrinking bottom line. They sense that the business model is changing, and next year will be even tougher than this one. Who’s next to go down? They are correct, because publishing technology has taken a left turn, while they continued in a straight line. After all, it worked so well in the past, why mess with success? Their favorite obscenity is Amazon Kindle. Reading this blog is now giving you a headache.

Let’s look at their product. The top two or three percent of the books they put out are excellent, top-quality work. The level below that, say about fifteen to twenty percent, are solid, workmanlike books that, although they may not be inspired, still deserve to find an audience.

The seventy-five percent or so below that is of little interest, and often a waste of the paper it’s printed on. Writers who have produced great books in the past are allowed to write drivel unchallenged. Others who sell well put their names on books they didn’t write, even when they’re dead. Look for the real author’s name in small print at the bottom of the cover. The old-line publishers are no longer serving either the reading public or the writers who seek to inspire it. Trying to get through this no man’s land is like navigating a logjam in a birch bark canoe––a chancy situation.

Worse, the alternative is chaos––the self-publishing world, where 96% of the output is worthless. It’s a place not different in kind, only in degree.

Yet there are similarities. In both places you will do all your own promotion. That’s right, all of it. The old–line publishers spend their entire promotional budget on their top five or six best sellers. Get ready to spend 70% of your time promoting. The reality about writing is that the actual placement of words on the page is less than half of the required effort. There is no barrier here to publishing trash, but in self-publishing, at least you’re sure to get it published, if you can pay the modest price.

Indie publishing, as it’s called, is like the Wild West. It’s a free-for-all, but one that is at least vigorous and exciting. It’s young, and things are happening in this wild place! You will need to stop worrying that being with all these other writers makes you look bad, and do what every writer needs to do––set yourself apart. Find a platform of people who might want to hear what you have to say, who share your interests. Anything goes now, and I like that. The old-line publishers have for too long masqueraded as the bastion of quality. Now the reader will make the choice again of what succeeds, and because there are so many inexpensive options for ebooks, with some even free, it’s possible that more people will be reading, since it's much more affordable now. When did the price of anything ever go down before?

No one will miss the old style bookstore more than I will, but the business model is changing, and they’re no longer competitive.

Here’s what to do: learn the indie publishing business. The Internet is full of sites that will tell you the detail. Decide whether you need a subsidy publisher. This is what most “self-publishing” companies really are. They will get your book in print for you for a fee in the low hundreds to the low thousands of dollars, depending on how elaborately you want it done. Most of them will then take a cut of every single book sale you make.

If you have only one book, and it’s not likely to sell well, this may make sense for you. You can be a published author, sell a few books to friends, and get on with your bucket list. If, however, you’re a serious author, whether you have only one book, or a series that could sell, you’re better off learning the nuts and bolts and doing it all yourself. Because once the pain of mastering the detail of putting out your book is over, you will own your book and control it forever. You will give no one else a cut.

That is the route I took. At first I found the process opaque, and I spent eight months mastering the publishing part. My wife learned the software, so she could design and format our interiors for print editions. Now she uses it to help others get into print. I’ve published thirteen of my own books so far, and I have three more coming out in the next year. My process now is to become more sophisticated about promotion, which has layers of nuance. With time, it yields to your effort.

The message is that it can be done, and done well. You don’t need all the New York people; they don’t want you anyway. Self-publishing requires the same things that other businesses require: determination and hard work. The information on how to approach it is easily available online.

Two years have passed since I started this venture. Please check my website and see how I did. I’d like to hear from you –– your comments will help me to improve it.

John’s website is www.sanmiguelallendebooks.com

Tip O'Day #371 - What About Libraries?

Guest blogger William D. Hicks on generating e-book sales.

The only way to get noticed as a writer is to get read. But how? With a couple e-books out I decided to start promoting myself. I hired a PR company who booked a publicity blog tour. It’s the electronic equivalent of a multi-city book signing. While reviews and interviews and blog posts would likely get me noticed I wanted to generate sales. In my mind more sales = more readers.

I had recently noticed that my e-book sales to libraries were slow but steady. I wondered if I could ramp them up and asked my publisher how. He gave me several suggestions which I followed. I also figured out some short cuts along the way. And it worked. Over a three day period I got commitments from 5 libraries to buy 2 books each. While it’s not much money, I’m hopeful my e-book sales will spike from these efforts. Because it’s not really about the money; it’s about getting my stories read.

As a disclaimer, before doing all this work, be sure your publisher is authorized to sell e-books to libraries. This usually means they sell through Overdrive. If not, you probably should wait until they do before you put out the all this effort.

Write a “form” letter to the library. Use below as a template:

Dear (Sir/Madam/Librarian/Name of Person—especially if it’s the director or the email is directed at specific person),

Note something interesting about yourself, plus a request for the library to purchase your eBook. (Mention the state you’re from to libraries in your state, mention the state the book is set in to all the libraries with that connection, mention you’re an alumni to the college you attended, you get the idea. If there is no connection you might avoid specific state references.)

e-book Title
Genre, a little about the book
ISBN or other Identifying Number (e.g. ASIN-Amazon Standard Identification Number)
What Language it is written in
Publication Date
Price (especially if you know the price the library will pay, this isn’t necessary but it’s a nice to have)

Mention that your publisher is authorized to sell your books to libraries and they sell on “Overdrive” and any other e-tailers of note (e.g. Amazon).

Publisher Name
Publisher Address
Publisher Phone
Publisher Email

Ask the librarian to contact you with a decision and thank them for reading your email (politeness goes a long way).

Yours (some ending),
Your Name

Figure out which libraries you want to target. It’s often worthwhile to submit queries of this kind to all the libraries in your state, but first target those nearby as they will more likely pick up your e-book. When I suggested my suburban library should purchase my e-book and told them I was a resident, they instantly purchased a copy.

Check out the library’s URL. Before sending the email letter above, check out the library’s site. Some will have a “Purchase Suggestion” option, while others might have an “Ask a Librarian” link and others still might have a “Contact Us” section or “Email” address. You can use one of these more generic options or you can do some further digging and find information on the Library Director/CEO. If the email is directed to a specific person (e.g. the director), always personalize the salutation. Be aware that often the Director’s email address is not easily found and it’s best not to spend a lot of time searching for it.

Send the email and wait for a response. Not all libraries will buy your book. Sometimes you hear back from them weeks later; sometimes not at all. When a library buys an e-book, celebrate your win.

William D. Hicks is the author of novels Twist and Killer Flies.

Tip O'Day #370 - Succeed by Helping Others

Guest blogger Terri Marie on almost living the dream.

Giving up a profession to write full-time as an Indie author was a scary step. Even so, I refused to let the dream inside me slip away. I had to climb so many mountains, make plenty of mistakes, shed lots of tears, and threaten my computer many times. Luckily, I never threw it! My mountains have decreased in size, but I still continue to climb them, just not by myself.

Doing everything on my own was my biggest mistake. I'm not talking about self-publishing. Writing was the easy part. I realized I had no idea what was involved in marketing, which is extremely important. I searched the Internet daily and found great information, but that wasn't the complete answer either. My sales barely crawled. Doing everything on my own wasn't getting me anywhere. It wasn't until I reached out to, and celebrated with, other authors, that things began to change.

Promoting the work of other writers is one of the most rewarding things I do. I have a core group of very successful author friends that give me insight, their experience, and tons of courage. Watching my friends rise in the ranks is so much fun! If you don't help other writers, you're really hurting yourself. Eventually, I found my work being cross promoted. My success began to grow, and my enjoyment in this venture skyrocketed.

Never give up on your dream. Connect with an author if you loved their work. Be a writer, but don't forget to be a fan. I love to communicate with and get to know my readers, and they love it when I bring great books to their attention. I started out with one reader and one author friend. Now I have many. What a wonderful and talented group of people. If you want success, carry other authors with you on your journey and never hesitate to go on theirs with them!

You can find Marie’s books at her Amazon author’s page.

Tip O'Day #369 - Seek Help & Return the Favor

Guest blogger Ashley Robertson has some writing advice.

The biggest thing writers should know is that you’d better be extremely passionate about writing or you might as well go ahead and hang up your hat right now. This business is extremely competitive; it’s similar to trying to be an actor. Yes, it’s that competitive.

Being an author is a part of who I am, imbedded deep down inside my heart and rooted within the marrow of my bones. That’s what drove me when the rejection letters rolled in or my books didn’t get the ratings I felt they deserved. Instead of taking it personally—sometimes it’s impossible not to when you invest so much of your time and energy into something—you’ve got to develop a thicker skin and use it to your advantage. Realize that you can’t please everyone, but a lot of the reviewers offer healthy constructive criticism too. That’s what you need to focus on to improve your writing skills and storytelling ability.

When I set out to publish my debut YA urban fantasy novel, Crimson Groves, I thought that I’d get accepted by one of the many literary agencies I reached out to and that they would take care of everything for me. That couldn’t have been further from how everything actually happened. Though I must thank a few of those agencies, because their personal rejections saying, in essence, “I like your writing style, but we’re not taking anything vampire related. Do you have something else you can submit?” were actually what motivated me to self-publish in the first place. You see, I’m obsessed with vampires and just about everything paranormal, and based on my own extensive research, I believe that genre isn’t going anywhere. Check out Crimson Groves here.

Now that I was doing this on my own, it was time to figure out my budget. When you go the indie author route, you have to pay all the upfront expenses (editor, cover designer, publishing company, etc.). My best advice about this is to only spend what you’re able to lose should your book not sell right away (or not at all). If you’re willing to teach yourself how to e-publish, Amazon and Smashwords offer free training manuals which can save you money on the publishing side; however, if you want to offer your book in paperback or hardcover, you must work with one of many publishing companies. I’ve found that CreateSpace is one of the less expensive ones, and they offer packages that include cover design and editing services. Since I prefer more control and a more personal relationship with a writing team, I outsourced my own editor—Stephen Delaney with Close Reader Editing Services—and book-cover designer—Claudia McKinney with PhatpuppyArt—and I couldn’t be happier with the business relationships I have with them.

That’s actually why I like CreateSpace. They allowed me to bring my already edited manuscript and fully designed cover to them and charged me a simple flat fee for formatting a printed version of my book. So when I was ready to publish my second mature YA/paranormal romance thriller, UnGuarded, it was much easier than before because I had a system in place. Check out free sample chapters of UnGuarded.

Now for another very important tip: networking. You must build “blogationships” with as many book reviewers and bloggers as you can. These amazing people are the backbone of your business. In exchange for a free copy of your book, they’ll give you an honest review and post it on Good Reads, Amazon, and so on. But don’t just be a “taker” when making these connections; be a “giver” too! Spend time reviewing their submission guidelines (and pay attention to what they’re asking for!), learn more about them by reading their bios and then perhaps include that in your review letter so they’ll know you cared enough to learn about them, subscribe to their blogs and follow them on Facebook or Twitter (or wherever they like to be “stalked”). Yes, these things take time and may distract you somewhat from writing, but they are essential. Eventually everything will balance out.

Remember, as indie authors, we are our own literary agent, our own publicist, and it’s up to us to market our books and ourselves. This is why we NEED those amazing book bloggers to help us. If they like you and your work, they’ll share it all over their social media sphere of influence, including in their blogs. Then you should return the favor by sharing the blogs you love, and also help other authors by reading their books and taking five minutes of your time to review them. That is why I recently added a review section to my website.

Ashley Robertson resides in sunny Orlando, Florida and loves reading and writing urban fantasy and paranormal romance. When she isn't writing you'll find her spending time with family and friends, training in her home gym, traveling, drinking fine red wines, and making gourmet coffees with her Nespresso machine. Besides Goodreads and her website, you can find her on Twitter as #!/AshleyR0bertson.

Tip O'Day #315 - Free Book Promos

Guest blogger Diane Rapp on “What to Expect During a FREE Book Promotion.”

I became an Indie author in August of 2011 and started uploading my four novels to the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. In “real life” I sold real estate, wrote ad copy, and owned a small retail business. I never marketed myself, so Twitter and Facebook seemed like a foreign countries with languages of their own.

My daughter designed a website, and I started promoting my work. Six months later I read about authors’ success with Amazon’s Kindle Select, so I dropped Barnes & Noble (very few sales anyway) and signed up on the program.

Should I schedule free book days? With two different series, I could offer the first book in each to promote the series, but shouldn’t I wait until I had more titles to offer? Evidently free days do a lot for a single book. When a book moves up the free list “also boughts” kick in (the message that says “customers who bought this book also bought—insert your title”). I decided to offer two books for free in February. A friend directed me to a fantastic article by Karen Barney “Maximizing Free Days on Kindle Select." I had a game plan. In addition I joined tweet groups to spread the word to more readers. I suggest joining the tweet team at Women’s Literary Café and shorten links to your book at www.bitly.com.

Let’s get to the numbers. With Howl of the Wolf I gave away 4390 e-books in two days. After two weeks I’ve sold 177 books plus 13 borrows. During the same period, my friend Tina Boscha gave away River in the Sea. She reports 13,650 free downloads and sold 306 books plus 70 borrows. Therefore the more free books downloaded equals more sales. Both of us increased our sales from previous months.

The following week I offered Murder Caribbean-Style free and gave away 5225 e-books. The title reached #6 on the Free Mystery list. After two free promotions, all four of my books are selling, including the #2 in each series.

What should authors expect AFTER a free promotion?

(1) There will be dead time without sales that can be unnerving. Don’t look! Mark down the number of free books downloaded (so you can do the math later), and ignore your statistics for at least 24 hours. Don’t peek!
(2) After that sales should begin, along with some returns. Don’t let returns phase you. After free days people click without checking and return the book when they get charged.
(3) In the next week “also boughts” kick in and people browse your title. About that time, your sales rank gets higher, peaking 4 or 5 days later.
(4) Two weeks after free days, you may have several hundred sales. Regardless of how many you gain immediately, you received valuable exposure as an author!

Trying to navigate the strange world of Indie publishing and self-promotion can be daunting. If anyone has more questions, contact me through QuickSilver Novels website or on Twitter @DianeRapp.

Tip O'Day #312 - A Book Journey

Guest blogger Jack Scott on “From blog to book, start to finish.”

Within the last fifteen months, I’ve been mad enough to create a blog, design my own personal website and write a book. For most of my meandering expedition, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. A combination of trial and error, intuition, gentle encouragement from an inspirational publisher and not so gentle cajoling from my partner, have turned an unplanned and uncoordinated series of chess moves into the production of a well-received book that I am proud to have created. My probation has been illuminating - about writing, plot content and construction, network building, promotion and engagement. The list is endless. If you’re thinking of writing a book about your life as I have done, you may find some of these tips useful:

1. Just write - Okay, there are some amazingly talented writers out there. Every word, every sentence and every nuance is described with perfection and beauty. There’s no way you can compete, right? Wrong. All writers have their own style, and most people have ability. It’s a matter of flexing your writing muscles first before finding that creative Nirvana. Just start writing. It doesn’t matter if it’s imperfect. You have to begin somewhere. The more you write, the better you’ll get.

2. Be yourself, be unique - Each of us has our own back story. In theory, this means that we all have the potential to write something unique - and interesting enough to engage readers. Putting that theory into practice is the hard part. Think carefully about what will make your writing stand out from the crowd. How is your message different? What’s distinctive about your angle? Who will your writing appeal to? Writing beautifully about a glorious sunset may well get some admiring comments but won’t necessarily help you rise above the ordinary. Are you prepared to reveal the real you?

3. Think about ‘form’ - This is one of the biggest lessons I learned when turning my blog into a book. A story, even a real-life story, must have order, pace, plot, a compelling blend of highs and lows and a sense of purpose. I created a story-board for my book (much like creating a film script). It changed everything. I instantly saw the gaps and inconsistencies in the storyline, the flabby narrative and superfluous characters. A straight chronological account of your life may not be absorbing enough. Introduce some dramatic tension. Write as if it’s fiction. Get that reader to turn the page.

4. Think visually - Set the scene and describe your characters and situations colourfully. Help your readers visualise your story in their mind’s eye. Use dialogue to break up the narrative and keep the speech realistic. Don’t over-egg the pudding with dense, old-fashioned diction. You’re not writing Pride and Prejudice.

5. Edit, edit, edit and when you’re done, edit again - Be bold and decisive. If something adds little to the plot or message, cut it. Unless you are absolutely confident about your writing skills, re-examine long, flowery sentences and make sure the reader doesn’t get lost in the prose. I made an early decision to keep my book extremely tight and fast-moving. That involved some painful and dramatic pruning.

6. Share your writing - Sharing something you’ve just written is a brave thing to do. If you’re a new writer, as I was, it’s the only way of getting a real feel for how you are doing and how your written style will be perceived by others. You can start gently by asking those close to you for an opinion, though a critique from somebody completely independent is, in my view, more useful. Ask for feedback. Then take a deep breath. Take the comments on board. Some of them will be rubbish but some of them won’t. Try not to take things personally and never spit back.

7. Start a Blog - Blogging is a great auditioning process for writing, and the best way to experiment and grow your fan-base. There are many blogging platforms out there (Wordpress, Google, Wordpad, etc) and most are easy to set up and use - providing a range of professionally designed templates to select from. For a small consideration, these applications will also set up your own domain name linked to your blog. I use Wordpress.com linked to my own domain.

In the crowded blogosphere, content is king and the best content is fresh, new and frequently updated. My blog became popular because I wrote little and often around a small number of specific themes that quickly found an audience. Break up your words with interesting and relevant images. Keep your blog clean and uncluttered. Fussy, multi-coloured fonts and busy designs can hurt the eyes and discourage the reader from continuing.

8. Think about Search Engine Optimisation - Don’t be spooked by this. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is just how a page is ranked on search engines and by this I mostly mean Google. If your blog doesn’t appear in the first few pages of Google then you might as well not be on the internet at all. There are many companies that claim they will increase your ranking for a fee. Don’t waste your money. Follow these few steps and you’ll soon by up there with the pros:

• Publish a post at least once a week
• Engage with your blogging peers with comments and guest posts
• Add share buttons to your posts so your readers can spread the word
• Create reciprocal links by listing other similar blogs on your blog
• Join blog directories. Most are free and some specialise (women bloggers, ex-pat bloggers, for example).

9. Get Yourself Interviewed - Online interviews are a great way to increase your profile. For instance, many ex-pat sites are always looking for interesting people to interview. It provides them with content and you with exposure.

10. Exploit Social Networks and Forums to Grow Exposure - Join social networks and make friends. Facebook and Twitter are the most popular and influential. Create a Facebook page for your blog (and for your book when your masterpiece is done and dusted). Autopost your blog posts to both Facebook and Twitter so you don’t have to add them manually. Again, this really helps with SEO.

If forums exist for your area of interest, join them and participate meaningfully. Engage gently and be careful not to over-promote. People will catch you out.

11. Create a Personal website - Your work of genius is written but unless you want to be stuck with a box full of books propping open a door or languishing unloved and unread in the attic, you need to make sure people know about it. Use your blog to get the message out. Plaster the good news everywhere, particularly your social networks. Create a personal website. This isn’t the expensive faff it used to be. There are a number of free or inexpensive website platforms available that require very little expert knowledge. I use Weebly for my site. It’s a free service that’s easy to use with all the widgets you could want.

And finally - Exhausted? You will be. This book lark takes hard graft. I know. I’ve never worked so hard.

About Jack Scott’s recently published and well-received memoir, Perking the Pansies – Jack and Liam move to Turkey, is a bittersweet tragi-comedy that recalls the first year of a British gay ex-pat couple in a Muslim country. For more information, please click here.

Tip O'Day #275 - Wet Behind the Ears

Guest blogger Tami Kidd on some surprising (to her) achievements.

(After raising two children and the turmoil of an unhappy marriage,) I now have the time to do what I've always LOVED to do, write.

Until last year when I entered the NaNoWriMo challenge, I never dreamed I'd actually finish a novel. I did. As part of finishing, the winners were allowed to get hard copies of their books published through CreateSpace.

I never previously considered self-publishing, mostly because it was called vanity publishing and real writers didn't do that. They were supposed to get published through traditional publishing houses. I decided to give it a shot and now my book is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble and it has gotten some great reviews. I still consider myself wet behind the ears and I'm learning as I go. I know one thing: the hardest part about publishing is promoting.

Tip O'Day #249 - Boost Your Chances

Guest blogger Marlene Samuels on how she improved her chances of getting published.

I created a very precise "elevator summary" about my book. Imagine you enter an elevator at the same time as an agent or editor. You have to be able to describe your book and engage that person in 2-3 sentences, before those elevator doors open up again!

My other efforts include taking classes at more professional writing conferences, carrying my business cards, collecting cards from anyone who may possibly to put me in contact with someone, and reading advice columns by agents. My other big effort - one that really requires self discipline that I still struggle with - is writing something every day and then going back a week later and reading what I wrote. That process has really improved my self-editing skills.

To learn more about Marlene, check out her blog.

By the way, it took awhile for the text and cover to marry up, but Dixon’s first e-book THE ASSASSINS CLUB is now up on Kindle for $2.99 - amazon reviews would be welcome.

Tip O'Day #228 - Keep 70%...For What?

Guest blogger Sue Owen on self-publishing versus traditional publishing.

It used to be that a publisher did everything from cover to back page including all advertising and setting up personal appearances, etc. Now, they are too busy reading and publishing books and don’t have time for all that, so it is up to authors to promote their own materials. For that you are paying up to 70% commission. So take that 70% and publish it yourself for a 3% commission. Why waste time, energy and funds to do something yourself, that you end up doing yourself anyway. To learn more about Sue, check out her blog at bySueOwen.blogspot.com

I receive and share comments on both sides of the “e-book vs tree-book” debate, and "self-pub vs big pub." Anne Patrick had strong arguments in favor of traditional publishing last week. In today’s post, Sue Owen doesn’t buy that viewpoint.

What’s your opinion?

Tip O'Day #199 - Don't Stop Submitting

Guest blogger Catherine Cavendish on the perils of self-publishing

It has probably never been harder to get a publisher or agent but, conversely, it has never been easier to self-publish. There are many avenues to choose from. It can be genuine self-publishing where you literally do everything yourself and become your own publisher, or choosing to go straight to e-book with Kindle or others, or selecting print on demand (POD). You can always choose to pay shedloads of money to a vanity publisher - and end up with a garage load of books to sell.

These days all writers need to be their own marketers, but a real publisher will provide a much bigger shop window than most of us can provide for ourselves. If you go it alone, you will have to generate all the buzz yourself, and that in itself is a full-time job. You won't have much time left to write your second novel.

We have all read the 'amazing success stories' from authors whose self-pubbed books have been picked up by leading publishers and gone on to make them fortunes. Or the author who has done it all by herself and become her own bestseller. These success stories are rarely, if ever, exactly what they seem. When you dig a little deeper, you find that the author is already well known in some other field, has an uncle in a leading publishing house, has a great deal of money to shell out in marketing campaigns, and so on. And, let's face it, of the thousands of writers now bypassing traditional publishing routes, not many sell more than a few copies.

A few years ago, I went down the POD route myself. I sold a few books but I wouldn't do it again. I now know what a difference a professional editor makes and my writing is much tighter than it used to be because I have learned so much from her. I know how frustrating and depressing it is to get those rejection slips but I urge you to think very carefully before embarking on self-publishing. Try joining a writing community such as where you will find serious writers and writing professionals supporting each other, helping each other and becoming successful. Follow their advice and your writing will improve, plus you will add valuable contacts to your writer’s network. A number of us have gained publishing contracts as a result of information and help supplied on Litopia.

Don't give up. Keep on writing. Work at perfecting your craft. Don't stop submitting to agents and publishers. It worked for me. And I keep on learning more every day. Good luck!

Tip O'Day for Authors #182

Guest blogger Joan Lane on an author’s platform.

I'm no expert on writing and getting published, but having gone through the process I have a few thoughts. The first is, it's mandatory for a writer to start building a platform of followers before their book is published. When I was writing The Tangled Web, this was the last thing on my mind. I felt like writing a book and that was my only focus. It wasn't until my book was actually in print that it dawned on me, OMG I have a book to sell. When The Tangled Web was published, I think I had something like 17 Facebook friends and I was completely in the dark about promotion. Since then, I've learned a lot, though I still don't know half of it and I certainly don't do half the things I need to do. According to statistics, more books sell by word of mouth than any other form of promotion.

If you go by the traditional marketing model, about 2% of people who have heard about a book are likely to purchase it. It's daunting when you think of how many people you have to reach in order to have half decent sales. So my advice to anyone embarking on the journey of being an author would be to start developing a sound marketing plan from the get-go, because it can be a year before you start seeing any results.

To learn more about Joan, check out http://jplanewrites.blogspot.com/

Tip O'Day for Authors #167

Guest blogger Suzanne at Unruly Guides is my guru on all things self-pub and self-promo.

Giving a book away, such as in a contest or a way to obtain emails, is a great way to build a marketing list of readers that are interested in your genre. Plus, when they like it, they spread the word -- a good way to build your brand. Giving it away for a period of time for free is good for establishing yourself but don't miss the opportunity of gathering those golden emails. Make the giveaway on your own site, if you can.

Have I mentioned Suzanne is the best? If not – she’s the best!

By the way, I’m now over 300 posts on my blog, but all the other blogs say she doesn’t look a day over 200!

Tip O'Day for Authors #161

Guest blogger Johanna Pontes Frappier says it's a brave new technical world.

As for getting published, do it yourself. Get some reliable people to double and triple check you on your edits (and when I say "you," I mean "me"). Also remember that these days, even the big publishing houses want you to do their share of marketing your book, so you may as well publish yourself and market yourself.

To learn more about Johanna, here's her blog: http://www.johannafrappier.blogspot.com/ and here's her book: http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Circle-ebook/dp/B004ZZPOB6/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_i

Tip O'Day for Authors #155

Guest blogger Ezra Barany says to turn so-so fans into raving fans.

The more hoops and opt-ins your fans have to jump through, the more you know they are committed to your writing and are likely to help you spread the word about your book. Building a quality list of raving fans for your fiction can be done with a combination of a Facebook fan page and an e-mail service provider (an ESP like aweber or constant contact). Using Facebook apps like “Static HTML: iframe tabs” and “Static HTML Iframe Tab : Custom Icons” will help you create the pages you need to convert your fans.

First, offer chapter 1 or a short story if they "Like" your fan page. Then, offer chapters 2 and 3 or another short story if they submit their name and email. Check out what I mean at http://www.facebook.com/TheTorahCodes .

Ezra Barany is an instructor for authors at SavvyAuthors.com. His recent thriller The Torah Codes is available at http://www.amazon.com/Torah-Codes-Ezra-Barany/dp/0983296014/ He asks that you not fax him brussels sprouts. He does not like them.

Tip O'Day for Writers #127

Guest blogger Devika Primic says Web readers have no tolerance for fluff.

Your Web points must fit; don’t waste your time with unnecessary text. Online time is a fleeting thing and your reader doesn’t want to spend the few minutes looking for the main point. Be focused.

Be conversational, not boring. Talk to your readers like you would face to face to generate buzz for your work.

Don’t Be Salesy. If you are trying to promote yourself in your social media contacts, your content will be buried because of ulterior motives.

Dixon says: In the new publishing paradigm, I feel self-promotion is a necessary part of the mix. Even agented authors who are published by a major house don’t receive the marketing support they would have expected just a few years ago. I think most of your social networking partners will accept some self-promotion, especially if it is combined with educational or entertainment value. What turns people off is the blatant “Thanks for adding me. Buy my book.”