1) Book Excerpts. At the end of every book, have samples and teasers of your other publications. If they made it to the end of your book, chances are they enjoyed it and would gladly buy more from you. Hence why you should advertise other releases. 2) Banners. Banners should be everywhere. Your blog. Your website. Your social media accounts. Banners should advertise your publications for every reader to see. 3) Newsletter Promotion. You send a newsletter every month to your readers. Why not have ads strategically placed for readers to see when flipping through your monthly newsletter content? Kind of like Facebook ads appearing in news feeds. 4) FREE. Now, I know most authors don't see the point in giving something away for free, but they couldn't be more wrong. A free book will get downloads, reaching out to more readers, who will see your ads for other books at the end. They may also sign up to your newsletter, expanding your reach even further. And if the free book is the first in a series, they'll be compelled to buy the others in that series, which would generate actual money. 5) Collaborate. Offer to collaborate with other authors. You'll tap into their readership, and they'll tap into yours. You are essentially advertising yourself to their readers. Collaborate on a short story, and give it away for free. You both promote it. Straight away, there is double the outreach. Then of course, you are tapping into their readers. It's a win-win. There are of course other ways to advertise as an author. Remember, it's a business. Whenever they buy a book, subscribe to your newsletter, head over to your site or social media page, never miss out on an opportunity to advertise your other releases.
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Authors don't need Twitter, do they? They just need Facebook, right? WRONG! And here's why! 1) Twitter has millions of members (500 million as of 2015), from fellow authors, to plenty of readers. Can you really afford to not tap into that market? 2) They invented the hashtag. We all know how important the hashtag is from a marketing perspective. Well, Twitter invented it. 3) Don't underestimate the #followfriday. Every Friday, tag your latest followers. This allows their followers to see you, and if so obliged, follow you too, expanding your outreach. 4) Twitter is more professional than most social media platforms. Facebook can be cringe-worthy, with family drama and disputes among friends. Twitter is for specific interests. It also has a word limit, which keeps those posts short, sweet and relevant. 5) An added bonus? You can access insights to see what times your posts receive the most engagement, and which posts are the most popular, allowing you to perfect your marketing. Are you sure you don't want to open a Twitter account, or start using the one you have more often? The mere concept of writing a novel can be overwhelming, let alone actually getting it done. After having written and published thirteen books, (and having worked for many authors) I have a simple 10-step formula that works every time. However, every writer is unique, but I believe this will help remarkably in helping you find your own special way to putting pen to paper and clicking that 'publish' button! So, here it goes. 1) First and foremost, the idea. You have an idea. It's great. You think it's perfect for a book and plenty of readers will love it. But, before you start typing or scribbling, you've got to get that research done. Regardless of genre, fiction or non-fiction, there has to be a level of realism in your story. What themes and issues does your tale deal with? Are you an expert on those subject matters? If not, crack that textbook asap. Search the net. Speak to knowledgeable individuals. Researching, if done right, dependent on your book's length, should last anywhere from 2 weeks to a month. Don't skip research. You'll regret it. 2) Now then, let's work on that first draft. Forget punctuation. Forget grammar. Forget writing tips and tricks. Forget any webinars or seminars you may have taken on the craft of writing. Forget everything you've learned and just get it done. Write the story. Write the characters. Get that first draft done. However, I personally write a rough chapter outline beforehand so I have an idea of where the story is headed. But many authors choose to let their story run wild and see where it takes itself. Try out both ways and see which works for you. I am a self-confessed control freak, so I need that chapter outline to guide me and give each scene and chapter a purpose. 3) Edit, edit, edit. Here comes the part many writers hate, but I've grown to love. First, tear the story apart. Look for run-on sentences, telling instead of showing, lack of character development, overused words, and so on. Look at unessential content that wouldn't be missed. Extend scenes that seem rushed. Add senses to dull scenes. 4) Proof and off to an editor. Once you're completely done with the judicious editing, now comes the time to proof and weed out those typos and grammatical mistakes, along with punctuation errors. An editor or proofreader is crucial as you (the author) won't notice mistakes due to a familiarity with the manuscript. Every author needs an editor. You think Stephen King and J.K.Rowling use an editor? Actually, they have several! You can help them out by proofing as best you can, but you have to find an editor if you want your work to be taken seriously and not be left vulnerable to a torrent of bad customer reviews online. 8 signs it's time to hire a book editor: http://thomasauthorservices.weebly.com/author-blogs--book-reviews/8-signs-its-time-to-hire-a-book-editor 5) Go over corrections. Once you've received the manuscript back from your editor, take time to go over the corrections. You won't always agree with the corrections when it comes to the story, characters or other creative decisions, but take what they are suggesting seriously. They know what they are talking about. Obviously if you just hired a proofreader, mistakes are mistakes, they need correcting before you publish. 6) Review copies. Almost there. Books in great condition. What does that mean? Send out review copies! That's right. Send to bloggers, readers, fellow authors, friends or family for some customer reviews when the book goes live. Goodreads will allow reviews to be left as soon as the book has been listed on their site. But Amazon doesn't allow reviews until it has been published. TIP: Make a list of everyone you sent a review copy too, and remind them when it's time to leave that review. Be aware, only ten percent of people you send review copies to, will actually leave reviews. So, send to many people. Here's a helpful blog: http://thomasauthorservices.weebly.com/author-blogs--book-reviews/how-do-i-get-the-attention-of-book-review-bloggers 7) Cover. Now it's time for the arty part. What's a book without a cover? You can get a cover either by a professional designer or buying a stock image and designing it yourself. There are sites such as Shutterstock, CanStock and so on for images. You can get fonts from fontsquirrel.com, 1001fonts.com etc. Be sure to check font licenses, and publish a credit for the downloaded images if you decide to do it yourself. Obviously working with a designer is more expensive, but it depends on your artistic ability and budget. Not all authors can make create covers. So, sit down and think about this. 8) Marketing Campaign. Yep, you heard me. I know, I can hear your sighs. But marketing is hugely important. Decide on services you are going to use, design banners, spread the word, publish teasers, arrange blog tours and so on. If you need help with a marketing campaign, check out these blogs: 5-STEP MARKETING CAMPAIGN: http://thomasauthorservices.weebly.com/author-blogs--book-reviews/effective-5-step-book-marketing-campaign 6 SECRET WAYS TO PROMOTE YOUR BOOK: http://thomasauthorservices.weebly.com/author-blogs--book-reviews/6-secret-ways-to-promote-your-book 18 STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL MARKETING CAMPAIGN: http://thomasauthorservices.weebly.com/author-blogs--book-reviews/18-steps-to-a-successful-book-marketing-campaign 10 SIMPLE WAYS TO GET BOOK SALES: http://thomasauthorservices.weebly.com/author-blogs--book-reviews/10-simple-ways-to-get-book-sales 9) Final Check. You're ready. Everything is done. But, that's no excuse to be lazy. Check everything. Check the blurb, keywords, price, review quotes, cover, manuscript, front and back matter. Be confident in your release. 10) Publish. And here it is. Time to publish. You can either set up a pre-order for it to be released in a couple of weeks, allowing you time to drum up some pre-order sales. (http://blogpostsforwriters.blogspot.com/2016/03/9-reasons-you-should-put-your-book-up.html) Or, you can get the book out there asap. There are pros and cons to both. Think on it. Oh, and good luck! A young boy craves adventure. An uncle is more than happy to encourage this personality trait. But will adventure lead him further into a darkness he’ll regret? Spencer, discovers he has diabetes, victim to shots and the monotonous monitoring of sugar levels, but he copes. Even better, this gives him a mutual affliction with a young girl named Chloe, whom our protagonist happens to have a low-key crush on. This shared medical illness, leads them to realize they have another shared interest (or concern): something flying around their town murdering people. But what is it? As usual, Anthony devices a superb plot, with excellent twists, and heavily researched characters that appear as real as you and me. We root for Spencer, developing a relationship with this young man and his struggles. These struggles aren’t just restricted to diabetes and a murderous not-so-mythical creature, but a complex family dynamic also. What more could a reader want? Are Spencer’s struggles with the monster a metaphor for his struggles with diabetes? I feel so. It’s a strong metaphor for life in general. Events and incidents are thrown are way, and sometimes we feel a lack of control, as he feels by trying to self-care with his ailment. A strong life lesson. I am not sure if Mr Hains intended this worthy analogy, but for me, it gave the story a new level of not just entertainment, but significance. As someone who lives in Michigan, near Lake Michigan, I love that Mr Hains chose to set this novel near that very lake. But on the other hand, it made this novel all the more unsettling and a little too close to home. However, as usual, I was spellbound to the pages, unable to put the book down! Captivating. Brilliant. Powerful. A thrilling tale of a young man with his own personal struggles, battling a supernatural intruder to his livelihood. Grab your copy! Available digitally or in print. Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sweet-Aswang-Anthony-Hains-ebook/dp/B073KSRFGL/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 Amazon USA: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Aswang-Anthony-Hains-ebook/dp/B073KSRFGL/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 Add it to your Goodreads! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35613292-sweet-aswang?ac=1&from_search=true More about your author https://www.facebook.com/AnthonyHainsAuthor/?ref=bookmarks https://twitter.com/AnthonyHains http://www.anthonyhains.com https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7275928.Anthony_Hains Need your novel edited? Or marketed? Check out our affordable packages! Marketing: http://thomasauthorservices.weebly.com/marketing.html Editing: http://thomasauthorservices.weebly.com/proofing--editing.html Hiring a professional editor is crucial for your book's success. Readers can forgive a couple of typos, but if your manuscript is riddled with errors, it will get old fast. And the book will receive bad reviews, dragging it down into the pit of millions of unsellable books. So, how do you avoid this? Hire an editor! But how do you know it's the right time? Read the signs below. 1) Am I satisfied with the manuscript? No nagging feelings tugging away at me that it needs some more work? 2) Why am I looking for an editor? Is it laziness or a need to get another book out asap, or I feel I have done all I can at this point and need professional help to give my book a fair chance at success? 3) Have I judiciously self-edited? This will make the editor's job easier. If they don't have to focus on too many typos, they can direct their talents on the characters, story, plot, flow, pace, structure etc. In other words, what the readers care about. Unless it is just a proofread that you require. 4) Have I had any fellow writers or beta readers take a peek at it? Posted into any groups and asked for criticism? What were their thoughts? 5) Is it as good as it's gonna be? Nobody is perfect but try your best. 6) Have I set aside a budget for the editor? Most editors aren't cheap. 7) Have I been in touch with a couple of editors for sample edits, to see how they would alter the manuscript and check they know what they are doing? 8) Do I know what level of editing I need? Proofing, substantial, or developmental? DON'T FORGET: Read the contract. All editors will request you sign a contract before paying the agreed upon fee. Read - and if necessary - question any terms that confuse you. Need an editor / proofreader? Prices start from just $100.00! (WE OFFER A FREE 5-PAGE SAMPLE EDIT.) Check out our affordable and professional packages: http://thomasauthorservices.weebly.com/proofing--editing.html |
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