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[Discussion] How Do You Use Your Author Website?

September 8th, 2010 by Toni

With a few posts related to author websites popping up on Twitter, we thought they’d be a great topic for disucssion this week. Whether you have a website professionally designed, stick to social media or maintain a blog, we all know that the more you can get your name and ideas out there, the better!

Discussion Questions

We want to hear from you! Let us know:

  • Do you have a website dedicated to yourself as an author? If so, how do you use it to promote yourself? What is its main goal? If you don’t have a dedicated website, why not?
  • What content is included on your website? Do you include an author bio, media kit, sample chapters or other downloadables?
  • Who designed your website? If you had it professionally designed, do you feel the investment was worth it? If you did it yourself, are you happy with the way it turned out?
  • Does your website have a blog? Why or why not?
  • Which medium has garnered the most new fans — social media (Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads, etc), your website or good ol’ offline networking?
  • If you’re a reader, what do you like to see on author websites? What piques your interest or keeps you coming back?

Please take a few moments to discuss the above with fellow indie authors and readers in the comments. If nothing else, share a link to your website! We’d love to check it out.

What do you think?

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Self-Publishing is Easy — Self-Promotion is Hard

August 25th, 2010 by Guest Poster

The following is a guest post by Valerie Nygaard, founder of SoftCopy Publishing.

Photo: Jenny Downing | Flickr

Yes, self-publishing takes work, and working with a good service like our friends at DuoLit can make a huge difference, but in the end, it’s a known quantity. Getting a book to print these days can be done by anyone who has the smarts, creativity and outright doggedness it takes to write a good manuscript.

Before I started SoftCopy Publishing, I spent much of my career in search engine development. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in Silicon Valley, it’s this: It doesn’t matter how good your idea is if no one knows about it.

It’s the same with books. There you are, with thousands of beautiful little words lined up just how you want them. You climb to the top of the nearest hill and shout to the world, “Look, World! Behold, my amazing creation!” As you stand with your arms outstretched to greet your throngs of fans, it occurs to you that the kiss on the cheek from your mother and the “good job” from your friend wasn’t quite the onslaught of adoration you had braced yourself for. So what next? (more…)

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Author Media Kits: 12 Things to Include & Making a Great First Impression

August 10th, 2010 by Toni

Photo: I Don't Know, Maybe | Flickr

When you’re going on a job interview, you tend to dress a certain way.

You iron that nice shirt that’s been on the closet floor for a year or so, fashion a packing-tape lint roller to wipe away the dog hair on your pants — you make an effort to look nice! Why? It’s all about the first impression.

A well-dressed author media kit is just as important as a first impression. Here’s how to make it a good one!

What Is A Media Kit?

A media kit is a collection of all of the resources commonly requested by media outlets. I’ve also seen it described as your book’s “sales pitch,” and this certainly is true, to a point. If you’re distributing it with the goal of booking an interview or event it better do a darn good job of selling you!

Media kits serve several purposes:

  • Provides quick references for outlets doing stories on or interviews with you.
  • Gives event organizers a background on you and your book for booking purposes.
  • Allows tertiary service providers (web/blog designers, marketing helpers) to know exactly who you are and what your goals are for your book. (more…)
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Conquering Book Marketing Fear: Seven Tips for the Introverted Author

July 27th, 2010 by Toni

AN: We’re taking the week off from original posts to focus on returning some e-mails and answering your questions — so let ‘er rip! Today, I’m posting an excerpt and a link to a guest post I wrote for Marketing Tips for Authors. It was originally published on June 22, 2010.

Photo by: Tiagø Ribeiro | Flickr

What if say the wrong thing?
What if my writing isn’t good enough?
What if no one buys my book?

We’ve all been there. Marketing anxiety is something the vast majority of authors have to deal with and is a commonly given reason for shrugging off book marketing. Forgoing book marketing, however, can seriously hurt your book’s chances for success.

How do we work up the courage to put ourselves (and our book) out there? As Ambrose Redmoon says,

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”

In this case, selling more copies of your book is a pretty compelling reason to conquer that fear!

The process of conquering book marketing fear doesn’t mean you have to get up on stage at your Barnes and Noble to discuss the finer points of writing and take questions from your local version of Comic Book Guy.  Start small — utilize the seven tips below to move past marketing fear and sell more books!

[continue reading Conquering Book Marketing Fear: Seven Tips for the Introverted Author at Marketing Tips for Authors]

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Marketing: 9 Ways To Market Your Book [Self-Publishing Basics]

June 24th, 2010 by Toni

Photo: Robert Scoble | Flickr

Ahhhhhhhh. Breathe a sign of relief.

You’ve planned, written, edited, designed and made decision after decision and now, finally, your book is available for purchase.

Prop your feet up and relax – all the hard work is over…right? Right?

WRONG.

Your work is just beginning.

Now that your book is out, it’s time to sell some (okay, hopefully, MANY) copies. This is the longest (and most arduous) part of the self-publishing process. It’s hard. You’ll want to give up; throw in the towel; say that self-publishing was a horrible idea — DON’T do it!

It’s hard work, to be sure, but it’s also a total blast — after all, you’re finally getting to experience the moment many authors deram of: to see readers pick up and purchase copies of their book. This is where you gain lifetime fans and readers. This is where it all comes together!

After all, marketing isn’t about the traditional book tour anymore (thanks to Nicole at It’s All About Writing):

Luckily for us, those days are (mostly) over. It’s 2010, and there are more ways than ever to market your book. Whether you’re an introvert, extrovert, traditional or a little wacky there’s a method of marketing that’s right for you (and your book). Check out these nine ideas for starters: (more…)

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