Debby Gies gifts us with an important article for published authors about cleaning up their Amazon book links. Please, read on…
Category: Marketing Tips
Author Media Kit, Part 4—Author and Book Information
Staci posted Part IV of her helpful Author Media Kit series. Please, read on…
This series has about run its course. In part one, we learned the elements of a media kit. Part two dealt with the news release. Part three covered one-sheets and author bios. We’ll finish the kit today with part four, author and book information.
Author Information
So, we’ve already included a biography (actually, four biographies, plus a fun-fact sheet). What could possibly be left?
The Contact Sheet
You need a contact sheet. Here you should list your mailing address, phone number, email address, website and blog addresses, and all relevant social media links. Please be sure to use your name as often as possible in your links; remember, you are your brand. If you create, say, a Twitter account that’s the name of your book or one of your characters, you’ll need to do that for every new release. It might sound like a good idea for marketing, but…
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Author Media Kits, Part 2—The News Release
Author Staci Troilo gifts us with Part 2 of the Author Media Kit – the News Release. Her post clearly defines the Release and is flush with examples. Please, read on…
Ciao, SEers. As promised, I’m continuing my exploration of the author media kit. (If you missed that post or want a refresher before continuing, click here.)
Today, we’re going to talk about the news release. (Press Release is an outdated term referring to the press that prints newspapers. That technology has modernized and we submit our release to more than just newspapers these days, so the name has been changed to News Release to reflect those changes.)
Authors can certainly submit their own news releases to the media, but I’ve found some elitist organizations still don’t accept indie authors as credible and talented artists, and therefore disregard announcements from them. Because of this bias, if at all possible, have your publisher or a professional organization submit the release on your behalf. However, if you have a kick-butt release and media kit, or if you find progressive organizations…
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How can we encourage more readers to leave reviews for our books?
Book reviews are the lifeblood of an author. Sally Cronin presents us with a practical and, I think, brilliant way of soliciting reviews from our readers. Please, read on…
Tips for a Successful Book Signing
Author Mae Clair has gifted us with practical advice about all aspects of conducting a book signing. Let’s learn together! Please, read on…
Hey, SEers! Mae here today. Got your pen handy? It’s time to sign some books! 🙂
When it comes to book signings, whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned pro, it never hurts to reevaluate your strategy. I realize not everyone has print copies of their books, but that day might linger just around the corner. Then or now, I hope you find these tips helpful.
Let me start by saying I’m far from an expert. I only have two signings under my belt, with a few on the horizon. That said, I’ve learned from the meager few I’ve done. How, you ask?
Know your venue
If you’re going somewhere you’ve never been before, scope it out beforehand so you know the layout. At the very least, research it online and Google Earth the location. If I’m going somewhere new, I always do a practice run first so I know exactly…
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What Your Author Website is Likely Missing
Staci Troilo’s post on Story Empire today speaks to authors about a critical marketing tool – the Media Kit. Please read on…
Hi, SEers. Forgive me for being a hypocrite, but today’s post is going to be a do-as-I-say-and-not-as-I-do post. Remember, I used to work in corporate communications, so I know marketing strategies. (That doesn’t mean I use them myself; it just means I know them.)
Okay… Unless you literally just decided to become an author today, you almost definitely have an author website. Hopefully you’ve included the basics:
- landing page to advertise news and collect email addresses
- blog to share content, generate interest, and remain fresh in the minds of your fans
- book pages so your work is well-defined and easy to find
- about page to introduce yourself to new visitors
- social media links so people can find you elsewhere online
- contact page so your readers can reach you
- platform-wide cohesion and pleasing design
Many authors stop there. Okay, let’s be honest—many readers fall short in some/most/all of those categories.
- Their…
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Scaling Up My Amazon Ads
Nicholas Rossis shares how he plans to use Amazon Marketing Services to market his books in the next few weeks. Very helpful!
Well, the title says it all, doesn’t it? Following my small success with Amazon Marketing Services, I’m about to scale up my promotions. I have been reading up on AMS and to reach that goal I’m planning to increase everything, ie:
- Number of keywords and products,
- CPC* bid,
- Budget, and
- Number of ads.
* Glossary used in this post:
- CPC is the Cost Per Click; how much you pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
- KENP (Kindle Edition Normalized Pages) is the number of pages people have read on a book available on Kindle Unlimited.
- ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sale) is a metric used by Amazon to measure the performance of your Amazon Sponsored Products campaigns.
Keywords/products
Keywords are probably the most important thing to research. According to Michal Stawicki, a guest at Dave Chesson’s (aka Kindlepreneur’s) excellent blog:
- Amazon’s suggestions aren’t worth much so don’t rely…
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A Fantasy Tip From History: Medieval Spam
This post by Nicholas Rossis is a fascinating look at medieval marketing that parallels many of the strategies still used today.
The first thing that visitors of my blog will see is a banner advertising my latest releases and offers. I also advertise within my books themselves. You know, a simple, “If you liked this bo…
Fiora Books by John Fioravanti 