Audiobooks were once delivered on cassette tapes, and then later in CD boxed sets. They were expensive. There were local retailers who would sometimes allow you rent them just like videos on VHS tapes (remember those?). And then CDs went the way of vinyl records and have since become decorative coasters. Today the largest retailer […]
Amazon’s Author Central is an essential tool for managing your books and author information on the site. Every author should take full advantage of the free service because it allows you to update content on your book page, keep author bio information up to date, see your sales data, and more. Both print and Kindle-only […]
Each month, the Nonfiction Authors Association asks a burning publishing question of the industry’s best, brightest, and most innovative experts. Here’s what they have to say! PATRICK SCHWERDTFEGER The beauty of doing a “launch” on Amazon (such as a 4-day Kindle sale for $0.99 or even free) is that it gets your book in the […]
This is a guest post by Lisa Romeo. If we’re gut honest about it, we all have that same dream, right? The one about a major New York City powerhouse publishing our book and their marketing department deciding our book will get a big promotional push. That our book will be reviewed (positively, of course!) […]
Book marketing is relatively simple (but not necessarily easy) because there are only two arenas in which to compete: retail and non-retail. The retail sector consists of bookstores (bricks and clicks) and other outlets such as office supply stores, supermarkets, airport stores, warehouse clubs, health-food stores, gift shops and specialty stores. Selling to these establishments […]
We recently reached out to authors to find out how they carve out time for book marketing. Here’s what they had to say: Tanya Williams I launched a book in March which was a best seller on Amazon. The best way is to schedule time in your calendar and commit to it. Without action nothing […]
For use when requesting permission to include another person’s work in your book. As with all legal documents, be sure to have this approved by your attorney before use. Dear [name], As we have previously discussed, I am preparing to have my book published and it is tentatively titled [title]. It is scheduled to be […]
We all love humor, because it’s fun to laugh. But why do we laugh? And is there any way we can learn to write funny things so that other people will laugh? Is there some secret to it? I’ve been fascinated by that question all my life. When I was ten years old, I stumbled […]
Recently I read a post in an online writers’ forum that broke my heart. A woman reported having dipped into her savings AND retirement accounts to invest in several expensive book marketing educational programs with the expectation that they would help her sell huge quantities of books. She spent tens of thousands of dollars on […]
The back cover is where you convince readers to buy. One trick that many writers use is to craft a compelling description before writing the manuscript because it can help to know what to focus on when developing the manuscript. You have a very limited amount of space on the back of your book so […]
How to Blog for Other Websites: Simple Steps to Guest Blogging, Including Sample Pitch
Blogging for other websites allows you to reach a whole new audience, gain exposure, build credibility, and potentially drive traffic back to your site. Here’s how to become a guest blogger: 1. Locate sites you want to write for. The first step is to find appropriate sites, and that means sites that reach your target […]
How to Sell Your Book to Colleges for Use in Courses
One of the many benefits of writing nonfiction is that we can educate our readers. Whether we do that with a how-to guide, a memoir, history, science, or other kind of reference book, many well-written nonfiction books have the potential to be adopted into curriculum for college courses. Getting colleges to adopt my books as […]
Understanding Publishing Contracts
If a publisher offers you a contract, get ready for your head to spin. These contracts can vary greatly in what they offer and what they expect from the author. In general, a contract will outline the following: Payment Terms A book advance fee ranging from $2500-$10,000 is most typical for first time authors without […]
Author Name: The Rev. Anita E. Keire Book Title: Walking on Water: Skeptics and Believers Discuss Whether Jesus Matters Synopsis Walking on Water: Skeptics and Believers Discuss Whether Jesus Matters introduces the rudiments of the Christian faith from a non-denominational, non-doctrinaire perspective for youth, millennials, religiously unaffiliated, as well as all generations including senior citizens. It […]
How to Blog for Other Websites: Simple Steps to Guest Blogging, Including Sample Pitch
Blogging for other websites allows you to reach a whole new audience, gain exposure, build credibility, and potentially drive traffic back to your site. Here’s how to become a guest blogger: 1. Locate sites you want to write for. The first step is to find appropriate sites, and that means sites that reach your target […]
How to Sell Your Book to Colleges for Use in Courses
One of the many benefits of writing nonfiction is that we can educate our readers. Whether we do that with a how-to guide, a memoir, history, science, or other kind of reference book, many well-written nonfiction books have the potential to be adopted into curriculum for college courses. Getting colleges to adopt my books as […]
Understanding Publishing Contracts
If a publisher offers you a contract, get ready for your head to spin. These contracts can vary greatly in what they offer and what they expect from the author. In general, a contract will outline the following: Payment Terms A book advance fee ranging from $2500-$10,000 is most typical for first time authors without […]
How to Tap into the Marketing Power of Street Teams, Super Fans and Micro-Influencers
Guest post by Penny Sansevieri Did you know that 95% of books are sold via personal recommendation? There is no doubt that the biggest source of sales for just about any type of product is personal recommendations. Remember the last time you heard a friend tell you that XYZ was an awesome product, or book […]
How to Write an Effective Author Bio
As an author, there will be many situations where you will need to contribute your bio for promotional purposes. Your bio is often needed on your website in the “About” page and the “Media/Press” page, the back cover of your book, the last page of your book, at the end of articles or blog posts […]
8 Tips for a Marketable Nonfiction Book Proposal by Melanie Votaw
Over the years, I’ve met many first-time authors who underestimate the difficulty of writing a successful nonfiction book proposal. Writers often lack the marketing skills that proposals require, and they fail to realize one important fact: A book proposal is a business plan for their book. If you remember that and also keep these tips […]
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