Best Book Marketing Advice for Authors: The Best of 2017
I regularly round up and comment on book marketing advice that have writers buzzing. Here’s what sparked discussion in 2017.
Optimizing Your Books for Amazon Keyword Search
The more your book is optimized for search at Amazon, the more often it’s going to come up in searches, and—consequently—the more you’ll sell. Part of making your book more discoverable is understanding how to set your categories and keywords on Amazon, which is accessible to any indie author.
The Secret of Great Memoir: The Mature Self
Memoirists have to write their story, the events of their life, from a future perspective. From NOW. Now brings with it maturity, wisdom, insight, and grace. The mature self speaks from a place of distance but not detachment.
The Deadliest First Page Sin—Plus a Critique of Two Novel Openings
While there are seven deadly first-page sins I commonly encounter, there is one that’s most deadly of all: default omniscience. No point of view = no story.
A Look Back at 2017 Publishing Headlines: 5 Issues Raised for Authors
Issues touched on: Barnes & Noble woes, the maturity of the self-publishing market, Wattpad profits, traditional publishing’s problem launching blockbusters, and the growth of the Amazon ebook sales/borrows
A Book Launch Plan for First-Time Authors Without an Online Presence
While it’s not easy to launch a book without any kind of online presence, many first-time authors are in exactly that position. Here’s a 4-step game plan.
How to Find a Literary Agent for Your Book
A step-by-step guide to finding literary agents, plus how to select the right agent for you and your work.
How to Write From a Child’s Perspective—But for Adult Readers
Novelist Sophie Chen Keller offers an incisive look at what’s different about writing a novel for adults when the narrator is a child.
Ethics & the Literary Agent: What Rights Do Authors Have?
What should writers do if they feel that an agent isn’t honoring their obligations, contractual or otherwise? What’s the best way to speak up?
Is It Too Late to Start Writing After 50?
Yes, it is possible to have a very successful writing career later in life—and doing something new later in one’s career helps to keep you young.
5 Things I’m Not Doing to Launch My Book—Plus What I’m Doing Instead
The gist of all marketing advice for authors essentially boils down to: try everything and see what works. Here’s what didn’t work for me.
How and Why to Edit an Anthology: Addressing the Naysayers
Anthology advances are small, contributors have little stake in the sales of the book, and branding a collective group is hard. But anthologies are still valuable and worth the effort. Here’s why.
How I Used Writing to Survive (Or: Writing Despite Illness)
I started writing seriously after being diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s. Now was the time to do it, or quit talking about it.
Why Pursue Traditional Publishing? (Are There Enough Good Reasons?)
What’s the overriding reason for an author to find an agent and a traditional publishing deal? Is it possible that the reasons may be flawed?
How to Self-Publish in France
More books are translated in France than in any other country: 1 out of every 6 books has been translated from a foreign language, many from English.
The Angsty Relationship Between Writing and Sales
I have an uneasy relationship with sales because I came to writing through academic means, and academics still live with an idea of meritocracy as the way people get recognition for what they do.
Unpublished Writers and Websites: Should You Have One and What Should It Say?
If you plan to pursue writing as a professional, long-term career, I recommend starting and maintaining an author website even if you’re unpublished.
What Writers Can Learn About Voice From Opera
Opera is the single Western art in which voice determines character, or, more closely, expresses character. For writers, opera offers a set of finger exercises, if not pointers.
How Distraction Can Be an Asset
Over a last year, a consistent theme has emerged in my discussions with writers around the country: They feel distracted. What is to be done?
The Conflicting Advice You’ll Receive on Query Letters
At its core, a query letter is a sales document, and so it’s meant to sell. But opinions differ on the best possible sales approach in a query.
3 Reasons Why You Might Not Want a Hybrid Publisher
I would never tell someone to publish with a hybrid publisher—every writer’s goals are unique, plus hybrid publishing puts the financial risk on the author.
Using Patreon and YouTube to Grow a Writing Career: Q&A with Jay Swanson
Author Jay Swanson discusses how he’s succeeded with Patreon, which allows fans to pledge monthly financial support to his creative efforts.
Don’t Back Down: Choose the Writing Territory You Can Defend Long and Fiercely
Many people want to be rock stars—and many people want to write books. But there are many ways in which a writing dream can crash and burn. One way is to be unclear about what you want with what you are ready to do.
What Is an Editor’s Role in a Changing Publishing Industry?
I’m a contributor to a new essay collection, WHAT EDITORS DO, edited by Peter Ginna and published by University of Chicago Press.
4 Key Ways to Launch a Scene
Each scene in your book requires a beginning, middle, and end. Here are four paths to launching your scene—plus the questions you should ask about each one.
Using Dysfunctional Behavior to Reveal Characters’ Emotional Wounds
Giving characters painful backstory makes them feel credible to readers. But when it comes to describing what happened, many writers jump headfirst into an info dump, hoping a summary will create a shortcut to empathy and “catch readers up.” Unfortunately, this can have the opposite effect.
My Interview with Leanpub: How I Learned to Edit and My Thoughts on the Author Aspirant
I’m the featured guest on the new Backmatter podcast from Leanpub, which is focused specifically on the publishing industry and its latest trends.
What It Means to Be a Writer—and to Emerge as a Writer
There’s a term thrown around in the world of writing that I’ve never fully understood: emerging writer. To emerge as a writer, or anything else for that matter, you must emerge from one thing into an entirely different something else.
What Authors Need to Know About Crowdfunding Their Book: A Case Study by the Numbers
Any author can successfully launch their book through crowdfunding if they are willing to put in the effort. However, it may not be the right path for everyone.
How Fiction Writing Influences Real-Life Relationships
Fiction writing, while not closely associated with affecting one’s real-life relationships, can indeed have that power and develop one’s empathy.
What Do Young Adults Want to Read? Let My Students Tell You
Four lessons for YA: Make it real, get rid of parental oversight, feature topics making the headlines, and include hope.
5 On: Lisa Tener
Lisa Tener shares important lessons learned when writing her first book, the ups and downs of co-writing, the most important platform writers should have, and more.
Don’t Know How to Market Your Book? Start in Your Own Backyard
When I hear professional publicists offer advice to authors, one theme that comes up again and again is: start where you are.
When You Shouldn’t Hire and Pay For a Professional Editor
There are many good reasons to hire a professional editor, but also a number of compelling reasons to hold off and save your money.
Publishing Industry Status Report: Important Stories for Authors in 2017
Print sales for traditional publishers are increasing this year—up by 2.6% compared to the first half of 2016. Ebook sales are continuing their decline.
Social Media for Authors: The Toughest Topic to Advise On
I believe a successful social media strategy is driven by one’s personality and strengths, as well as the qualities of the work produced—leading to a unique approach for each writer. A
What’s More Important: Author Websites or Social Media?
Social media is widely considered necessary by authors and publishers for book marketing. But is it as important as an optimized author website?
Secrets to Developing the Best Title for Your Nonfiction Book
If you’re pitching your book to agents or editors, the perfect title for your book will define your subject and grab their positive attention. It should be a label they can confidently share with colleagues in editorial board meetings and use to convince the powers-that-be to release money to acquire your book.
Creation and Doubt Are Conjoined Twins
All writers have to find a way to deal with the internal negative voice that tells them their work is crap and not worth pursuing.
Writing Secondary Characters That Pop—And Sell More Books
Series have become extremely popular, and secondary characters are now in the spotlight. Readers enjoy trying to spot the next potential hero or heroine.
MailChimp Alternatives for Authors
Is MailChimp the best choice for your email newsletter? Here’s a breakdown of the pros & cons of the three biggest email service providers that authors use.
Emotional Etiquette for the Writer Seeking an Agent
Sometimes guidelines for writers discourage perfectly private, internal envy, anger, indignation, etc., directed toward other writers, or toward agents (or publishers) rejecting work. But that hardly seems realistic, nor is it fair to ask humans to stop being human.
The Challenges of First-Person POV
There’s no quicker way to intimacy with a lead character than first-person point of view (POV). But numerous challenges also come with this POV. One of these is the natural limitation of being stuck in one perspective throughout the story.
6 Common Sense Steps to Secure a WordPress Website
For a platform that powers a quarter of the websites in the world, Wordpress is surprisingly insecure. The default settings leave a site open to being hacked a half-dozen different ways.
Troubleshooting for Writers: 7 Questions to Ask When You Lose Desire to Finish Your Book
Ideally, we’d have all the creativity and energy and desire we need to write amazing stories. However, the truth is, sometimes we hit roadblocks while following through. Here are some of the most common roadblocks and how you might solve them.
How to Turn a Microsoft Word Document Into an Ebook (EPUB)
Word doesn’t export to EPUB, but you can still produce an editable file quickly, without buying software or using a “meatgrinder” conversion.
What Belongs on an Author Website Homepage? 4 Key Elements
Whether you’re an emerging author or one that is well-established, it can be challenging to figure out what belongs on your website’s homepage and what to say about yourself on the front door to your online presence.
Having Trouble With Plot? Look at Your Characters.
In a great story, character and plot are inextricable from one another. The seeds of the story conflict lie in the character.
How Time Zone Differences Affect Your Book Marketing
Do you know what time it is in Mumbai, India? Knowing time differences in the countries where you sell books is key to social media engagement, and ultimately sales.
Using Amazon Ads to Sell a YA Novel: A Detailed Analysis
While Amazon sponsored ads haven’t been a marketing miracle, I also haven’t lost that much money—and copies of my YA novel have sold at a steady pace.