social media

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.

Social media is just one component of your author platform, and not necessarily the most important component. It works best as part of a holistic book marketing and promotion strategy.

Marketing FOMO is more debilitating than distracting—and if you suffer from marketing FOMO, your marketing tasks will never be done.

Debra Eckerling (@WriteOnOnline), founder of the writers' support group Write On!, discusses common writer challenges, the value of blogs, what it means to take writing to the next level, tragic networking mistakes, and more in this 5 On interview.

When I ask most clients what their goals are in hiring me, I usually get some version of “to get more followers and sell more books.” I encourage them to think both bigger and more deeply about social media.

Every year, I share hundreds (even thousands) of articles and reports on book marketing. Here, I look back on the best of what I found in 2016.

How a self-publishing poet achieved visibility for her book—and landed a book deal with traditional publisher Andrews McMeel.

Getting traction for your online presence—especially a new blog—can feel like an impossible task when you're an unknown writer. But it can be done.

Reddit is an online community where you can get your book in front of hundreds of thousands of readers for free. That is, if you have the right strategy.

Last year, I began regularly contributing to Publishers Weekly on the topic of independent authorship and publishing. Here's a list of all my columns so far:

If you want to be successful at selling today, you need to quit pushing your needs (please buy my book) and messages at potential readers and concentrate on figuring out how to pull them in by putting their needs above yours. Give them something valuable.

Social media and marketing expert Andrea Dunlop lists five questions you should ask yourself when starting to plan your book launch.

Kirsten Oliphant explains how to reach out to others who can help you build your author platform and how to generate a great pitch for collaboration.

Author and social media expert Frances Caballo discusses the CARE acronym and how to use it to guide your interactions with readers on social media.

Author platform is one of the most difficult concepts to explain, partly because everyone defines it a little differently. Here's what agents and editors mean by platform, plus a clear definition of what platform is NOT.

Wondering why you don't have more blog traffic—or if it's worthwhile to continue your blogging effort? Here are the mistakes that commonly afflict authors.

Social media expert Chris Syme explains why less is more in social media, and how to make the most use of primary and secondary social media channels.

Next week, I'm participating in the Book to Course Virtual Summit, a free event hosted by Teachable. I'll be discussing the rise of the writer-entrepreneur.

For years, serialization has been discussed as a significant area of opportunity for reading and publishing in the digital age.

What authors need to know about current marketing practices and emerging business trends in the book publishing industry.

I think it's fair to say that most of us are not looking to add more social media activity to our lives.

Andrea Dunlop, a former Doubleday publicist, discusses how to approach a book launch from a publicist's point of view.

Learn four reasons writers might want to use Pinterest, how to best use the platform, and best practices to get the most traction for your work.

In conversation with Joanna Penn, I discuss digital publishing trends and what authors need to know as they head into 2016.

Book publicist Patrick Walsh discusses effective social media promotion, what it takes to make the same old book-marketing advice work for you, questions to ask yourself when trying to decide whether your story should be a book or a screenplay, and more.

Kirsten Oliphant discusses how to effectively use Facebook pages and groups.

Chris Jane, who writes the biweekly Q&A series 5 On, discusses overcoming her fear of joining the Twitterverse.

In this 5 On post, bestselling author Elisa Lorello discusses authenticity, using social media to connect with readers, rejection, and the differences between self- and traditional publishing.

Social media marketing expert Chris Syme discusses how to use Facebook contests and giveaways to turn fans into super fans.

I'm often asked: How can I be so productive? Or how does one balance creative work and other life demands? Here's the most truthful answer I have.

As publishing becomes increasingly digital-driven, how are the business models for authorship changing?

Be careful before applying someone else's social media advice to your situation.

A children's author shares her strategies for promoting her picture books on Pinterest—as well as what adult fiction marketing techniques haven't worked for her.

Thriller author Todd Moss describes his own marketing efforts and the marketing efforts of his Big Five publisher, Putnam, for his book The Golden Hour.

What does it mean to "engage" with a community? And what's the benefit?

You can find marketing inspiration in what others have done, but also know that the less advertised “strategies” might actually be the ones worth pursuing.

For me, the hardest thing about being online is remembering what I think and the "why" that I'm working for. The multiplicity of voices can make you forget your center.

Nielsen offers specific figures on how ebook sales have affected print sales in adult fiction, adult nonfiction, and juvenile categories.

I was delighted to be a guest on Stephen Campbell's podcast, The Author Biz.

This 101 guide describes best practices for authors using Facebook for book marketing, with tips on when you should set up a fan page.

Learn how to easily study the impact of your social media use on your marketing and promotion efforts.

You're not alone. Being told to build an online presence creates internal conflict for a lot of writers. This is the topic

Note from Jane: Today's guest post is by Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy). Almost as soon as authors were told they should

The chain of events goes something like this: An author's book nears its publication date (or perhaps the author is attempting

So you want to find those raving fans, right? Awesome. We’re about to give you the most boring advice possible. You’re probably going to be disappointed that we’re not going to offer you a magic way to get a ton more readers, but unfortunately that’s not how it works. Ideal fans and readers are gained a few at a time, and it takes time to build that bond, even if you experience a sudden and serendipitous burst of exposure.

Learn how to write a better bio note and improve the opportunities that come your way.

It is possible, if not desirable, for an author to launch an effective book-marketing campaign without a publisher’s support or assistance. Mainly, it requires time and energy. Here's a comprehensive rundown of the main strategies in use today.

A Facebook Profile is often a better option than a fan Page for building author platform. It’s simpler and easier to get your content in front of people, takes less time to manage, and will build a tribe or platform faster, especially if you don’t plan to run ads.

What does it take to launch a new website and online community? A Q&A with author and entrepreneur Alexis Grant.

Best Business Advice for Writers is a monthly link round-up where I share the best online articles focused on the business of writing and publishing.