A few weeks ago I boarded a plane for the first time in 20 months. Heading out to visit my Colorado family, I was surprised to discover that QR codes, which were popular in 2010 or so and old news …
Marketing & Publicity
21 Surprising Platform Ideas
A couple months ago, I wrote about building your platform with intention and joy. If you’d like a refresher, read the post here.
Today I want to think outside the typical platform box and offer you some creative (possibly …
Marketing is Turning Over Rocks
When we were raising support for moving to France, we got some training to help us through the process. We learned that folks with less money tend to give more, and folks with lots of money tend to give nothing …
Don’t Blindly Chase Gurus
Personal confession: I’ve been a guru chaser, particularly when I sense a weakness in myself. (Don’t know how to build that following? Pay this person to coach me–that’s what I did).
I’ve learned that my guru-chasing has cost me much. …
How Readers Discover Books
One of the biggest challenges for an author, a publisher AND readers consists of the increasing difficulty of matching a wannabe reader with the type of book he or she is looking to buy. A new survey recently was conducted …
What is your marketing slingshot?
Marketing your book is difficult, and it’s hard to discover your unique marketing pathway.
There’s a familiar Old Testament story about David and Saul that struck me. David is ready to face the giant Goliath, so he slips on the …
The Lost Art of Hand Selling
At a recent staff meeting, Janet Grant filled us in on a Bookspan/Publisher’s Marketplace webinar she attended a week or so ago. She took great notes on many topics but one point stood out to me. The presenter observed that …
So. . . what’s your novel about?
By Wendy Lawton
Wanna see a writer stand frozen with that deer-in-the-headlights look? Just ask them this question: “So. . . what’s your novel about?”
Here’s a list of the WRONG things to answer:
- An issue— “My book is
Why Book Pre-Orders Matter
Publishers will tell you that one of the best ways to build momentum for your upcoming book is to encourage pre-orders from readers. What’s the big deal about pre-orders?
Pre-orders are stockpiled and then counted officially as sales the first
…
Reading Groups and Why We Love Them
Writers, for the most part, are readers. And that means they have two reasons to feel fondness for reading groups: as a grand place to connect with fellow readers and discuss a book; as an author who knows connecting with …