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Non-Fiction

Ebook Review: SMART Social Media For Authors

Monday, April 30, 2018 by Sabrina Ricci

It’s rare when I’m reading a book do I find myself taking notes. But Chris Syme’s SMART Social Media For Authors is packed with so much useful, actionable information, that I couldn’t help myself. The book is both a guide and a resource. Chris gives examples of other sites to check out, as well as handy explanations of some of the social media platforms, so that authors can … [Read more...] about Ebook Review: SMART Social Media For Authors

Ebook Review: Midmen

Thursday, May 14, 2015 by Sabrina Ricci

Steve Ochs is a stand up comic/TV writer/producer, and his background and personality really shine through in his book, Midmen: The Modern Man’s Guide to Surviving Midlife Crisis. Even Steve’s email to me asking for a review was hilarious. As a woman in her 20s, I am definitely not in Steve’s target audience, but the topics he covers in Midmen can be applied to pretty much … [Read more...] about Ebook Review: Midmen

Ebook Review: Search Word Pro

Thursday, July 31, 2014 by Sabrina Ricci

Social media is a big part of indie author marketing strategies these days. But for those just starting out, it may seem daunting. When I first began using social media for platform building, I felt slightly overwhelmed. But now, after lots of practice and just incorporating social media into my daily routine, I've come to embrace it. And instead of seeing it like a chore, I see it as another way to connect and interact with people, and I've been able to build real relationships through it. Here are a few things I've learned along the way. (And if you want guidance on how to overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed, read Your Writer Platform's "Are You Building Your Writer Platform at Gunpoint?") Don't use social media just to sell books Kristen Lamb's "Social Media, Book Signings & Why Neither Directly Impact Overall Sales" goes into depth on why this is not a good strategy, but basically you don't want to spam people/just make noise, and you will not develop any real relationships this way (meaning, you won't attract real fans). Rachel Thompson suggests spending more time online finding people who may be willing to review your books, and she gives a list of suggestions in her article "Why ‘Read My Book!’ Doesn’t Work…And What To Do Instead" Focus on one or two platforms first, then build from there Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Pinterest. Google. Youtube. Goodreads. LinkedIn. Tumblr. The list goes on and on. You can be active on all these channels, but it's probably best to pick one or two and work on growing an audience there first. Every social media channel works a little differently, caters to a different audience, and has savvy users who expect others to use the network a certain way. The Book Designer's "Do You Make These Online Marketing Mistakes?" offers tips, such as establishing one audience per channel and using landing pages. Social Media Just for Writers also recommends researching your target market and then choosing your social media platform based on that in "How to Stop Wasting Time and Focus Your Book Marketing." For advice on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and YouTube, read DBW's "The Book Marketing Social Media Hierarchy: Which Sites to Use for Which Purposes." Business Insider broke down the demographics of some of the social media platforms. According to them, the 45- to 54-year-old demographic is growing, "27% of 18 to 29-year-olds in the U.S. use Twitter," LinkedIn and Google+ are mostly male, Pinterest is mostly women on tablets, and Tumblr is mostly teens and young adults. Eventually you can expand into other platforms. For a case study on why, read Kate Tilton's "Why I Use Different Social Media Networks (And You Should Too) by @K8Tilton." For help determining which platform is best for you, read these articles: "Instagram: Should You Be On It?" on Indies Unlimited "How Tumblr Turned a Book Into a Bestseller" on GoodeReader "Pinterest Unveils Buyable Pins, A Way To Purchase Things Directly Within Pinterest" on TechCrunch "Pinterest Update: More Ways Authors Can Use Pinterest!" on Writers Win "Indie Author Marketing Guide: Pinterest" on Musings and Marvels "How I Made it to the Front Page of BuzzFeed Twice, and How You Can Too" on Matthew Barby "Surprising News in Social Media – And a Twitter Tip" on Social Media Just for Writers "Indie Author Marketing Guide: Twitter" on Musings and Marvels "Guest Post: 8 Secrets to Increase Your Twitter Followers" on Musings and Marvels "Guest Post: What Everybody Ought To Know About Facebook Account Management" on Musings and Marvels "Guest Post: Want to Step Up Your Facebook?" on Musings and Marvels "Indie Author Marketing Guide: Goodreads" on Musings and Marvels "Indie Author Marketing Guide: LinkedIn" on Musings and Marvels "Indie Author Marketing Guide: Google Plus" on Musings and Marvels "Which Social Media and Marketing Tools Are Publishers Actually Using Successfully" on DBW Strategize how you will build your platform Erindor Press's "Platform Building Primer" is a good start, and advocates setting expectations and figuring out the best way to share content, either via blogging, email newsletters, or something else (and you can use social media to promote that content). The Loneliest Planet shared a post, called "One Writer's Platform (Part 2) Events and PR," which goes over techniques of marketing offline (such as doing public readings and lectures) but also adds that it's worth taping these performances and uploading them to Youtube to share. Use lots of images/visuals People tend to engage more with posts, tweets, etc. that are visual. According to Rebekah Radice's "5 Steps to Get Massive Engagement With Your Visual Content," "43% of social media users share pictures." She recommends having consistent colors, using templates, appropriate fonts, and to create infographics, images, and videos. Build Book Buzz recommends creating different types of images, including picture quotes, tipographics, and infographics. For tips on how to actually create these images, read Social Media Just For Writer's "Writers: Use Visuals to Market Your Books." Make use of social media tools Here's a list of resources, along with helpful tips and links to additional tools: Kate Tilton Social Media Resources Kate Tilton Authors on Instagram Kate Tilton Book Bloggers on Instagram Social Media Examiner Storyfinds Momentum RelayStation Magnolia Media Network Books Go Social Keep up to date on new platforms and tools Lastly, the social media landscape is constantly changing, so it's good to stay up to date. One example of a relatively new tool/platform is Aerbook, which according to PW turns social media into a virtual bookstore. Earlier this year, Social Media Just for Writers wrote about how indie authors can use Aerbook, which allows you to share previews and even sell ebooks on social media networks, as well as see analytics on your shares. According to the article, there are three product plans to choose from: Aerbook Retail is free, no credit card required. It gives you the social look inside the book, email capture popups within the sample, stats on how the book is used, and the ability to share the link and also get web page widgets that launch the Aerbook. This plan lets you sell the book directly through Aerbook, and our service earns 15% of the purchase price after credit card fees are deducted. Aerbook Plus gives you everything Aerbook Retail delivers, plus lets you add links to other retailers, like Amazon, iBooks, or even your own purchase page. Aerbook Plus is $49 per year. Aerbook Flyer includes everything above, but there’s no direct sale through Aerbook’s commerce service. You’ll add links to other retailers. Flyer also lets you do book giveaways, and includes 500 directly delivered, complete books annually. Flyer is $99 per year. Got any social media tips? Please share in the comments!

Paul Krupin is the creator of the series, Search Word Pro, based on a book series called Magic Search Words and a patent he got ten years ago. Krupin has been hard at work publishing this new series, which covers broad topics such as business, recreation, people, health, and the best of everything, as well as nice book marketing books for genres ranging from children's to … [Read more...] about Ebook Review: Search Word Pro

Ebook Review: The Hybrid Author

Friday, May 2, 2014 by Sabrina Ricci

Dianne Sagan kindly gave me a review copy of her latest book, The Hybrid Author. Full disclosure: she used my article for IndieReader, "Why Traditionally Published Authors Are Going Indie," as part of her research. The Hybrid Author is a great resource, and really digs deep into what the relatively new term means. According to Dianne, there are four ways to publish a book: … [Read more...] about Ebook Review: The Hybrid Author

Ebook Review: The Author Training Manual

Wednesday, April 16, 2014 by Sabrina Ricci

I normally only review self-published books, but this one's topic was so relevant I thought it'd be helpful to post about it. I'm also happy to announce I'm part of the official blog tour, and you can read an excerpt of The Author Training Manual at the end of this post. Nina Amir is the author of a couple books aimed at helping writers. Here is her official bio: Nina … [Read more...] about Ebook Review: The Author Training Manual

Book Review: The Geek’s Guide to Dating

Monday, November 18, 2013 by Sabrina Ricci

This is not a typical review, since I don’t usually review traditionally published books, but I am a fan of Quirk Books and Eric Smith. I actually met Eric a few years back at BEA, where I learned Quirk Books was the publisher of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. So how can you not like them? Anyway, Quirk Books is an independent publisher based in Philadelphia, and Eric … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Geek’s Guide to Dating

E-Book Review: A Child Lost in Flight

Saturday, December 22, 2012 by Sabrina Ricci

A Child Lost in Flight is a first person, non-fiction narrative written by Mohan K. It’s a tragic story about the loss of a child during a plane flight, and a father’s process of dealing with the loss.   The story is heartbreaking, and full of unanswered questions. I got the feeling that writing this story was somewhat of a cathartic experience for the author. … [Read more...] about E-Book Review: A Child Lost in Flight

E-book Review: Letters I Wish I Had Sent

Friday, December 14, 2012 by Sabrina Ricci

Preston’s book, Letters I Wish I Had Sent, is exactly that: a collection of funny, unsent letters he wishes he had sent to various companies. As a disclaimer, I had the pleasure of reading Preston’s book because it’s featured in the alpha launch of my startup, Write or Read, which will provide metrics and insights to authors of self-published ebooks. Letters is comprised … [Read more...] about E-book Review: Letters I Wish I Had Sent

The eGuide to Grant Writing for FEMA

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 by Sabrina Ricci

Since this week Hurricane Sandy is hitting the north east, now seems like the perfect time to write about Eric J. Wynn’s The eGuide to Grant Writing for FEMA. *I received a review copy of the ebook from the author. According to his bio, Eric is a Florida native who has been involved in disaster management since 2004. He has worked with many local government agencies and … [Read more...] about The eGuide to Grant Writing for FEMA

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Books for Indie Authors

Books for Indie Authors

Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book
Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book
by Tim Grahl
tagged: indie-publishing and to-read
The Author Training Manual: Develop Marketable Ideas, Craft Books That Sell, Become the Author Publishers Want, and Self-Publish Effectively
it was amazing
The Author Training Manual: Develop Marketable Ideas, Craft Books That Sell, Become the Author Publishers Want, and Self-Publish Effectively
by Nina Amir
Other reviewers have called The Author Training Manual a must-read, and I have to agree. Nina Amir has compiled a great amount of research, experience, and real-life samples that can help any other, self-published, traditionally publishe...
tagged: indie-publishing

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