Digital Pubbing

Exploring the ins and outs of the publishing industry

Indie Authors

Indie Authors: An Overview of Book Reviews

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Sure, we all know that getting authentic reviews, and ideally that are 4- and 5-stars, is a key component to a book's success. In fact, you need a certain number of 4-star reviews just to be considered for a BookBub promotion. Because of this, there are tons of resources online that give indie authors advice on how to find reviewers and contact them. Funds for Writers and … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: An Overview of Book Reviews

Setting Up and Building an Email List

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Direct marketing is powerful. There's a reason so many people say "the money is in the list." If you can build a mailing list of people who like your work and are willing to pay for it, then it becomes much easier to sell your books and have bigger book launches. With that in mind, here are some tips and resources on how to build a strong mailing list: Setting Up Your List … [Read more...] about Setting Up and Building an Email List

Indie Authors: What’s in a Book Cover?

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It's well known that a good book cover is a key component of selling a book (aside from having a great story, of course). But with so many books out there for readers to choose from (especially now that indie authors as well as traditional publishers are now making high quality book covers of similar caliber, according to Publishing Perspectives) what can make your cover stand … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: What’s in a Book Cover?

Indie Author Marketing Guide: Pinterest

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Pinterest is all about sharing (or pinning) images, and there are many ways indie authors can use this social media platform to their advantage. You can pin images to different boards, and tailor your boards to different interests. For example, as an indie author you could create boards that recommend books to read share quotes about reading display interesting book … [Read more...] about Indie Author Marketing Guide: Pinterest

Indie Author Marketing Guide: LinkedIn

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LinkedIn is known for being a professional network, and a great place to share your resume online. As an indie author, here are a few ideas of how to use LinkedIn to your advantage: Add your books with links to sale pages on your profile page. LinkedIn allows you to upload cover images, either under specific job titles or listed under "Publications." Get to know … [Read more...] about Indie Author Marketing Guide: LinkedIn

Indie Author Marketing Guide: Goodreads

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Next up in the Indie Author Marketing Guide series is Goodreads. Goodreads is a social network for book lovers, now owned by Amazon. Users can join groups, follow authors, rate and review books, compile lists of read books, and promote books with giveaways. According to The Creative Penn, "Goodreads’ recommendation engine is an algorithm similar to Netflix" and "A book does … [Read more...] about Indie Author Marketing Guide: Goodreads

Indie Authors: Self-Editing Before Getting Your Manuscript Edited

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Editing is an important step to publishing, both indie and traditional. A book that is poorly edited can be a big turn off to readers. Bridget McKenna gives an example in her post, "Why I Didn't Keep Reading Your Book, Part 2": Your opening sentence demonstrated that you don’t know the difference between “number,” which is used to describe things that can be counted, such as … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Self-Editing Before Getting Your Manuscript Edited

144 Tools and Resources for Building Your Author Website and/or Blog

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Author websites and blogs are important components to building an author platform. With that in mind, here is a list of resources that can help you set up and optimize your site. Setting Up Your Website NameBounce Find Available Domain Names on Namestation "+300 Awesome Free Things for Entrepreneurs & Startups" on Growth Supply "11 Essential Elements of an … [Read more...] about 144 Tools and Resources for Building Your Author Website and/or Blog

A List of Tools for Freelance and Indie Authors

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Having trouble staying motivated? Sometimes it helps to use some new tools to keep you organized and ready to work. Here are some new tools and resources I've found: Mattermost: An open-source chatting tool, so you can easily connect with clients, editors, publicists, or anyone on your author street team. Compatible with Slack. Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator: To help … [Read more...] about A List of Tools for Freelance and Indie Authors

Indie Author Marketing Guide: Twitter

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Twitter is one of the largest social media platforms, and when used correctly, can really help boost an indie author's platform. According to Social Media for Writers, "23 percent of online adults living in the United States are active on Twitter." The post also breaks down the demographic of Twitter users, down to age, gender, education level, and more. When you sign up … [Read more...] about Indie Author Marketing Guide: Twitter

128 Resources on the Who’s, What’s, Where’s, When’s, Why’s, and How’s of Book Marketing and Other Publishing Tidbits

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All right folks, time for another epic list! I noticed I'd accumulated a lot of WWWWWH links, and thought it'd fun to put them all together here. They're mostly about book marketing, but some are about other aspects of publishing (and not always about books), and some are just for fun. Enjoy! The Who "Who is the Genius Behind Merriam-Webster's Social Media?" on Literary … [Read more...] about 128 Resources on the Who’s, What’s, Where’s, When’s, Why’s, and How’s of Book Marketing and Other Publishing Tidbits

Indie Authors: Selling Books

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After doing all the hard work of writing, editing, and designing your book, it's nice to be able to sell it. There are a number of creative ways to sell an ebook these days. Book Promotion Hub recommends selling via online book clubs, which includes Goodreads, Amazon Book Club, BookTalk.org, and Book Mooch. You can also collaborate with people, or as Michelle from Random … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Selling Books

Indie Authors: High Quality Book Covers

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When it comes to selling books, having an eye-catching cover is high on the list of getting more readers and buyers. But there's a lot to consider. Should you make the cover yourself? Hire a designer? Use stock photos? To help with this process, BadRedHeadMedia recommends planning everything in advance, including researching your options and coming up with a budget. Also … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: High Quality Book Covers

Indie Authors: Launching a Book

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At first, launching a book may seem daunting. But it helps to plan the launch in increments, and also, know that ebooks have an indefinite shelf life, so that even though it's nice to have a strong start, there's always time to build up buzz and excitement around a book. Creating a Book Launch Plan Direct Contact PR offers an excellent list/set of guidelines on what to do … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Launching a Book