Digital Pubbing

Exploring the ins and outs of the publishing industry

Marketing

Data and Analytics for Marketing and Automation

by

Metrics, data, analytics. These are all related words that can really help authors effectively market. Matt Minoff wrote a great piece on Digiday, called "In Order to thrive, publishers must master their data." This means more than merely collecting data. It means having a plan, understanding what the data means, and deciding what actions to implement. If you want a solid … [Read more...] about Data and Analytics for Marketing and Automation

What Are the Ingredients of a Successful Marketing Plan?

by

Editor's note: This post was originally published January 2016 on Digital Book World. Today’s readers and book buyers are savvy. Ads are not enough to get a potential customer’s attention, and being bombarded daily with emails, texts, posts, tweets, shares, images and videos makes it incredibly easy, and more likely, for people to ignore ads. In fact, people are going out … [Read more...] about What Are the Ingredients of a Successful Marketing Plan?

Indie Author Marketing Guide: Google Plus

by

Google Plus is a social media platform that is not as talked about as Facebook or Twitter, but can be very important, depending on your niche. Google Plus Basics For those who may not be too familiar with Google Plus, here are a few of the basics. First, you fill out a profile, with a picture, a cover image, and whatever information you feel comfortable sharing about … [Read more...] about Indie Author Marketing Guide: Google Plus

Guest Post: Shifting from Writing Literary to Commercial Fiction

by

By Tantra Bensko Tantra Bensko is a talented writer and wonderful teacher. In fact, she taught me how to write experimental fiction at UCLA Extension. She is the author of numerous books, including her latest, Glossolalia, a psychological suspense novel that is part of her Agents of the Nevermind series. Below she shares her experiences in her shift from writing Literary to … [Read more...] about Guest Post: Shifting from Writing Literary to Commercial Fiction

The Making of a Successful Ebook: An Interview with Geoff Jones, Author of The Dinosaur Four

by

You may remember Geoff Jones, author of the thriller The Dinosaur Four, from my last post where I happily reviewed his book. Geoff is so awesome that I had to interview him twice. The first time was for the podcast I make with my husband, I Know Dino, where we of course discussed the amazing dinosaurs in his book, and the second time, Geoff very graciously let me pick his brain … [Read more...] about The Making of a Successful Ebook: An Interview with Geoff Jones, Author of The Dinosaur Four

Indie Author Marketing Guide: A Primer to Social Media

by

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 … [Read more...] about Indie Author Marketing Guide: A Primer to Social Media

Indie Author Marketing Guide: Facebook

by

For indie authors, Facebook is one of the best ways to reach your audience. As of April 2016, Facebook has 1.65 billion monthly active users and 1.09 billion people logging in daily, according to Zephoria. With that in mind, it's probably safe to say that if you're reading this, you are at least familiar with Facebook. Types of Facebook Interactions Facebook has a few … [Read more...] about Indie Author Marketing Guide: Facebook

Indie Authors: Marketing Books by Collaborating

by

Marketing in teams often pays off more than marketing by yourself. Author assistant Kate Tilton and many others have advocated street teams, which involves getting fans to rally and support a book. But there are also some clever ways to form groups among authors who write in your genre. Jason Kong wrote on The Book Designer about the benefits of working with multiple … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Marketing Books by Collaborating

Offering Readers Extras

by

As an indie author, simply writing your book is not enough. You need to have a marketing strategy, and let people know about your work. You also need to find your target audience, and then give them a reason to keep buying your work. One way to do that is to offer extras to your readers. The Write Life calls them "insider treasures." The idea is to make your readers feel … [Read more...] about Offering Readers Extras

Indie Authors: Building Your Brand and Writer Platform

by

To be a successful indie author, you need to have a brand / writer platform. At first, this may sound like a daunting task. And yes, it is a lot of work. But I've found that it helps to outline goals, and then break down your plan into small steps that you can easily do a little of each day. Even if you only spend 10 minutes a day, over the course of a few months, you can … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Building Your Brand and Writer Platform

Indie Authors: Using Giveaways to Find New Readers and Sell More Books

by

A giveaway is a powerful tool that can help indie authors attract new readers. You can incentivize people to spread the word about your book through social media, sign up for your email list, and garner interest in your other books (which can lead to more sales). There are at least four big tools authors can use for book giveaways: Goodreads LibraryThing Amazon … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Using Giveaways to Find New Readers and Sell More Books

Guest Post: How the King Will Rule in 2018 (Content Marketing Trends)

by

By Varun Sharma Content being the king and Marketing its queen, together hand in hand they rule the entire kingdom. With passing time, they keep on changing their rules to maintain their authority. It becomes important for us to understand and adopt those changes so as to survive in this competitive world where Darwinian’s theory perfectly fits in: “Survival of the … [Read more...] about Guest Post: How the King Will Rule in 2018 (Content Marketing Trends)

Photos, Stickers, Animation, and More: A Collection of Visuals for Authors

by

When it comes to marketing, visuals are all important--both online and off. Photos Photos are great for blogs as well as for books. Make sure you have the rights to use those photos. That's where stock images come in handy. "4 Incredible Free Sources for Photos to Use in Your Book or Blog" on The Book Designer Stock Up (About Stock Up) Pexels "Wikimedia Commons … [Read more...] about Photos, Stickers, Animation, and More: A Collection of Visuals for Authors

Indie Authors: Social Media Marketing Tips

by

Jane Friedman recommends joining all social media platforms, even if you don't intend on using it right away (hint: you want to have a good username for if you do decide to use that platform). It's one thing to join a social media network, and it's another thing to maintain and grow your presence on it. Here are some news updates and ideas for how to use different platforms … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Social Media Marketing Tips

Indie Authors: Researching Your Books

by

When writing books, there are a lot of things you can research. What genre should you write in (if you don't already have a preference)? How can you attract readers? Who are your target or ideal readers? What should your book title be? Below is a list of resources that can help answer those questions: Find My Audience: Learn about your Twitter audience. Hasghtagify: … [Read more...] about Indie Authors: Researching Your Books