Partner with Your Publicist: How to Prepare for Your Book’s Publicity Campaign
In order to stand out in today's publishing landscape—traditionally or self-published—you may need the help of a publicist. Here's how to prepare for your publicity campaign.
Partner with Your Publicist: Why You Need Literary Publicity
Every author wants his or her book to be a success. Dreams of best-seller lists, grand book tours with sold out speaking engagements, and that coveted interview with Oprah, luxuriate in the backs (and often fronts) of many the writerly mind. But the process of connecting the dots between first draft...
8 Things You MUST Do When Your First Book Is Launched
Congratulations, you just launched your first book! But … what now? Here, Heather Christie outlines a process for ensuring the success of your book and your career.
Marketing & Sales Perspectives for Indie Authors
I’ve considered myself a professional writer for a little over three years now, and I’ve learned a great deal about the publishing industry in that time. Much of how I think and what I do as an independently published author parallels the experiences of my traditionally published friends, but there are...
The Marketing Perspective of Query Letters: Turning Your Query Into Agent Bait
At some point in your writing life, you will have completed a manuscript and are ready to move forward on your path to become published. First, acknowledge what you’ve accomplished! The how-to-write learning curve, for most writers, is extensive. It involves classes, attending writers’ conferences, and participation in critique groups. You’ve...
What You Can Do Now to Master the Business of Writing
Even without knowing you (yes, you! hello there), I can say that we put together the “Master the Business of Writing” package for the February 2016 Writer’s Digest with you in mind. Because whether you’re an aspiring author, a midlist novelist or a freelancer looking for bigger paychecks, this issue will...
12 Workplace Skills to Apply to Your Writing Career
BY LISA TENER Katherine quit her pharmaceutical sales job in Colorado and moved back east to write her book. She hunkered down in a snug condo and imagined writing in her light-filled sunroom. Despite more time on her hands than ever, she went days without writing. Within six months she took...
How to Promote Your Work Like a Pro
Now more than ever before, there are so many things we can do to promote our books, articles, stories, essays, services, and other creative works and skills—regardless of whether we’re self-published, traditionally published, or even not-yet-published. Bookstore and library events remain staples, of course, as do reviews, mentions and bylines in...
Guest Post: How I Got My Book Optioned for a Major Motion Picture
Have you ever been curious about what it takes to get your novel or series turned into a movie or film franchise? In today’s guest post, Robert Blake Whitehill, author of the Ben Blackshaw series, sheds some light on his experiences in getting his novels optioned. — As an award-winning screenwriter, I...
I Started a Small Press (and Then Things Got Weird)
BY J DAVID OSBORNE I tried retail for a while, and that was fun, in the way that puking on yourself at a family gathering is fun: you have a story. After a time, though, it stops being a story you laugh at and starts being one that you cry over....
The Back Story on Marketing Fiction
By Rob Eagar A survey of 21,000 book shoppers by the Codex Group revealed that the #1 way to attract people to a fiction author’s website is to offer exclusive unpublished writings, such as short stories, novellas, lost chapters, alternate openers or endings, etc. This desire for content is especially popular...
5 Digital Discoverability Tips
By Rob Eagar Recently, I spoke at the inaugural Discoverability and Marketing Conference hosted by Digital Book World (www.DigitalBookWorld.com) in New York City. The theme of my presentation was “Discoverability starts with psychology, rather than technology.” My point was that you can get your book discovered, but if you fail to...
5 Marketing Lessons from Fly-Fishing
By Rob Eagar In the last year, I took up fly-fishing as a hobby. There’s something surreal and invigorating about standing in the middle of a river. However, catching rainbow trout is no easy task. They’re smart, skeptical, and elusive. In fact, there are a lot of similarities between the challenge of...
A Checklist for Marketing Your Travel Writing
A Checklist for Marketing 1. You can’t write for it if you haven’t read it. Go to the local library or newsstand and seek out the publications 2. No one starts at the top. Find your own level, work in it, then work up out of it. 3. Start with local...
3 Steps to Successful Book Marketing – Part 3
By Rob Eagar Earlier, I covered parts one and two of this 3-part series called “3 Successful Steps to Marketing.” To summarize, I’ve explained how effective marketing can be boiled down to three fundamental questions. Whether you’re an author, business owner, or non-profit director, you can achieve success by asking yourself the following: Step 1...
3 Steps to Successful Book Marketing – Part 2
By Rob Eagar Previously, I covered part one of a 3-part series called “Successful Steps to Marketing.” The gist is that effective marketing can be boiled down to three fundamental questions. Whether you’re an author, business owner, or non-profit director, you can achieve success by asking yourself these three questions: Step 1...
3 Steps to Successful Book Marketing
By Rob Eagar Marketing is a simple process when you boil it down to the fundamentals. Whether you’re a fiction or non-fiction author, you can achieve marketing success following these three simple steps. Ask yourself: What is your value? Who needs your value the most? Where do those who need your...
Stop, Look, and Listen for Better Book Marketing
By Rob Eagar Young children are often taught to “stop, look, and listen” before they cross the street. Stop to see what’s in front of you. Look both ways to make sure no cars are coming. And, listen for any oncoming traffic. This same principle works in marketing. For example, I...
Leak Exclusive Information to Maximize Social Media
By Rob Eagar If you want more people to follow you on social media, get into the habit of “leaking” exclusive offers or inside information that can’t be found anywhere else. By doing so, you tap into people’s natural curiosity and entice them to stay connected. For instance, if you’re an...
How to Control a Media Interview
By Rob Eagar A good way to gauge your interview prowess is by mastering the ability to steer a conversation to only the topics that you want to discuss. Just because a radio or TV host asks you a question does NOT mean that you must answer it. Sure, it’s polite...
Marketing is About Success Not Perfection
By Rob Eagar Life is about success, not perfection…and so is marketing. Case in point: A few weeks ago, I sent out my weekly newsletter that wound up having a couple of typos in it. Obviously, I didn’t think twice about the issue. But, several people emailed me right away to...
Marketing a Screenplay
If you don’t have an agent, and have no contacts in the business, you can still market your script on your own. Before you try, however, take one preparatory step: Register your script with the Writer’s Guild of America. Registration provides a dated record of the writer’s claim to authorship and...
Logos, Brands, and Does It Really Matter?
By Rob Eagar Logos, brands, taglines, slogans…what’s the difference? Some authors think that having a logo means they have a brand. But, these are separate entities. Your brand is a phrase that communicates the value of your books. You could also call it a tagline or slogan. In contrast, a logo...
Sell Your Book Like Wildfire: The Writer’s Guide to Marketing & Publicity
Learn how to get your book in front of more readers with Sell Your Book Like Wildfire, a guide to marketing and selling your book. Plus, discover effective principles for growing your online community and expanding your author platform.