Archive by Author

A New Program: Kindle MatchBook

Amazon.comAmazon.com has created a new purchasing program called Kindle MatchBook. You can purchase the Kindle version of qualifying books that you purchased from Amazon.com in print.  You’ll pay between 0 and $2.99 for the matching Kindle versions.  Going forward you can buy the print book along with the Kindle version for $2.99 or less.  This means that authors make more money when Amazon.com promotes the bundle.  As an author with a book in print you have to enable your participation in the program.  For more information visit Amazon.com.

Continue Reading Comments Off on A New Program: Kindle MatchBook

Holiday Crunch Time! How to Sell More Books Before Christmas

virtual book tour

geralt / Pixabay

It’s true that the winter holiday season is almost upon us but it’s not too late to sell more books.  Penny C. Sansevieri of Author and CEO, Marketing Experts, Inc. says in the article “Holiday Crunch Time! How to Sell More Books Before Christmas” that booksellers who are late to the party can still sell books during the holiday particularly if they are autographed.  She provides us with seven places to sell these books.  To get some insight into selling more books during the holidays click here.

Continue Reading Comments Off on Holiday Crunch Time! How to Sell More Books Before Christmas

Let’s Get Visible: How To Get Noticed And Sell More Books (Let’s Get Publishing)

Joanna Penn has a guest on Jane Friendman’s blog about selling more books by optimizing your metadata.   Metadata is information like categories and keywords on a book sales site.  Jane recommends the book “Let’s Get Visible” by David Gaughran.  The description on the book page of Amazon.com says:

“Take your sales to the next level! The author of the award-winning, bestselling Let’s Get Digital is back with an advanced guide for more experienced self-publishers.

There are over 1.5 million books in the Kindle Store, with thousands more added every day. How do you get yours noticed? Visibility isn’t a challenge that can be bested once – it requires continual work. But there are tools and strategies to do much of the heavy lifting for you.

In Let’s Get Visible: How To Get Noticed And Sell More Books, you’ll discover how to:

  • Leverage Amazon’s famous recommendation engine to take advantage of the various opportunities it provides for exposure
  • Position your books for discoverability on other sales venues
  • Minimize the time you spend promoting so you have more time to spend writing
  • Promote in a cost-effective way that actually works
By using these tips, you will get your book noticed. And getting noticed is the key to growing your sales.”
Click the book picture to sell more books!
Continue Reading Comments Off on Let’s Get Visible: How To Get Noticed And Sell More Books (Let’s Get Publishing)

Have You Seen The Biblio-Mat?

PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay

PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay

The Monkey’s Paw bookstore has created and is using a machine that dispenses old books.  The Biblio-Mat is a coin-operated machine that allows readers to pay  with a $2 coin and receive a randomly selected book.  The Biblio-Mat was designed and constructed for the Monkey’s Paw by animator Craig Small.

This fun machine vibrates and make noises after being fed a coin.  When the book is delivered the buyer hears the ring of an old telephone bell.  What we want to know is how can our bookstores get their own copy of the Biblio-Mat?  Can you think of a way to use this fun idea to market your books?

Continue Reading Comments Off on Have You Seen The Biblio-Mat?

Book Marketing Checklist

marketing

OpenClips / Pixabay

Courtesy of Indie Author Counsel we have a free book marketing checklist.  Six pages long this handout includes building your expert author platform, find friends and readers with social networking, garner book reviews, take a virtual book tour, utilize Amazon’s selling tools, get the word out with free publicity and up your visibility with advertising.  Download this book marketing deliciousness right now!

Continue Reading Comments Off on Book Marketing Checklist

Jargon Buster from Oxford Dictionaires

jargon

OpenClips / Pixabay

Does proper grammar give you a headache?  Do you throw your pen down when frustrated with thinking of the perfect word?  If you answered yes then you need to Jargon Buster from Oxford Dictionaries.

This quick reference list is alphabetized and includes nouns, verbs, adjectives, articles, forms of verbs/moods, sentences, clauses, speech, other parts of speech and dictionaries.

If you are a frustrated writer this list is perfect for you!

Continue Reading Comments Off on Jargon Buster from Oxford Dictionaires

Social Media For Authors

social media

OpenClips / Pixabay

Authority Publishing has published a great article about social media by Stephanie Chandler.  Chandler points out exactly what we’ve been saying all along… social media isn’t the cure all for your marketing woes.  She says “Recently I was talking about social media with a friend, who happens to be an executive for one of the largest PR firms in the country. He said, “Social media is not transactional. We tell our clients not to expect social media to be about generating sales. It’s about so much more.” I couldn’t agree more, yet I speak with authors frequently who want social media to be the solution to their marketing woes.”  Read the full article to learn more.

Continue Reading Comments Off on Social Media For Authors

Day One by Amazon.com

Amazon.comOn October 30, 2013 Amazon.com announced that it would begin offering a digital literary journal weekly.  Their plan is to publish fiction-including work from debut authors and stories from around the world translated into English-and poetry. Day One will showcase one writer and one poet per week.  Day One will be priced at $19.99 a year and publish direct to Kindle or the Kindle app.  You can learn more about this brand new literary effort by Amazon here.

Continue Reading Comments Off on Day One by Amazon.com

Outwit Writer’s Block

OpenClips / Pixabay

Are you sitting and staring at a blank notebook on your desk?  It’s a common problem among writers.  You’ll find lots of advice on how to outwit the dreaded writer’s block but here’s an idea that may be new to you.  Instead of starting at the beginning of your book start at the end.  Pretend your book is in your publisher’s hand and they are asking you to write the book jacket copy.  You’ll need to write something concise and intriguing to get readers to buy your book.  You might want to do some research first by reading the jacket copy of books in your genre.  Don’t agonize over this exercise… it’s meant only to stimulate you to write a brief outline of your plot.  Once you have this done go back to that blank notebook and use this copy to outline your book.  You’ll find it much easier to get started in outwiting writer’s block.

Continue Reading Comments Off on Outwit Writer’s Block

A Fabulous Book Quote by Neil Gaiman

book marketing

book marketing“People talk about books that write themselves, and it’s a lie. Books don’t write themselves. It takes thought and research and backache and notes and more time and more work than you’d believe.”
Neil Gaiman, Smoke and Mirrors

Continue Reading Comments Off on A Fabulous Book Quote by Neil Gaiman