Resources

26 February, 2019

Book Events – Fairs, Festivals, Expos, & Conferences

By |2019-02-26T13:08:33-07:00February 26, 2019|Authors Academy, Resources, Webinars|Comments Off on Book Events – Fairs, Festivals, Expos, & Conferences

Join us tomorrow, February 27th, for our next Authors Academy presentation, “Book Events: Fairs, Festivals, Expos, & Conferences” with Wheatmark’s own Mindy Burnett.

Once again our topic is inspired by the upcoming Tucson Festival of Books, which takes place Saturday and Sunday, March 2nd & 3rd (a week earlier than in past years.)

Here at Wheatmark, we field questions all the time about which events are worth attending and which aren’t — and this is our chance to provide some insight.

Here’s what you’ll discover during this workshop:

  • The different types of book events
  • What the main purpose of each type is
  • Which ones you should attend, and which you can safely skip
  • How to make the most of the events you do attend

Mindy Burnett is helming our booth presence once again at this year’s TFoB, so she’s got some great insight into the opportunities […]

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11 January, 2019

Book Signings and Back-of-the-Room Sales

By |2019-01-14T10:53:43-07:00January 11, 2019|Authors Academy, Marketing, Resources, Webinars|Comments Off on Book Signings and Back-of-the-Room Sales

You may know that here at the Authors Academy, we’re strong advocates of using the Web to build your author platform.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive to build an audience face-to-face, too: either locally, regionally, nationally, or beyond.

The truth is, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of meeting your readers (and gaining new fans) in person!

And, of course — in addition to being a great way to build buzz for your projects — book events can be just plain fun.

Join us next week as we tackle “Book Signings and Back-of-the-Room Sales” with one of our favorite Tucson-based publicists, Lynn Wiese Sneyd.

Lynn Wiese Sneyd coordinates national, regional and local publicity campaigns for authors of non-fiction and fiction books. She’s scheduled author appearances on major television networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS affiliates), Sirius Satellite, syndicated AM/FM radio shows, and internet podcasts.

In addition, she’s worked with […]

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21 August, 2018

Make Your Writing Easier to Follow

By |2018-10-12T09:17:48-07:00August 21, 2018|Publishing, Resources, Writing|Comments Off on Make Your Writing Easier to Follow

Guest post by Barbara McNichol, a nonfiction book editor and creator of WordTrippers Tips, a fun resource for better writing skills. www.BarbaraMcNichol.com & www.WordTrippers.com

 

Whether it’s an email, a marketing message, or a chapter in a book, are you sometimes challenged to make your writing easier for your readers to follow? How can you create a smooth flow that guides them with ease and doesn’t leave the impression it’s tedious to read?

Give these five techniques a try:

Use subheads: When you use subheads throughout your piece, readers can skim your content and quickly discern what’s intended to follow. Even more, subheads indicate a change of subject has occurred. In turn, that subhead allows readers to find the related topic quickly. Your guide: new subject, new subhead.

Convey one idea per paragraph: If you pack a paragraph with more than […]

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29 May, 2015

Is the self-publishing stigma fading?

By |2018-03-29T11:09:22-07:00May 29, 2015|Publishing, Resources, Writing|Comments Off on Is the self-publishing stigma fading?

My colleague Roger forwarded me this article the other day.

It asks the question: “Is the self-publishing stigma fading?”

The author who wrote it notes that he jumped on the indie bandwagon back in 2010—“when the concept of being an indie author was still relatively new.”

That made my colleague Atilla laugh, since he helped launch Wheatmark back in the year 2000—ten years before that!

Anyway, the author’s point is essentially “yes.” The self-publishing stigma is fading… but it may never go away entirely.

I enjoy articles like this, but I’d take the author’s point even one step further: I think indie authors, or self-publishers (or whatever you want to call them), actually have an advantage in today’s market.

Case in point: check out the article at this link, which tracks e-book sales.

(My thanks to Simple Marketing System client Ginny Lieto for bringing this article to my attention!)

This article talks about the disadvantage that […]

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26 January, 2015

Tips for Successful Blogging

By |2018-03-29T11:09:22-07:00January 26, 2015|Marketing, Resources, Social Media|Comments Off on Tips for Successful Blogging

As the marketing specialist for Wheatmark, I have the privilege to work alongside many authors as they take their first steps into the unfamiliar world of blogging and social media. For those individuals with little to no experience in this area, this step toward marketing themselves can feel rather daunting and unattainable. This feeling, however, is not unordinary. Maintaining a blog and staying committed to promoting your brand takes a great deal of effort, but having a persistent attitude and an openness to learning will allow you to be more successful in the long run.

I recently stumbled across an article with a list of valuable tips to help you become a successful blogger. Out of the 19 tips provided, here are five that I believe are the most useful:

1. Make sure you have an About page that represents who you are and what you do.
Who you are is entirely unique, […]

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15 December, 2014

My Book Got Optioned. Here’s What Happened.

By |2018-03-29T11:09:23-07:00December 15, 2014|Authors Academy, Marketing, Resources|Comments Off on My Book Got Optioned. Here’s What Happened.

I came across this article in The Chronicle of Higher Education and thought I’d forward it on to you.

As many of you know, I was a screen-writer in my former life, so I can really relate to this piece.

I was working in the indie world, and, since we’d arranged our own financing, my first professional writing gig was made into a finished film.

We sold it to a number of foreign TV markets, and landed several domestic DVD deals.

Yes, this was a “straight-to-video” project—domestically, at least.

But at least we got it made, and then got it out there.

To get a film or TV project made, you need to have three ingredients:

1. Material to develop
2. Access to distribution
3. Financing (money)

In my case, we had all three. But if you’ve written a book, you’ve got number one above covered, too.

That means all you need is numbers two and three, and you’re good […]

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17 June, 2014

An Amazing Resource: FriendsPlus.Me

By |2016-07-27T15:02:58-07:00June 17, 2014|Resources|Comments Off on An Amazing Resource: FriendsPlus.Me

Recently, we’ve been emphasizing Google+ and its versatility. Here’s another reason to start using Google+ immediately.

FriendsPlus.Me allows you to post an update or picture on Google+ and automatically have that post appear on your other social media accounts. Go to http://friendsplus.me and connect your Google+ account. Then, choose which social media sites—Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Tumblr—you’d like to repost to. You can also select whether you’d like your Google+ posts to be immediately reposted on other sites or schedule a specific date and time. You could even pick a time of day when there will be more traffic on a social media site and increase your engagement with followers. Posting a picture? No problem. FriendsPlus.Me will include the picture at an optimal size when it gets reposted on Facebook or Twitter.

The main goal in using FriendsPlus.Me is to start interacting regularly on Google+, instead of spending all of your […]

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2 May, 2014

15 ways to market your book for less than a dollar

By |2018-03-29T11:09:27-07:00May 2, 2014|Marketing, Resources, Social Media|Comments Off on 15 ways to market your book for less than a dollar

What’s stopping you from selling more books?

In most cases, it’s not money.

Authors tend to think that only if they had more advertising dollars they could turn their book into a bestseller. The truth is it’s more often an author’s mindset than an author’s checkbook that gets those books rolling out the door.

Spend your money on making your book the best it can possibly be. This includes a great cover, powerful editing and revising, tweaking, rewriting, editing, and revising again and then, when your book is perfect from the opening page to the end, you can use the following simple ways to get your book into the hands of avid readers.

1. Create an email signature and use it for every email you send out. Simple emails are often overlooked when it comes to book marketing, but personal notes actually have more influence than you think. When you include a simple link […]

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29 April, 2014

7 author marketing tips for books that appeal to women

By |2018-03-29T11:09:28-07:00April 29, 2014|Marketing, Resources|Comments Off on 7 author marketing tips for books that appeal to women

There are as many ways to sell a book as there are people who write them. The one thing that is common among all book selling approaches is that you match the right book with the right buyer.

If your book is written typically for a female reader it makes sense to direct your book selling efforts to the places that women tend to congregate. The following seven tips are perfect for locating new readers for books written for women.

1. Women’s magazines. As a writer, try to get an article published in a women’s magazine. While it may be difficult to get accepted in the beginning by the top magazines in this field (Better Homes & Gardens, Good Housekeeping and Woman’s Day), it is still well worth your time to get published in smaller outlets that reach out to women. Work your way up by starting with magazines that have smaller […]

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3 March, 2014

Why authors should use Google Hangouts on Air

By |2018-03-29T11:09:28-07:00March 3, 2014|Marketing, Resources, Social Media|Comments Off on Why authors should use Google Hangouts on Air

Google Hangouts on Air is a type of video call that operates like your own private television broadcast talk show. You can have up to ten people participating on the call with as many as 5,000 live viewers submitting questions via text chat. Once the show is completed an automatic YouTube video is published.

For authors, this can be a great way to build up weekly or monthly content as well as deepen connections with your target audience. A recent article on Forbes reported that the reach of video “over white papers, case studies, even live demos with reps” was significantly higher in how audiences choose to absorb new content.

Getting Started

To get started doing your own Google hangout on air, you will need to pick a topic that offers valuable content to your target audience. Offer a tutorial on a subject such as photography, business, cooking or create an […]

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