Repost: “Blog Marketing Strategies for Authors – 7 Success Rules”

I’ve been having a lot of fun exploring LinkedIn groups about writing (something I recommend that everyone who reads this blog try). There are literally hundreds of LinkedIn groups for writers. (I’m making a note to do a future post on some of the groups you should look for.)

People who write blogs for writers frequently post links to articles. (We all do it.) My last post was a link to an article on the WOW! blog. Today’s post is about a blog by Judy Cullins on book coaching and a recent post of hers: Blog Marketing Strategies for Authors – 7 Success Rules.

Finding all these blogs is fun, but I’m not going to be able to explore them to the level I’d like until I’m done with the current book. Oh, well, I’ll have more motivation to finish besides getting enough sleep.


Repost: How to sell lots and lots of your books

Speak Without Interruption, a blog worth following, recently had an interesting article about how to sell lots and lots of your books. This article briefly discussed how to use the Internet to sell your books by providing samples on your website and elsewhere.

I wanted to add that this is a major thrust of Amazon’s marketing, where they have the “Look inside this book!” option that lets you thumb your way through the TOC, the index, and a few pages to give you the flavor of what you’re getting. Not every book has this, but I’d wager that a majority of books in print do because it’s a smart way to go.

My upcoming book, being a book for a specific audience (still can’t say at this moment), will have a sample chapter available in PDF format from a number of venues (again, I can’t say specifically yet) that interested readers can download and review. If the book looks like it’s worth it at that point, they can buy it. I’m probably going to peddle it through Amazon, even though they take a 50% bite of the action, simply because it’s worth the exposure.


Repost: “Beware of Writer”

Since I’ve been having far too much fun doing system things, I haven’t been able to write articles for this the last few weeks… nor get back to the current book or do anything else to bring money or fame in. To pick things up for the new year, I’m posting a fun article I just spotted on Chuck Wendig‘s blog, Terrible Minds. Chuck’s blog has been around for about a decade and is something for us literary types. It’s very funny and his regulars usually have something interesting to say, too.

The post in question that caught my eye is “Beware of Writer,” which describes what it’s like being around writers. (There is the occasional bad word that may trigger filters if you’re using them, so be aware before clicking on the link.) This is probably more for fiction writers than non-fiction writers (who tend to be good, decent, kind, and pleasant people), but you may know a non-fiction writer who tends to be crabby. I’m sure my wife can think of someone who fits that description. Here’s the opening for this particular post:

I’ve seen a meme bouncing around that reveals reasons why you shouldn’t ever date a writer. It’s true, to a point. But I think it goes even deeper than that. Frankly, you should probably get the hell away from us. Anybody. Not just the people we date. But everybody. See us in line at the grocery store? Run, don’t walk. Escape. Avoid. Awooga, awooga. On a good day, we’re eccentric troublemakers. On a bad day, we’re malevolent sociopaths. And with writers, it’s usually a bad day.

So. Here’s a little post to clarify why you should stay at least 50 feet away from us at all times, lest we sink our vampire teeth into your body and drain you of all the things that made you pure and good. See, the things that make us good writers?

They make us awful people.

Imagine a sign around our necks:

BEWARE OF WRITER.


The Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation

Baseline Briefing ran an article by Ericka Chickowski on 7 ways to ruin a PowerPoint presentation, who said “PowerPoint is not inherently evil, but it sure feels that way when you are trapped in the audience for a bad presentation.” There was nothing much new in it, but they did have a link to Peter Norvig’s excellent piece, “the Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation,” a good demonstration of how not to do PowerPoints.