They say every author should have an “elevator pitch” ready. The theory is that you run into your dream agent or publisher, or your all-time favorite author, on an elevator. You have just as much time as it takes to get to the lobby to pitch your book. What do you say? How do you summarize in a few sentences the passion you’ve poured into your book over many years? Although the elevator scenario is not very likely, it’s a … Read More »

  When I was writing my first book, a romance with suspenseful elements, I was shocked when my beta readers told me what I’d actually written was an inspirational romance. By having my characters pray, lean on their faith, and talk with God, I was writing “inspirational”? I asked myself, “Don’t most people do that? Doesn’t everyone pray for the sick and cry out to God when in anguish? That’s normal, right?” So how did my book fall into a … Read More »

There are a hundred and one different sites on the web where authors can give away an ebook. They can use services like InstaFreebie, forums like MobileRead, or blogging platforms like BookLikes. I was just revising a list post on this topic when I was reminded of one option that almost never makes this type of list. Their own website. An author’s website is both the most common place for an author to give away an ebook and the most … Read More »

Online events are more popular than ever before. Whether it is a book launch, live reading, writing workshop, or even an entire conference, marketing is essential for maximizing your audience, and thus maximizing your success. So how do you get people to come to your event, and even better, spend money there? Here are five tried-and-true marketing strategies that will help make your event a big win. Strategy One: Identify Your Audience This may sound basic, but you’d be surprised … Read More »

I didn’t even know I was supposed to have a media kit, or press kit, or whatever you want to call it. Did you? Do you even know what one is? I had heard of these things before, but I never really gave them much thought. Until now. In doing research for a new book release, I discovered that I should not just create a media kit for the release, but it should also be a crucial marketing tool. This … Read More »

Publishing a book can get quite expensive. A good cover designer can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, and the editorial costs alone can set you back even more. While there are many important expenses, there are also many ways to spend money and get nothing useful back. For example, take the Bowker SAN. This costs $150, and is basically a way for you to list your physical address in a Bowker database – something you can do with your … Read More »