Back in high school, I aced my writing class…and balanced it by failing art class. Years later, when wielding a pencil, I’m still at the “stick figure” level, but fortunately, the advent of technology makes beautiful art somewhat attainable. More importantly, as published authors, it’s sometimes necessary to develop marketing materials or even book covers. I’d like to share three of my favorite (and FREE) art programs with you. We’ll start with one of the most accessible: MICROSOFT POWERPOINT Say … Read More »

I’ve participated as a vendor in three book fairs; two of them were large multi-day fairs–the Miami Book Fair International and MegaCon (Orlando). The Florida Writers Association is getting into the game with a multi-genre book signing in May 2016. If you’re one of the authors, or if you’ve ever wondered whether to take part in a book signing or a book fair, here’s a handy list of what you might need. What the organizers usually provide: Table (be sure … Read More »

While the popularity of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and others continues to wax and wane (remember MySpace?), email remains a popular online activity. Therefore, email should be a key component of your marketing plan. In a previous post, I wrote that your author website should help you build a mailing list because you have more control over your outreach to followers via email than you do in social media. In another, I encouraged you to strategize for “top of the mind awareness” … Read More »

There’s something magic in cracking the cover on a brand new book—for you Kindle folks make that tapping a finger. Books become our best friends, trusted advisors, time machines and tickets to better places and times. Some of us are so in love with the whole book thing that we actually want to write one. Or, a few. Or, a few hundred. Enter the Florida Writers Conference. For a few days in October, we book lovers and would-be writers get to “crack the … Read More »

Ever wonder why when some people comment on blog posts or in forums, their photo appears alongside their comment? It’s because the have a Gravatar—a Globally Recognized Avatar. We employ Gravatars here on the Florida Writers Association website, both for commenters and for blog post authors.  Many website commenting systems do, including WordPress which accounts for more than 37.6 million websites worldwide. Using the same profile photo across all social media platforms and for commenting on blogs is an easy way … Read More »

(Negative Content Alert… Read to the end for a positive outcome.) Books are still being discovered (and bought) in bookstores. I have never met an author who didn’t want to have their published work on the shelves of a bookstore. So, authors have books, bookstores sell books…what could be a better match? Here comes the rub: most local authors alienate bookstores, which hurts their efforts and … book sales. Today all authors are on the frontline of their promotional efforts, both online and … Read More »