2016 Social Media Platform Cheat Sheets

social media cheat sheets social-1148035_960_720The need to keep your social media presence accurate and viewable is increasing every year. Optimizing your profile pictures and sharing the best quality layouts goes a long way to representing you and your brand.

Social media platforms are constantly evolving. It’s difficult to keep up with all the changes to profile pictures, timeline rules, and Tweet specs. A few weeks back, we received a request for updated cheat sheets for the major platforms. We haven’t compiled this information since 2013 and a lot has changed since then.

So, here you are … the 2016 updated Social Media Platform Cheat Sheets for image size and general rules. Today we are focusing on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Each downloadable cheat sheet (just right click and hit “save image as”) gives you an overview of the best image sizes for each social network. Continue reading “2016 Social Media Platform Cheat Sheets”

Kindle Unlimited Hump Day – Free February eBooks

Kindle Unlimited Hump Day 1Hey authors – are you enrolled in KDP Select? Then this is for you. Hey readers – do you have a Kindle Unlimited membership? Then this is for you, too! Scroll on down – you can get all these books for FREE. Not sure what Kindle Unlimited is? Our Lynne Cantwell tells you right here. So… Continue reading “Kindle Unlimited Hump Day – Free February eBooks”

After the Book Release: An Author To-Do List

book launch rocket-launch-67641_640So you’ve completed your magnum opus and you’ve just released it out into the world. Time to sit back and enjoy the rave reviews and rich royalties that come rolling your way? No, not quite. You still have some work to do. As a matter of fact, with the reach of the Internet and so many social media forums, there are a zillion things that you could do, should do, can do, to include the new book in your online presence and to get the word out. After all, you want to ride that wave before the 30-day cliff hits!

Having a check list is a good idea, because it would be easy to overlook those areas where you don’t check in frequently or spend a lot of time. How many times have you stumbled over an old bio tucked away somewhere, and it doesn’t have your last three books? Your profiles are already out there; don’t waste the opportunity to tout the new book.

Update Your Online Presence Continue reading “After the Book Release: An Author To-Do List”

Authors: Do You Have A Business Plan?

business plan for authors business-idea-831053_960_720One of the hardest things about being an indie author is learning the business side of writing. You can be the best writer in the world, but if you can’t figure out a way to sell books and maintain those sales, then it’s going to be really hard to turn your talent into a career.

I’ve been published for just over four years now. I have over twenty books under my belt and I still have so much to learn. Over the past few months, I’ve set aside some time to really get my head around the business side of writing. I’ve somehow managed to wing it this far, but 2015 was a rough year for sales and I need to up my game.

So, this month, I decided to take the time to write up a proper business plan. I have found the task challenging, but also insightful. I hope it will keep me on track as I attempt to make 2016 my best year yet. Continue reading “Authors: Do You Have A Business Plan?”