Not Enough Homework

HomeworkI get requests every day from authors – usually via email, asking for advice. How do I market my book? What’s an ISBN number? Is it important to have an eBook as well as a print book? My eyes are starting to roll back into my head.

I don’t mind helping and advising and what have you – but people need to do their homework. I’m not going to handhold if someone isn’t willing to put a little effort into it. This world of instant communication on the internet has made it way too easy for people to rifle off an email and let someone else do the work for them. Continue reading “Not Enough Homework”

Tutorial: Make Your Very Own Book Store

K. S. Brooks' Book StorePeople ask me how to sell books from their web site. It’s easy, actually – there’s no stocking, shipping, or coding involved. All it takes is a one-time set-up using the aStore tools provided by Amazon.com. You can embed the store directly into your own web site, or if you don’t have your own web site, you can make the store a stand-alone and send people there. No matter which way you do it, it’s one more venue where you can sell your books – and you make a commission on top of it. Continue reading “Tutorial: Make Your Very Own Book Store”

Anthems for Authors – Lady Writer

A couple of weeks ago, I posted my first “Anthems for Authors” piece. I like songs about writers – a lot. But Lady Writer by Dire Straits is my favorite. That’s probably because Mark Knopfler wrote it for me. That’s right. You heard me. Yes, I have been on television – a few times. I know I made those appearances long after the song was released, but that doesn’t matter. As I said in my last post of this sort, this is one of those times when I exercise my right to replace reality with my version. That’s just how I roll.

So enjoy this video – the lyrics are fantastic and Knopfler’s guitar skills are legendary. And now, Lady Writer by Dire Straits.

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Tuesday Tutorial – Facebook URLs Revisited

Facebook Author PageSince this is still running rampant amongst author pages, I felt it was a good time to re-run this post. One of the most common…flubs, for lack of a better word…that I see is a Facebook author page with a discombobulated URL. I must see at least one or two a day. “Come check out my page!” they’ll say to me, presenting me with a link that looks like http://www.facebook.com/pages/Judy-the-author/260458930631195. Hey, Judy, guess what? No one’s going to remember how to get to your author page with a link like that. Continue reading “Tuesday Tutorial – Facebook URLs Revisited”