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”

Push-Pull Between Old and New Writing Projects

push pull of writing and book marketing puppy-837998_960_720The last few months have been particularly productive for me. I finished one book in November after five months of steady writing. As I always do, I sent it out to beta-readers and otherwise put it aside for a cooling-off period. I did not re-read it or think about it, but gave myself permission to catch up on other things until I heard back from my beta-readers. Suddenly in December, however, I got an idea for a new book, and before I knew it I was pounding away at that. The new book wasn’t anything I’d planned; it just hit me like a tidal wave until I agreed to get the flow down on paper.

Then the feedback for the other book started coming in and I needed to make edits. Then I remembered I had a book signing already set for the near future, and I promised I’d have the latest book ready for that. Suddenly I was being pulled off the WIP in order to finish up the last book, and it was a real struggle. I had to get the last book finished and published so I could order books for the signing. But I really wanted to just submerge myself in the new WIP. Waugh!

Of course for us indies, this is the constant dilemma. Continue reading “Push-Pull Between Old and New Writing Projects”

Free Author and Book Promotions on Indies Unlimited

book promotion at Indies Unlimited bargain-484372_960_720Indies Unlimited is one of the only (if not THE only) place where indie authors can promote themselves and their books for free. That’s really the heart and soul of IU; helping each other without trying to make money off our friends and colleagues. And the really good news is that there are lots of ways to take advantage of these opportunities. We’re going to break those down for you here. Continue reading “Free Author and Book Promotions on Indies Unlimited”

Knowing What Your Readers Don’t Know

Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett BrowningI’m lucky in that I’ve got a wonderful pool of friends, fans, writers, and readers with whom I can bounce off the latest ideas for my most recent book. I can either post in secret groups to get a wide-ranging opinion on a book cover idea or a blurb draft, or I can elicit specific feedback from a select few, depending on my need. And why do I do that?

Because they keep me grounded. They keep me straight. And they tell me when I’m out to sea.

We all know we writers live in our heads. We get a great idea, we set it down, and — from our perspective — it’s a good story. Only problem is, our perspective is not always the one through which a reader reads our story. Continue reading “Knowing What Your Readers Don’t Know”