Category: Tutorials

How-to articles for writers.

Tutorial: Kindle for PC

Not everyone in the world has a Kindle device. Shocking, but true. So how are these sad and deprived people supposed to download your super special discounted promo ebook? Free Kindle Reading Apps. Yes, FREE! No strings attached. I can vouch for Kindle for PC because I have it on my computer, but there are also versions for Mac, tablets, and smartphones. You don’t even have to know what an “app” is to use it.

Every Kindle book page has a teeny tiny link that reads “Available on your PC” or “Available on your Mac” and links to a download page. It takes 2 steps: Click download. Click run. The rest of the installation happens automatically and puts an icon right on your desktop. Continue reading “Tutorial: Kindle for PC”

Tutorial: Smashwords Series Manager

Your series name will automatically be displayed with each book!

Just this past weekend, Smashwords notified its authors of a handy new tool: Smashwords Series Manager. They claim it will “improve series discovery” and they could be right. They explain about the new tool at this link.

At first I was skeptical. Then, I thought about it. There have been many times I wanted to send people to JUST my Mr. Pish educational books on Amazon.com. But I can’t. I can always do a search under “Mr. Pish,” but that doesn’t bring up only his books. So, if this gave me the capability to do that, it would, in fact, be good. Turns out, it’s very good, and I have to say, this is another advantage Smashwords has over Amazon (the other being free and discount coupons for books).

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial to show you how easy it is to link your series books together with the Smashwords Series Manager.

Continue reading “Tutorial: Smashwords Series Manager”

Creating a Lens with Squidoo

What is Squidoo? Make sure to read my article “Introduction to Squidoo” to find out more.

Well, I initially thought it was similar to Pinterest but instead of creating pages you create “Lenses”. I was wrong. Squidoo is a free online tool that allows anyone to create a web page called a “Lens” on any topic in which they would consider themselves an expert. It is perfect if you don’t already have a blog or a website, and if you have those, it is terrific for driving traffic to it.

Squidoo wants you to be professional, creative and produce beautiful lenses that can be admired by all. Go to www.squidoo.com where you can join by logging in with your Facebook or Twitter accounts. Agree to the applications being used by Squidoo. Well done! You are now able to create a lens. Once you have logged on, you can play about with your profile and settings (photo, biography, etc.), or just begin creating a lens. Continue reading “Creating a Lens with Squidoo”

Facebook Ads Tutorial

Guest tutorial
by Nickie Storey Bailey

You may love or hate Facebook, but even with all the migraines caused by their constant changes, the company is one of the most popular social networking websites and that means many readers to possibly connect with.

I use Facebook ads at least three times a year. They are excellent for drawing attention to your author page or a particular URL/website. Do you have a book on sale or marked as free on Amazon? You can use Facebook ads to let thousands of people know about it. Are you hosting an event or book launch? Facebook ads can get the word out for you. The last time I created a Facebook ad, I got over 800 new ‘likes’ on my author page in five days.

There are several ways to use Facebook ads. In this tutorial, I am going to show you how to create an ad to get more ‘likes’ for your author page. The first thing to do is look on your Facebook page for a tab labeled Create an Ad. As I use these ads frequently, the tab is readily available in several places on my page. I do know it can be found at the bottom of your page and sometimes in the left-side bar where your Favorites, Pages, Groups, etc. are located. Continue reading “Facebook Ads Tutorial”