Goodreads Campaign-fest

What? No, not *that* kind of campaign: a Goodreads advertising campaign!  Advertising on Goodreads is inexpensive and, frankly, fun. It’s so fun that Melissa Bowersock wrote about advertising on Goodreads just yesterday. Looking at all those statistics on my ads makes me happy. You should give it a try. Meanwhile, how about we stir things up with a Goodreads like-fest?

Today you can share your author page and find new friends. For your profile, grab that URL which should look like this: https://www.goodreads.com/KSBrooks and paste it in the comments below.  (Not sure where to find your fancy URL? See the image below and look for the aqua arrow.) goodreads like buttonNow everyone can “Like” your author page.  The “Like” button is found about 1/3 of the way down the page on the same side as the author photo. Clicking on that will show that you like that author’s page on your Facebook wall. There’s also a Google+ button there, so if you have a Google+ account and you’re feeling generous, go ahead and click on that, too. Still not sure where the “like” button is? Click on this thumbnail to enlarge it and look for the magenta arrow.

[Don’t forget, if you right-click the links, you can choose to have them open in a separate tab so you don’t have to worry about navigating back and forth to pages.]

PLEASE be sure to reciprocate by liking those who like you. This is give and take. If everyone plays by the golden rule, we all benefit.

Pinterest Fall Fest!

pinterest horn of plentyGet your Pinterest boards some love – post your link in today’s Pinterest fest!

This is how it works: you don’t have to be an author, publisher, publicist, literary agent, book reviewer, librarian, (or especially a book-lover) – you just have to want to meet other Pinners. In the comments below, paste in the link for your Pinterest Page. Make sure you show some love to the links in the comments above yours, and check back throughout the day to catch up.

If you’re not sure what link to post, just find your profile or bulletin board, then copy and paste the URL. It should look something like this: http://pinterest.com/IndiesUnlimited/ 

This should be fun and should generate a lot of exposure for everyone who plays. Don’t forget to follow ours. Let’s get things moving!

PLEASE be sure to reciprocate by liking those who like you. This is give and take. If everyone plays by the golden rule, we all benefit.

Tutorial: How to Create Image Quotes

regret_tlt_quoteYesterday, we talked about using image quotes as a way to get your book-related text out on image-based sites. Today, we’ll go through a very simple method of creating these quote images.

You can make your own image quotes on programs like GIMP (free download), PhotoShop (a paid program), or even PowerPoint. You just need a program that allows you to add a background color and save your document as a JPEG. (You can even use the techniques in this MS Publisher book cover tutorial.) The process is not particularly difficult, so I’m going to offer some barebones instructions on how to do this on Google Drive, which is free, internet-based software available to anyone with a Gmail account. Continue reading “Tutorial: How to Create Image Quotes”

Authors Can Share Words as Images to Widen Reach

regret_tlt_quoteYou’ve probably seen them. You may even have shared them: an image that contains a really cool quote.

Last month, Jim Devitt told us that images get more interaction than text, so turning text from your novel into an image is a great way to increase reach, while getting out word about your book. Image quotes also allow authors to interact on image-based social media (like Pinterest) with something other than their book covers.

If you think image quotes are something you’d like to try, here is the skinny on what you need to know to make it work. Continue reading “Authors Can Share Words as Images to Widen Reach”