New strategy for authors to use Facebook cost effectively
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November 17, 2012

You’ve been told that as an author you can’t afford to ignore Facebook with its 3 million followers. So you created a Page and worked hard to gain those “Likes” with compelling content.  You stopped complaining that you had to do double duty with both a personal profile and an Author Page to maintain. You even accepted the changes with the new timeline without much… [Read More]

What an agent and publisher need to know about you, the author
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July 28, 2012

Authors may be surprised to learn that before an agent or publisher reads a word of their manuscript, they make judgments based on the query letter or proposal. They read your materials to assess the potential for successful publication based on the information they gather about the book, about the audience, and yes, about the author. In the last two posts, I focused on questions… [Read More]

How to Have Marvelous (or Monstrous) Facebook Etiquette
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June 26, 2012

Facebook, for better or worse, has become quite the meeting hall of 2012.  It’s where we commune electronically to discuss the days’ news, to check out our friends’ latest photos, and, as an author, promote our blogs and books. Self-promotion has always been a bit of a tight-rope walk – you have work you believe in that you want to show the world!… but you… [Read More]

Tricks of the trade: Free website goodies for writers
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June 23, 2012

When you are building your author website from the ground up and trying to keep expenses low, it helps to have a friend who knows a thing or two about website design and development. You know, that friend you have that helps you out in a pinch and who can show you the ropes? Who asks only for your friendship – and maybe a free… [Read More]

What’s an author to blog about? Keyword strategy in social media marketing
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June 2, 2012

If you are writer who seeks publication you probably know you need to blog. You’ve heard it’s necessary to build an audience platform. So you know WHY to blog. But HOW do you blog so you get found online? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a subject duller than watching paint dry for most authors. It doesn’t have to be. And it can’t be if you… [Read More]

Smart tools for smart bloggers: writers who self-promote to reach readers
by,
May 19, 2012

If you are a writer with a book project, book proposal or complete manuscript, you absolutely must have a website. Why? Publishers and readers demand it. The world must be able to find you on Google. Writers need a professional online presence, beyond the personal Facebook profile and e-mail account. If you are going to publish, you need to have a public persona. Not the… [Read More]

It’s Time to Data Mine – Installing Google Analytics
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May 12, 2012

Much of the labor of creating a snappy and engaging blog is visible to the outside world – your carefully crafted content, your punctual updates, your original style and creative voice… But under all of that outward cultivation lies a rushing river of information, a spring of data that you need to tap.  Who is visiting your site? How long are they staying? How did they get… [Read More]

2 Easy & Free Ways to make your Author Website Mobile-Friendly
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May 5, 2012

Whether you check the news on your smartphone first thing in the morning or you’d rather read the phone book than attend to anything on such a tiny screen, there’s one thing you’ve got to keep in mind – potential readers are looking at your site on mobile even if you’re not.  In the same way that your website needs to be accessible to many… [Read More]

Social Media Metrics: What do they mean for authors?
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April 28, 2012

If you are an author who seeks an agent or publisher, you know that it is important to have an audience platform. What’s an audience platform? Historically we think of the soapbox a speaker stood upon at a busy intersection of streets hawking one’s ideas or wares. Print advertisers have long based their rates on the size of their circulation, or the “reach” of the… [Read More]

Something for Nothing: Snagging Free Stock Images
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April 14, 2012

Even the most poignant blog post is virtually unreadable without a little visual appeal. On one hand, text matters most because content is KING of SEO. However, the queen in this strategic game toward publishing flanks the important part of your content – key words, headings, and links generate your SEO. Your ideas are what will make people keep coming back and your visitors come… [Read More]