Twitter for Authors: Social Media Strategies
by,
March 24, 2012

Happy 6th Birthday to Twitter. The social media platform based on messages of 140 characters is growing up and it’s time to take it seriously, authors. As a recovering academic who studied communications history, I’ve spent decades observing how new communication technologies come and go. Remember 8-track tapes? Beta-video? Reel-to-reel and cassette tapes? Anyone remember the TV show “Car 54 Where Are You?”? Twitter is… [Read More]

Technology meltdowns: Strategies for surviving social media
by,
March 20, 2012

Yes, it is Tuesday. Yes, I am late in posting this blog. Yes, I owe my sanity to the digital divas I work with at Swenson Book Development, LLC. Like many authors, I just want to write. When things go awry, I want to cry. In the last 10 days, the email server went down, my webhost crashed its system, my company email account popped… [Read More]

I’ll take the road well-traveled: when innovation is inconvenient
by,
March 17, 2012

When I use technology, I can’t help but think of this driver’s refrain, passed on to me by a former (slightly suspect) driver’s ed instructor: if you aren’t sure where you’re going, it’s best to travel on the road you know. It sounds dull and silly, but sometimes the shortcut gets you lost, takes longer, or causes an unnecessary headache. Take the road well-traveled if… [Read More]

Social Media are marketing research tools for authors
by,
February 25, 2012

Too often I hear an author say their social media efforts will come after the book is out. Too late. Authors, especially if they are working on their first book, need an audience platform built before they can interest an agent or an acquisition editor in their book concept. If you are a talk show host, national sports figure, political candidate, or star on stage or… [Read More]

Why all the interest in Pinterest?
by,
February 17, 2012

What’s the buzz about? It’s just another social network and another way to waste time on the Internet, right? Not quite. A few weeks ago, GalleyCat shared a post on how writers can use Pinterest. Then they followed up last week by collecting several fun reader-themed boards, proving the speed of the network’s growth as publishers like Vintage Scholastic and Chronicle Books hop on board and… [Read More]

Developing a Marketing Strategy for your book proposal
by,
February 11, 2012

If you have a have a nonfiction book project or a completed fiction manuscript and you want to publish it traditionally, you need a book proposal. To get a publisher’s interest, you need to provide information about your book, your audience, and yourself. Though introduced by a query letter, the book proposal explains the nuts and bolts of your book: number of chapters and their… [Read More]

How-To Use Social Media Workshop for Authors
by,
January 28, 2012

 Are you an author who wants to learn how to use social media tools? Are you looking for some time-saving tricks and tools to help you write and promote your book? Are you overwhelmed and don’t know where to start… or even which questions to ask? This is a 90 minute workshop for authors and writers who want to learn how to: Use track changes… [Read More]

Why authors use social media
by,
January 21, 2012

Too often I hear writers say they don’t see the point of social media, while others say they will use it after they’ve written their book. It’s a common refrain: writers just want to write. Many writers shy away from social media because they think it is nothing more than hype and sales. These are the same people who use Google search engines, rely on online… [Read More]

Workshop: Social Media Strategies for Authors
by,
January 17, 2012

Literary agents agree. Editors at Big Six publishing houses agree. Bestselling authors agree. If you want to publish a book, you need to use social media. But what is social media? How can YOU use it to sell your book-in-progress?  Why have a blog, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn? How will you write your book if you are always online? And who really cares about social… [Read More]

Social Media for Authors: What is a blogroll?
by,
January 14, 2012

In WordPress, the Blogroll is a widget that appears in a side column on your blog page. How does a blogroll work? It provides a list of links to blogs (or other websites) you think your readers might be interested in. A blogroll is your personal endorsement of websites – the places you recommend someone visit for related content. To add a blogroll to your… [Read More]