Pre-order. You might be surprised to learn that pre-ordering a book is critical to the launch of a book. Publishers may make decisions about how much marketing support to provide a new release based on the volume of pre-orders. Some even determine the size of a first print run using those numbers. If a book has strong pre-order sales, reviewers are more likely to review it, the media is more likely to hype it up, and retailers are more likely to carry it in stock and give it premium placement. If you know an author has a book coming out, please pre-order it. Write a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. It doesn’t need to be very long or a deep literary analysis. The number of reviews a book receives affects the algorithms for getting found online. If you don’t like the book, don’t leave a review. As my mother used to say, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Spread the word. Let your friends and family know how much you enjoyed a book. Share this on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or wherever you do social media. Take a book-selfie. Post a picture of the book, your cat lying across the couch with a paw on the cover, you falling asleep on the couch with the book. Follow. Many authors have Facebook Pages you can like and follow. On Twitter, many authors have accounts and you can follow them and retweet to amplify their voices. Follow authors on…
Not every book gets a starred review from Kirkus. Whether it’s a review from a literary critic or the crank on Amazon, negative reviews hurt. They hurt a lot more than you’d think and in ways you can’t always imagine. But how do you react to the pain inflicted from a negative assessment of your book? What do you do with your feelings? It’s increasingly… [Read More]
Filed Under: Amazon, catfish, donot respond, GoodReads, negative reviews, trolls
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Larry Scheckel’s I Always Wondered About That will be published by Tumblehome Learning in Fall 2017. This new book has 101 scientific answers to questions you ponder while driving, mowing the lawn, or watching a beautiful sunset. Jill Swenson: When did you first become excited about science? Larry Scheckel: We did not have a television set when I was a kid on the farm in… [Read More]
It’s January and the time of year when you need to prepare your taxes or gather the information together to take it to a tax professional. Before January 31 you are required to file 1099-MISC forms for income you paid to independent contractors during the last year. If you paid more than $600 to an individual or a contractor for professional services related to the… [Read More]
The Authors Guild is the nation’s oldest and largest professional organization for writers in the United States, aiding and protecting authors’ interests in copyright, fair contracts, and free expression since 1912. It supports working writers, advocates for author rights, and provides a community for its members. Until recently you needed to be a published author before you met eligibility requirements for membership. This past year the Authors… [Read More]
It’s no secret, I like history. It offers us lessons about the future. You won’t be surprised then to hear this past year I’ve read a lot of books about the years in Europe leading up to WWII. From Richard Halliburton’s world adventures as a swashbuckling celebrity travel writer in American Daredevil by Cathryn Prince to the international search for the incredible artwork of Moshe… [Read More]