Ravelry is a social media platform with 8 million members of the knitting and crochet community. It’s a place for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, felters, and dyers to keep track of their yarn, tools, and patterns, and share ideas and inspiration. Knitting has always been a part of my life. Grandma Swenson knit me Barbie Doll outfits out of fine sock yarn. I learned to crochet from Grandma Kling. During college and graduate school, I knit through most of my lecture classes. My best friend from college, Amy E. Anderson, is a designer whose patterns for sweaters, hats, slippers, mittens, and bags I’ve knit and felted over the years. During several winters in the oughts, I taught knitting classes at the Finger Lakes Fiber Arts yarn shop in Watkins Glen, NY. I’ve taken dyeing classes and been a member of the Black Sheep Fiber Guild. I still spin. It is a form of meditation, a discipline. Craft for many, art for some. For pattern designers who author knitting books, Ravelry is a key platform in their business plan. It’s a quick way to find your target audience. It’s a marketplace of goods and services for the fiber arts and crafts community and free to the user. It’s not a place where you’d expect to find a lot of hate speech. But on Sunday, June 23rd, Ravelry implemented a new policy. “Do Not Post In Support of Trump or his Administration.” They aren’t endorsing Democrats or banning Republicans. The incivility in…
The single most effective marketing method for book sales remains the power of a personal recommendation. It’s advertising you just can’t buy. Hence so much focus on reviews and endorsements for your book. This also explains the current appeal of social media marketing in an author’s marketing toolkit. If your friend on Facebook likes a book, you might too. Pinterest, Instagram, Vine, Tumblr, and Twitter… [Read More]
Filed Under: Constant Contact, email, MailChimp, opt-in, word of mouth recommendations
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From the start of a writing project, an author needs to find a way to organize all of their contact information. Everywhere you go as an author, you will meet people whom you will want to reach when your book is released. It is never too soon to start your database of professional connections. Business cards, slips of paper, cocktail napkins, ripped corners from envelopes,… [Read More]
You created a strong relationship with your local bookstore. You shop there. You know the staff and are familiar with the inventory, programs and events. And now you’ve committed yourself to a public reading of your work-in-progress at your local independent bookstore. How can an author best prepare to make the experience – for the bookstore, for those who attend, and for an author – a… [Read More]
You’ve polished your manuscript. Encouraged by friends and family who read earlier versions, you incorporated their feedback and suggestions into your final draft. Following a style guide, you also checked spelling and grammar. You’ve taken your work to the best of your abilities and are proud of your efforts. Then, you deliver the document to an editor for professional review. And that’s when self-doubt kicks in…. [Read More]