Nick Thacker's Blog, page 12

Only $500? Here’s How I’d Do It… (SPA #2)

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Self-Publishing Answers Series: How to Find Target Readers for Your Book (SPA #1)Only $500? Here's How I'd Do It... (SPA #2)

An anonymous reader writes in:

Hi Nick,

If you had $500 and could only go with Amazon/Amazon KDP, Smashwords, Bookbaby or Lulu which would you choose and why. (And yes the money includes prof. edits and cover art, interior formatting). Thanks for this.

Wow.$500? To produce anentire, full-length book? GREAT question.

Most of us are DIY-ers who a...

Do Writers Really Have to Learn All That (Yucky) Grammar?

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In a word, yes. In two words: absolutely yes.

I hear groans. I hear protests. You hated English Comp in school? Old, crotchety Mrs. Snigglegrass made you dissect sentences and name the parts of speech? You got a what as your final grade?

I feel your pain. Who ever makes grammar fun and easy? Learning grammar, to some people, is as much fun as getting a tooth pulled. Or having to memorize the multiplication tables or the capitals of all the countries in the world (...

How to Find Target Readers for Your Book (SPA #1)

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Self-Publishing Answers Series: How to Find Target Readers for Your Book (SPA #1)

One of the things I often talk about here is the amount of emails I get regarding marketing, self-publishing, and general writing questions. I’ve tried to respond to each and every email I’ve ever received, and I’ve done my best.

But it occurred to me that these questions (and maybe my answers) might be able to help someone else out there.

So I’m starting a new series I’m calling “Sel...

Marketing Your Self-Published Book: Amazon KDP Select & BookBub Advertising

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Does BookBub advertising for self-published books really work?

Todd Gilbert of Who Knows Publishingemailed me awhile ago asking some very good questions about my last book promotion in 2013. I’ve run a few tests, using BookBub advertising, and doing promotions without BookBub advertising at all, and I asked if I could share the questions here, answering them as I go:

How many days was your book offered for free on Amazon?
How many digital downloads were there for y...

Write Fast: How to Keep your Fingers Flying Over the Keyboard

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For many writers, time is money. If you aren’t writing, you aren’t earning. Therefore, the faster you write, and the more you can get accomplished, the fatter your paycheck will be!

However, writing fast is about more than just money. It is about a sense of accomplishment. It is about meeting your readers’ needs. It is about expressing your true thoughts and ideas. And the pressure of all that can sometimes be too much to bear.

If you want to write fast, there are...

“Next Thing” Disease: How to Kill Your Productivity

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I have a made up disease, one I like to call “Next Thing” disease.

It’s pretty simple — I can’t focus on what’s in front of me. Instead, I’m searching, longing, and working for what’s “next.”

I’ve had the disease my entire life, but I’m only coming to terms with it now. When I was in grade school, I was tired of grade school, and couldn’t wait for what was next (college).

When I was in college, I couldn’t take university life anymore — I wanted to start a business....

The Blogging Writer: 2014 Productivity Planner – Now Available!

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It’s not a secret — 2014′s right around the corner.

Like tomorrow.

Are you ready for it? I’ve been busy relaxing, playing video games, reading, and basically doing everything I can non-work-related.

It’s been fun, but it’s time to get back to work!

I’m excited for what 2014 might bring. I’m planning a major guest-posting campaign, the release of my next fiction project, and some other goodies I’m not ready to talk about yet. But if you’ve been reading my blog for a...

Ever Heard of StoryBundle.com?

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Needing some ideas for a Christmas/New Year book promo? Check out StoryBundle.com.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jason Chen, from StoryBundle.com, recently after I discovered the site during a marketing campaign forThe Golden Crystal.

Check out StoryBundle.com, and if you’re a writer, check out the submission guidelines here.

Jason, tell us a little about yourself — where are you located, and how did you get into something like StoryBundle?

I’m located in the...

How to Jumpstart a Good Writing Career for Beginners

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They say that there’s no much career and money in writing. Any novice would be discouraged to hear that. Being in the writing industry is a tough choice. It is like knowing and doing all the effective strategies to be recognized.

The most difficult part of being a writer is starting out. Beginners may be facing different challenges but it is not impossible to get the success they dream of.

Making a name as a writer even when just starting is recommended. This is a...

Take the Quiz: What Kind of Writer Are You?

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Howdy!

I hope you’re having a great week, and I hope you’ve already checked outThe Golden Crystal‘s audiobook giveaway! If not, it’s here on the blog — it’s free to enter, and you can enter as many times as you’d like!

Today’s very short post is actually a quiz: What Kind of Writer Are You?

I’m helping to test a new platform from my friend Josh over at Interact. They’ve created a slick system for building self-hosted (embedded into your site) quizzes, and this is a...