Frances Caballo's Blog: 10 Twitter Tips Writers Need to Know, page 15

Indie Author Weekly Update

This week’s Indie Author Weekly Update is chock-full of book marketing tips. Be sure to read the post about the change happening in Instagram Stories. The renovation should make them even more fun.

Enjoy all the posts!

Indie Author Book Marketing Tips

3 Fiction Marketing Success Tips for 2020 from TheBookDesigner.com and by Sandra Beckwith: This post suggests three primary tactics. Write a great novel, promote it, and talk with your readers.

Top Book Marketing Articles from BookBub in 2019: All of BookBub’s best book marketing posts are linked to this article. I especially liked the super examples of beautiful author Facebook banners. If you’re an Indie Author, be sure to check it out.

Online Networking Mistakes to Avoid

5 No-Brainer Networking Tips to Sell More Books from Penny Sansevieri: How should you use your book marketing time? Penny Sansevieri explains in this concise post filled with wonderful tips. For example, be smart how you spend your time networking online.

Indie Author Publishing Mistakes

Five Self-Publishing Mistakes You Need To Avoid from the BookBaby Blog: If you avoid these mistakes, you will definitely sell more books. One mistake: creating your own book cover. Huge mistake!

Instagram – What’s New!

Instagram Officially Launches New Layout Mode for Stories from Social Media Today: This week, Instagram officially launched its new layout mode for Instagram Stories. Read all about it in this new post.

Social Media Just for Writers.

Indie Author Update – 12-13-19

I hope you enjoy the newest edition of the Indie Author Update. There is a lot of love in this post.

BookBub Partners offers an excellent and detailed plan on how to launch a book. And Penny Sansevieri explains how book contests can promote more book sales.

Enjoy all of the posts!

Indie Author Update on Book Marketing

Book Promotion 101: How to Launch a New Book: This a step-by-step description on how to make your next book launch a success.

How Book Awards Can Help You Sell More Books by Penny Sansevieri: Penny explains all the reasons why book awards can help you garner more publicity for your books. More publicity translates into more sales. This post has very practical advice.

How I Had My Best Book Launch Ever (and You Can, Too) from the Alliance of Independent Authors: Self-Publishing Advice Center: Always do pre-orders, engage with readers, and promote what’s coming next.

Submitting Your Novel

Knowing When You’re Ready to Submit: Q&A with Adela Crandell Durkee from Jane Friedman: Adela Crandel Durkee explains her experience with submitting fiction and self-publishing a novel.

Instagram

Instagram Now Testing New Layout Options for Instagram Stories Frames from Social Media Today: Instagram is constantly evolving. Now the app is testing the possibility of changing the Instagram Stories layout. Stay tuned.

Brand new Instagram ebook for authors. Learn how to set up your account, and create hashtags and Instagram stories. 

I am an author and social media consultant. My focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online and building their platform. I also do content writing and offer email marketing services.

The post Indie Author Update – 12-13-19 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.

Indie Author Update – 12-13-19

I hope you enjoy the newest edition of the Indie Author Update. There is a lot of love in this post.

BookBub Partners offers an excellent and detailed plan on how to launch a book. And Penny Sansevieri explains how book contests can promote more book sales.

Enjoy all of the posts!

Indie Author Update on Book Marketing

Book Promotion 101: How to Launch a New Book: This a step-by-step description on how to make your next book launch a success.

How Book Awards Can Help You Sell More Books by Penny Sansevieri: Penny explains all the reasons why book awards can help you garner more publicity for your books. More publicity translates into more sales. This post has very practical advice.

How I Had My Best Book Launch Ever (and You Can, Too) from the Alliance of Independent Authors: Self-Publishing Advice Center: Always do pre-orders, engage with readers, and promote what’s coming next.

Submitting Your Novel

Knowing When You’re Ready to Submit: Q&A with Adela Crandell Durkee from Jane Friedman: Adela Crandel Durkee explains her experience with submitting fiction and self-publishing a novel.

Instagram

Instagram Now Testing New Layout Options for Instagram Stories Frames from Social Media Today: Instagram is constantly evolving. Now the app is testing the possibility of changing the Instagram Stories layout. Stay tuned.

Brand new Instagram ebook for authors. Learn how to set up your account, and create hashtags and Instagram stories. 

I am an author and social media consultant. My focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online and building their platform. I also do content writing and offer email marketing services.

The post Indie Author Update – 12-13-19 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.

Have a Wonderful Holiday

I am stuffing myself on the typical Thanksgiving fare today. I’m not shopping tomorrow, however. I’ve never enjoyed Black Friday aside from the online shopping deals.

Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I hope you have a wonderful week.

I”ll be in my office tomorrow working, writing, and taking some extra time to be with my husband, friends, and my dog, Paisley.

I hope to see you back here next Friday.

Enjoy the day and your weekend!

Brand new Instagram ebook for authors. Learn how to set up your account, and create hashtags and Instagram stories. 

I am an author and social media consultant. My focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online and building their platform. I also do content writing and offer email marketing services.

The post Have a Wonderful Holiday appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.

Indie Author Update

I hope you enjoy this edition of the Indie Author Update. There’s a lot to like in this week’s election of posts.

Ah, fall, isn’t it wonderful? Here in Sonoma County, we have cool mornings, warm afternoons, and cool evenings. It’s the advent of things to come. In the interim, I’m relishing all the orange leaves in our front yard. (That’s because I don’t have to rake them!)

Indie Author Update – Social Media

How to Create a Facebook Author Page by Dave Chesson: This post provides a thorough account to creating the best possible Facebook author page. 

How and Why to Build a Twitter Following While Unpublished from Jane Friedman’s blog and by Emma Lombard: Emma Lombard garnered a following of 20,000 in one year. Find out how she accomplished that. (Note: Be sure to read my blog post comment.)

Indie Author Update – Book Marketing

How to Market a Book to Holiday Gift Guides by Penny Sansevieri: Remember to start early. And approach the right person with the right message.

Finding and Using Competing Book Titles in Your Book Marketing from Anne R. Allen’s blog and by Penny Sansevieri: Another great post from Penny Sansevieri. Read it and be sure to follow her steps to research your next book title.

What Makes Readers Give an Unknown Author a Chance? from Jane Friedman and by Barbara Linn Probst: What makes a reader trust a new author? Recommendations from friends help as well as a great book cover Read the post to learn more.

Blogging

This Is How To Write A Blog Post People Read by Rachel Thompson:  Every post should include some of these elements: headline, introduction, and subheadings. Read the post to learn more.

 

Quote of the Week

 

 

 

 

Brand new Instagram ebook for authors. Learn how to set up your account, and create hashtags and Instagram stories. 

 

 

I am an author and social media consultant. My focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online and building their platform. I also do content writing and offer email marketing services.

The post Indie Author Update appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.

Indie Author Update – November 8, 2019

Here’s your new Indie Author Weekly Update. It was difficult to wean down the posts for this week’s roundup. There’s just so much great content out there for authors.

I start off with a post about NaNoWriMo since ’tis the season, right? Jane Friedman is publishing a lot of content lately and I especially liked the post by Gigi Rosenberg.

Actually, I hope you read all of the posts here. And don’t you love the image above? It’s definitely time to get our scarves out and enjoy hot cups of tea.

Writing Tips

5 Tips to Help you Write a Novel in a Month by Joanna Penn: This month, Joanna Penn, will try to write a draft to her next novel this month. If you want to join her, read this post, which includes tips.

How to Be Taken Seriously as a Writer from Ryan Lanz: Here are some of his tips: write regularly and treat your writing as a job. He has more tip in the post.

Get Ready for Your Reading

A Game Plan for How to Nail Your Next Reading from Jane Friedman and by Gigi Rosenberg: How soon do you prepare for a reading? Gigi Rosenberg suggests that you start two weeks in advance. And on the day of the reading, take belly breaths.

Indie Author Marketing

How To Market Self-Published Poetry Books from Alliance of Independent Authors: I don’t know if Dalma Szentpaly mentions Instagram in this podcast but a lot of poets have found success on that platform.

How Indie Authors Can Approach the Media from the Alliance of Independent Authors and Ruth Badley:  Ruth Badley is a freelance journalist so I trust her recommendations in this new post.

 

Quote of the Week

 

Brand new Instagram ebook for authors. Learn how to set up your account, and create hashtags and Instagram stories. 

 

 

I am an author and social media consultant. My focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online and building their platform. I also do content writing and offer email marketing services.

 
 
 

Online Book Marketing Strategies for Writers

 

 

 

The post Indie Author Update – November 8, 2019 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.

Indie Author Weekly Update – November 1, 2019

 

Today’s Indie Author Update is longer than I anticipated it to be. You see, I live near to where the fires are burning in California (Kincade Fire) and I did my best to publish this post on time.

I was one of the lucky ones. We didn’t lose power or have to evacuate. My heart goes out to those who lost their homes and to the wildlife who died in the forested areas.

Back to today’s post. I included an interesting post I found on Quora by James Altucher. Plus, I like the post about Instagram bios from Later. (If you use Instagram, this is the best app to use.)

I did not include a post about BERT, the huge Google update because I wasn’t sure if you’d read it. So read about it elsewhere. It’s important.

Stay safe. I hope you are far from the fires in California. (There are so many of them.)

How to Handle Your Social Media During a Crisis

How you use social media during a crisis will be different than how you use it on a day-to-day basis.

For example, right now, I am packed and ready to evacuate due to the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County in Northern California.

What do you do at a time like this with your book marketing?

Put an end to it.

Every time I go on Facebook or Twitter right now and I am bombarded with advertisements about fitness, thriller books, or image apps, I want to scream.

My life is thrilling enough at the moment.

In Sonoma County, we are living in a life and death situation. The last thing I’m thinking about right now is shades of lipstick and filters to make my images look professional.

Facebook Suddenly Shines for Me

The beauty of Facebook comes through during times like this.

I often jest about how I love Instagram and put up with Facebook.

Yeah, I’m not a huge Facebook fan even though I use it daily. Why? It can be so narcissistic.

But during crises, there’s nothing better. Really.

Facebook becomes a place to connect with friends, colleagues, and family members.

It’s a place to report updates for those who are without power. And for those who are living in evacuation centers.

It’s a place to express anxiety, fears, and gratitude.

How To Use Social Media During a Crisis

Suspend your social media advertising. Sure, your ad can reach people all over the world. Still, to people who live in your region, it will seem inappropriate if not offensive.
Use your channels to communicate news updates that people without power won’t have access to.
Keep your posts relevant to your region.
Your friends and family will want to know how you are doing. Tell them in your updates.
Communicate safety tips.
Reach out to others. You may be able to assist others or their animals.
Avoid canned responses. Every disaster is local and different. 
Don’t post anything that looks overly speculative. Use hashtags. It enables people to get involved in the conversation.
Refer to authorities and share their information when it’s timely.
Let people know how they can connect with reliable news sources.

Keep calm, help others if you can, and try not to panic.

I am an author and social media consultant. My focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online and building their platform. I also do content writing and offer email marketing services.

Online Book Marketing Strategies for Writers

 

The post How to Handle Your Social Media During a Crisis appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.

Are You Spooking Your Readers? 11 Habits to Discard

How can you be spooking your readers? By abandoning your Facebook page, being an egghead, or leaving your LinkedIn profile unfinished. 

As a child, I would frighten easily. I never entered a haunted house, and I hated clowns.

More accurately, clowns scared the bejeezus out of me.

And on Halloween one year, I visited neighborhood and when I knocked, instead of seeing a welcoming parent answer the door, a horrifying wolf did. (In reality, it was a tall boy wearing a scary wolf mask.)

I dashed down the stairs and across the street and narrowly escaped being hit by a car.

Do you have similar stories?

Now that we’ve all grown up, you might think that it would be difficult to scare others, especially your readers. Well, that’s not exactly true.

You may not frighten them to the point they scream with horror, but you can do things that will chase them away.

Let’s look at eleven situations that might be scaring off your readers, especially new readers.

11 Ways You Might be Spooking Your Readers

Did you create a Facebook author page and then abandon it? Like a creaky, abandoned house filled with spider webs, your deserted Facebook page can appear neglected. Why would anyone stick around, Like it, or write a comment if you rarely – if ever – post anything on it. Readers will instead dash off as quickly as they can click on a more enticing page.
How many LinkedIn profiles have you encountered that seem forsaken? There may be a name there, a few details about prior employment, but that’s it. LinkedIn is the social media network most valued by professionals and great for nonfiction writers. So dress it up. Add your image and books you’ve written and book trailers; upload your blog posts to LinkedIn’s publishing platform; and include your skills and keywords when you complete your summary.
Do you occasionally use profanity in your tweets or Facebook posts? That will definitely scare off your readers. You are your brand so unless you wrote a book about profanity, avoid its use. Otherwise, you may offend your readers.
Are you an egghead – someone who uses the default egg on Twitter as an avatar instead of a professionally taken picture of you? Dump the egg and upload your picture. And don’t even consider using a picture of your dog, cat or book cover. People want to connect with you because you are your brand and the author of your popular books.
I know someone who posted a text-based image using these words, meant “kiss my _ss.” You should have seen the nasty comments on her Twitter Timeline. It’s important to know and understand your audience. What may appear funny to you may offend the next person. So post humorous memes with a degree of caution.
Do share pictures of your meals Facebook or Instagram? Unless you write cookbooks or frequently eat at stupendous restaurants where the chef has amazing presentation skills, don’t do it. I’ve seen too many pictures of meals on Facebook that I would never want to eat or have to look at again. Seriously.
Are your tweets all about you? Your blog, your website, your author central page, your books, your discounts, your blog tours, your BookBub specials, etc.? Keep the mix to 80/20 or your readers will become bored with you and your tweets.
Do you neglect to include images with your blog posts? Neglecting to do this may not scare off your readers but they will be less inclined to read your posts.
While I’m on the topic of images, don’t forget to post them on social media. They will increase engagement dramatically.
Does your email opt-in use the word subscribe? That will definitely scare off readers who might otherwise want to download a freebie chapter and turn over their email address in return. Saying that your newsletter is free is no longer an incentive to entice someone to sign up for your email marketing program. And unless your opt-in stresses the benefit of your sign-up freebie, well, your email list won’t grow. Take the time to create a giveaway that your readers will clamor for. For fiction writers, this can include a short story, an early novel, or the first chapter to your newest novel.
Do you have an auto-responder set up on your Twitter account so that every time someone follows you they receive a message inviting them to read your book, buy your books, or subscribe to your blog? Want to know the truth about these auto-responders? They’re annoying. And they’re spooking your readers and worse, your prospective readers. Instead, when someone new follows you retweet them, comment on their blog, or buy one of their books and leave a review.

Please add to the conversation. How else can authors scare off their readers on social media?

Brand new Instagram ebook for authors. Learn how to set up your account, and create hashtags and Instagram stories. 

 

 

I am an author and social media consultant. My focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online and building their platform. I also do content writing and offer email marketing services.

Online Book Marketing Strategies for Writers

 

The post Are You Spooking Your Readers? 11 Habits to Discard appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.

Indie Author Weekly Update – October 25, 2019

This week’s Indie Author roundup was so much fun to put together. Really. Watch the short video on Instagram Story hashtags. It’s fabulous. Also check out the Twitter header comparison from BookBub Partners. You are sure to be inspired!

Indie Author Book Marketing

3 Ways to Get Past What’s Holding You Back from TheBookDesigner.com and by Sandra Beckwith: What’s holding you back from promoting your book to trigger sales? Sandra Beckwith suggests some tips to help you find more time for book marketing.

From Indie Author To Creative Empire with Michael Anderle from Joanna Penn and with Michael Anderle: Joanna Penn talks with Michael Anderle about how to turn your writing career an empire. Michael leads the Facebook group 20BookTo50K. Michael Anderle is the award-nominated, internationally-bestselling author of more than 40 urban fantasy and science fiction novels.

Social Media

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram Stories: Do’s and Don’ts from Social Media Examiner: Want more exposure on your Instagram Stories? Even I learned a few tricks from this phenomenal, short video.

Authors on Twitter: 55 Stunning Header Image Examples from BookBub Partners: If you’ve been following me for a while you know how much I love Twitter. Take a look at these header images. The only aspect I don’t agree with is that in some of them a portion of the wording is hidden.

Influencers

How to Reach Out to Influencers for Book Promotion from Jane Friedman’s blog and by Shayla Raquel: This post explains how to sell more books by borrowing some influencers’ glitter.

Quote of the Week

 

 

Brand new Instagram ebook for authors. Learn how to set up your account, and create hashtags and Instagram stories. 

 

 

I am an author and social media consultant. My focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online and building their platform. I also do content writing and offer email marketing services.

Online Book Marketing Strategies for Writers

 

 

The post Indie Author Weekly Update – October 25, 2019 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.