Frances Caballo's Blog: 10 Twitter Tips Writers Need to Know, page 41
January 30, 2017
Don’t Confuse Your Avatar for the Movie – Be Yourself
Remember Sam Worthington in the movie Avatar? He portrayed the protagonist, Jake Sully.
Here’s a picture of the Sam Worthington as an injured Marine who finished his tour of service and will assume his brother’s avatar:
And here’s a picture of his Worthington’s Jake Sully avatar:
Playing a former Marine (is there such a thing?), Jake Sully filled the bill perfectly. His tall, blue avatar with titanium bones were perfect for Pandora, the planet he traveled to and where he spent time learning the culture.
Why do I bring up this movie, aside from the fact that the 3-D version is one of my favorites? Well, sometimes I wonder if the movie Avatar confused authors about what their avatars should look like.
Jake Sully needed an avatar that could breathe, run, and learn about a culture on a foreign planet. That explains the height, the blue face, the tail, and the amazing agility he needed to be accepted by the tribe.
Your avatar doesn’t need to meet any of those criteria.
On the contrary, your avatar should look just like you. Why? Because when people discover you online, your avatar should look just like your picture on the back cover of your books.
Your avatar should look just like you Click To Tweet
Yep, the person you see in the mirror reflecting back at you – maybe with some makeup if that’s your thing – should be your avatar.
When people search for you online, or meet you on social media, you need to look like yourself. Your authentic self.
Seems simple, eh?
Okay, it’s time for a confession. When I first joined Twitter I used a logo. Aargh! And when I started a Facebook page, I used the cover of my first book. Can you even imagine how embarrassed I am to admit this to you?
I share this information so that you’ll know that I’ve made mistakes. But I learned. And I replaced those avatars with a picture of me.
An avatar is your picture to the world. Shine in it. Show yourself. Be yourself.
Is It Time to Ditch and Replace Your Avatar?
Now let me show you a series of avatars I discovered in a day of searching on Twitter. Note: The rules for avatars are the same whether you use Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or any other social media network.
Here are some of the avatars I found:
To the above avatar, I say, “No comment.”
Is this a rendering of an eye, or just a fancy flourish? Hard to tell. What I did note is that the author has a sense of color and design but I still want to know what he or she looks like.
Is It Time to Ditch and Replace Your Avatar? Click To Tweet
I think it’s fine that this person supports Planned Parenthood. However, your avatar should be nonpolitical and the picture should be of you, not of your dog. And the picture needs to be clear, not blurry. (If you want this type of avatar on a Facebook profile, which is unrelated to your author business, go for it.)
A flower can’t write a book so I say nix this image and let’s see what you look like.
This author avatar surprised me and was the push I needed to write this post. Did the author draw it or find the image online? I don’t know but I suggest replacing it ASAP.
Maybe this avatar is a picture of a character in the book. Or maybe this person was influenced by the movie. Regardless, the author should remove this image and let us see what she or he looks like. And the image shouldn’t be blurry.
This avatar is better. We can at least see the author. However, I would still prefer a full-frame picture of this attractive writer.
This is the best of this post’s collection of avatars. We can see the cookbook writer, she’s smiling, and she conveys a sense of joy about food. Still, I think this image would instead be perfect for a banner or header image. I would prefer to just see the author with her beautiful smile and apron.
9 Parameters for a Perfect Avatar Click To Tweet
9 Parameters for a Perfect Avatar
Want to have a perfect avatar for your social media? Follow these steps:
Hire a photographer to take a headshot (also called a mug shot or profile picture). Alternatively, ask a friend to take your picture or take a selfie.
Smile.
Don’t wear a hat.
Don’t appear in a corner of a crowded background.
Have good lighting. Go outside to take the picture or take it near a window.
Don’t include friends in your avatar.
Don’t use your book or a logo as an avatar.
Don’t use a character in your book as an avatar.
Radiate your love of writing.
What other attributes do you think contribute to a perfect avatar?
The author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including The Author’s Guide to Goodreads and Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical Tips for Marketing Your Books on the Social Web
The post Don’t Confuse Your Avatar for the Movie – Be Yourself appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
January 27, 2017
Indie Author Weekly Update – January 27, 2017
Welcome to today’s Indie Author Weekly Update. You’ll see new bloggers on a range of topics from ebook sales to Snapchat spectacles to hashtags.
On a personal note, we received a break from the storms. Yes, finally. The sun has even shined a few hours every day. Thank you for your patience as I return to my regular blogging schedule.
Indie Author Weekly Updates
A Powerful Shortcut for Discovering Keywords to Increase Ebook Sales from Digital Book World: “Indie authors and ebook publishers have a powerful tool for increasing book sales that costs nothing and already exists in their online book selling setup: keywords. The keywords associated with an ebook in an online store can help drive readers to your sales page. When you attract more people to your book’s sales page, the more opportunities you have to make sales.”
23 Good Habits for an Energized and Productive Day from Michael Fishbein: “Habits are what you do on a daily basis to achieve your long term goals. Once something is habituated, it’s like it’s on auto-pilot. It requires less thought and effort to execute. It’s not so much a decision you make as much as it’s something you do instinctively.”
Habits are what you do on a daily basis to achieve your long term goals Click To Tweet
48 Hours with Snapchat Spectacles: Our Full Review and 5 Tips to Create Better Snaps from Buffer: “Spectacles are only available via Snapbots – yellow vending machines dropped in random (often remote) locations. The first Snapbot was dropped in Venice Beach, not too far from Snap’s Los Angles HQ, and the demand was instant. People waited in line for hours in the hope they could scoop up some of the $130 glasses and with demand so high, Spectacles were reselling for much higher prices (well into the thousands) on eBay.”
The Psychology of Choice from the Alliance of Independent Authors: “Whether selling books from your website, or offering free content for mailing list signups, marketing psychology can be a useful tool in the indie author’s toolbox. During the redesign of a friend’s website, we pondered how to lay out the books on her sales page for maximum sales. She also wanted to offer a choice of novellas on the landing page for her mailing list, and we wondered what the optimum number of choices would be. Fortunately, marketers and behavioral psychologists have been mulling over these concepts for decades, and we found a wealth of information to guide our website development. The following are the theories and studies we found helpful in guiding our decisions. I’ll follow up later this year with the results of our efforts. In the meantime, I hope these studies provide inspiration for your website marketing efforts.”
The Art and Science of Writing to Market by Dave Chesson, from Jeff Goins’ Blog: “The idea is that seed articles bring in new readers every day, and those readers discover your best content by exploring your website once they are there. Seed articles really do exist, and don’t require you to be an advanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO) guru. It’s just about finding article topics that your market types into Google every day, but doesn’t have a lot of competition.”
Learn What Hashtags Mean on Each Social Network by Susan Gilbert: “Twitter may have been the first social sharing site to use hashtags to increase visibility — other networks like Facebook, Instagram and Google Plus have become just as important when it comes to getting your content noticed. Hashtags are great for researching your market and connecting with others …”
Learn about hashtags on different platforms by @SusanGilbertClick To Tweet
Something Fun
The Book Quiz: Are You Ready to Write a Book by book coach Lisa Tener: “Find out if you have what it takes to become a published author and get customized advice for solving your toughest challenges.”
Quote of the Week
The author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including The Author’s Guide to Goodreads and Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical Tips for Marketing Your Books on the Social Web
The post Indie Author Weekly Update – January 27, 2017 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
January 23, 2017
Stormy Weather Continues in Northern California
I almost feel as though my blog has turned into the weather channel. 
January 20, 2017
Indie Author Weekly Update January 20, 2017
This is the first Indie Author Weekly Update in two weeks so it makes sense that it would be an expansive treasure trove of information for you to glean.
As I write this, we are in the midst of another storm. It’s the first of three scheduled to punch Northern California over the next five days. Wish us luck as we tend to lose power and experience flooding.
Top Tips on TIming for Indie Authors from the Alliance of Independent Authors: “At this time of year, we’re likely to spend more time thinking about forward planning, so today on the blog we’re sharing some top advice from ALLi partners and authors on timing the launch and marketing of your self-published books in 2017.”
The Da Vinci Code code: what’s the formula for a bestselling book? by The Guardian: “Steve Berry could be forgiven for asking himself every day what it takes to make a book a global bestseller. Back in 2003, the former lawyer published a novel that placed well-known myths in a conspiracy web to create a page-turning thriller.”
Q&A with Pronoun: An Increasingly Competitive Ebook Distributor from Jane Friedman: “Do you remember the digital publishing startups Vook? Booklr? Byliner?All of these services/companies have been folded into an ebook distribution service known as Pronoun, which was launched in fall 2015 and later acquired by Big Five publisher Macmillan. Pronoun works with independent authors to distribute and sell ebooks to the five major online retailers: Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play. Pronoun charges authors nothing upfront, and doesn’t take a cut of ebook sales either.”
Be sure to read this post on Pronoun by @janefriedmanClick To Tweet
7 Things Authors Must Do Differently in 2017 from Writers in the Storm and by Penny Sansevieri: “If you’ve ever thought that the publishing industry is tough to figure out, you’re not alone. In fact, I once had an author tell me that getting into publishing is sort of like building a house without any plans. There’s a lot of information out there, but it can be overwhelming or even confusing, and certainly ever-changing. It may seem simplest to jump right in with both feet, just to start somewhere. This often comes with a price. The good news is that although the challenges are real, they’re relatively easy to overcome.”
What are you doing differently with social media in 2017? @CaballoFrancesClick To Tweet
Facebook Pages can now ‘go live’ from the desktop, add live contributors and more from TechCrunch: “Facebook Live, the social network’s live video streaming platform, received a series of updates this week, the most notable being the ability for broadcasters to “go live” from their desktop and laptop computers. Video creators will be able to stream from their web browser directly to their Facebook Page, the company explains, which makes the system ideal for certain types of recordings in particular, such as daily vlogs, for example.”
Did you miss these posts I wrote elsewhere?
Apps, Tools & Plugins for Indie Authors in 2017 – Part 1 from TheBookDesigner.com: “There are apps galore on the internet. But of the millions of apps, tools, extensions, and plugins available, which ones can help you and not further distract you or worse of all, hinder you in your work? Ah, those are the issues, aren’t they?”
How to Use Instagram Effectively As An Author from TheCreativePenn.com: “What’s the hot social media network that people are talking about but few understand how to use? Snapchat. Surprised? But Instagram still appears to win the prize when it comes to the race for the fastest growing social media network.”
Check out this Instagram primer for indie authors Click To Tweet
Using Pew Research Stats to Find Your Readers Online from BookWorks: “Earlier in my career, I mistakenly thought that it was important for authors to be everywhere online. I likened social media to zip codes. I would say, “Do you only want to sell in the 95405 zip code? Or would you rather sell your books in zip codes worldwide?” With glistening eyes, writers would shout, “Worldwide!” Okay, no one’s eyes glistened, and no one shouted, but you get what I mean.”
Quote of the week
The author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including The Author’s Guide to Goodreads and Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical Tips for Marketing Your Books on the Social Web
The post Indie Author Weekly Update January 20, 2017 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
January 16, 2017
Recovering from the Storms of Life
Here in Northern California, we’ve been hit by storms regionally and personally. The Social Media Just for Writers Blog will return! I promise to keep you posted. As you read this, another big storm is due tomorrow. Please keep us in your thoughts. (Thank you for your patience.)
The author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks, and blogger at Bowker’s Self-Published Author. She’s written several social media books including The Author’s Guide to Goodreads and Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical Tips for Marketing Your Books on the Social Web
The post Recovering from the Storms of Life appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
January 13, 2017
Storms, Flooding, Power Outage Cancel Indie Author Weekly Update
Credit: Press Democrat Photo/Kent Porter in Guerneville, California
Due to massive rainfall in the Northern California region where I live, plus our own power outage and flooding under and around our house, there won’t be an Indie Author Weekly Update this week. I apologize for the interruption. (To clarify, the above photo thankfully is not of my home or street but a nearby city.)
The author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks, and blogger at Bowker’s Self-Published Author. She’s written several social media books including The Author’s Guide to Goodreads and Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical Tips for Marketing Your Books on the Social Web
The post Storms, Flooding, Power Outage Cancel Indie Author Weekly Update appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
January 9, 2017
Want to accomplish a lot? Focus on the little things this 2017
How Often Do You Focus on the Little Things?
How often do you think about the little things in life?
You know that it’s the little things that can have the biggest effects on your life.
Take my example. I once visited new friends who had an adorable Bichon. After playing with it, I just had to have one too. Now, some of you may know that I love Labrador retrievers, but for some reason, I was without a dog and the idea of having a dog that didn’t shed was appealing. (If you’ve ever owned a Labrador you know what I mean.)
I went home and started looking online. Purebred Bichons were expensive, but I’m a rescue type of dog owner anyway so I looked for a rescued Bichon.
I found one in Fresno, which is a long way from my home in Northern California but without thinking about it, I got in the car and drove to Fresno.
The dog wasn’t friendly, but over time he warmed up to me that afternoon. After driving so far to pick him up, well, I couldn’t leave without him, right? So I paid $200 and went on my way.
It was all so unconscious of me. I met a dog, wanted the same dog, and got a similar dog, all within a period of just two weeks. Two weeks!
Well, that little dog brought a mountain of trouble into my life. He had temperament issues, and it didn’t matter how much training I paid for, he could still be mean. Don’t get me wrong; we had our sweet times as well, but there were times when I had to pull him back from kids and adults as he growled at them.
He also had a voracious appetite. So much that he ate himself into a $4,000 exploratory surgery that ultimately saved his life.
So between the cost of the dog, the price of training, and the medical bills, Conroy, who had been a rash decision, cost me a lot of money.
Then he went on to bite a boy, twice. When Conroy eventually died, I cried but I also vowed to never get a Bichon again and to return to my sweet Labs.
I share this story as an example of how a small, unconscious decision can have riveting effects on life.
I’ve been thinking about this because I’m finally reading The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. Throughout the book, he makes the point that small decisions, made without mindfulness, can turn our lives into mini disasters.
Consistently improve yourself in 2017 Click To Tweet
Or, small decisions can turn small savings into large savings or a few words a day can turn into a novel we never thought we’d have the time to write.
Hardy also has a formula for getting lucky that I think is nifty and part of his success formula. Here it is:
Preparation: By consistently improving and preparing yourself – your skills, knowledge, expertise, relationships, and resources – you have the wherewithal to take advantage of great opportunities when they arise (when luck “strikes”).
Attitude: This is where luck evades most people, and where Sir Richard is spot-on with his belief that luck is all around us. It’s simply a matter of seeing situations, conversations, and circumstances as fortuitous. You cannot look for what you don’t believe in.
Opportunity: It’s possible to make your own luck, but the luck I’m talking about here isn’t planned for, or it comes faster or differently than expected. In this stage of the formula, luck isn’t forced. It’s a natural occurrence, and it often shows up seemingly of its own accord.
Action: This is where you come in. However this luck was delivered to you – from the universe, God, the Lucky Charms leprechaun, or whomever or whatever you associate delivering your good fortunate – it’s now your job to act on it. This is what separates the Richard Bransons from the Joseph Wellingtons.
Start tracking daily your goals for 2017Click To Tweet
So what is it that you want to accomplish? Do you need to save money for a publicist? Do you need to finish your first novel? Do you want to embark on a series? Do you want to record your first audiobook? Do you want to learn more about social media or build your website? Do you want to do the familiar thing this January and lose weight?
With small steps taken every day, you can accomplish what you want. Just be mindful of the little things and write down your small steps and decisions every single day. Tracking is key to Hardy’s success formula.
To help you get started, I created this spreadsheet for you to start using. Good luck!
Don’t miss my conversation with social media expert Chris Syme on January 10 at 11 am Pacific Time. Chris is principal of the award-winning CKSyme Media Group in Bozeman, Montana, a strategic communications agency. She has 20+ years of experience in communications from marketing and media relations, to radio and newspaper, to crisis management and teaching. Come and learn how you can spend less time on social media without sacrificing results.
After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email with the upcoming webinar’s details.
The author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks, and blogger at Bowker’s Self-Published Author. She’s written several social media books including The Author’s Guide to Goodreads and Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical Tips for Marketing Your Books on the Social Web
The post Want to accomplish a lot? Focus on the little things this 2017 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
January 6, 2017
Indie Author Weekly Update January 6, 2017
I hope you enjoy this installation of the Indie Author Weekly Update. I’ve got quite a potpourri for you. Don’t miss Jane Friedman’s look platform building as well as Joanna Penn’s video on looking forward to accomplishing your goals in 2017. Both are great pieces. There are many great posts in this week’s update and I hope you have time to check them all out.
On a more personal note, I hope you had a lovely holiday break. I know that I did. And best of all, it’s been raining here in Northern California, where we’ve suffered a terrible drought in recent years. So that’s cause for celebration, right? Okay, get busy and enjoy the weekly updates!
Indie Author Updates
Building a Platform to Land a Book Deal: Why It Often Fails from Jane Friedman: Platform, in a nutshell, is your ability to sell books based on your visibility to the intended readership. If you’re a total unknown, then you may be turned down for lack of a platform to support your book’s publication.
Where To Turn For Advice When You’re Self-Publishing a Book from The Write Life: “When I decided to self-publish my first book, I set out to learn all that I could about publishing and book promotion. My first resource was the internet. And I saw all kinds of wondrous claims there: Publish a book without all the hard work.”
The Importance of Revisiting and Refreshing Backlist Titles from Digital Book World: “We previously talked about what makes good metadata: writing effective copy to sell your book and doing what you can to help customers actually find that book. While these are good practices to start with going forward, there is also a need to revisit the backlist often with these same ideas in mind.”
Plan To Achieve Your Creative Goals In 2017. Webinar Replay with Joanna Penn: If you haven’t planned your goals for 2017 yet or determine what your goals are and how you’ll schedule time for them, this is the video to watch by Joanna Penn. It’s a wonderful, lively gift from Joanna.
Self-Published eBooks are Coming Soon to a Library Near You from The Digital Reader: “Hot on the heels of yesterday’s news about txtr, Smashwords announced a new partnership with Overdrive today. At long last, authors and publishers can now use Smashwords to distribute their titles to the king of the library ebook market.”
Why Do Tweets Go Viral? Our 10 Most Successful Tweets and the Psychology Behind Why They Worked from Buffer: “I didn’t quite find the holy grail for tweeting, though I did discover several elements that lead to successful tweets. I’d love to share all my findings with you and how you can replicate their success by understanding the psychology behind why they work.”
Quote of the Week
Don’t miss my conversation with social media expert Chris Syme on January 10 at 11 am Pacific Time. Chris is principal of the award-winning CKSyme Media Group in Bozeman, Montana, a strategic communications agency. She has 20+ years of experience in communications from marketing and media relations, to radio and newspaper, to crisis management and teaching. Come and learn how you can spend less time on social media without sacrificing results.
After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email with the upcoming webinar’s details.
The author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author of eight books on social media and a social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. Her social media books include Social Media Just for Writers (new edition available soon) , The Author’s Guide to Goodreads and Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
The post Indie Author Weekly Update January 6, 2017 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
January 2, 2017
Indie Authors: Follow These 40 on Twitter in 2017
As you probably already know, Twitter is where I spend most of my time online. My day starts with Twitter and ends with Facebook, but as a Twitter fan woman, Twitter is my darling amongst the social media I use.
To help you start the year right, I decided to create this list of my top contacts and purveyors of information in 140 characters or fewer. I hope these individuals, experts, and entities soon become your favorites too.
Note: The list is organized alphabetically, not by ranking.
Authors and Experts to Follow on Twitter in 2017
Alliance of Independent Authors
Founded by author and poet Orna Ross, @IndieAuthor ALLI is a membership organization of indie authors and advisors.
Andrea has been writing about social media for years. Although she caters to the business world, her words are genuine pearls of wisdom and she’s well worth following and keeping track of.
I adore Anne’s blog and enjoy following her on Twitter too. She is one smart lady!
I’ve been following Ann since I first signed up for Twitter and voraciously read a book she co-wrote, Content Matters. She understands content marketing like few others. You can also find her at @annhandley.
Dig deeper into the book business by reading some of the tweets by Book Business.
Keep in touch with BookWorks’s blog posts, authors, and tidbits of interest to indie authors by following BookWorks. You can also follow the founder of BookWorks, Betty Sargent.
Keep up with changes in social media by following Buffer on Twitter and reading its blog.
Carol is the guru of freelance writers who want to make a living while writing for others.
Chris is a social media expert for authors. If you’re not aware of her, start following her.
Chris teaches indie authors who to get their own publicity.
CopyBlogger started as a blog. Over time, it grew into a business to help others build their authority online through its content marketing education and products.
Dan’s business is We Grow Media, and he’s a blogger for WriterUnboxed. A writer, he specializes in helping others share their stories and connect with their audience.
DBW has the mission of trying to educate authors about publishing in a digital world.
Elizabeth is a cozy mystery author of the Southern Quilting mysteries and Memphis Barbeque mysteries for Penguin Random House and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and independently. She tweets on story structure, plot, and other writing tips as well as book marketing.
You can learn a lot about writers and their process by listening to Terry Gross and the Peabody Award winning program.
If you’re an indie author, the IBPA is a huge resource that will address your needs.
Jane is an author, former publisher of Writer’s Digest, and astute marketing maven. Follow her to discover updates to her blog and whatever’s hot in publishing.
Jean dePaulla of Mixtus Media will keep you informed on how to find and connect with readers online.
I’ve been following Jeff since 2011, and he’s always a reliable source for what’s new in social media.
The author of The Art of Work, Jeff helps authors achieve success in their careers.
Joanna, through her books, blog, and podcast, is an informative author and mentor to the indie author world. You’ll never be disappointed in her tweets – or anything she does.
Blogger, author, and entrepreneur, Joel retweets the best the indie author world has to offer writers.
Kim is the internationally published author of Outlining Your Novel and Structuring Your Novel.
Lisa is a nonfiction book coach, author, and speaker.
Louise seems to know more about social media than perhaps any other graphic artist on the internet. Her posts are always timely, informative, and gorgeous.
Mark is an author, podcaster, and teaches other authors how to excel at Facebook advertising.
Nina is a nonfiction author, mentor, and coach.
Keep up with self-publishing, promotion, and big publishing news by following the lawyer who produces the newsletter, Passive Voice Blog. Once you subscribe, you’ll receive daily briefings of what’s going on in the publishing world.
Paula is the public relations and marketing manager for a public library. Her tweets cover the publishing world in addition to great nuggets about books.
Author and speaker, Peg is a talented social media strategist.
Penny is the founder of Author Marketing Experts, publicist, and author.
Editor-in-chief of Publishing Perspectives, you can rely on Porter to keep you abreast of literary events and issues from around the world.
Rachel is a social media marketing strategist, founder of #MondayBlogs, and an author in her own right.
Reedsy connects authors and publishers with professionals in the industry and offers free courses.
Roz is an author, editor, and speaker.
Sabrina is a writer, ebook developer, and blogger at DigitalPubbing.com.
The San Francisco Writers Conference is the West Coast’s premiere conference for authors. They tweet about the publishing world and issues pertinent to self-publishers.
Want to learn more about social media? Subscribe to the blog and follow @SMExaminer for informative tweets about all things related to marketing online.
Susanne is the author of 16 novels and six nonfiction books. She’s also astute about marketing and is a writing coach, copyeditor, and blogger.
A star on Writer’s Digest lists of the best blogs, Writer Unboxed provides informative tweets from its own blog and other sources.
The author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author of eight books on social media and a social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. Her social media books include Social Media Just for Writers (new edition available soon) , The Author’s Guide to Goodreads and Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical Tips for Marketing Your Books on the Social Web
Confused about whether you’re being effective on social media? Get the free email course and the bonus book for free.
The post Indie Authors: Follow These 40 on Twitter in 2017 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
December 30, 2016
Indie Author Weekly Update December 30, 2016
This is the last Indie Author Updates for 2016. It’s a weird thought, isn’t it? Yet, I’m happy to see 2016 end and am particularly looking forward to 2017. I plan to return to my novel and am planning a very different type of social media book for authors. So, thus far I have two books planned. What about you? I’d love to hear from you about your plans.
Indie Author Updates
How to Record Your Own Audiobook and Sell Direct to Customers from Joanna Penn: “I love ACX.com and I am all in with my fiction there, but I’m also a podcaster and after years of doing my own interviews and audio, I decided to read my own non-fiction audiobook, and sell it direct! Here’s how.”
Huge List of Social Media Help and Reference Links from Andrea Vahl: ”Over the years, I’ve gathered a lot of reference links for each social site that I use all the time to get the latest news, contact the social sites, get help, and more. Here are some of the most helpful links I have all in one place. I would definitely recommend bookmarking this!”
Want to make a living with your writing? Try these 9 important tasks today! via Icy Sedgwick: “It’s only natural to want to make a living with your writing. But it’s also incredibly difficult! After all, you’ll be competing with thousands of other authors. And with readers trained to expect books for free, you might think it’s an uphill struggle. But writers like JF Penn prove that it is possible. I went to her workshop with Orna Ross on Saturday to discover ways to make a living with your writing. Here are my 9 takeaways!”
Book Promotion: Do This, Not That – December 2016 by Amy Collins and via Joel Friedlander: “Okay guys… I have a confession to make. I am having a BLAST finding authors/publishers and getting them to “fess-up” on the mistakes they have made. This month’s edition of DO THIS NOT THAT is no exception. Jennifer Reich of Momosa Publishing was gracious enough to let me expose her past “whoops” to all of y’all. I hope you find this as helpful as I did!”
Forget Innovation … Think Perseverance by Chris Syme: “Listen. Improve. Repeat. How often do you hear that formula when it comes to marketing your books? Instead, everyday we are bombarded with some new cutting edge formula for selling millions of books on Amazon. Granted, innovation pushes the needle ahead for us all, but innovation is not a smart go-to marketing strategy for most of us mortals. Forget innovation and think perseverance.”
Quote of the Week
The author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks, and blogger at Bowker’s Self-Published Author. She’s written several social media books including The Author’s Guide to Goodreads and Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
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The post Indie Author Weekly Update December 30, 2016 appeared first on Social Media Just for Writers.
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