Category: Uncategorized

Why You Need an Author Tagline

Promo Tips, Uncategorized

Dogwood flowers frame an empty notepad and pen with the post title, 'Why You Need an Author Tagline by Laina Turner' superimposed on the photo.

by Laina Turner, @laina_turner

I went to a writers conference years ago, and a panelist was talking about marketing. He said, many great writers never enjoy the chance to earn a living as an author because no one knows how great their books are. They think if they write an amazing book people will buy it, so they don’t put time and effort into marketing.

While writing a good book is a huge part of selling it books won’t sell if the reader doesn’t know it exists. You have to promote what you write.

It’s the business side of authoring.

There are plenty of readers for everyone, but there’s no denying it’s stiff competition. You must make a good first impression and hook potential readers in the split second you have their attention. There are many ways to do that, but today we’re going to talk about the author tagline.Continue reading

Journaling a Book as a Reader ‘Extra’

Promo Tips, Uncategorized

Photo of a woman's hands on a notebook....her right hand clasps a pen. The post title, "Journaling a Book as an Extra" is superimposed on the top.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’d been hearing that author notes could be a nice website ‘extra’ for readers or newsletter subscribers, or serve as promo copy on the product page for Amazon.

I’d experimented a little  in my newsletters and on Amazon, but decided to take things a little farther this time.  I decided to try journaling a book while I wrote it.  I posted the journal on Google Docs, shared it so that anyone with the link could view it, and mentioned the journal on my website.

At first, I was a little worried.  Writers’ lives aren’t the most interesting and was the writing process really going to draw readers in?  Especially mine?  I’m very routine-driven.  Writing at 5 a.m. isn’t maybe the most fascinating thing in the world.

But then I became a little more observant about what was going on around me while I was writing.  How was I managing distractions? How focused was I on the story? When and where was I getting my ideas?  And I found that there were stories around the story.

I don’t give any major spoilers, just hint at some of what’s going on in the story that I’m writing.  That can naturally lead into the genesis of the characters and how I feel about them.  Who or what helped to inspire their creation.  The origination of the supposedly fictional settings (that have a lot in common with real locations).

We can add images from the web, personal photos, links, and other things to make the journal more visually interesting.

I decided to pin the link to my journal at the top of my Facebook page.  From there, it generated a lot of interest and readers reached.  My post read: “What goes through a writer’s mind while working on a book? It can be surprising.  Follow along as I write the next Myrtle Clover mystery,  A Body in the Trunk.”

It’s also nice to post it on Facebook because readers can comment there.  I disabled comments for the document on Google Docs, because I had the feeling it would turn into a real mess….comments are really intended for edits between project partners and are inline there.  I’d say that the lack of ability to host comments is the only real problem I see with putting the journal on Google Docs. You could, of course, set up a similar journaling project on your blog—each entry could engender comments.

Do you use author notes?  Journal books?  What ‘extras’ do you include for readers?

Photo via Visual hunt

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Quick Tip for High Resolution Book Cover Images

Promo Tips, Uncategorized

A bike is shown propped against a bookcase of books and knickknacks. The post title, "Quick Tip for High Res Book Cover Images" is superimposed on the photo.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig 

From time to time I need a high resolution cover image.  Sometimes it’s because a guest blogger has sent me an image so small that WordPress is showing it blurry on the post.  Sometimes I’m sending a cover for publication in a print magazine or newspaper.

I came across a tool for high resolution cover images from eReader Palace last year.  I bookmarked it because I thought it might come in useful.  But I’ve found myself using it so much that I decided it was time for me to mention the tool here.

It’s very easy to use.  You pull up the ebook on Amazon (and it must be an ebook because the ASIN is needed).

Copy Amazon’s ASIN identifier.

Paste it into the box on the website

Click “Get the Cover Image.” I always use portal A and have never had a problem with it.

 

The image will open in another tab. Right click and save the file to your computer.  I’ll usually save them as :  Title–High Res–Elizabeth Spann Craig .

That’s it.  :)  Short and sweet today.  Hope this will be a useful tool for some of you out there.

Have you run across any helpful tools lately?

Quick tip for high res cover images: Click To Tweet

Photo via Visual hunt

Book Promo Services

Promo Tips, Uncategorized

Large 'Sale" sign in the background and an older woman walking past it on the street. Post title, "Book Promo Services" is superimposed on the photo.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’m always on the lookout for ways to connect to readers and find new readers without being obnoxious.   I’m not one to really promote on Facebook and never promote on Twitter.

One way of finding and connecting with new readers seems pretty obvious to me: ebook promotion services.  The best-known of these is BookBub.  These aren’t retailers, these are services that let subscribed readers know about free or discounted books.
Continue reading

Overcoming Emotional Wounds: How to Show Your Character Is Beginning to Heal

Uncategorized, Writing Tips

Photo shows a close-up of the Emotional Wounds Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. The post title is superimposed on the top.

by Angela Ackerman, @AngelaAckerman

When it comes to writing a story where a character is going to work through a difficult past wound, there are two behavioral states to convey: one showing their brokenness and dysfunction, and one displaying hard-won insight, self-acceptance, and increased self-worth, all important aspects of growth.

Ironically, writers tend to struggle more with how to show a character’s healthy behavior than they do the downward spiral. (Maybe after all the lessons on tension and conflict, we’ve gotten very good at throwing rocks? Or we’re just all a bit more sadistic that we’re likely to admit!) Either way, that shove down the hill is less stressful to write than the painful crawl back up it.

Here’s what I know: change is painful, both in the fictional world and the real one. Transformation doesn’t happen overnight. So when it comes to showing our character’s path to healing in the aftermath of a destructive wound, we need to take it slow. Trusting others, especially after one’s been hurt, is hard. And believing again in hope, that a better tomorrow is possible? This is often the most difficult thing of all.Continue reading

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