by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Here are a few updates on what I’ve found helpful or interesting lately in the promo and writing worlds.
For the writer who has multiple releases a year, a Coming Soon page on your website. This was suggested to me by a reader who was having a hard time keeping up. The important thing with this page is to keep it updated since it’s not one of the pages we’re on very often.
A nice link to add to the Coming Soon page (along with other pages on our site) is a link to our Amazon Author Central page with instructions to follow us there. I just put a simple: ” Follow me on Amazon for release updates” up.
I struggle with design issues and use design too often to just continually outsource it to a real designer. I’m getting by now with Canva for Twitter and blog headers/backgrounds, but I’ve recently discovered Designfeed.io. Although I’ve gotten very handy with Canva, so far I’ve found Designfeed a bit quicker, at least in terms of throwing images up on the blog. It has a feature where it matches your headline text to Creative Commons images, which is a timesaver. Again, my design skills are limited and I’m sure you could do better, but today’s and yesterday’s posts demonstrate my dabbling with it (for only about 5 minutes). It’s free and in beta. Might be worth playing around with (not sure if there will be a pay version once it moves from beta).
Pirating my content, I’ll be honest, hasn’t even been much of a concern of mine. Many pirate sites are dummy set-ups to get the unsuspecting reader’s info without delivering the goods. Plus, I just don’t think the majority of my readers are out there trying to beat the system. However, I know many, many writers are concerned about pirating. There is an interesting way to dispense with unauthorized use of your content with a free tool called Blasty. Like Designfeed.io, it’s also in beta and currently free. I heard about it from a mention in Jane Friedman’s excellent Electric Speed newsletter full of digital media tools and resources (view her archives here for a wealth of info and to see whether her newsletter might be right for you). With Blasty, you register with the site, they verify you are the owner of the content, and then they alert you to illegal copies. With one click, you can eliminate them (although monitoring this could be a real time suck.)
Indie writers with audiobooks through ACX will be familiar with the complimentary Audible download codes that they provide in their effort to get more readers to give audiobooks a go. It took me a while to get to the point where I actually knew the best way to use these. I’ve found that my last newsletter campaign to readers has worked really well so far. It, luckily, corresponded with a new release so the newsletter had details about the book launch, a couple of recipes (standard fare for my list), a plea to follow me on Instagram (more on that below), and an invitation to enter a giveaway for one of the 25 free downloads. I set up a special page on my website, linked to the address in my newsletter, put up the audiobook’s back cover copy and cover, and then embedded a Rafflecopter giveaway (I use the free version). So far I’m at 60ish entries. You can ask your readers to share a link to a giveaway or follow you on social media for extra points, etc. Anyway, a nice way to use those codes.
As I mentioned above, I started an Instagram because I felt I needed a really dedicated place online where I specifically hung out with readers. My platform is very writer-centric since that’s my comfort zone. When I set up the Instagram account, it automatically connected to my personal Facebook account (which made me really peeved since this was not supposed to be a personal Instagram account). Since my followers there were getting really lopsided with non-readers, I asked my newsletter readers to follow my new account on Instagram…”since my teenage children feel sorry for me.” Which is absolutely the truth…my 19 year old was liking pictures out of pity and finally called me on the phone from college to ask me what I was trying to do on Instagram. Luckily, my plea worked and my reader numbers have greatly improved. I think, hopefully, this will become a more organic process from here with Instagram’s algorithms suggesting my page to others.
I had my newsletter in draft form on MailChimp for several days so that I could be more thoughtful about what material I included in it. I rarely send newsletters and wanted to ensure that I used this device wisely when I did.
And that’s all I’ve got for now! What have you been working with or found helpful lately?
Tech Tools and Promo Tips for Writers: Click To Tweet
I’ll have to check out Blasty. Although most sites I’ve found offering my books for free really weren’t.
Alex–It’s something I haven’t explored much, but I’m in a writers’ group where members have frequently mentioned that so-called free books were really just malware stuff.
I’m so grateful I have design covered.
I’ve not tried Instagram, but I am really hooked on Pinterest. I have some fun boards, but a couple I made for my current WIPs are very popular.
Diane–I couldn’t somehow get traction on Pinterest, although I’m there (sort of). I do like going there for recipes. :)
Wow. Full of electronic wizardry today!
The header images in the posts are quite nice. I was wondering if you were having them done somewhere! First class. Clean. Modern.
Good tools. Thanks for letting us know. I’ll have to check out Designfeed.io. My graphics date to …Gimp.
Jack–I couldn’t even figure out Gimp, so there you go! Yes, header is by moi…courtesy of Canva. If I can do it…I’m pretty sure a chimp somewhere is making masterpieces with it. :)
Designfeed sounds like it can be very helpful. Instagram is fun, but it’s one of those places I can get lost for too long.
Mason–I can see what you mean! I love looking at photography and there’s a lot of talent there…amateur and otherwise.
Thanks, Elizabeth, for these great tips! I can really see the value of a ‘Coming Soon’ page – hadn’t thought of that. And I like the idea of using something like Blasty to protect oneself, especially for writers who post flash fiction or excerpts.
Margot–Good point about flash fiction! Yes, wouldn’t want that to be put out there in its entirety…would certainly be easier to circulate.
Thanks, I found this post most useful. I like the “Coming Soon” piece. And, I’ve gone onto Canva a few times, but still haven’t been able to create anything I like. Found a printout about Designfeed last night and wondered if it would be better. Now, after reading your comments, I’ll give it a go. Write On.
Becki–Glad it helped! Hope you’ll give Designfeed a try. It’s very easy to use and they sort of stick the design elements on it for you, which helps, I think.
Thanks for the recommendations! I don’t like Canva because I find it often saves the wrong version of my work. I just signed up for a designfeed account.
Amy–Great! Hope it helps. I think it’s less customizable than Canva, but easier to use.
I’ve been enjoying pinterest as a place to keep interesting images I find on the web. I know a lot of people make connections there, but I haven’t really explored that aspect.
I like tumblr in theory, but so far I can’t get into it as well. I follow a few people, but don’t interact with them, and feel it is a bad mix of blogging and twitter — both of which I do, and like best.
I’ll have to check out instagram. I want to do more with image oriented sites.
Camille–Oh gosh, I can’t stand tumblr. As a curator, it’s impossible to find out who to attribute posts to there. And the design of the site is such that when I share things, it doesn’t grab page images correctly. Bleh.
But Instagram…I’m sort of liking. And it’s gotten *huge*.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and the useful tips and info, Elizabeth. I love the idea of a ‘coming soon’ page. Wishing you a lovely week and look forward to hearing more from you. It’s such a help to be able to pop by and gain all this advice. Thank you.
Nicola–Hope it helps! Thanks so much for coming by. :)
You are the busiest writer I know. I told my daughter that your business mind is brilliant or at least focused, which I admire since my mind chases butterflies regularly.
These are tips I will tuck away, again, for future use. I really like the Coming Soon page, btw. I like looking forward and readers do, too.
Teresa–Thank you! That’s sweet of you. I think it’s almost habit now, or at least the business is integrated pretty seamlessly into my day so I don’t have to think about it. But the butterflies are always taunting me through the windows. :)
I like the ‘Coming Soon,’ too. When the reader suggested it, I set it up that day. Easy thing to put on our sites.
Hi Elizabeth – yes the Coming Soon page makes sense, as too the note on DesignFeed as an alternative … as always lots of useful information and ideas … thank you – Hilary
Hilary–Thanks and thanks so much for coming by!
There’s always so much to learn and decide and figure out! Thanks for pointing the way :)
Jemi–And it changes all the time! Thanks for coming by.