Posted by on Dec 10, 2011 in
Writing Books Every author must decide for him or herself, but first, it’s important to understand what a blog is and how to use it effectively.
A blog is a shortened version of the term “web log.” It’s basically a journal or diary that is online for the public to read. Businesses use blogs to share information about their products, new items in their markets, and other information relevant to their industry. Blogging is similar for authors who want to connect with readers, books being the product and readers being the customers who want the product-at least they should after reading your blog.
Blogging is an excellent marketing strategy for authors because it’s a way for them to tell their stories, to talk about their books, to share information, items of common interest to readers, and ultimately, to get people to buy their books. Whether writing fiction or non-fiction, most authors are telling a story, and a blog is just another way to tell a story-the story about you the author-in a more personal way that will get readers to like you and want to hear more of what you have to say.
Having a blog does not mean just posting whatever and whenever. As an author, you want to have a strategy for your blog posts. Ultimately, your goal is to sell your books to your potential readers. Make sure your posts reflect that strategy. If you’re writing romance novels, it doesn’t make sense to post about your gardening interests-unless you can tie those into your book-for example, if your heroine’s name is Cecilia and she is a gardener in your book, then you could be creative and present Cecilia’s gardening tips.
Following are some key tips to make your blog effective so it will engage your readers:
Have an attention grabbing headline.
Keep the content relatively short-just a few paragraphs-a chapter a day from your book may be too long, so spread it out over a few posts-remember people online have short attention spans.
Post selections from your books.
Write about why you wrote your book-tell the background story.
Give sneak peeks of future books or ideas you’re working on.
Review products of interest to your readers-if you write historical fiction, review other historical novels or historical films. If you write about nature, the outdoors, activities like rock-climbing, then write reviews of nature hiking trails, the best kayaking places, or the newest in climbing equipment.
Share information about your industry or genre-a lot of readers want to be writers, so talk about writing, publishing, and book marketing-be helpful to everyone who asks for help (within reason).
Offer viewpoints that may be a little controversial.
Ask your readers for their opinions on what you post. Solicit comments from them. Asking for feedback tells your readers that you want to know what they have to say, and that you’re interested in understanding your customers. Respond to the comments people write. Remember, many people view authors as celebrities. They will be pleased that you took the time to write them back. The more comments you get, the more people will want to leave comments. Don’t worry about negative comments-you can control what comments appear on your site, but a little controversy can also help.
Ask your readers what topics they would like you to post about. Ask them for ideas for future books, or put up a piece of writing and ask for feedback.
Link to other sites and exchange links. Find authors who write on similar topics or in similar genres. Interview them, or review each other’s books. Links will help your search engine optimization and you’ll have more links back to your site to attract readers.
Advertise your blog. Just putting up a blog on your website won’t get people to your blog. Advertise it through your email lists. Be involved in social media sites like Facebook and Twitter where you can promote your blog.
Avoid trying to sell directly. No one likes a pushy salesperson. Share information and make people curious about your thoughts, opinions, and writing. People like to do business with people they know and like. As they get to know and like you, they’ll become more curious to buy your book.
Go beyond the written word. Include photographs in your blog to attract people who are more visual. You can also include audio and video to your blog. Take turns playing with or switching up different types of blog posts.
Automate your blog so everything you post goes to your social networking sites. Ping.fm is one good site that allows you to cross-post.
Be listed on blog directories so people looking for information or the topics you’re writing about can find you.
Follow other authors and people in the publishing industry’s blogs and post comments on those blogs-your website will be included so people will follow you back to your website.
Post on average three or more blogs a week so you always have new content and readers stay interested.
Blogging can be a fun and fulfilling way to promote your books, to have conversations with readers, to try out ideas for future books, and to learn a great deal about how to market your books to attract readers. Ultimately, you won’t know if blogging is effective for you unless you try it.
Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.
Tags: Authors, Blog, Blogging, Books, Need, Selling
Posted by on Sep 23, 2011 in
Writing Books One of the most popular and sought after online money making methods is writing and selling E-books, and rightly so. E-book has become one of the hottest markets to make money in, but many people are skeptic on whether or not you can make money with the E-book publishing business, and the truth is that it is a legitimate concern. with all the scams scattered all over the internet, it is only smart to ask the question of whether or not one can make money with E-books. so if you are one of those skeptics and wondering if it’s a good idea to start your own E-book publishing business, read ahead to find out for yourself, if it is possible or not to make money writing and selling E-books.
What Is An E-book?
E-book publishing can be linked to the more familiar traditional book publishing. which simply has evolved into a more friendly method, and adapted itself to meet the literature needs of our fast paced computerized 21st century lives. E-book is not a new invention of any sort, it’s more of a an already invented invention that is opening up it’s doors to the new possibilities. E-book is simply an electronic book! which has many benefits that the traditional books lack. it’s is an easier and faster way to purchase a book without having to leave the comfort of your home. of course with the growing popularity of E-books, came along many devices that make reading an electronic book easier. it’s the ease of use and instant availability of E-book that has made this product a favorite amongst many readers. and that brings up the possibility of making a new reliable income stream. so the question becomes- do people really make money with E-books? and if so, can it be counted as a reliable way of making enough money to sustain an average household?
Is E-book Publishing A Good Way To Make Money?
Well, the short answer is yes. in fact it can be a quite profitable business, if done right! in order to have a successful E-book publishing business, you need to do your homework. not all E-books are created equal, thus not any kind of E-book is going to make you loads of money. so finding a hot and in demand subject to base your E-book on, is your first and most important step, which thanks to our consumer based attitude society, on demand and hot selling topics number in thousands. so it will not be hard to find a profitable topic to write an E-book about, but choosing one that you already have some knowledge and expertise about, can dramatically speed up your research process and the actual writing of the E-book. also it can contribute on the quality of the E-book you are planning to publish, which gives you a higher chance of success in making a notable amount of money.
Writing an E-book may seem quite impossible or difficult at first, but once started, you will notice a much easier and faster way to write, compare to the traditional book writing. and in some cases, the rewards can be far greater, not to mention instant. of course that depends highly on ones own abilities to write. but you will be surprised how much a 5 page E-book can contribute in your income!
As you can see, the answer to the question of whether or not E-book publishing business can be used to make money easy is quite obvious. yes, in fact it is much easier to make money with E-books than many other online money making methods. but as any other methods of making money, it requires a certain amount of effort and hard work combined with persistency, which if focused in the right direction, can lead you to make a notable sum of money, certainly more notable than working a traditional 9-5 job.
Tags: Ebooks, Money, online, Possible, Selling, Writing
Posted by on Jul 25, 2010 in
Writing Books Imagine thousands of people buying your book all over the world in the coming year. Furthermore, they love it and write you about how it has helped them. They even email all their friends about your insightful book. Sound far fetched? Believe it; it could happen to you! Keep reading only if you want to give your message the selling chance it deserves.
To start with, every part of your book should be a compelling part of your message. Every part should be written passionately and designed to be a sales tool. Touch your readers’ emotion with passion for your topic and you’ll sell more books. In fact, when you design your book to include the passion points below, you’ll sell more books than you ever imagined.
Passion Point 11 Make your book brief.
Give yourself a break. You don’t have to write a 350 page book like your colleague to be successful. It doesn’t even have to be 150 pages. Simply write a short book approximately 10-100 pages long and fill it with your insightful information, your expertise and/or your experiences.
Passion Point 12 Write your book the easy way.
Write the solution. Identify 8-10 questions or problems for each chapter. Speed your writing time by simply writing the answers to each problem or question. Include your stories and experiences to add interest to your book.
Passion Point 13 Write your book vision intention.
Oprah Winfrey says, “Writing your intentions down and watching them manifest is one of the most powerful goal setting experiences ever.” Write the date your book will be published and the specific outcomes. For example, write down what you will hear, see, and feel now that the book is finished and people are reading it. You’ll find it’s much easier to envision a finished outcome than it is to keep hoping it might happen.
Passion Point 14Plan to market your book the easy way.
Create a book marketing plan or revise your old one to include Internet Marketing. Your book marketing plan is what I often describe as your map. It describes your book, what you will do after the book is completed and published. It also describes who you hope to sell your book to (target audience.)
Passion Point 15 Invest in educating yourself about book writing.
If you don’t know how to write a book fast, enroll in a book writing mini-course, join a book writing group or purchase a book about writing books. Are you on a shoe-string budget? Subscribe to a book writer’s newsletter and receive bite-sized tips.
Passion Point 16Include your book in your top priorities.
If it doesn’t make it into your top plans, it may take years to complete. Set a plan in place including when you write, how much you write and even when you will finish. Make your book a top priority at least 5 days a week and complete sooner.
No matter how good your book is, if you don’t use the above simple tips in setting it up you may never sell as many books as your message deserves. Start today. Enthusiasm and passion are contagious. Give your book the best selling chance possible. Fill it with enthusiasm for your topic and sell more than you ever dreamed.
Tags: Before, Book, Chance, Give, Selling, write