by Miral Sattar
Bowker | Fri Oct 7, 2016
What's the worst thing that can happen when you're promoting your book?
Imagine this scenario...you're at a networking event or a dinner and tell someone you're a writer and have published a book. They get really excited and look up your book on Amazon. There's a good chance they might consider buying your book...BUT... when they click on your page you HAVE ZERO REVIEWS.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Wed Oct 5, 2016
What is the process you follow when you go to a store to buy something? You probably go to the most convenient place (bricks or clicks) and peruse the assortment available. You may search for a particular brand if you are aware of it. If not, you look at the prices to compare the value of the items to your needs. Then depending on the strength of your need compared to the available choices you decide to buy or wait.
If publishers looked at the purchasing process form their customers’ prospective, they could sell more books. Instead, they seek manuscripts based on an author’s knowledge (non-fiction) or imagination (fiction). Then they publish them, price them to cover all costs and desired profits, and sell them through bookstores. They announce the availability of their books through social media and publicity. And when the books do not sell they publish different ones.
by Frances Caballo
Bowker | Tue Sep 27, 2016
This is the final article in a three-part series about Twitter for writers by Frances Caballo.
Start with the Basics
If you are new to Twitter, here are some initial steps you’ll need to take.
Sign Up
Navigate to Twitter.com and sign up by including your first and last names, phone or email address, and a password.
Your next step is to decide on your username, also called a handle. Restrict your username to 12 characters or fewer, even though you’re allowed 15. Brevity is important on Twitter where every character counts. Consider these tips before hitting save:
by Frances Caballo
Bowker | Wed Sep 21, 2016
This is the second article in a three-part series about Twitter for writers by Frances Caballo.
Now here are eight reasons why Twitter is awesome for writers.
1. If you’re active on Twitter, it will refer a ton of traffic to your blog and website. (Twitter is my #1 source of website traffic.)
2. There is a large community of Indie authors on Twitter who are willing to help you promote your book and form supportive alliances. Endeavor to meet other authors in your genre, share blog posts and promote each other on Twitter.
3. Twitter will help you to market your books.
by Frances Caballo
Bowker | Wed Sep 14, 2016
Those who follow me on Twitter know that I have more than 36,000 followers and frequently post throughout the day.
How frequently? Ahem. The answer may freak out some of you: every two hours. But I do take a break between 10 pm and 4 am Pacific Time.
I know that’s a lot of tweeting. However, a tweet typically has a two-hour window of life. That’s not much. And if you want to get your content – whether you’ve written or you’re retweeting someone else – you need to tweet throughout the day.But I don’t mind. Twitter is my favorite social media network. If I had to choose between Facebook and Twitter, well, there’s simply no competition. Of all the social media networks I use, I spend more time on Twitter.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Wed Sep 7, 2016
There are hundreds of thousands of new titles published every year, and the competition for bookstore shelf space is intense. Now there is an enormous opportunity for independent publishers to increase their sales, revenue and profits by selling their books to special-sales buyers.
The question that usually comes to mind is, “What are special sales?” This term is commonly used to describe sales opportunities outside of bookstores. Also referred to as non-bookstore (or non-traditional) marketing, it can build a profitable revenue stream.
The best way to exploit this opportunity is to divide it into two segments and sell to buyers in each according to their traditional ways of purchasing. One is the retail segment where you reach buyers using a network of middlemen just as you do through bookstores. Included are airport stores, discount stores, supermarkets and specialty retailers.
by Richard Smith
Bowker | Wed Sep 7, 2016
If you’re an author and want to stay on top of the important issues in the world of publishing—issues that affect you—you need The Hot Sheet.
With all the chatter out there, it will help you sort through the noise with stories that focus on relevant topics from across the publishing spectrum. From author success stories to key industry statistics, you’ll find what you need to know in The Hot Sheet. Click here to Subscribe to The Hot Sheet!
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Wed Aug 24, 2016
The National Park Service turns 100 on August 25, 2016. It seems appropriate to talk about how publishers can sell books through gift shops in parks and historic sites.
There are two major ways to sell to buyers at gift shops. One is to work through independent sales representatives found at http://www.greatrep.com. This site provides several entry points. Contact salespeople directly under “Lines Wanted,” or list your book in the “Reps Wanted” section. There is also a list of upcoming wholesale trade gift shows at which you can exhibit and/or network.
Second are third-party operators that buy for gift shops in parks and historical centers. They work in partnership with the retail outlets to ensure that their guests have a meaningful experience and can extend their experience by discovering relevant products in their stores.
by Richard Smith
Bowker | Wed Aug 24, 2016
If you’re an author and want to stay on top of the important issues in the world of publishing—issues that affect you—you need The Hot Sheet.
With all the chatter out there, it will help you sort through the noise with stories that focus on relevant topics from across the publishing spectrum. From author success stories to key industry statistics, you’ll find what you need to know in The Hot Sheet. Click here to Subscribe to The Hot Sheet!
by Anne R. Allen
Bowker | Wed Aug 17, 2016
Everybody tells indie authors to participate in social media, but they usually fail to mention the dangers that lurk out there in Cyberia. Behind a keyboard, normal people can devolve into bullies, trolls, and raging vigilantes. Yes, even in highbrow literary neighborhoods. The weapons of choice are death threats, obscenities, and one-star "reviews."
A handful of authors have spammed and gamed the system with such abandon that some people are suspicious of us all. There's no way to protect yourself completely from meanies—I've had death threats simply because I witnessed the bullying of a naïve author who broke an unwritten Goodreads rule.However, ferreting out those rules can be daunting, so here are some I've learned by trial and error. Lots of error.
#1: Don't Spam
