How Authors Can Leverage Facebook Ads to Sell More Books

Today’s post is by book advertising consultant Matt Holmes. When authors want to advertise their books, three advertising platforms spring to mind for most: Facebook ads, Amazon ads, and BookBub ads. And while each of these platforms can be amazing in their own right and even more so when used holistically together, without a strong...

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How to Be a Great Podcast Guest: A Guide for Authors

Photo by Soundtrap on Unsplash Today’s post is from book marketing coach Sue Campbell (@suecampbell_) of Pages & Platforms, who offers a podcast appearance checklist and a host of free marketing resources when you join her newsletter. Being on a podcast can be a great way to promote your book, but if it’s your first time on...

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I’m Selling Books on TikTok, No Dancing (or Crying) Required

Today’s post is by Ashleigh Renard (@ashleigh_renard), author of the memoir Swing. Two months ago, mentions of TikTok flooded my online writers groups, all due to a New York Times headline: How Crying on TikTok Sells Books. Yes, it’s true, TikTok does have the remarkable power to sell books. Ever since I started marketing and promoting...

2w

You Can’t Sell an Idea

“1/52 ideas” by DaNieLooP is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Today’s post is excerpted from the new book Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer: The Artistry, Joy, and Career of Storytelling by New York Times bestselling author and Hugo Award winner J. Michael Straczynski (@straczynski), published by BenBella Books. The emails come...

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The Alchemy of Emotion: 6 Key Strategies for Emotionally Affecting Fiction

“six triangular stones” by Jos van Wunnik is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Today’s post is by regular contributor Susan DeFreitas (@manzanitafire), an award-winning author, editor, and book coach. She offers a first 50-page review on works in progress for novelists seeking direction on their next step toward publishing. People...

2w

Strained Brain? How to Stoke Your Mental Fire

“Home” by Phil Gradwell is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Today’s post is by author and editor Kim Catanzarite (@kimcanrite). Her psychological thriller They Will Be Coming for Us is out now. It happens to everyone from time to time: You’re just not too excited about being a writer anymore. As we all know, the road to writing...

3w

What Writers Can Learn from Runners

“me myself and I on the road” by adropp is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Today’s post is an excerpt from the new book Our Endless and Proper Work: Starting (and Sticking To) Your Writing Practice by Ron Hogan (@RonHogan). I’ll start with a story I read in a newsletter written by Terrell Johnson called The Half Marathoner, about...

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Writers: Ask for What You Want

“There are a lot of good people around” by strangnet is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Todays post is excerpted from Where Do You Hang Your Hammock?: Finding Peace of Mind While You Write, Publish, and Promote Your Book by Bella Mahaya Carter (@Bellamahaya). When you’re out there promoting your book, you’ll have to ask for all...

3w

Don’t Tease Your Reader. Get to the Tension and Keep It Rising

“Top Secret” by Skley is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 Today’s post is by editor and author Joe Ponepinto (@JoePonepinto). Just about every fiction writer understands the need to include elements of rising tension in their stories. But as someone who reads thousands of submissions every year, I know that many emerging writers sometimes...

4w

How to Get Your First Freelance Byline (and Why Even Fiction Writers Should Freelance)

Today’s post is by author Catherine Baab-Muguira (@CatBaabMuguira). Her book, Poe for Your Problems, releases in September 2021. If you aspire to be an author, then you probably already know that you need a “platform” to land that big book deal. Or any book deal, period. Most of us are aware, by now, that we’re supposed to have...

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