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Overcome the 3 Habits that are Blocking You from Self-Publishing Your Book


3 Habits that Can Block You from Self-Publishing Your Book & Tips for Overcoming Them

Guest post by Jill Bennett

(image credit: webstandardssherpa.com)

(image credit: webstandardssherpa.com)

Self-publishing is taxing. Although it doesn’t necessarily entail going solo, the self-published author is usually saddled with work that doesn’t even involve writing.

As an author, you may have to oversee other aspects involved in the publishing process. For instance, you may have to design your own book cover or perhaps discuss its concept with your designer. Also, you may have to research on marketing techniques or sales strategies. You might even have to do the promotions yourself. The heavy work load might be a bit discouraging, but do know that there’s no shortcut to success.

If you really want to publish and get great sales, then work well to accomplish your tasks. From time to time, we tend to fall into bad habits that can ultimately prevent us from achieving success. The following are three habits that are toxic and must be avoided at all costs.

  1. Procrastination

Nothing good ever comes as a result of procrastination, but most of the time nothing gets even produced because of it. Remember that procrastination won’t magically get your work done. Once you have snapped out of it, your work will still be waiting for you. So, if you really want to achieve success, start becoming more productive.

Here are some tips to overcome procrastination:

  • Establish a reward system.

Once you have accomplished your tasks, you can do yourself a favor and reward yourself with a box of pizza or ice cream. Reward yourself with your favorite food or any recreational activity you want to indulge in. However, don’t overindulge. Remember, you still have work to do!

  • Get organized. Schedule your tasks.

A to-do list will allow you to see the effort you need to exert to achieve your goals. Accomplishing/ticking off each task in your planner will make you feel better or somewhat closer to achieving your goal.

  • A little bit of work every day.

Sometimes, we have this tendency to stress over what needs to be done that we end up doing nothing at all. Knowing that we have a lot of work to do usually leads us to procrastination. Eventually, procrastination causes stress to build up, which makes work even harder. Instead of seeing self-publishing as your passion or your dream, it becomes work – less interesting, stressful, demanding, etc. The key to lessening stress build-up is to work a little bit every day. You don’t need to do everything at once. For instance, you can alternate writing and editing days. You can write a chapter today, then edit that part tomorrow.

  1. Perfectionism

There’s nothing wrong with wanting the best. Essentially, high-quality content will get you great sales. However, there’s a downside to your unquenchable search for perfection.

These are the cons of being a perfectionist:

  • Lessens efficiency
  • Lessens effectiveness

The never-ending revisions won’t get you to publish your work. Adding more or new things might sound like an improvement, but sometimes, it really isn’t. After all the revisions, you might even end up with what you initially made, which only delays you from publishing. The ‘additions’ you worked on might not be beneficial for your work. Remember that you don’t have to overwrite to impress your audience. Although ‘show, don’t tell’ is canon, writing too much detail can be unnecessary. You don’t have to tell your readers every building, tree, or person your protagonist comes in contact with whilst going home unless they play a major part in your story.

If you’re notorious for being a perfectionist, heed these tips to improve that work process:

  • Set deadlines.

This will prevent you from obsessing on editing your book. Moreover, this will also help you solve your procrastination problem.

  • Take breaks.

Once you’re tired, it becomes harder to focus. Don’t sacrifice your work’s quality just so you can get things done. So, take a break. There’s no harm in that.

  • Know your priorities.

As a writer, your strong suit is writing. Graphic design or marketing might not be yours. If you’ve got a team to help you out with your self-publishing endeavors, then trust them. Allow them to do their work.

  1. Indecision

When we’re afraid of failure, we tend to struggle with decision-making. Once you’re consumed with making the right choice, your decisions tend to fluctuate because you have no idea which is the right one. Indecision could also lead to inaction. Over thinking your decisions will only delay you from finishing your book.

If you are hindered by this awful habit, here’s some advice to overcome it:

  • Don’t be afraid of failure.

All the great names in businesses or professions have become what they are because they have failed at some point. They learned from their mistakes and they grew. Know that your mistakes can help you improve too.

  • Do your research.

Be familiar with your options. Moreover, be familiar with your market. Be familiar with the current trends or your audience’s inclinations, so you won’t have trouble making a decision. For instance, if your target audience is the young adult community, you could focus marketing your book in popular social networks used by young adults.

You must always be on the lookout for these three bad habits. Avoid them while you can. Once you see yourself indulging on these nasty habits, do what you can to stop it. These habits will hinder you from achieving your dreams. Focus on your goal and work for it!

—If you’ve identified more terrible habits that need attention, please do share them with us.—

References:

mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm

lifehack.org/articles/productivity/why-being-a-perfectionist-may-not-be-so-perfect.html

writing-world.com/fiction/fivemistakes.shtml

leandecisions.com/2012/10/how-to-overcome-indecision.html

 

About the Author

JILL BENNETTs Profile PicJill Bennett a marketing specialist of LitFire Publishing, a company based in Atlanta, Georgia. For the past six years, she’s been working with several self-publishing authors in terms of book marketing, publicity and distribution.


Thanks for stopping by, friends.
Jill and I would love to hear from you! ~ Bette A. Stevens
(Comments Section Below)

[Back to Bette’s Blog]

 

Written

on 07/16/2015

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morning light…


Bask in the beauty! ~ Bette A. Stevens

SwittersB & Exploring's avatarSwittersB & Exploring

“The sun just touched the morning;
The morning, happy thing,
Supposed that he had come to dwell,
And life would be all spring.”

Emily Dickinson

pink rose-morning light-garden-SwittersB

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Written

on 07/02/2015

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FOLLOW THE TOUR: It’s Milele Safari by Jan Hawke


Author Jan Hawke is on tour with her novel Milele Safari and she’s stopped by to tell us a bit about her book today. Hawke has included a fascinating excerpt from her novel as well. Welcome to 4writersandreaders, Jan.  The page is yours and we’re looking forward to finding out more about you and Milele Safari, An Eternal Journey.

Part 5 – Zimbabwe

kariba photo for Jan HawkeIt’s almost a fairy tale really. Regrettably it’s mostly a Grimm one in terms of extremes of human rights, white on black and vice versa, black on black, economic, political affiliations—you name it, Zimbabwe’s most likely had a problem with it, or will have. From a safari point of view however, Zimbabwe’s almost peerless. A pearl of a tourist destination, even though it’s land-locked. Actually, scrap that— it doesn’t matter that it has no coastline, because Zimbabwe has the Zambezi and its ‘baby’ Lake Kariba. My third safari trip was to Zimbabwe and, a year after our hairy Tanzanian adventure, it was one that I had reservations with, which were more or less evaporated on starting out at Lake Kariba with our own private game guide. Harry Burton isn’t entirely based on that engaging young man, his backstory is an amalgam of several safari guides we met, as are his experiences, but the ethos for ‘high end’ quality safaris is right up there with only the decade being totally different. Our Zimbabwe holidays took place at the start of the 1990s ten years after the civil war ended and while there was still a reasonable amount of interracial amity about, before the program of white evictions began. To this day the safari trade still goes on regardless so ‘my’ Zimbabwe is still there, although some of the National Parks, like Gonarezhou remain mostly off the main tourist track (in the late 1980’s and 90’s it was still heavily mined and definitely a no-go area). Zimbabwe and its wildlife is truly beautiful though, and Harry’s Africa really needs no further embellishment from me in here. Lake Kariba remains high on the list of places I love most in this world and, if you’re prepared to live with the political exigencies and are careful who you travel with, I’d definitely recommend the country as one of those places to see before you die. From a wildlife perspective it’s still ‘last chance to see’ territory, as it’s one of the few countries to have black and white rhino in any significant numbers and, like other parts of southern Africa, it is enjoying some notable success with sustainable eco-tourism involving the indigenous people, and in running limited licensed hunting franchises to support conservation areas. Long may that continue…

Book Cover Meille Safari Milele Safari back blurb—Milele Safari – An Eternal Journey …twines around a single day, in an unremarkable border village that snuffs out the lives of four people and shatters many others, only to draw the survivors back to a different time and, perhaps, a hope of atonement and peace. Step out on the journey and discover an Africa that could have been, is and might one day come to be.

Excerpt from Trophies

It was money for old rope almost and the client paid through the nose for literally everything – the pro hunter’s fee being almost the least of it. Silly prices, and paid at source, where it did most good and everyone, including the precious animals, benefitted in some way. Gun hunting was just not something he enjoyed doing anymore, however great it was for easy money. It was too crude and if the client was a bad shot it could get very distressing, especially if they didn’t miss but botched the shot and hit a non-fatal area… … He was swearing under his breath as he tried to balance himself to take yet another shot at this bloody buff. Bloody client more like! Big Mr. ‘I am’, and he was ‘gonna git himself one of them big motherfuckin’ Cape bufferloes’… Flaming idiot! He should have listened to his instincts and refused to go out with Marjulies today – the amount the man’d put away last night it was a wonder he made it to lunch, let alone breakfast, but there were only two full days left of their stay here and the old dugga bull they’d found down by the river should’ve been feeling sluggish so late in the day… … ‘Shit!’  The blasted animal had literally charged and nutted the tree trunk so hard he’d nearly fallen out and his shot had missed by miles. Harry reloaded quickly, his face grim. He’d have to chance it and get back on the ground because he sure as hell wasn’t going to get a good killing shot in sitting up in a tree bole with this useless clot of a client, who’d managed to drop his weapon even before they’d both had to take shelter from the maddened buff in this ruddy tree.  He looked up at Marjulies, who was rustling the leaves on the next branch up he was so shit-scared.  ‘Stay put and try to be quiet – I’ll have to get down if it backs off again.’ Dear God, the man was actually crying now… ‘I mean it! Stay there.’ The old bull was puffing and blowing again. This one wasn’t going to let things lie and not because by rights it should be lying dead several yards off. All they’d done so far was get it so pumped up with adrenalin it was literally running on spite now. It had moved off a little at last, but was still glaring up at them in the tree. Harry raised his rifle and used the telescopic sight to assess the damage he’d inflicted so far. Despite himself he was impressed – there was blood everywhere down the forequarters, so he’d got it in the chest at least once and judging from the way it was spurting blood he’d hit a major vein, if not the heart. That was buffs for you – mean as hell and long on retribution. This old boy wasn’t too far past his prime either. He’d hate to meet up with the new guy who kicked him out – must’ve been bloody monstrous. Very, very slowly he put his weight on the right leg and slid his left down and behind the trunk until his foot rested on the stub of an old branch, still looking at the bull. Finally it turned away and trotted off for fifty yards or so, breathing hard now. He only needed those few moments to drop lightly to the ground with most of his body hidden by the tree trunk. The buff had stopped, its chest heaving with the effort of its final strength, but it looked back at them, angling around so he had a choice of a head shot or one more to the chest. He had four shots and those should do it he thought as he raised the Browning. ‘Burton! Behind us!’ Marjulies hissed at him loud enough for the buff to bellow out its anger and turn full on again. Harry slewed his head towards the slight movements from nearby mopane brush in time to see a battery bird fly away.  ‘Shut the fuck up!’ he growled viciously as he swung back and revised the low shot he’d contemplated in favour of the head. The wounded buffalo snorted aggressively and its muscles bunched in obedience to its final crack at vengeance.  Hold tight Harry… Keep your focus… but this had gone beyond rationality now. He let off two shots in quick succession and still it came, even though both times he saw skin and blood flying away and the white of bone between the buff’s eyes. Another shot, another hit, into the eye itself this time and at last it stumbled as he began to lower the Browning. There was a scream above him from Marjulies that joined the echoing gunshots reverberating in his ears as, unbelievably, the animal heaved itself back into the charge. Harry inhaled and held it in a mixture of fury and fear as he took careful aim with his last shot, knowing he’d need to be bloody lucky to have time to reload if it didn’t go down this time. Wait. Wait. Make it count. Let it get close. He fired. He breathed out and stood his ground as the old buffalo finally crumpled forwards onto its knees and slowly fell onto its side as the rear legs splayed and faltered and then were still. It was about two yards away from him. He could smell its blood and sweat, saw the ever-present flies rise up with a buzz, then fall back onto its face, feasting on fresh blood and brains. His legs were shaking now and he breathed in sharply, squatted down on his haunches and bowed his head, trying not to throw up. ‘Why’d ya shoot the bastid inna head! Ya could’ve spoilt ma trophy!’  The punch he landed on Marjulies’ ugly yellow mug smashed his nose almost to a right angle. It was worth breaking two of his own fingers and the mocking laughter back at the Lodge when the trackers asked him which one of them had really shot the buff’s tail off… ‘First rule in the Pro Hunter’s manual – follow up the client’s shot PDQ and be prepared to say yours was the one that missed, if you want your tip.’

Other Zimbabwean chapters

Perfect Day – Harry hosts a full day’s game excursion by boat and open land cruiser to view bathing elephants, threatened rhino, buffalo, not to mention a wealth of birdlife and crocodiles. The Gathering of Water – the group are dropped off at the lake and dam where they hear the strange tale, half myth, half mystery of Nyaminyami, the Spirit Guardian of the Zambezi and meet Harry’s nephew, Luey who explains the legend more prosaically.

MEET THE AUTHOR: Jan Hawke

Jan Hawke picI live near Launceston in Cornwall, UK with Toby and Benji the Springer Spaniels – it’s a tie between us all as to who’s maddest, but as I outrank them in being weird anyway it’s not open to debate really. I’m physically lazy with things that don’t hold much interest for me (so that’s mostly housework and, increasingly, cooking…), but I love where we live, mainly because I chose it for being so quiet and off the beaten track, very close to the moors and quite near to the sea. I also love books, both to write and to read, the latter of which can be very eclectic (I enjoy Julian Barnes, Kate Atkinson, Jeanette Winterson and will happily admit to Jilly Cooper too) but in the main I’m heavily into SF&F, particularly Tolkien, Terry Pratchett and Julian May, although I can pass on Zombie Apocalypses fairly easily… …how I’ve chosen to write about Africa for my first novel may be something of a surprise to my friends, but if you read it you may find that all of the above information manifests in there somehow! Future projects include a futuristic fantasy series, loosely grounded in Celtic myth – The Shadow Chronica (http://havenlands.blogspot.co.uk/), which is kind of stalled at present, but I’ll be dusting it off as summer gets in full flood with the first novel hopefully available at the tail end of 2016.

4WillsPublishing Link: JAN HAWKE’S AUTHOR EVENT Come follow the tour! – http://4wills-hawke.chatovod.com/

“This tour sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com.”

banner 4WillsPublishing Thanks for stopping by, friends. Jan and I would love to hear from you (comments below). Milele Safari is now on my TBR list and I’m definitely looking forward to the read. ~ Bette A. Stevens at http://www.4writersandreaders.com

[Back to Bette’s Blog]

Written

on 07/02/2015

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American Boomer fiction: DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens


DOG BONE SOUP—a slice of ‘The American Pie’

“Dog Bone Soup takes place in the fifties and sixties, but it could be anytime America as poverty, alcoholism, abuse, integrity, and ingenuity still abound” ~ Linda Loegel

“This kid has grit. Determination. A solid grip on his own worth.” ~ Marilyn Armstrong

DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens is the saga of the coming of age of a poor boy in New England. Set in the 1950s and 60s, Stevens’s debut novel tells an American story…
DBS AMERICAN STORY Vignette

I’m often asked why I wrote a book about a poor kid growing up in America in a dysfunctional family in the 1950s and 60s.

As a retired teacher, I have a deep concern for kids living in poverty today—these children are often bullied and looked down upon by other kids and even by some adults, all because of the social status of their families. Poverty and prejudice appear linked through the generations. The bullying I’ve seen isn’t simply relegated to kid stuff. Adults can and should make a difference for the better in the lives of these children—of all children. Many of these kids continue to suffer, and are often traumatized, throughout their lives because they’ve been bullied or intimidated simply because they’re poor. I know, I’ve met many of them. DOG BONE SOUP is a fictional story of the survival and the triumph of a boy who overcomes the odds of repeating the pattern of poverty in his own life back in the 1950s and 60s, an era when most families were living The American Dream.

Unfortunately, DOG BONE SOUP is as relevant today as it was in the 1950s and 60s. Fortunately, we do have the opportunity to change these statistics today. As caring and concerned adults, we can all make a difference—one child at a time.

Find out all about it in DOG BONE SOUP. Let’s throw kindness around like confetti! ~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author
KINDNESS & CONFETTI

DOG BONE SOUP on kindle 2Excerpt from DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens

(Of Buddies & Bullies)

THE DAYS WE SPENT TRIMMING TREES and typing over at Mrs. Ashley’s flew off faster than a sweet dream, as Mum would say. What Mum couldn’t do with her moccasin, Mrs. Ashley took care of with her typewriter and adventure stories. The three of us took turns reading chapters in ‘The Jungle Book’ together after Saturday dinners that fall. Mrs. Ashley always had chocolate ice cream to go along with her fancy desserts. I liked to chomp on the fancies while Willie gorged himself on ice cream. Mum couldn’t believe it when Willie started working on his spelling and even read a book every now and then at the house.

Uncle Ted took me out to the lake fishing on Sunday afternoons a couple of weeks after we finished our Favorite Things lists. I’m sure that had something to do with Mrs. Ashley, too. Dinner times, she’d be talking to Uncle Ted about her mahogany row-boat. She told him it would be nice if he had a son to take out fishing with him. “You know I hate to see that boat just sitting out in the shed, knowing how much you love your bass fishing,” she’d say.

School never changed much. I still hated it. But, I did find out that Timmy didn’t want to join Buddy that day out on the playground.

A few days after the sing-songing, Timmy came over by me at recess and asked if he could shoot marbles.

“You just go over and play marbles or anything else you like with your best friend Buddy Wentworth,” I snapped.

“Buddy’s not my friend. He’s always mean to me. You hear him. Buddy’s mean to everybody. I just try to stay out of his way. Buddy made me sing with him that day. Said if I didn’t, he’d beat me to a pulp after school. I hate recess and I hate Buddy Wentworth. You’re the only friend I’ve got. You never make fun of me when Buddy gets something going. Can I please play?” Timmy begged.

“Sure. Where’s your marbles?”

He snatched them out of his pocket and I got my only real friend back that day.

If anyone thought that Timmy Doyle was a little slow had watched us play marbles, they’d have known that was nothin’ but a lie. Timmy took to playing marbles, quick as a baby chick takes to peckin’ for its grain.

I kept my grades up to all As and Bs. I sure didn’t want Mum’s moccasin on my butt. Willie was getting Cs on his report cards. Mum was just fine with that. I suppose getting Cs was lots better than the Ds he’d been bringing home before Mrs. Ashley.

###

DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens

  • A fresh slice of “The American Pie”
    Paperback $9.80 Kindle/eBook $3.99 OR
    Purchase paperback and download kindle version for FREE
    Grab a copy of DOG BONE SOUP today on YOUR AMAZON!

Written

on 06/27/2015

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Come join us #RRBC WAVE RAVE RADIO SHOW on Thursday, June 18th at 12 noon


Radio Interview with Author Bette A. Stevens this Thursday at Noon

DOG BONE SOUP Struggling to survive

  • Maine author Bette A. Stevens talks about her debut novel DOG BONE SOUP live on #RRBC WAVE RAVE “Spotlight Honors” with Rave Reviews Book Club’s radio host Nancy Bell…
  • WHEN? Thursday, June 18th, 2015 at 12 noon EST
  • WHERE? Right here on BlogTalkRadio
  • COME JOIN US!

Call in, Tweet us or just listen in live or later… #RRBC WAVE RAVE host chats with author Bette A. Stevens about her debut novel DOG BONE SOUP. You’re invited to join the conversation right here! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ravereviewsbookclub/2015/06/18/rrbc-rave-wave-spotlight-honors-with-guest-bette-a-stevens

  • DOG BONE SOUP by Bette A. Stevens discounted for 5 days, June 18th through June 22nd. ONLY 99¢ (Retail kindle version $3.99). Grab a copy at YOUR AMAZON and tell your friends.

DOG BONE SOUP on kindle 2Thanks for all of your support, Friends. HAPPY READING! ~ Bette A. Stevens

Written

on 06/18/2015

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Mark This Date! Indie Author Pride Day July 1st 2015 On Social Media!


Hi Indie-author Friends,

It’s INDIE RECON—JULY 1st and you’re invited.

Read all about to find out how to take part, mark your calendars and let’s get ready to GO GLOBAL.

See you there!

Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer's avatar"CAT'S BOOK LIBRARY 4 READERS"

Hello Writers and Authors,

A big event will be happening on July 1st 2015 all over Social Media!!


.

Hello Authors,
‪

Have you heard about “Indie Author Pride Day” happening this July 1st 2015? Well, indie authors will hijack Social Media! We want the world to know that there are some awesome Independent Authors that write fabulous books just for READERS to ENJOY.

Since self-publishing options entered the main stream, many indie authors have wonderful books to read that are even better than NY Times Best Sellers! So we want readers to know this, and LOUDLY.
Amazon, Goodreads, and Book Goodies are great places to find many of these indie author book offerings.

So I wanted ALL Indie Authors to know about this event, and hope you will all join in and help make Cyber History!! A few words of how to join in!

.

.

*Indie Pride Day: On July…

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Written

on 06/16/2015

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INSPIRING EARLY READERS: Author on a Mission


Early last winter, I discovered that one of my author friends regularly metamorphoses into “Blossom the Butterfly” to share her love of reading with pre-school and elementary school children. I asked Pamela to share her story. Opportunities abound for all of us! ~ Bette A. Stevens

CHILDHOOD LITERACY: Sharing the love of reading

Guest post by author Pamela Beckford

IMG_2405How did I get so involved in childhood literacy? I’ve asked myself that question dozens of times. I’m not a teacher, nor did I ever have any aspirations of being a teacher. I’m not a librarian, nor did I ever have any desire to be a librarian. But I am an avid reader myself and I have seen how much reading means to me personally.

I have the world’s best job as CEO of a local United Way. We have a goal of making sure that 90% of all children in our county are ready for kindergarten by 2020. I really didn’t think that was an unattainable goal. In fact, I thought we were probably pretty close to that number already. But, as it turns out, we have our work cut out for us.

One of the reasons is that parents can’t keep up with the changes in our education system. I don’t know how many times I have heard parents say “but that isn’t the way it was when I was in school.” And keep in mind, that these are the youngest parents too. Kindergarten is not what it was even five years ago, let alone what it was like 20 years ago.

I have read study after study about early literacy. They all show the value of reading to children as early as birth (some say before birth). Children need to see parents reading; they need to feel a connection with their parents and their voice. Picture books are one of my favorite genre. I love the rich cadence of many of the books, as well as the beautiful illustrations. There is no doubt in my mind of the importance of talking to and reading to your children.

As part of our Early Childhood Initiative, we developed a new website to serve as a resource for parents. I know that life happens. We get busy with the day-to-day things, work, maintaining a house, etc. Sometimes we just need to be reminded to spend a few minutes reading to your child and why it is important. We always think we can do that tomorrow, but tomorrow never seems to come. The website (90by20.com or childrenreadytolearn.com) is a work in progress and will be continually updated and changed.

PAMELA Blossom & the kidsOne of the other important things we have done is create a reading mascot—her name is Blossom the Book Butterfly. Blossom (me) reads for children every chance she gets; she participates in activities in the schools and child care program; she even had a book written about her that will be distributed to all the new mothers in the county. But Blossom isn’t the only one who reads to children—ALL adults should find a way of volunteering their time with their children/grandchildren/schools/preschools, etc. It only takes a few minutes to read a book to a child and yet its impact is life long.

One of the things I am most excited about though is having Blossom read Indie-authored children books on YouTube videos. This has been a project that has taken much more time than I thought it would but I think it will be a great resource for children and parents. Plus it will promote books from indie authors. I haven’t pursued traditionally published books for this because of the difficulty of getting the video rights, but indie authors have been eager to have their books showcased. Watch for the section on the website in the next couple of months—and if you are a children’s author and would like to allow me to use your books, please contact me.

There are so many other aspects of what we are doing to encourage early literacy—you can see most of them if you look through the website.

I fear I may have gone on too long but this is one of my favorite subjects and I could talk about it all day. Thank you for the opportunity to share our efforts in early childhood literacy.

FIND OUT MORE

VISIT PAMELA BECKFORD

(BETTE’S BLOG)

Written

on 06/10/2015

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762. Life is like a canvas. It begins blank every day, and when at day’s end it’s like another brush stroke has been painted across it. ~Edited Unknown


One brush stroke at a time! ~ Bette A. Stevens

nataliescarberry's avatarSacred Touches

You don’t just have a story –
you’re the story in the making,
and you never know what the
next chapter is going to be.
That’s what makes it exciting.
~Dan Millman

DSC_0011

Life is like a book and
we’re the writers of our own stories,
the makers of our own destiny.
And each day is a new chapter,
a new challenge,
a new path,
a new journey.
~Unknown

Your word, Lord, is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. ~Psalm 119:105  ✝

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Written

on 06/07/2015

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How to Conquer the Book Marketing Monster


Conquering that Marketing Monster

Guest post by Lois W. Stern

marketing.monster2Writing our books is the fun part, as it challenges our creativity, satisfying a need for self-expression. But marketing our books . . . that’s a whole different story. I call it the marketing monster! Many internet sites are out there to help us slay that dragon, but I’d like to share three little gems that you might have overlooked.

Hold on for a second. Before we begin, I want you to build yourself a promotional template. It will take a little time, and you won’t need all of these items for each venue, but trust me, in the long run, it will be a real time saver.

Template Items:

  • Book title:
  • Author:
  • Genre:
  • Book formats (paperback, hardcover, Kindle, other e-reader formats):
  • ISBN #:
  • Author bio:
  • Book teaser or elevator pitch:
  • URL links to any places where your book has a presence:
  • your website or blog
  • amazon.com, Barnesannobles.com
  • Your social media pages (Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter)
  • Goodreads
  • Amazon Central page
  • Images:          your headshot            book cover(s)
  • Several compelling reviews of your book”
  • An enticing excerpt:

Here are three ideas I have discovered that I can recommend for free or low-budget book promotion.

newbookreview_banner_full

Submit your book and some of its best reviews to Carolyn Howard-Johnson* for a free posting on her website and you will get some great cross promotion opportunities.

Follow these guidelines.
(or copy and paste: http://www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com into your browser.)

Watch this brief video to meet Carolyn and learn about her fabulous writing and book marketing credentials.
(or copy and paste: http://www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com into your browser.)

* Carolyn’s site has been named to Online University’s 101 Best Blogs for Readers.

1000 Words Plus

 

 

 

Recommended through Dan Poynter, One Thousand Words Plus is a fabulous new site where you can actually create a separate web page for each of your published books. You are given the opportunity to:

  • Display a synopsis/description of each of your books
  • Display chosen samples of text from anywhere within your books
  • Direct potential readers to your preferred online retail outlet for your book
  • Direct potential readers to your other relevant URLs

(i.e. publisher’s website, author’s website, blog and social media pages, etc.)

  • Post book cover images and more.

The publishers have agreed to offer a 50% discount for readers of this blog who sign up by the end of this calendar year. By using Code LWS2015, you will be charged only $24.95 for the lifetime exposure for each of your books (normally $49.95). Note: Since there are no annual renewal fees, this is quite a bargain.

To get familiar with their format, go to:

http://www.onethousandwordsplus.com/

Then click on the words: I’m an author, I want to learn more to promote your book.

Next Best Thing

The Next Best Thing, sent to me by Linda Maria Frank, host of The Writer’s Dream LTV Show, is both free and a clever original. It is set up more or less like a blog tour, to help market yourself while helping your fellow authors. The basic idea is to respond to ten questions about your published or about-to-be-published book, while submitting your headshot and book cover images. Follow these directions carefully and click here to see how I set up my page.

Note: I will limit my blog tour to the first ten people who respond. It’s free but I will only have space to include the first ten authors who follow every step of the directions, so read carefully.

Please use the comment area below to share one great marketing tip or lesser known website you have discovered to help conquer that marketing monster.

About the author

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Author Lois Stern

My first two books focused on physical beauty: Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery (with sound advice and personal emotional undercurrents to cosmetic surgery) and Tick Tock, Stop the Clock ~ Getting Pretty on Your Lunch Hour (with chapters written by eleven nationally renowned experts and outstanding practitioners, detailing many of the most current minimally invasive beauty procedures).

Then my writing career took a seemingly sharp turn as I began to focus on inspiring stories, stories to touch the heart and soul. But in truth this was not a new interest for me as I always had a special appreciation for feel-good stories that reach the inner spirit, inspire, motivate, make us question. I started to develop this idea further as I initiated a Tales2Inspire™ ‘Authors Helping Authors’ project/contest, and with contributing stories from other talented writers, have begun a series of inspiring story anthologies. I have now published the first four of these little jewel books: the Emerald, Topaz, Sapphire and Ruby collections, with more on the way. Each book is enhanced by the inclusion of original photos and drawings.

 

If you think you might be interested in participating in Tales2Inspire™, do visit my website and click on the word CONTEST for details. Winning authors receive an incredible number of platform building opportunities. And isn’t that what all talented authors are seeking? DISCOVERY!

Thanks so much for sharing these great marketing tips with us, Lois.

And, writers, don’t forget to tell us about your favorite marketing tips in the comments section below.

HAPPY WRITING & BOOK MARKETING, ALL!

Bette A. Stevens

Bette’s Blog

Written

on 06/03/2015

Aside

Greetings from The Farmstead


THE WONDER OF IT ALL bas 2015

Blossoms are singing here at The Farmstead in Central Maine. Yes, the wonders abound. Wishing you all a week filled with wonders too! ~ Bette A. Stevens

P.S. Happy reading, my friends!

Bette’s Blog

Written

on 05/31/2015

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