Today’s installment of the Indie Author Weekly Update includes posts on websites, discoverability, productivity, and SEO. I hope you enjoy the posts and the practical information below.
As the month inches to a close and can feel as though summer is slipping through our fingers. Where I live, at least, warm weather can surprise us in September or October and that’s what I’m hoping for. Let summer last as long as possible!
Indie Author Updates
Discoverability: Go Wide by Joel Friedlander: “We often talk about the absolute necessity of making our books discoverable to readers. I started writing about discoverability as a key to success in online bookstores in 2011. But what does it really mean? This question most often leads to a discussion about book metadata, a field all indie authors come to understand, if only when they go to upload their book files to a retailer and are faced with a long form to fill out.”
Online Author Etiquette: 12 Laws of the Amazon Jungle from Anne R. Allen: “After I wrote my post last month on cyberbullying in the publishing community, a lot of people asked if there’s any way to avoid these online terrorists. I wrote a post on the subject back in 2013, soon after my nightmare encounter with the Goodreads Mean Girls, who attacked me with everything from one-star “review” swarms to death threats that included pictures of my house.”
6 Common Sense Steps to Secure a WordPress Website from Jane Friedman: “I almost was that next victim. In 2012 I was targeted by a botnet that attacked WordPress sites. I never lost control of my site, but I did spend quite a few hours fighting them off. I had to learn the hard way that securing a site before you encounter a problem can prevent a lot of panic, but you don’t have to make my mistake.”
11 Top Tools To Monitor Your Social Media Presence In 2017 from Adam Connell at Blogging Wizard: “Been blogging for a while and not making any real impact? Even though you have the best of intentions, you seem to have no eyes on your blog, no subscribers, and very few social media followers. Starting a blog and growing your blog are two different things. When starting a blog you have to find your niche, research hosting plans, figure out WordPress, create content and finally get your theme and website up and running. But, then the next thing is getting people to your blog.”
The definitive guide to SEO for authors by Nathan Bransford: “What if there was a way to virtually guarantee your book hits all the bestseller lists without being a “big name” author or buying your way onto the lists? Sound impossible? People have done it. And here’s the secret… You need to build an AUDIENCE of people ready to pre-order your book. It’s the exact strategy that Tim Ferriss used to become a four-time New York Times best seller. In this article (NB note: written by SEO expert Michael Tesalona) we’ll break down exactly how it’s done. Spoiler alert: you’ll need to get very good at blogging and SEO.”
4 Social Media Productivity Tips for Authors by Frances Caballo from TheBookDesigner.com: “Every writer’s dream is to publish a book that soars in popularity and sells oodles of copies. And perhaps every writer’s nightmare is learning how to market a book and then doing the marketing. What’s a writer to do? It’s like the chicken and the egg quandary – which came first? Well, in the world of publishing, the marketing starts before the book is finished. The idea for the book comes first, followed by the simultaneous acts of marketing and writing, and finally the book appears on virtual shelves, followed by even more marketing.”
Quote of the Week
Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web
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