Free Email Course for Authors

Social media can be confusing for authors. That’s why I created this free email course to show how you to use social media to engage your readers and find new readers. You’ll learn:

  • How to get started the right way on social media
  • My top strategies for succeeding on social media
  • Fabulously free image sources for authors
  • Blogging tips
  • And more!

When you sign up, you automatically get a free ebook, Twitter Just for Writers. So just enter your email below for the free course and book!

Have you seen these changes on Facebook and Twitter?

July 24, 2017 By 1 Comment

Facebook TwitterSocial media is always evolving. It changes, retracts, expands, and moves on.

The only constant about social media is that it never stays the same. New features are added and redesigns occur. Keep reading to find out what’s new on Facebook and Twitter.

Remember when Facebook didn’t have a timeline? Instead it had five small images across what it now known as a timeline and small avatar off to the left. Before that, Facebook was known as Thefacebook and other than the brand color, the early version of Facebook is virtually unrecognizable.

[Read more…]

Indie Author Weekly Updates – June 21, 2017

July 21, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Indie Author Weekly Update

This week’s Indie Author Weekly Update includes posts from Helen Sedwick, Jane Friedman, Penny Sansevieri, Joel Friedman, and Orna Ross. You’ll find posts about piracy, resources for authors, marketing, and  top blog posts for the first half of 2017.

Why the picture of the Labrador retriever pup above? We’re now in the dog days of summer. How are you spending them? (I’m just trying to stay cool!)

Indie Author Update

Digital Piracy & Illegal Downloads: Author Options by Helen Sedwick from BookWorks: “Sooner or later, every author suffers that dreadful experience of finding websites offering free illegal downloads of her book. For most of us, our first reaction to such digital piracy is to send a nasty email or better yet, hire an attorney to write one for us. After all, someone is stealing our work! Wait! Before you pay hard-earned money to an attorney, let’s look at less expensive options.”

[Read more…]

Facebook Profile vs Facebook Page – I have You Covered

July 17, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Facebook Profiles vs Facebook Pages - I've Got You CoveredI have a client who wasn’t on Facebook and wanted a Facebook author page.

As you know, before you can create a Facebook page you first need a Facebook profile. So I created a Facebook profile first and then the page. When my client logged in, he only saw the profile and assumed that the profile was his page.

I think part of the problem stems from the fact that people tend to use the term “Facebook page” loosely. A Facebook profile isn’t a Facebook page, and vice versa. And, yes, you need a somewhat informal profile before you can create a page.

Just to continue the comparison a bit further, on a Facebook profile you have friends and you can send and accept or deny friend requests.

[Read more…]

Indie Author Weekly Update – July 14, 2017

July 14, 2017 By Leave a Comment

SocialMediaJustforWriters.com

Today’s Indie Author Weekly Update is packed with posts from across the internet, including from Dave Chesson, Joel Friedlander, Sabrina Ricci, and others. Learn about book marketing, creating a website, and so much more!

Indie Author Updates

CreateSpace vs KDP Print from Dave Chesson: “If you ever published a Kindle book on Amazon, chances are you also created (or contemplated) a print version of your Kindle book and published via CreateSpace, Amazon’s print-on-demand (POD) platform. In the summer of 2016, Amazon launched a 2nd POD platform – “KDP Print” – right in the KDP backend that most authors use to publish Kindle books. At that time, only a limited number of authors were invited, but on February 15, 2017, KDP Print – still in Beta testing – was opened to the public.”

[Read more…]

Turn Your Blog into a Book Production Machine with Nina Amir 

July 10, 2017 By Leave a Comment

I recently interviewed Inspiration to Creation Coach Nina Amir as part of my Conversations with Frances series. We talked about blogging, how to blog a book, and what blogging has done for Nina’s life and career. Be sure to listen to the webinar. I’m certain you’ll learn a lot.

Here are a few notes from this webinar with Nina Amir:

What did blogging do for Nina Amir’s life?

[Read more…]

Indie Author Weekly Update – July 7, 2017

July 7, 2017 By Leave a Comment

This week’s Indie Author Update ranges from metadata to blogging curation to how to develop a platform. All worthy topics for indie authors from experts in the publishing field.

So how is your summer so far? I’m enjoying all of my regular weekend activities: dancing, hiking, and cycling. I hope you have a chance to be active as well.

Indie Author Updates

Author Blogging 101: Your Quick Guide to Content Curation by Joel Friedlander: “Curators have traditionally been found in museums and libraries where, relying on their expertise in a specific field, they acquire, organize, and present selections of works with something in common. Enter technology, and we’ve had an explosion of online content aimed at specialized audiences. The last time I looked, there were a reported 73 million blogs online (although you and I know that probably 72 million of them are abandoned, with their last post in 2013).”

[Read more…]

Taking a July 4th Break

July 3, 2017 By Leave a Comment

July 4th

I’m off enjoying a July 4th four-day weekend. I hope you are taking a break as well! If you’d like to read some of my blog posts, you’ll find some at BookWorks at the link: https://www.bookworks.com/author/fcaballo/. Enjoy them.

 

Frances CaballoAuthor 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

Avoid Social Media Time SuckGet a free copy of Avoid Social Media Time Suck from Smashwords!

Indie Author Weekly Update – June 30, 2017

June 30, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Indie Author Weekly Update

Welcome to the Indie Author Weekly Update. This week’s edition has posts from Joel Friedlander, Joan Stewart, Adam Connell (Blogging Wizard), and others. Enjoy!

Indie Author Weekly Updates

Fiction Writing Contests Worth Your Time (Summer 2017 Edition) from Writer Unboxed: “Inspired by Lit Hub’s 100 rejections per year post, my goal was to make at least 50 submissions in 2017. Since my last contest roundup, I’m at 64 submissions and 34 rejections. Summer tends to be a slower time for submissions. A lot of literary journals close their reading periods and are slower to respond, but there are still opportunities out there! I’ve curated another list of promising contests for your submitting convenience.”

[Read more…]

Protecting Your Rights and Your Wallet with Helen Sedwick

June 26, 2017 By Leave a Comment

In this hour-long webinar, attorney and author Helen Sedwick reviews a wide range of issues from intellectual property, copyright issues, publishers to be wary of, and fraudulent entities wanting complete control over your book and its film rights.

Here are a few notes from Helen’s presentation:

  • Intellectual property is a product of the mind.
  • You can protect intellectual property just like you can protect your car or home.
  • There are people and companies who will try to take control of your intellectual property from you.
  • Some of the worst entities are contests where the prize is the content sponsors get the right to publish your book, merchandizing rights, film rights, etc.

[Read more…]

Indie Author Weekly Update – June 23, 2017

June 23, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Indie Author Update

This week’s Indie Author Update includes posts on book promotion, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter from Lilach Bullock, Digital Book World, The Write Life and others. Enjoy them!

Meanwhile, I’m still trying to survive the the 100+ heat here in Northern California. Is it hot where you’re at? If so, share with me your favorite tips for remaining cool.

Indie Author Update

Authors, Grow Your Fan Base By Leading A Book Club by Digital Book World: “I have always maintained that the author-as-a-brand is the strongest selling link across the publishing chain. Whether self, indie or traditionally published, the emotional connection forged by dedicated readers is never with a publisher or an imprint—it’s with the author him or herself. This relationship is, more than anything else, built on trust.”

[Read more…]

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