Social Media Just for Writers

Indie Author Weekly Update – September 22, 2017

Welcome to this week’s Indie Author Update. Be sure to listen to the podcast with Dave Chesson. It’s awesome. I also love the post by Susan Wolfe because it teaches us to never give up as writers.

Well, summer is definitely coming to an end. I hope you enjoyed the season.

[Podcast] Amazon Keywords Learning Lab with Dave Chesson from Chris Syme: “Hear Dave’s story and how he got into self-publishing. What the heck is a keyword anyway and why you need to know. Where you should be using Amazon keywords. And more.”

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How to Sell More Books with Less Social Media with Chris Syme

September 18, 2017 By Frances Caballo Leave a Comment

Last week, Chris Syme of CKSyme Media Group was my guest on Conversations with Frances. The hour-long webinar was wide-ranging but mostly focused on Chris’s belief that social media needn’t be time consuming as long as you have goal-focused strategies.

Here are a few notes from the webinar. Be sure to watch the video to hear all of Chris’s advice and suggestions.

The best ways to use social media to sell books: Use social media wisely. Social media is just another tool; a community-based tool that has revolutionized everything. It is a powerful tool for both sales and engagement. It’s the only tool that does that.

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Indie Author Weekly Update – September 15, 2017

September 15, 2017 By Frances Caballo Leave a Comment

This week’s Indie Author Weekly Update contains six posts that should kick your book marketing up a few notches. Notable posts are from Dave Chesson, Writer Unboxed, and Jane Friedman.

Well we are seeing summer come to a close. I feel for the people in the wake of hurricane Harvey and Irma. Locally, it can be sunny and hot one day and the next we have lightning, thunder, and rain. Summer is definitely ending on a tumultuous note.

Indie Author Update

Book Advertising – Free Amazon Marketing Services Course by Dave Chesson: “As many of you have heard, advertising your book on Amazon Marketing Services or AMS has become one the best ways for authors to get their book discovered and even thrive in a crowded Amazon market. Through AMS, you can now choose when and where you want your book to show up on Amazon – anywhere in search results or even next to another book on their own sales page.”

What’s More Important: Author Websites or Social Media? by Jane Friedman: “In 2013, I observed a conversation on Twitter where a publisher said they didn’t believe in author websites “for a lot of authors”—that social was a better place for authors to spend time from a marketing perspective. It bothered me, and I ended up writing a blog post about it, exploring why a publisher might think this—rightly or wrongly.”

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Indie Author Weekly Update – September 8, 2017

September 8, 2017 By Frances Caballo Leave a Comment

This week’s Indie Author Weekly Update focuses on blogging and publishing strategies. I think you’ll enjoy the posts below from Adam Connell, Joan Stewart, Anne R. Allen and Writer Unboxed.

Was there a heat wave where you live? There was one in Northern California and thank goodness the temperature has returned to its more temperate moderate. I hope you enjoy the few days of summer that we have left.

How To Beat Blogger’s Block With Endless Blog Post Ideas from Adam Connell: “Blogging is supposed to be about inspiring your readers. So, how come your blog leaves you uninspired every time you have to write another blog post? You end up thinking: Another week’s gone by and I need to write a post. I have nothing to write about. I’ve written everything I can about my niche. When this happens, the mere thought of sitting down to write feels like there’s a mega-ton rock on your head – which you can’t seem to shake off. No amount of mustering, fighting or even trying some wacky things can make what you’re feeling go away.”

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Indie Author Weekly Update – September 1, 2017

September 1, 2017 By Frances Caballo 2 Comments

In this week’s Indie Author Weekly Update, posts range from Mark Coker’s views on cultivating superfans to Hugh Howey’s insightful Part IV of his series on writing and publishing. I hope you enjoy them all.

Where I live, September is starting with a heat wave. Wish me luck as I strive to stay cool and say a prayer — or send good thoughts — to all the people in Texas who are suffering due to Hurricane Harvey.

Indie Author Updates

How Indie Authors Can Cultivate Superfans from Publishers Weekly and by Mark Coker: “Most book marketing advice focuses on how to get readers to buy your books, yet ignores how to care for your readers once you’ve got them. With subtle tweaks to your publishing process, you have the opportunity to cultivate more passionate readers. I call these passionate readers superfans.”

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Indie Author Weekly Update – August 25, 2017

August 25, 2017 By Frances Caballo 2 Comments

Today’s Indie Author Weekly Update includes posts from Jane Friedman, David Baer, Hugh Howey, Social Media Examiner, and the Alliance of Independent Authors. Topics range from Facebook to email marketing to tools for writers.

The eclipse is over and summer is nearing its end. What are your goals for the fall? Whatever they might be, I with you the best with your writing.

23 Powerful Ways To Connect With Your Audience on SocialMedia from David Baer: “Perhaps you’ve suffered from thinking “Who cares what I had for breakfast?” – or maybe you’ve just wanted to retain a sense of privacy and not share the small details of your life with the world.”

Writing Insights Part One: Becoming a Writer from Hugh Howey: “I started writing my first novel when I was twelve years old. I was thirty-three when I completed my first rough draft. That’s twenty years of wanting to do something and not knowing how. Twenty years of failure and frustrations and giving up. A big part of the problem is that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I didn’t know which questions to ask, much less who might have the answers.”

How to Set Up a Creative Facebook Cover Video from Social Media Examiner: “When users visit your page, your Facebook cover photo is one of the first things they’ll notice. For new visitors, your cover photo can help represent your brand and portray your story in just a few seconds. It only makes sense that a short video can accomplish this better than a still photo.”

Best Tools of the Self-Publishing Trade: Running An Author Business from Alliance of Independent Authors: “What tool is indispensable when it comes to running your author business? Jay Artale consulted with ALLi members to find out the writing and self-publishing tools they couldn’t do without. Here’s her roundup of the software, tools, and services they use and recommend.”

MailChimp Alternatives for Authors from Jane Friedman: “When authors ask me for marketing advice, one of my first questions for them is: “Do you have a mailing list?” Too often, the author will say no. So my first piece of advice tends to be: Sign up to MailChimp and set up your mailing list.”

5 Ways to Use Facebook Pinned Posts to Hook Fans from Chris Syme: “Facebook pinned posts are the most underused piece of real estate on your Facebook page. They have the ability to entice people to walk in your door. But let’s start with why. It’s all about the numbers.

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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Amazon Book Marketing Tips with Dave Chesson

August 21, 2017 By Frances Caballo Leave a Comment

I recently interviewed Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur.com as part of the Conversations with Frances series. Dave was lively, funny, down-to-earth, and incredibly informative. He may understand Amazon better than Amazon itself. If you want to learn how to make your books rank higher on Amazon, listen to this interview and be sure to visit his website.

Book Marketing with Dave Chesson

Amazon Kindle Book Description Generator – This tool is available on his website for free! Use this tool to create beautiful descriptions without knowing how to use html. Enter Book Description Generator in Google to find it or go to Kindlepreneur.com.

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Indie Author Weekly Update – August 18, 2017

August 18, 2017 By Frances Caballo 1 Comment

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.”