As an Indie Author how are you spending your summer? Is it a time of year when you go for lighter reads? Do you take advantage of the warm weather and do more of your writing outdoors? I spend more time outdoors but still enjoy curling up on the couch and settling into a good book. However you’re spending your time, enjoy the warm months and let your muse entice you to create, and even expand into new genres or disciplines.
Indie Author Weekly Roundup
This week I consciously limited the Indie Author Weekly Roundup to four posts. I think you’ll learn a lot from the following selection.
If you only read one post, read this one:
Metadata Tools by Elizabeth S. Craig: “When I first heard about metadata, it sounded like the most boring (and confusing) thing I’d ever heard of. I became curious as I continued hearing more and more about it. I attended a couple of talks on metadata at a couple of different conferences. I read slideshows on it from conferences I hadn’t attended.”
Note: I’ve been more serious about metadata of late as well. I took a course by Jane Friedman, offered by Writer’s Digest, and she also discussed metadata. I, too, always thought that metadata was this huge subject that I could never penetrate or understand. Jane made it easy to understand and the posts that Elizabeth mentions here are also helpful.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Do #IndieAuthors need to learn about metadata? Absolutely via @CaballoFrances” quote=”Do #IndieAuthors need to learn about metadata? Absolutely “]
6 Tips For Getting More Traffic on your Author Blog by Anne R. Allen: “You finally did it. You started your author blog. You put up your first post. And the second and third and fourth… And…you’ve got crickets. Nobody’s reading your deathless prose. Sigh. Don’t give in to despair. It takes a while to build a readership. Usually a long while. And please don’t go off and try to follow all those rules for monetized blogs, as I wrote earlier this month. Monetized blogs have a different purpose from author blogs. They are all about the hard sell. An author blog is about making friends. So be yourself and be patient. Plus there are some easy fixes that can bring in more readers.”
Note: This is another wonderful post from Anne R. Allen. My only comment is this one: read it.
50 blog topics for fiction writers from Mixtus Media: “A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a writer who wanted to grow her audience. After chatting a few minutes I asked her if she had a blog. She said, “I’m a fiction writer. Why would I have a blog? What would I even write about?” Ahh, my favorite question disguised as a statement. Yes, fiction writers can have blogs that are full of fantastic information, insight, and interest for their readers. Blogs are a great way to think outside of the box, challenge yourself as a writer and, as an added bonus, engage and grow your audience.”
Note: Authors are also asking me, “What should I blog about?” This list will provide you with plenty of topics. I also wrote a similar post a while back. Here it is: 34 Blogging Topics Just for Writers.
NetGalley Book Review Program: A Case Study via TheBookDesigner.com (Joel Friedlander) and by David Kudler: “Most publishers (large and small) struggle with making their titles visible. In the trackless jungle that is the modern book-buying world (the Amazon?), getting your book reviewed is an essential part of helping it find its audience. In the old days, publishers would send review copies to newspapers, magazines, local TV and radio shows, all in the hope of making sure that the book’s target audience had a) heard about it and b) heard good things about it (hopefully). Nowadays, few local papers or shows do book reviews or features. So what’s a publisher to do?”
Note: NetGalley seems like a good service for those authors in popular niches who are willing to wait six months before launching a book. The more feedback you receive for your book pre-publication, the better your book will be.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Get help finding your audience with beta readers via @CaballoFrances” quote=”Get help finding your audience with beta readers “]
Quote of the Weeek
About the Author: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference and a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several books including The Author’s Guide to Goodreads, and Social Media in 30 Minutes a Day. 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 writer conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Ask Frances to prepare a social media audit for you.
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