I have another huge Book Marketing Update for you today.

If you are trying to become a podcast guest as a book marketing strategy, be sure to read Joanna Penn’s blog post (or listen to the podcast episode.)

Under publishing, I especially liked the Jane Friedman post. Every day, new authors consider the pros and cons of self-publishing versus finding a publisher. This article just might help you decide which option is best for you.

All of the blog posts below are super so if you have time, check them all out.

Keep writing and have a good weekend.

Book Marketing

Podcast interviews sell books — but only if you’re a great guest from Joanna Penn: Guest blogging and being interviewed on author and book marketing podcasts can increase book sales. However, your first duty as an interviewee isn’t to pitch your book; it’s to provide valuable content for the podcast’s listeners. Learn more from Joanna Penn in this post or listen to the podcast.

Blogging

The Truth About Blogging with Rachel Thompson and from Shane Barker: Instead of self-promotion, intently listen and engage the audience to strike a chord with your audience.

Publishing

The Magic Formula to Going Indie with John Gaspard on the Self-Publishing Formula with Mark Dawson: “John Gaspard was originally traditionally published but was able to retrieve the rights to his books and become an independent author. He hasn’t looked back and now has several cozy mystery series that are selling well, with more books on the way.”

11 Signs You’re Ready to Self-Publish from Jane Friedman and by Kim Catanzarite: “It’s a tough decision for a writer to make, one of the toughest. All your life you’ve fantasized about one of the big New York publishers buying your book and its subsequent astronomical launch into the stratosphere. But it hasn’t happened yet in spite of your eating, sleeping, and researching the craft of writing for years.”

Audiobooks

Self-publishing News: The Changing Audiobooks Landscape by Dan Holloway and from Alliance of Independent Authors: This is an important article for all authors planning to enter the audiobook landscape.

The Truth Behind Audible Subscription Earnings by Colleen Cross and from Alliance of Independent Authors: This is another great post. We see more and more publishing audiobooks but are they worth the trouble?

Social Media News

Social Media Size Guide Update 2021 [Infographic] from Social Media Today: Make sure you size your social media images according to these guidelines. If you use Canva, don’t worry. The templates have the correct sizes built into them.

Of Note

The AI-Augmented Author. Writing With GPT-3 with Paul Bellow LitRPG: Joanna Penn is an influencer in our realm, always leading the way toward new technologies to enhance creativity. In this podcast (and blog post), she talks with author Paul Bellow about embracing AI tools.

Quote of the Week

When I grew tired of the antics of my second author website developer, I asked experts in my field for their suggestions. After interviewing a number of website developers across the country, I finally settled on Paula Gregorowicz. 

I’ve never looked back. I’ve worked with Paula for six years and I’m never leaving her.

I refer all of my clients to Paula, and they are as thrilled as I am with her work. Last week I interviewed Paula. If you’re looking for a website developer, I encourage you to contact her about your author website. 

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Website Expertise

Tell us about your experience as a website expert.

I have built websites since (almost) the beginning of websites themselves. For instance, I have built Intranets for large corporations from the ground up giving them their first taste of the power of the internal web long before the internet was a common thing in our daily lives.

In my work with public facing internet sites, I have been working with WordPress since the first generation of its release.

What all this means for the people I work with is that I have a holistic view of how websites work and what is going on behind the scenes. 

It is like the inner workings of your car engine. You likely do not know how it all works (nor should you frankly) but any mechanic will tell you it matters! Otherwise, you may find yourself on the side of the road with an inoperable car. The same holds true for your website. 

The good news for my clients is while I understand the tech, I am not your typical techie. 

I have a deep business background. I also still work as a business coach and consultant within the scope of my own business. 

This makes me a rare breed who can walk between the worlds of business and tech. I integrate them for you in a way that makes sense for your unique situation and speak to you in plain English.

Author Website

What should the homepage of an author website look like? Talk about the difference in genre and how that affects branding. What should readers see first on that homepage?

Your homepage is very important as the front door to your online home. It is also worth noting that not all visitors will arrive at your “online home” through the front door. 

Just like you do not always use the front door of your home – sometimes you might come through the garage or porch door or even a side window (ok, that might be unique to a more mysterious genre!). The same holds true for your website visitor.

The biggest difference in branding by genre is fiction vs. non-fiction. With non-fiction, You are the brand. Nonfiction authors are typically subject matter experts (or investigative journalists) who are also authors. 

With fiction, your books, characters, and style of writing are the brand with you being a secondary part of that brand. The more successful your work, the greater you become part of the brand.

In all cases, the homepage has to offer the visitor a compelling first impression. You have 3-5 seconds to capture your readers’ attention and keep them on the site. This means you must have:

• Imagery that captures the eye

• A clear brand promise (yes even for fiction)

• Clean, clear, simple navigation

• Strong call-to-action (to build your audience by signing up for your email list)

Author Website Bio

Tell us what the optimal author bio should include? Should it have personal information? Should it be fun to read? Should the author include statements about their authority/influence/experience. And what needs to be included to satisfy a reader’s desire to learn more about the personal side of an author.

An author bio will engage readers to know, like, and trust you as an author/expert. Every author has a different level of comfort with how much personal information to release to the public. That said, people like to read because of the power of story. 

Your story as a human being and author matters. It creates a personal resonance with readers. We all like to feel like we can connect with others and are not alone in the world. Your bio is a way to create that bridge.

In addition, your bio should include a portion that talks about your professional experience, authority, awards, and more. This is important to lend credibility to your work as well as attract potential exposure from media and other outlets. (Check out Frances’s bio page.)

Author Branding

How do you work at branding authors? And why is branding important. So many authors hate to think of themselves as a brand. Why do they need to change their mindset?

I help authors bring their brand to life on their website (with a little mindset boost thrown in to help them get comfortable with being a brand!). Authors, like many creatives hate to think of themselves as a brand. However, if you want to make a career out of your work your mindset must change. 

There are many talented writers in the world. If creating your work and sharing it with a few friends is enough to satisfy your desires, that is noble work in and of itself. In that case you do not need to worry about branding. Otherwise, you do. 

I will note that the mindset shift comes easiest when you look at how you can create your brand authentically. Branding yes, icky no.

To Blog or Not to Blog

Why is blogging important?

Blogging is a great way for you to accomplish a few important things with your site:

• Establish a regular, ongoing connection with your readers by providing valuable content.

• Use this content to build your site authority.

• Expand your audience by sharing this content in different ways and in different places.

• Improve your SEO.

It is not 2005 anymore… quality beats quantity. Consistency is far more important than any schedule some “expert” says you “must follow.”

A lot of authors start off with something like Wix or Weebly. Why is it important to have a WordPress website? 

Free and low cost means you get what you pay for. 

A poor technical foundation puts your brand in an unfavorable light. The flexibility and ease these sites promise (which is an illusion and disservice at best) means it is not going to work optimally for you. It will not display properly on all devices (what they call mobile responsiveness). It does not have proper schema markup which means it will hurt your SEO and behave unpredictably in some browsers and devices. 

Performance is poor because there is a ton of sloppy “under the hood” code to make this “easy” platform generate its illusions of wonder. It can be hard or impossible to integrate the best email marketing and platform building tools with your site. The list goes on….

Here is the real gotcha though: You may think you are using the platform “just to get started” and that you will migrate to something better in the future. 

Start with a WordPress Website

“Someday – When I have a bigger budget! When I have a bigger following!” 

This is a bad strategic move. 

What I know from experience is that moving off these platforms means you will lose everything you have built to date. If you have been adding pages to your site or blogging, you can kiss that content and SEO goodbye. You cannot migrate from these free platforms. 

Yes, if you search the web you will find there are purportedly “migration tools” but I can tell you from using these hands-on several times in the last year to rescue authors from their karmically challenged Wix and Weebly sites that they do not work. 

Start with a strong foundation (platform and expert support) and build from there. You will be thankful you did.

Must-Have Pages on an Author Website

What are the basic, necessary pages for an author website and what should those website pages include?

In addition to the Home, About, and Blog which we already discussed above, your site should have at a minimum: 

Books Page

Include over images of your book(s), short blurbs, words of praise, video trailers, and a buy them. Start with what you have and build from there. Consider using an excerpt or teaser as well.

Contact Page

People need a way to contact you. A contact page, contact form, and other ways to connect with you are necessary features.

Media Pages

Do you think a press page is important? Tell us why or why not.

It depends. A press and media page serves two purposes:

· An easy landing place for media, press, event organizers to get the things they need from you to promote you (high-resolution photos, speaker sheets, etc.).

• A way to highlight your appearances, credibility, and create “social proof.”

• If you are starting out, you may or may not have the need for a dedicated page (yet). A well-built site will make it easy for you to add one when the time is right.

• What should a website accomplish? 

• Establish your brand on online real estate you own (own your domain name and choose a platform you control).

• Engage existing and potential readers – help them get to know you and your work.

• Build your platform, audience, and email marketing list.

• Integrate seamlessly with your other online and offline platform building efforts (social media, traditional media, etc.).

Social Media & an Author Website

How does social media tie into an author’s brand and an author’s effort to “sell more books?”

Think of your website and social media as having a hub and spoke relationship like a wheel. Your website should always be built on digital real estate you own and control. It is the hub. Your other efforts – of which social media is an important one – are the spokes. 

Use social media to get your brand out to a broader audience and drive traffic to your website. If you have the right call to action on your website, you build your email list and sell more books.

What about SEO? What are some tactics that authors can use to increase their website’s SEO without hiring of an SEO expert?

Organic SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. There are two components to SEO – the technical side and the content/linking side (both internal to your site and external). 

Get the technical side correct by choosing a solid platform like WordPress and have it configured correctly. Same advice for using Yoast SEO (the premier SEO plugin) – hire a website expert to configure it. Proper configuration is key.

Content Is Still King

Create good content. Period. There is no “SEO hack” that can fix half-baked content. Blogging is a good way to do this. 

Then, take time with each piece of content you create to address key SEO components of each post/page (title, headings, meta description, linking, and alt tags).

Think of SEO as a slow, meticulous building process. Start with a strong foundation and make it part of everything you do or add to your site going forward.

About Paula Gregorowicz: The Paula G Company LLC helps business owners and authors streamline and simplify their business. Through coaching, process automation, and website development she helps them grow in a relaxed and expansive way. Check out her website.

About Frances Caballo: A social media expert for authors (something I never dreamed of becoming), I build author platforms to enhance book sales. I also use my industry connections to promote authors and their books. What else can I do for you? I’m a writer so I provide content writing and email marketing services, and if all you need is some personalized training, I can do that as well. Let’s chat! And don’t forget to download my free Twitter ebook.

Welcome to another edition of the Book Marketing Update.

First, let’s address the above image. I’m hiking more than ever these days. Whether you call it forest bathing or tree TV, there’s nothing comparable to strapping on a pair of hiking boots and hitting the trail.

Besides, writing, publishing, and book marketing comprise a lengthy journey. But like hiking, we break it down into a set number of miles at a time, focused only on that next step.

Gradually, we reach our destination.

I hope you reach the destination you are traveling toward in your writing, book marketing, and publishing career.

Book Marketing

How To Design A Book Cover That Sells by David Gaughran: “Getting your book cover design right is the arguably most important stage in self-publishing a book. Handle this delicately if you want to have any chance of success — this is not an area where you can skate by.”

How to Write Your Author Business Plan – Joanna Pennn is interviewed on Sacha Black’s podcast, The Rebel Author: In this podcast you’ll learn how to write a business plan, mistakes to avoid, and how to improve your money mindset.

Social Media Updates

New cool feature -> Twitter Launches Live Test of Voice Recordings in Direct Messages from Social Media Today: Twitter has officially launched a full live test of voice clips within direct messages to users in Brazil, India, and Japan but not the UK, Australia, or the U.S. Darn!

Instagram Highlights Covers: How to Make Covers that Get Clicked from Social Media Examiner: “Instagram highlights brought evergreen value to Instagram Stories—a separate feed to which people could post content that would vanish 24 hours later. By creating highlights, you can move your otherwise-vanishing stories down into the center of your Instagram profile.”

Book Sales

Tutorial from Joanna Penn: How To Sell Ebooks And Audiobooks Direct With Payhip and Bookfunnel: “Do you want to sell ebooks and/or audiobooks direct to readers and make 80-90% royalties, as well as retaining customer data? In this video tutorial with extensive notes below, I’ll show you how I do it with Payhip and Bookfunnel.”

Of Note

Where Do Ideas Come From? 6 Tips on Finding Inspiration by Helena Fairfax: This post, as you can tell, isn’t about book marketing. Yet, I thought it was a wonderful piece and worthy of including in this roundup.

Quote of the Week

When I approach the preparation of my weekly Book Marketing Update, I purposely look for bloggers who aren’t the regulars that you and I routinely follow.

So you can be pretty much assured that my weekly roundup will contain different information than those of similar consultants.

I hope you enjoy this particular update.

David Gaughran always shares vital book marketing strategies. So if you don’t follow him on Twitter or sign up for his newsletter, do that now.

I also love the post by Mobile Monkey as well as the article on author photos.

Of course, I like all of the posts in this update; that’s why I included them!

Take care, stay healthy, and keep writing.

Book Marketing

How to Tell if Your Author Photo Is Sending the Right Message by K.M. Weiland: I see too many author photos on social media that — how should I say this — are just wrong. Please don’t use pictures of your dog/cat/bird/book cover as your avatar. Your readers want to see your face. Also, don’t camouflage your profile picture by wearing sunglasses. Okay, I’ve said enough. Be sure to read this post.

Book promotion which works: Promo Stacking and building your marketing plan by David Gaughran: This video describes what promo stacking is and how to use it.

Identifying Your Reader from Writers Helping Writers: A vital part of book marketing is to identify your reader as you start to write your book. Read this post to learn more about this aspect of book marketing.

Why You Should Hire a Freelance Publicist by Patricia Smiley and from Career Authors: “I’ve hired a freelance publicist twice in my writing career, the first time out of naïveté and the second time out of necessity. It was expensive, but I have zero regrets. We all know publishing is a business. As it turns out, so is writing. Authors have to invest in their careers if they hope to succeed.”

SEO for Authors

The Frustrating Realities of SEO Success by Dave Brown and from Sabrina Ricci: “Running a successful website requires effort in many different areas. In addition to coming up with a suitable design for the website site, authors will need to populate it with well-written content that attracts visitors. Many site owners hire SEO services to boost the popularity of their site, as writing SEO-friendly content themselves can be frustrating.” Note: I’ve never hired an SEO professional. If you want to hire someone, interview several experts and ask them what results you can reasonably expect to see and what the entire cost will entail.

Social Media to Boost Your Book Marketing

Facebook Best Practices from MobileMonkey: This post lists 20 best practices to increase fans and generate more engagement and traffic to your website.

Email Marketing

19 Lessons to Grow Your Email Newsletter by Brandon Zhang and from Better Marketing: Social media is awesome but you need to use social media to generate traffic to your website. You also need to use it to grow your newsletter list. Why? You can’t control how Facebook or Twitter changes its platforms. But with email marketing, you have your readers’ email addresses and you can develop your platform to best meet your readers’ needs or desires. This post will help you to grow your list and develop your unique platform.

Blogging

How To Maintain An Online Presence When You’re Battling With Your Mental Health from Blogging Wizard and by Kim Lochery: This is a fascinating blog post with real-world tips. I don’t agree with all of them but they are all worth considering.

Of Note

The Artist In The Machine: The World Of AI-Powered Creativity With Arthur I. Miller and from Joanna Penn: Joanna Penn is always ahead of the curve, leading the way for the rest of us. Don’t miss this important podcast. You can also read the text of her conversation with Arthur I. Miller.

7 Letters from Famous Writers Sharing Fantastic Writing Advice from Nicole J. Bianchi: I absolutely love the quotes in this post. They’re the best! Definitely read this blog post.

Quote of the Week