This is my farewell.

I want to spend some time thanking you. 

Thank you if you signed up for my free email-based social media marketing instruction program.

Thank you for subscribing to my blog.

Thank you to those who hired me to handle their platform.

Thank you for your thoughtful emails of support.

Thank you for letting me know when you especially liked a certain newsletter.

Thank you for any and all connection you’ve made with me.

I didn’t want o just disappear.

I am not giving your email addresses to anyone. I am not selling my business. I am simply closing the doors.

I have COPD and it has turned serious. To those of you wondering about the cause of my COPD, I’ve never smoked cigarettes or vaped. So, I don’t have emphysema. I have other conditions that fall within the umbrella term of COPD. 

So I will spend my days reading, resting, being with the best husband in the entire world, and gorgeous English Labrador. I might even finish my novel!

Feel free to drop me a line now and then to let me know what you’re reading and writing about. I love hearing from you.

The nature of my social media platform will switch from book marketing to other interests. Stay tuned.

So, I bid you all a heartfelt farewell.

The Book Marketing is Update is back.

I may not produce it weekly, but it will be appearing on a regular basis.

Today’s post is jam-packed.

I can’t stress enough what a great book “Creativity: Where Poets Begin” is. Wow! You don’t have to be a poet to enjoy this book. Use it to help your innate sense of creativity flourish.

Enjoy today’s update!

New Release on Creativity

“Creativity” by New York Times Bestselling Author, Mary Mackey: If you’re a writer who wants to dip deeper into your own creative streams, this may be the book for you.

Book Marketing

Gen Z is driving sales of romance books to the top of bestseller lists from NPR: “Ask a Gen Z woman what she’s read recently, and there’s a good chance two names will come up: Colleen Hoover and Emily Henry.”

Here Are 10 Top Tips For Hosting Twitter Spaces! from Rachel Thompson/Bad Redhead Media: “

Have you heard of ‘social audio’? Before you say no, I bet you have. Clubhouse started during the pandemic and lit a fire under Twitter with this mission: How can we employ the same tactics as Clubhouse but inside the Twitter app itself? And that’s where Twitter Spaces was born. “

Want to publish an audiobook? There are Three Ways to WIDE – from Joanna Penn and with Findaway Voices: “How can you expand your creative and financial opportunities with audiobooks and podcasting? Will Dages from Findaway Voices talks about options as well as introducing the new Marketplace.”

Business and Creativity Go Hand in Hand: Q&A with Kern Carter by Kristen Tsetsi and from Jane Friedman’s blog: “Author Kern Carter (@KernCarter) discusses his journey from being self-published to having two books slated for publication from Scholastic and Penguin/Random House, what he learned about marketing—and the market—as a self-published author, his views on the relationship between the art and the business of writing, and more.”

Publishing

3 Ways That Writerly Grit Leads to Publishing Success from Jane Friedman and by Susan DeFreitas: “Grit is often seen as the stubborn plowing ahead, the continuing to do, do, do despite life’s various indignities, rejections, and setbacks. And it certainly is that—but also, I think, something more.”

Social Media News

How to Choose the Best Colors for Your Social Media Graphics [Infographic] from Social Media Today: This is a great post! Colors matter so choose them wisely. (I plan to change my colors on Instagram.)

New Report Highlights the Decline of Facebook and IG, as TikTok Becomes the New Home of Entertainment from Social Media Today: “Have you found yourself using Instagram way less of late? The once trendsetting social platform seems to have lost its luster, in large part due to Instagram’s insistence on pumping more content from accounts that you don’t follow into your main IG feed. The ‘inspiration’ for that approach is TikTok…”

Meta Adds ‘Community Chats’ on Messenger as it Searches for New Ways to Prop Up Falling Engagement from Social Media Today: Engagement is dropping on Facebook so “Meta” is looking for ways to draw more people to its platform.

Censorship in the United States

America’s Censored Classrooms from PEN America: “Educational gag orders are state legislative efforts to restrict teaching about topics such as race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ+ identities in K–12 and higher education. PEN America tracks these bills in our Index of Educational Gag Orders, updated weekly.”

Judge Tosses Virginia Obscenity Cases, Declares State Law Unconstitutional from Publishers Weekly: “In a resounding victory for the freedom to read, a Virginia state judge on August 30 swiftly dismissed two closely watched cases that sought to bar the public display and sale of two books alleged to be obscene under an obscure state law. Furthermore, in dismissing the cases the court struck down the Virginia law upon which the cases were brought, finding it unconstitutional. The orders were delivered immediately following an August 30 hearing.”

Quote of the Week

I hope you enjoy today’s Book Marketing Update. I have decided to take a summer break from my weekly roundup of book marketing and social media blog posts.

So, you won’t be hearing from me again until the fall.

There were some super blog posts this past week so be sure to check out the ones I’ve outlined below.

Have a great summer!

Book Marketing

How To Get Your Self-Published Book Into Libraries – from Joanna Penn and with Eric Otis Simmons: In this podcast, which is transcribed into a blog post, Eric Otis Simmons explains how he pitches and sells to libraries throughout the U.S.

127+ Of The Top Free And Paid Book Promotion Services – from Dave Chesson: This is a comprehensive list of book promotion sites. Dave also shares a downloadable PDF of his favorite sites.

Did you miss the US Book Show? Here were some of the top book marketing takeaways. – from BookBub Partners: Read the highlights from this virtual conference. I agree with this takeaway: “When it comes to digital marketing and advertising, experts emphasized the importance of mastering one tool at a time.”

Books PR & Marketing Questions Answered Part VIII – from Writer Unboxed and by Ann Marie Nieves: If you are confused about the differences between public relations and marketing, check out this blog post.

Publishing

Is Hybrid Publishing Ethical? – from Jane Friedman and by Meghan Harvey: From Jane Friedman: “I’m publishing Meghan’s perspective because I think she’s right that it’s problematic to equate ethical hybrid publishing with a positive return on investment for the author via book sales alone.”

Social Media News

LinkedIn Adds New Elements to ‘Creator Mode’ Including Audio Events and New Audience Growth Opportunities – from Social Media Today: This new feature will benefit nonfiction writers.

Read These Too

ISBN Issues: You really need to read this notice to understand what is happening with ISBNs, especially if you buy your own (and I hope you do) and you purchased a block of numbers in the 2000’s.

Amazon Starts Monthly Book Club – from Publishers Weekly: You can join Amazon’s book club headed by Sarah Gelman, the editorial director for books, or use this feature to start your own group.

They’re (NOT) Gonna Put you in the Movies: Beware Book-to-Film Scams – by Anne R. Allen: This blog post is a must read. (I love Anne’s cautionary tales about our industry.)

Quote of the Week

Welcome to a late yet early bird edition of the Book Marketing Update.

I skipped last week due to the Memorial Day holiday in the US so instead of waiting until Thursday to publish the next one, I am sending this update to you two days early.

So this is an early bird edition, so to speak.

Below are some great posts I gathered over the past week or so. You’ll enjoy every one if you have time to read them.

By the way, I don’t usually discuss on this blog the books I’m reading. But I’ve got to tell you about “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir. I don’t ever read sci-fi yet I wanted to read this novel because I’d seen the movie “The Martian” (yes, I’m sure the book was better) and I wanted to read Weir’s next book.

I’m not a science/mathematics/astronomy/physics nerd at all — and there is plenty of science in the book. Yet I loved it. The characters, who are still in my heart, jumped off the page and seemed so real.

I love Weir’s story, too. He blogged his first book, taking and incorporating scientists’ input along the way. So when he self-published “The Martian” and it sold like hotcakes, a publisher scooped him up.

If you are a fiction writer, keep up with your blog. It does help!

Enough from me. Hope you enjoy this update.

Book Marketing

Promote Your Book with Your Values – from Jane Friedman’s blog and by Sonya Huber: This is an intriguing blog post from a writer who, at one point, was marketing her book while contending with long COVID-19 and raising a teen.

6 Ways Your Author Bio Can Help You Sell Books – by Ruth Harris: Not sure what to include in your author bio? Read this post.

Is BookTok Changing the Way We Talk About Books? – from Book Riot: BookTok has changed the way we talk about books. If your readers use TikTok, be sure to read this blog post.

Why testing BookBub Ads Pays Off – from BookBub Partners and by Carlyn Robertson: BookBub is a wonderful resource for writers. Definitely check out this blog post.

Social Media

What happens when you only share Reels on Instagram – from Later: In this interview, the person who switched entirely to Reels saw her Instagram account grow by 60K followers in six months.

81 Different Types of Social Media Post to Amaze Your Followers [Infographic] – from Social Media Today: Not sure what to post on social media every day? Here’s a list for you with 81 suggestions.

Email Marketing

Build Your Email List With Reader Magnets With – from Joanna Penn and with Tammi Labrecque: This excellent podcast episode explains why email marketing is an integral component of book marketing.

How to Grow Your Author Email List – with Tammi Labrecque and from Author Media: “

There is a simple technique to get readers to want to sign up for your newsletter. For decades, this technique has worked for thousands of authors. And it works better than ever today. What is it? Reader Magnets.”

Publishing

The Hybrid Publisher Debate: Do You Have the Right Mindset? – from Jane Friedman and by Debbie Weiss: “In short, grouping all hybrid and paid-for publishers together is far too simplistic, and picking the right publishing option depends on every author’s own thorough self-assessment. Like the legal disclaimers state, individual results may vary.”

Read These Too

88 Books to Bring Your Summer Alive – from The New York Times: “The season’s thrillers, true crime, romances and plenty more will delight readers of all stripes and feathers.”

2022 International Booker Prize Winner Announced – from Book Riot: “Tomb of Sand is the first book originally written in any Indian language to win the award and the first novel translated from Hindi to be recognized in the prize’s history.”

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