Anne R. Allen Archives - Social Media Just for Writers

Writers: Follow These 14 People

If you want to look good on Twitter, follow these 15 people I include in this list. They will never fail you.

Content marketing is the best way for writers to grow a following of dedicated readers and colleagues on the social web.

The steps to achieving this goal are:

Write the best book you can for a defined audience.
Have your book professionally edited.
Hire the best cover designer you can afford.
Develop a WordPress websitewhere you will host your blog and have information about your book and yourself.
Establish your social media presenceso you can reach your target audience.

Then, use your social media accounts as part of your content curation system. This process will be easier if you start creating lists or circles of the experts who post the best content in your field, niche, interests or genre.

I must admit that when I first started using social media, I was overwhelmed.

On Twitter, I quickly learned to create lists so I could keep tabs on the users sending the most relevant content. They’re also the people I’m most likely to interact with.

It took time but eventually I discovered the people in the lists below, and I’ve become their ardent follower. Today I’m sharing with you the Twitter profiles of some of my go-to tweeps.

Writing/Publishing Experts to Follow

If you want to keep up on how to price your books and the latest tips in self-publishing, you’ll want to follow these people.

Jane Friedman

Formerly the publisher at Writers’ Digest, Jane now serves as the web editor of the Virginia Quarterly Review and teaches digital publishing and online writing. Follow her on Twitter to keep abreast of the latest news in self-publishing.

Joanna Penn

Joanna is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She is a prolific writer and is usually voted one of The Guardian UK Top 100 Creative Professionals and voted the top 10 blogs for writers and self-publishers by Writer’s Digest and at least fourteen other publications. She writes fiction and nonfiction and is a wonderful resource for writers.

Joel Friedlander’s The Book Designer

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more informative blog for Indie authors. He previously focused on design, but he’s branched out into other topics with his team of guest bloggers (I’m proud to be one of them). Writer’s Digest consistently rates his blog among the top 10 — and he usually occupies the top 5 spot.

Jon Winokur

I adore his tweets. Every few hours, he sends a pithy quote from an author that typically describes the writing process. He usually attaches an image of the writer as well. Follow him for inspiration and to find great content to tweet.

Penny Sansevieri

Penny is the CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., a book marketing enterprise. She’s a phenomenal speaker, understands Amazon like no one else on the planet, and shares great advice on her blog. When Guy Kawasaki looked for a publicist for his book Author Publisher Entrepreneur, guess who he hired? Yep, Penny.

Anne R. Allen

I recently discovered Anne, and I love her blog. I don’t always agree with her, and perhaps that’s why I appreciate her so much. She provides lengthy and informative blog posts on topics relevant to Indie Authors.

Rachel Thompson

Monday Blogs‏

@MondayBlogs

Gil Andrews

BookBub Partners

@BookBubPartners

Reedsy‏

@ReedsyHQ

Alliance of Indie Authors (ALLi)‏

@IndieAuthorALLI

Indie Author Weekly Update – March 8, 2019

Welcome to the Indie Author Weekly Update. You’ll find information on blogging, Facebook, and book marketing. I hope you enjoy all of the posts this week.

And if you live in Northern California, I hope you are dry and safe.

Blogging

How to Write for a Blog: 10 Tips for Writing Strong Web Content by Anne R. Allen: “These days, pretty much all writers need to learn to write Web content. Yes, even if you’re a Victorian romance author whose readers care more about reticules and spatterdashers than retweets and SEO. Even if you don’t have your own blog. Any website needs content. Plus you may want to plan a blog tour to promote your book launch, or guest on a blog for visibility. (Guest blogging is one of the best ways to market your book for free.)”

Facebook

10 Facts about Americans and Facebook by Pew Research Center: “It’s been 15 years since the creation of Facebook, a platform that revolutionized social media in the United States and around the world. While Facebook remains immensely popular – and highly profitable – it has attracted scrutiny in the U.S. in recent years because of concerns over its ability to keep users’ personal information private and its role in the 2016 presidential election.”

Facebook Announces New Themed Stickers and Frames for Women’s History Month from Social Media Today: “Following on from the themed stickers and tools launched to mark Black History Month on both Snapchat and Instagram, Facebook has this week announced a new set of visual tools for Women’s History Month in March.”

Book Marketing

Planning Your Own Book Launch from Writer Unboxed and by Sophie Masson: “Your book is coming out soon and you want to mark its entry into the world. You don’t want it to just slide out unnoticed amongst the serried ranks of ‘New Releases’ in the bookshops. You want it properly launched. But your publisher isn’t keen to do a launch. ”

Marketing: Think of Your Readers’ Tastes & Habits, Not Your Own from the Alliance of Independent Authors: Self-Publishing Advice Center and by Jill Marsh: “Bestselling crime writer JJ Marsh, based in Switzerland, describes the light-bulb moment when she realized that marketing wasn’t about her, but about her readers, and describes how this became a turning point in her fortunes as an indie author.”

Quote of the Week‏

Want to know all of my best social media marketing tips? Get a copy of Social Media Just for Writers.

Well written, well researched – well thought out. This book is a must have!

Ryshia Kennie

Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She wrote several social media books including 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, and finding new readers. Her clients have included authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for her free email course.

Online Book Marketing Strategies for Writers

Indie Author Weekly Update – January 25, 2019

Welcome to the Indie Author Weekly Update. There are so many posts here for you to enjoy. Anne R. Allen wrote a killer post on guest blogging and Joan Stewart will show you how to make money aside from book sales. If you hold contests using Facebook, reading ShortStack’s post is a must.

Enjoy the selection this week.

Guest Blogging is the Best FREE Publicity for Writers: 12 Tips for Landing Effective Guest Blog Spots by Anne R. Allen: ” Most author marketing gurus will tell you that guest blogging is one of the best ways to promote your book. Beth Hayden wrote on Jane Friedman’s blog about the many ways guest blogging builds platform and sells books. She points out that it increases your authority as well as getting your name out there and increasing sales. And it’s right up your alley. You don’t have to be a great photographer or a telegenic public speaker. All you have to do is write. You got this.”

Building a Platform for Your Work When You’re Unpublished from Jane Friedman and by Michael Warner: “After spending thirty years in other fields, I’ve recently embarked on a career as a writer. And what I’ve found is that great how-to advice—from sources like Jane Friedman, Writer’s Digest, and kboards—actually seems to work.”

9 Inexpensive Revenue Streams for Broke or Struggling Authors by Joan Stewart by from TheBookDesigner.com: “I’ve always counseled my author clients to create revenue streams beyond their books. Print books, in particular, suck up money like a vacuum cleaner, with most of it spent on editing, printing, cover and interior design, marketing and publicity.”

Cover design is a huge factor in your book’s success, so here are 12 questions to ask when hiring a designer from BookBub Partners and by Diana Urban: “Your book’s cover provides a reader with a first impression of your work, and despite all advice to the contrary, people will judge your book by its cover. Reedsy found that professionally designed covers increased display ad clicks between 12.5% to 53%, and early BookBub testing found that a good cover can account for 30% more clicks on a Featured Deal.”

8 Facebook Competition Rules You Should Never Ignore from ShortStack: “To keep your Facebook Page compliant, you need to make sure that you adhere to all of Facebook’s competition rules. Go over this list before you launch your next contest to ensure that you get the exposure you want without risking your account.”

What authors need to know about Snapchat by Sandra Beckwith: “According to a Pew Research Center study, Facebook is the fourth social network of choice for teens ages 13 to 17, after YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. Only 10 percent of the teens surveyed say they use Facebook most often.” Note: Learn more about Snapchat by buying my book Social Media Just for Writers.

Quote of the Week

Want to know all of my best social media marketing tips? Get a copy of Social Media Just for Writers.

Well written, well researched – well thought out. This book is a must have!

Ryshia Kennie

Online Book Marketing Strategies for Writers

12 Book Marketing Blogs to Read in 2019

When it comes to book marketing, there are some experts I rely on.

You see, we’re all too busy to suffer through a bloated email account with notices of blog posts and products for sale mixed in with missives from friends.

So probably like you, I limit incoming email as much as possible.

What you’ll find below is a list of blogs you’ll want to subscribe to. There are more blogs that are worthy as well but I thought I’d cut my list off at an easy dozen.

Here’s my list of experts I follow.

Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman is perhaps one of the smartest people in publishing today. She’s been featured on The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, PBS, CBS, the National Press Club and Publishers Weekly. She previously worked with Writer’s Digest. She teaches, is often a keynote speaker at writer’s conferences, and writes books. Her blog is among the most read in the industry.

Joel Friedlander’s The BookDesigner.com

Joel Friedlander has a wealth of information about self-publishing, and for years he frequently shares all that he knew on his blog. These days, he usually blogs once a week and has an expert in author publishing write a post on that publishes on Thursdays. His blog eventually launched another business, Joel’s book design templates. https://www.bookdesigntemplates.com

Joanna Penn

Thriller author Joanna Penn readily shares her vast amount of writing, publishing, and marketing experience with her readers and listeners. Joanna has been blogging for quite some time, and she started podcasting back when it was known as audio. Her podcast, well worth subscribing too as well, features every great expert in the industry. If you read and listen to Joanna often enough, you’ll soon be a bestselling author as well.

Alliance of Independent Authors

Started by traditionally published Orna Ross, Alli is a global, professional association for authors who self-publish. The organization brings together authors, services, and trusted industry professionals and offers educational opportunities for its members. Be sure to subscribe to its blog.

David Gaughran

Author and book marketing expert David Gaughran always seems to know what’s hot in author marketing. He’s written excellent posts on BookBub ads, Facebook ads, and Amazon ads. If you want to learn how to become an expert book marketer, pay close attention to this guy. His books include Strangers to Superfans and Let’s Get Digital.