Angela Booth's Writing Blog

Book Marketing NOW: 10 Savvy Ways To Sell More Books

Although I’m a copywriter in my other writing life, I’m not a huge fan of paid marketing. Today, it’s essential, but please keep in mind: your social media supports paid advertising.

Years ago, back in the typewriter/ newspaper age, it used to be a truism that people need to see your name seven to ten times before they’d buy from you.

These days, marketers believe it takes a least 50 times. No one has time to read attentively. We’ve all got the attention spans of hyperactive fleas. Your prospective readers must become familiar with you.

Important: please keep the 30-Day Rule, and “50 times” in mind

If you do, you won’t find book marketing boring. Show up. Keep showing up. From memory, there are some four million books on the Kindle Store, so you need to promote yours.

Let’s look at some savvy ways to sell more books. These methods aren’t in any special order.

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3 Fiction Writing Tips: Curiosity Creates Bestsellers

Fiction writing: when they’re curious, readers keep reading

From Lisa Cron, in Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence:

… being curious is necessary for survival (What’s that rustling in the bushes?), nature encourages it… once your curiosity is roused as a reader, you have an emotional, vested interest in finding out what happens next.

When readers want to know what happens next, they’ll keep reading, long past their bedtime.

So — HOW do you arouse your readers’ curiosity?

Let’s look at three tips to help you to do that.

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Love Jane Austen? Books You Shouldn’t Miss

The “variations”: fan fiction

Her fan fiction has become a fiction genre of its own. Check out the Goodreads shelf for this genre if you’re unfamiliar with it.

The wonderful P.D. James’ Death Comes to Pemberley is in my To Be Read pile; I’ve dipped into it, but haven’t read it yet. Austenland: A Novel, is also in my TBR pile—I want to read it before I watch the movie.

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Bullet Journal Your Novel: 5 Tips To Help You To Write More

5. Keep a scenes list for a quick overview of your novel

As you get further into your novel, a scenes list, with a short description (just a few lines) of each scene is invaluable.

It helps you to keep the overall structure of your novel in mind. If you find yourself nearing the Midpoint, you know that something major will have to change soon, no matter how many other “essential” scenes you thought you needed to write.

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Trello Tips For Stressed Writers And Authors

1. Stress less with a Decision Journal and board

If you’re stressed over a decision you need to make, journaling will help. Over the years, I’ve discovered that not only am I more relaxed when I journal, I’m more productive too.

Have you heard of a Decision Journal? I heard about this form of journaling at Trello’s blog:

A decision journal… (can be) something you’ll use for reflection. By documenting and periodically reviewing the decisions you make over time, you’ll get a better grasp on your state of mind and identify things like trends or common traps you find yourself falling into.

If you tend to second-guess yourself once you’ve made a decision, as I do, you’ll find a Decision Journal useful. Recently, I dithered over whether I should continue a series of novels, or jump into a new genre.

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Marketing For Writers Who Hate Marketing: Resources

Marketing for writers: four books to help

Marketing is a real hassle for many writers. Yes—it’s a hassle for me too, even though I like marketing. The challenge is always finding the time to do it.

Over the years I’ve written many blog posts and several short and practical books about marketing.

Let’s look at the books, and what they cover.

Use social media and be consistent with your marketing

Many writers have given up on social media, because you need to be consistent. This needn’t mean that you spend an hour a day or even an hour a week.

Use any spare minutes you have.

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Freelance Writing: Easy Tips For Absolute Beginners

What do you know?

Make a list. What do you know? Perhaps you work in a real estate agent’s office. Maybe your sister works in a jewelry store. A friend’s brother works in finance.

How well do you know those fields? You may not know them very well; that’s fine. You’ve got contacts—people of whom you can ask questions.

Choose an area about which you can write. The only proviso about your area (niche) is this: you’re interested in it and you’d like to learn more about it.

Who do you know?

Now you’ve chosen a niche, it’s time to make a list of who you know in this niche.

Let’s say that you’ve chosen the real estate/ property market niche. Divide the “who you know” people into two groups:

• The people who work for companies which might hire you;
• Your resources: knowledgeable people you can ask questions when you get a gig.

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Your Writing Business: 3 Ways To Get Back To Business Today

Your writing business: survive and thrive

Focus on keeping positive.

From Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl:

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

Frankl on keeping your sense of humor:

The attempt to develop a sense of humor and to see things in a humorous light is some kind of a trick learned while mastering the art of living.

Let’s look at some ways you get back to business today.

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Writing Fiction: A Quick Beginners’ Tip

Access the creativity of your unconscious mind just after you wake up

The best advice I’ve ever heard on how to get comfortable writing fiction comes from Dorothea Brande, whose book Becoming A Writer, was first published in 1934.

Especially this:

… if you are to have the full benefit of the richness of the unconscious you must learn to write easily and smoothly when the unconscious is in the ascendant… rise half an hour, or a full earlier than you customarily rise… (and) begin to write.

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Writing Fiction: 3 Tips To Do It Your Way

Writing fiction without rules

Questions:

• I don’t know how to…
• But what if…
• I can’t write (something or other)…
• Someone said that…

To repeat: do it your way.

Every novel and short story you write is different. The only real “rule” is that you keep writing, any way you can.

Let’s look at some ways in which you can do it YOUR way.

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Writing A Book: 3 Ways To Get Started And Keep Going

Writing a book: how to get words onto the computer screen

A veteran author suggested that the problem could be high expectations. We’re not happy with the words we write. We want them to be great words.

She says that when she sits down to write, she’s happy with anything she can get onto the screen. “I don’t care about writing well. Words are all I want. Be happy with whatever you produce.”

Here are some ways to get started writing a book.

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A Writing Journal: 3 Tips To Ease Stress And Improve Your Writing

A writing journal: how often should you write in it?

A writing journal helps you to:

• Dump your feelings of helplessness and isolation into it (journaling is therapeutic);
• Feel in control: once you rid yourself of negativity and despair, you’ll become inspired;
• Become a force of positivity to everyone around you. Misery is toxic.

The question I get most often about journaling: “how often should I journal?”

That depends on you.

If you’re stressed, journal your thoughts and feelings. You’ll be surprised that when you dump your junk into your journal, you’ll be calmer. Moreover, you’ll begin to see the benefits of your situation.

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Book Marketing Your Way: Devote Time To Marketing Every Day

If your sales are lower than normal, don’t panic. Do a little marketing every day, then you’ll be ready when things pick up and people return to work and their normal lives.

Try an option you haven’t tried before

Why not try new marketing ideas?

Try Instagram, it may work for you

Instagram works for many authors; remember to engage:

The best way to help yourself, is to help others. “Influencer” bookstagrammers have spent years building their audience, one reader at a time.

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Freelance Writing: Stay Creative And Rebuild Your Business

Spend time writing each day, even if it’s only ten minutes.

Your freelance writing focus: what did you write today?

Writing is therapeutic, so make sure that you write, whether or not someone is paying you for your writing immediately.

This might be the time to:

• Start an income-generating blog;
• Write and self-publish your first novel;
• Build an online group for writers in your area or city;
• Develop a new specialty;
• Study something new, so once things open up, you’ve got a new string to your bow.

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Achieving Your Goals: Life Has Changed, So Change Your Goals

Review your goals: are they still achievable?

Chances are that your goals are still achievable, in some form. If they are, create new deadlines and plans. Keep them flexible. If you’re still on lockdown, then you won’t be able to put your plans into effect immediately.

Many of the staff at the marketing agency where I work have been furloughed. Our clients are struggling to stay viable.

When we get back to work, we’ll need to develop new strategies for our remaining clients—and find new clients too.

Can you radically change your goals?

If you’re jobless, you’ll need to change your goals.

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