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Your First Chance!

Geri Clouston
Your Book Cover by S.L.Dwyer Great! You’ve written a wonderful book. The story flowed onto the pages and your characters have become your best friends. Now what? Write the blurb—ugh, and synopsis. Not the most fun, but necessary. Blame the industry for those hateful necessities. So we come to the first thing a reader sees when looking for a new book. Your cover. Yup, first with the eyes, then with the words. There are millions of beautiful book covers that your book will fight with for space on the shelves or on the internet. So what makes a great book cover? Some will say it’s the color that will catch your eyes first. Others say it is the script or the lack of color. Is it part of a genre color scheme? Should we all use pastels for romance or black and red for horror? Dark blues and bright lights for Sci-Fi or soft primaries for fantasy? Knowing your genre and the major premise of the story should dictate a starting point. Bright colors will attract your eyes, while dark colors will repel those who are not interested in the genre usually represented by those colors. Choosing colors and script…

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Authors' Chat, award winning books, Bloggers, Book Marketing, indieBRAG, Marketing an indie Book, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, Uncategorized, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

The Blurb- Buy or not to Buy

Geri Clouston
      The Blurb By S.L. Dwyer   The blurb for your book is the most dreaded word once you’ve typed “The End”. We sit and stare at the screen, or paper, wondering how do we even begin to condense a three or four hundred page book into two or three paragraphs. Yet, the blurb is the first thing a reader goes to when deciding if they want to purchase a book. The reader has to be pulled into the idea of the story, make them want to see how it unfolds with a limited amount of words. This isn't a synopsis that gives away the entire story, including the ending. It is a concise, pared down to the fewest of words, yet intriguing enough verbiage to make the reader want to take the book home. The blurb is the most important step in putting your book out for the public, either fiction or non-fiction. So, why is it so difficult to write? After months, and sometimes years, we have lived with this story. We are part of our characters' journey, their joys and heartaches, and their reason for demanding we share their story. We want to include everything…

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Authors' Chat, award winning books, Bloggers, Book Marketing, indieBRAG, Marketing an indie Book, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, Uncategorized, Words of Wisdom, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

A Trip into Medieval England

Geri Clouston
1066   What Fates Imposed by G. K. Holloway reminded me of a wonderful holiday I took with some great friends to the very place that gave Holloway his mesmerizing topic. I am a an open and unashamed Anglophile. I admit it. I love the Queen. I love tea with milk (NOT cream). I love the Cotswolds. I’ve vacationed there so many times I can’t count. I’ve watched every single Endeavor and Morse series at least 3 times AND their spinoffs. I also adopt an English accent the minute the captain announces we are landing at Gatwick. Ta! I also adore English History. I once bored to death (my husband can vouch for this) a quiet, unobtrusive English couple, minding their own business, staying at our B&B, eating breakfast the same time as us with a complete and accurate recitation of all the kings and queens of THEIR country…in the correct chronological order. Mind the Gap! So it makes sense that I would have, at some point, visited the (holy!) site where the Battle of 1066 took place and the future of Britain was decided. That particular year we were staying in Rye, a gorgeously quaint town in the southeast of Kent…

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award winning books, Bloggers, Book Marketing, Book Spotlight, From Fact to Fiction!, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, The World of Reading

IT’S YOUR BOOK LAUNCH…PARTY IF YOU WANT TO

Geri Clouston
 Lorraine Devon Wilke- Author There are lots of rules in the writing game. LOTS. Ask anyone in the biz for advice, do a little research on norms and protocols, get active in social media groups on the topic, and you’ll be bombarded with generalized and specific do's and don'ts, articles with titles like, “the 10 most important rules of writing,” debates around, “are you an author or a writer?”, and certainly lists of what to avoid, what to absolutely avoid, and how to “do things right.” In the swirling eddy of contradictions and occasional hits of inspiration you will likely get… exhausted. But take a deep breath and know that, in the midst of all that information, you can glean enough good advice and worthwhile input to create your own set of protocols and preferences to fit your style, while still getting the job done. Here’s the trick: You have to be selective. You have to curate that advice. You have to experiment on your own to discover what you agree with, what you don’t. Let’s take the “book launch.” Now, there’s a topic that inspires prodigious amounts of opinion. Just this week I read a lengthy blog filled with…

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Authors' Chat, award winning books, Bloggers, Book Marketing, indieBRAG, Marketing an indie Book, Thanksgiving, The World of Reading, Uncategorized, Words of Wisdom, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

Author Newsletter vs. Author Blog: Five Reasons I Prefer a Blog, and Six Reasons You Might Not

Geri Clouston
“The one with the biggest email list wins” is the current mantra of pretty much every book marketer on the planet. The author newsletter is supposed to be the most important weapon in your book marketing arsenal. Marketing experts tell authors their #1 goal should be to collect as many email addresses as possible for the purpose of sending our victims fans weekly or even daily doses of our spam news. This week Kristine Katherine Rusch wrote a great in-depth post on newsletters. She pointed out there are two types of newsletters that authors are using today: the old school, chatty  letter that reads like the newsy Christmas letter you get from Aunt Susie. Those newsletters appeal to your established fans who know your characters, and want to know what’s coming up and what’s going on with you personally. Then there’s the newer type of newsletter which is like an advertising circular that aims at getting new customers. It’s all about marketing. It’s the latter I have the most trouble with. (So does KKR) but if you’ve got a lot of marketing savvy, it may work for you. Unfortunately I personally have negative reaction aggressive marketing, so I’m not comfortable with doing it myself. Should You…

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Anne R. Allen, Authors' Chat, Bloggers, Book Marketing, Marketing an indie Book, Uncategorized, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

It’s a Tough Market for Authors

Geri Clouston
                          Florence Osmund                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Author and Contributor When it dawned on me last year that I was making less money but spending more time promoting and marketing my books than I did three years earlier when I had fewer to offer, I decided to take a break from writing and focus on what I was doing wrong. Since my marketing strategy hadn’t changed during these years, I was pretty sure it was the industry that had changed around me, and I had to understand this in…

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Authors' Chat, award winning books, Bloggers, Book Marketing, Editing, Graphic Design, Marketing an indie Book, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

An Irish Tale and Guinness Chili- ready for St. patrick’s Day!

Geri Clouston
  Secrets of the Apple Tree Tavern: The Making of an Irish Godfather (Irish Fires Book 1) by Mary Ellen Gavin   In The Secrets of the Apple Tree Tavern, Mary Ellen Gavin writes movingly and deeply about the Irish in New York and in Dublin. Raised in an Irish family, she shared, “The joys and sorrows of family are taught to the Irish from birth. All good and all bad can only come from your Family. A brother who succeeds in life is your joy ... a sister who births a sickly baby is your sorrow. The Irish build strong family ties and know how to wield guilt. It is the way I was raised. I thrived from it and I cried from it ... more than some other families.” Life is seen through the eyes of Frances Fleming, an orphan of Irish immigrants during the Depression, then adopted by a tavern owner. Like the author, family becomes extremely important to him.  At a young age, he is put to work, gladly on his part for his new “family.”  His childhood is happy and his years filled with stories of Ireland and the “old ways.” So many of us are…

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Authors' Chat, award winning books, Bloggers, Book Marketing, Food for Thought, Foodie Lit, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, Uncategorized

Promo Stacking- what is it, and how do I do it?

Geri Clouston
Promo Stacking For indie Authors Ricci Wolman Written Word Media Ricci Wolman of Written Word Media gave a great presentation on Promo Stacking at the 2018 Book Baby Conference in Philadelphia. Although the idea seems obvious, I think most of us don't take the time to do it correctly.  We all know that we must do some book promotion - they don't usually do themselves!  But how and when is the most effective and economical way to do it. What is Promo Stacking? It is running multiple coordinated marketing campaigns Within a set time frame With the goal of increasing the sales and rank of a specific title or series. Why do Amazon algorithms matter? Working with amazon is essential!  Amazon is about to hit a new milestone capturing 50% of the retail ecommerce in the United States, dwarfing all other sellers. Amazon uses sales rank to support search placement, getting your book into a visible placement will increase sales- so sales increase sales! We’ve all noticed the bar below books saying “Customers who bought this item also bought…” Well, getting your books listed will involve the Amazon Algorithm recognizing your book. Why do book promotions You want to feed…

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Authors' Chat, award winning books, Bloggers, Book Marketing, indieBRAG, Marketing an indie Book, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, Words of Wisdom, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing ,

Record Your Own Audiobook for Audible

Geri Clouston
Should you do an audiobook? This was probably the most often asked question at the Book Baby Independent Author Conference 2018 held in Philadelphia the first weekend in November and the answer is "YES"! Audio books (although not actually new) are the "new" big thing.  Just as, not that many years ago, when ebooks hit the publishing world and exploded, the market for audiobooks is now exploding and it seems it is time to jump in. Two time B.R.A.G.Medallion author, Travis Bow has shared the "how to" of doing an audiobook! "It doesn't take a studio or an audio engineering degree to record your own audiobook and sell it on Audible. With a $130 microphone, some free software, and a little persistence, you can make top-notch audio, and Audible's Audiobook Creation Exchange interface makes it super straightforward to get your book on sale on the largest Audiobook platform in the world. Having gone through this process three times with my books Thane and King's Table and my short story The Three, I've had to glean information from dozens of partial (often conflicting) tutorials, and I've discovered a lot by trial and error. This is my attempt to put it all together in a step-by-step guide that anyone…

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Authors' Chat, award winning books, Bloggers, Book Marketing, indieBRAG, Marketing an indie Book, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, Uncategorized, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

Advice from Steena Holmes “Branding with Intent”

Geri Clouston
Writers: Don’t Give In To The Pressure By Steena Holmes on Apr 05, 2018 02:23 pm If you are a writer, raise your hand if you feel the pressure to rush your process and just get those books out. (my hand is raised and I know yours are too!) There are so many factors to this rush: bills are piling up so many of your writing friends are releasing books in quick succession you keep hearing this is the only way to get noticed (ie. 90 day window) any other number of reasons to feel like you’re missing out Can I say something that might be against the norm? Stop. Slow down. Don’t panic. I know, I know, easy enough to say, but hard to accomplish, right? I’ve been there, in your shoes when I saw my income going down and my bills piling up. When I would hear of others talk about their numbers and stepped back so no one would notice me and ask how I was doing. When I would visit different FB writing groups and the advice was to write/publish/repeat as fast as you can in order to increase your visibility. Every time I would hear…

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Authors' Chat, Book Marketing, Foodie Lit, indieBRAG, Marketing an indie Book, Steena Holmes, The Self-publishing World, Uncategorized, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing , , ,

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