Tag Archive - book marketing

The Secret to a Successful Book Publishing Career

Yes, I know there is more than one “secret.” But what is the most important aspect to garnering success as an author? Growing your audience or readership. And readers can’t glomp onto your books if they can’t find them online.

I’ve addressed this discoverability issue head on in my blog posts, my free Amazon success email course (click on the widget on the right), and in my Targeting Genre for Big Sales course.

This is a very personal issue for me because, once I got published, I thought my novels would jettison to the top of the best-seller lists. From all the great reviews and comments from agents and publishers and readers, I was confident I would see sales of millions of copies of my novels. Silly me.

I didn’t know then what I know now. Continue Reading…

How to Write an Effective Book Proposal

At some point in your writing journey, no doubt you’ve thought about submitting your manuscript to an agent or publisher. Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, you’ll want to present your project in a way that will effectively convey the purpose or plot as well as showcase your amazing writing talent.

Even if you’re on the self-publishing track, there may come a time when you want to pitch your manuscript or book idea with the hope of landing a traditional publishing contract.

And you’ve probably heard that agents and publishers will want a book proposal.

But does every book require a proposal? If so, what’s included?

If you write nonfiction, you’re expected to provide a book proposal, and there are specific elements agents and publishers want to see.

If you write fiction, you may be surprised to learn that a fiction proposal might be your ticket around the gatekeepers.

I put together a brief but targeted book proposal for my fantasy series and landed a three-book deal with a publisher—without the acquiring editor ever reading a single manuscript.

While that’s highly unusual, it speaks to the persuasion a great book proposal can wield. Continue Reading…

How to Come Up with the Perfect Book Title

I’m sharing another of my posts that ran last year on The Self Publisher blog. 

Struggling with coming up with the perfect title for your book? You’re not alone. In few words, you have to catch the interest of potential readers and, hopefully, get them excited to read your book.

It’s not easy! But there are obvious and practical considerations that will help you in this endeavor.

We’ve all heard the saying “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” But, truth is, people do judge a book by its cover. Authors well know that a cover can make or break a book release.

A badly designed or unappealing cover will influence a potential reader’s decision to even glance at a book, never mind buy it. This is especially true when an author doesn’t have star name recognition.

Another saying comes to my mind: “A picture speaks a thousand words.” Covers that are evocative, portray symbolic or beautiful imagery, are aesthetically appealing in their design draw readers in for a closer look. If self-published authors have learned anything about success in the competitive book marketplace, it’s how crucial a great book cover is.

Continue Reading…

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