September 25th, 2019

What a Difference a Cover Makes: Before & After

Earlier this year, my co-writer and I released three novels of a mythological mystery/thriller series. Unfortunately, we didn't know quite know where our story fit, since it had elements of urban fantasy but was set on an island. And it was kind of a thriller, but also a mystery.… Read the post

September 16th, 2019

Social Media: You're Doing it Wrong

Posted In:
Author Marketing | Marketing

Laura Drake

Everyone has seen Mr. Mom, right? My favorite line from the whole movie is when Michael Keaton is dropping his kids off at school, pulling into the circular drive against traffic, and like four moms tell him, "You're doing it wrong."

Look, I'm not saying I'm the Mother of Social Media (although I'm probably old enough to be), but I've seen and heard things there that make me mad.… Read the post

July 10th, 2019

Should Authors Break Free from the Brand?

Posted In:
Author Marketing | Blogging Guests | Marketing

by Julie Cantrell

The standard advice given to writers is to brand yourself. Find a genre, and stick with it. This strategy has proven successful for many contemporary authors such as Danielle Steel and Mary Higgins Clark, but even Jane Austen had perfected the practice years earlier, and Agatha Christie used it to pen mysteries that ranked her in the sales zone with Shakespeare and the Bible!… Read the post

April 26th, 2019

The Reality of Writing for a Living Today

Posted In:
Author Marketing | Marketing | Miscellaneous | Self-Publishing | Writer's Life

Laura Drake

I read a recent article from Electric Lit. As a professional writer, or aspiring to publication, you need to read it. It's HERE. Go ahead, we'll wait.

The facts the article was based on came from the Authors Guild 2018 Survey (you can read that HERE) which said that, "American authors ...… Read the post

April 17th, 2019

SEO for Authors and Other Search Ranking "Secrets"

Posted In:
Author Marketing | Technology Fun

SEO for authors... It's a catchphrase that makes all my writing pals shudder. As one of our gals at WITS said, "I know how to spell it, but that's about all." SEO doesn't have to be hard. In fact, some of the best techniques are the easiest for writers, because they involve writing.… Read the post