ALLi Goodreads Group Giveaway – Looking for Thrillers
Calling ALLi Members: As some of you know, we are doing a monthly giveaway through our Goodreads Group, starting this…
How Indie Authors Can Reach Readers Without Self-Promotion
Marketeers say the key to promoting a book is to take off your writer's hat. But, argues Orna Ross, that…
How To Get Book Reviews
Trying to get readers to write a review is like getting your two-year-old child to take a horrible-tasting medicine, says ALLi member and regular contributor, Giacomo (Jim) Giammatteo. But it is possible and it is worth it. In the first of a three-part series on reviews, he explains how he gets more than twenty reviews a month.
The Process of Getting Reviews
I launched my book in mid April 2012. Since then I have managed to get seven editorial reviews, 77 reviews on Amazon, and another 44 reviews on Goodreads. No matter how you look at it, that’s a lot of reviews (more than 20 per month) so how do you get that many reviews?
I can tell you it’s not by having a big family. I didn't have my wife write one (mostly for fear of what she'd say) and I didn't have either of my sons write a review. A few family members did write reviews—the ones who read the kind of books I write. And guess what, one of those reviews was not a five star. (Yeah, I know. Tough family)
For what it’s worth, here’s the secret—work your
Superb Self Publishing – the Motherlode for Overgrounding
Self publishing is at the cutting edge of the most interesting, radical and provocative writing that's happening right now. Dan…
Book Publicity Tips for Self-Publishers. Part One: Blogs
GUEST POST: By Ben Cameron of Smith Publicity.
For publicity purposes, there are essentially two kinds of blogs, those that are an offshoot of another form of media, such as a newspaper, magazine or radio show; and those that are independent stand-alones. Either way, they are usually written by a single individual or a small group and have a very personal feel to them.
Like people, blogs can be quirky, opinionated and prejudiced. You are off to a great start if you think if them as people – as funny as your Aunt Bessie or grumpy as your old Uncle Carl.
1) Blogs Are Not an Afterthought
When it comes to media, some rank contacts in order of ‘importance’, with television being the golden ticket and blogs being something you try once other
Guest Post: Independent Authors and Visibility by Linda Gillard
Linda knows how to be seen!
In an over-crowded marketplace, we assume it’s reviews that sell books and, predictably, it’s now possible to buy “honest reviews”. Could paid-for reviews be a good investment? Possibly, but I think we should be asking ourselves a different question—how do books find their readers? Or, to put it another way, what makes a book visible in the marketplace?
Guest Post: SEO For Your Author Website by Karen Lotter
On its website, Boston-based search engine optimisation (SEO) and marketing firm 'Brandignity' says: “Always write for humans first”. For those who…
Self-Publishers Promote Each Other
We value each other's work
We've been having a debate about self-promotion on our Alliance of Independent Authors' member-only Facebook group. And one of our members, Richard Bunning, came up with a great idea to get around this perennial problem for self-publishers and the forums they hang out on.
Like most great ideas, it's simple. Naturally, as writers, we want to share news of our books and other writings but
A Definition of an Author Platform by Jane Friedman
This post originally appeared on Jane Friedman's blog.
(picture: www.atlei.com)
Platform is one of the most difficult concepts to explain, partly because everyone defines it a little differently.
So let's break down this thing called platform a
How to get your Self-Published Books into Bookstores
For a lot of self-publishing authors, getting their books into big-chain bookshops can seem as impossible as hitting a space station with a sling-shot.
There is something of a validation in walking into a bookshop, especially a big-chain branch, and spying your book on the shelf. It’s something we crave as indie authors. But as indies, with corporate structure and head office guidelines, that shelf can often seem a million miles away.
But is getting our books into big chains as impossible as we think?
HOW I DID IT
I’m a fantasy author of The Emaneska Series and my books The Written and Pale Kings are permanently stocked in some 20+ Waterstones stores across the UK. I hold regular signings and events at a large number of branches across the South and the Midlands – around twenty so far in the past year.
I’ve just finished one