Well, that was a week. Apologies if any of this is incoherent at all – just as I was sitting down to write this, the building where I do my day job decided to burn down. Well, it didn’t decide, there was an electrical thing. But the upshot is I spent my afternoon coordinating emergency […]
One of the hottest topics in book promotion right now is the use of strategic Facebook advertising to build your author mailing list. While this has proven a hugely successful technique for some self-published authors, such as Mark Dawson, whose highly-regarded course helps other authors emulate his success, it’s by no means a one-size-fits-all solution. Facebook Ads […]
Historical crime writer Angela Buckley explains why it’s a great idea to hold an online launch for an indie book, and shares her top tips on successful Facebook launches, based on her own experience with her new non-fiction title, Amelia Dyer and the Baby Farm Murders, which reached an astonishing 5,000 people. Online Facebook events […]
British indie author David Penny shares a case study of his own Facebook advertising campaign, which he’s using to promote the first in his historical crime thriller series, The Red Hill, set in medieval Moorish Spain. There’s a saying only 50% of marketing works—but nobody knows which 50%. Having spent many years in business I […]
Orna posed the question “Does Paid Marketing Work For Authors?” and our Twitter followers didn’t hold back in their responses. Each month we host a monthly Twitter Chat using #AuthorALLiChat, and discuss different self-publishing topics to help indie authors achieve their goals. If you weren’t able to participate in this month’s Alliance of Independent Authors Twitter Chat, here’s […]
Using social media successfully is a bit like Alice travelling through Looking-Glass World – to reach your goal, you shouldn’t aim for the most obvious target. Instead, taking what might seem a less direct, more circuitous route might be more effective. Scottish self-published writer Wendy H Jones explains why overt marketing won’t help you sell […]
As indie authors, we’re all used to dealing with people online, whether or not we’ve ever met our correspondents in real life. With the digital environment at our disposal, there’s never been a better time to be a writer, but now and again, we fall prey to its negative side, receiving unhelpful snap judgments, tersely […]
One of the many joys of being a self-published author is the facility to run your business your way – but there are times when you just have to play by the rules, and using Facebook to raise awareness of your books is one of them. Social media expert Karen Lotter gives a helpful reminder […]
In this week’s Bookseller magazine, the trade paper of the British publishing industry, Sarah Shaffi writes: “Authors should feel comfortable with any digital activity they are asked to undertake, using tweeting, blogging, and other online platforms to build an audience, rather than explicitly becoming a tool to sell books.” While her article focuses on the […]
As a fresh take on our “reaching readers” strand that runs every Saturday, today we’ve got a top tip on what NOT to do so sell more of your self-published books, from ALLi profressional member Jessica Bell, an acclaimed novelist, poet and author of writing craft books. Are you an new indie author? Just released […]