One of the most effective advertising strategies for authors is to target buyers who have already self-identified as avid readers and signed up for newsletters that promote books directly to them—in their preferred genre! How can it get any better than that? That’s exactly what services like BookBub, BargainBooksy, BookGorilla, BookCave, Faithful Christian Reads, Kindle Nation, and many more do. (Click here for an extensive listing of such services, including descriptions and ratings of potential effectiveness. There are 127 in total at Kindlepreneur.com.)

As an independent author, if you want to increase book sales, you need to let more people know your book exists. You can market your book through different media outlets such as blogs, magazines, podcasts, radio shows, and television. But how do you find these media outlets? Trade shows provide the perfect opportunity. Last year, I attended the Christian Product Expo and National Religious Broadcasting shows.

The real estate industry is all about location, location, location but in book manufacturing, we focus on communication, communication, communication. Every book is unique: page count, bind style, cover treatment, paper stock, etc. Since each project is different, the most important feature in your relationship with your book manufacturer is communication. As a self-published author, you should be able to connect with your manufacturer’s representative and customer service department via phone and email. It is the manufacturers’ job to bring your project from files to a physical product and in order to do so; we need to understand exactly what you desire. Each and every element must be communicated properly to ensure a successful result. We want to understand your vision. The more detail you can provide, the better. Photos, samples, and files are very helpful.

How many times have you picked up a book and immediately knew it was self-published? You may not be sure how you knew. It might have been the design. Maybe you spotted glaring errors. Or possibly there was just an unprofessional look to it. Don’t let that happen to your book. There is absolutely no reason indie authors and publishers shouldn’t produce books that look as sharp and professional as the books produced by major publishing houses. It just takes effort, attention to detail, and a commitment to avoid the errors self-publishers often make. Let’s look at the most common self-publishing mistakes and how to avoid them.

I’m a problem solver. I like minor problems with simple solutions. On the other hand, I love to study. I have three master’s degrees, and I’m always reading something. Maybe you’re like that, too. If you can get your love of studying and your problem-solving mentality to meet for coffee every week, you’ll come to enjoy this whole marketing venture you’ve taken on as an author. At least, that’s my experience. I call it the Ph.D. approach to book marketing because it’s an approach to problem-solving that drags on like a never-ending Ph.D. But the benefit is that, as long as you’re still studying, you’re still learning and growing. You’re getting more and more familiar with the art of marketing. And that’s going to be far more helpful than a short-sighted approach.

As independent authors and writers, it’s easy to get into the weeds with our files, organization, and structures with our writing. One thing is clear, writing is hard work and we need all the help we can get to find our voice, get organized, and stay productive in our writing projects. For years, I’ve used a program called Scrivener. It’s a powerful writing software for authors I’ve found for many types of writing. It’s helped me stay organized and maintain an outline while I write. It allows me to review previous drafts all from one window, never having to leave the software.

Today you’ll learn how to sell more books with Amazon Ads for authors. I’ve been in publishing long enough to remember the good old days of self-publishing eBooks; back when Amazon’s KDP service was launched, it was an indie author’s dream. Not only could you easily publish a book, but writers were making thousands of dollars a month doing it—quite easily.

Why You Should Use Pinterest for Your Business Most everyone has heard of the social media platform called Pinterest. However, even people that use Pinterest may not be aware of how valuable it can be for your business. There are…