This document provides tips for authors on publishing and promoting their books. It recommends building an author platform through maintaining a professional website or blog. It also suggests using email lists and social media to connect with readers, while avoiding overly political or controversial topics. The document further advises investing in professional editing, formatting, and cover design. While some promotional avenues like blog tours and giveaways can boost sales, authors are cautioned to write additional books and focus on improving their craft over relying on promotions alone. Persistence, professionalism, and patience are key to success as an independent author.

1. Congratulations
you’ve written a book
Now what?

2. This session is for
Anyone interested in the
business of writing
(or in winning a book or a t-shirt)

3. What you’ll get
Do, don’t, and It Depends
“One Learns from Many Sources”
Quality of the evidence: Variable

4. DO:
Know who you are
Read in your niche
Genre do’s and don’ts
Top 100 sellers in category
Don’t: Everything to everyone

5. Do:
Write a series
Readers want to spend time with
your characters

6. Do:
Use the first book as bait
“permafree” takes some effort

7. Do:
Find your tribe

8. Do: Invest
Editing – formatting – cover- Bowker
ISBNs- Contract (Authors Guild) - URLs -
Conferences - Giveaways
Don’t
Author Solutions – paid reviews
Non-Bowker ISBNs - DIY covers

9. Giveaways
Goodreads - Rafflecopter - LibraryThing
Build your email list
bit.ly/MMMug

10. Wait, email list?
Vertical Response - Aweber - Mailchimp
Releases, events, giveaways

11. It depends
Quasi-indie, e.g. BookBaby
FB ads – Mark Dawson
Outsourcing / ghostwriting
Amazon giveaways
Expensive blog tours
Worth it for you?

12. Do: Have a platform
Readers can find you online
Professional URL
Interests besides “buy my book”
Doesn’t have to be fancy

13. Don’t want to blog?
Set a static front page
Or reblog

14. Reblogging: not plagiarism!
Set up IFTTT – Connect RSS to blog
set to draft post – finalize at leisure

15. Has possibilities
Looks good
Off topic and wonky
Too serious?
Maaaaybe
No.
If it’s a new take?
Will check this out
Off topic
BO-ring
Draft posts

16. Sample post (APS feed)

17. Featured image
from freepik.com
Brief intro
The original
Sidebar:
email signup
is on top
Buy my book!
Buy my book!
Buy my book!
Sample post (APS feed)

18. Citation
(automatic)
Call to Action:
Put this after
every post
Sharing
options
turned on
More
sidebar
stuff: Easy
review links
Call to action at the end

19. Completely automated
(use caution)

20. Don’t: go overboard
Blog to your level of comfort
and interest
Avoid politics, controversy
unless it’s your brand
1 or 2 URLs
Frankiebow.com -Mollybarda.com- Merriemusubis.com
maritime-club.com - Musubi.ninja - Bananawrangler.com

21. Simple blogspot page
Set up IFTTT – Connect RSS to blog
set to draft post – finalize at leisure

22. Fancy custom page
Set up IFTTT – Connect RSS to blog
set to draft post – finalize at leisure

23. Group blogs
Join one or start your own

24. Do: BookBub
Expensive, selective, worth it
Others: Fussy Librarian, Choosy
Bookworm, ENT, Pixel of Ink

25. Do: get interviewed
Don’t overpay for blog tours
$100 or less

26. Do: use interview quotes

27. Do: anthology
hawaiianmystery.com
100% donated time and effort
Benefits Read Aloud America

28. Consider: KDP Select or go
wide?
Kindle Unlimited, countdown deals
No permafree

29. Consider: Kindle Worlds
Get paid to write fanfic

30. Consider: Spinoffs
Alice Mongoose & Alistair Rat

31. Consider: Book trailer
Sales effect unknown

32. Always: keep writing
Repurpose blog posts, crowdsource
Full outline by Day 14
First draft by Day 49
Second draft by Day 56
Submit to editor by Day 63
Re-submit for second pass by Day 73
Publish on Day 90

33. Persistent, professional, patient
100’s of queries – rounds of editing

34. One Weird Trick
ResultSource

36. Bestselling author Russell blake
Some might say, cynical. I’d say
pragmatic
I wish there were a formula…Pick a genre you love and that’s
large enough to support you, stick to it, write a lot of
seriously good books, focus on improving your grasp of craft
each time you sit down to write…package and quality control
your books like the pros do, market intelligently…above all, be
extremely realistic about everything.

37. Resources
Always keep writing
Author platform: Jane Friedman
Book design: Joel Friedlander
Querying agents and publishers: Query Shark
Agent & industry news: Published to Death
Community: Kboards, FB author fan groups, Absolute Write
Legal issues: The Passive Voice
Promotion: The Author Biz, Joanna Penn, Simon Whistler, Romance
University, Russell Blake
Tools: IFTTT, bitly.com, wordpress.com, Hootsuite, Buffer/Pablo