How do you get readers subscribed to your newsletter when they haven’t read your novel first? Enter, Newsletter Builders.
Newsletter Builders: how & why they kickstart your author career
Facebook Ads for First-time Authors
Step-by-step guide to setup your first Facebook ad as a new author, curtesy of David Gaughran. If you’ve been holding back from running Facebook ads because you didn’t know where to start—NO LONGER!
Successful Fiction: Costs and Software
Bottom Line Costs You can write, edit, cover, format, and publish a novel for $0 and a buttload of time. However, this is not a realistic option if your goal is to sell books and garner lifelong readers. (You’ll note that there is no inclusion for marketing, which is vital if you want to sell books and turn writing into a career. If, however, your only goal is to write and publish you can do it for free.) Free Option Write You can use Google Docs, or LibreOffice for the actual writing. Edit If you need free edits, your best option will be to find a local writing group and offer manuscript swaps. This will provide a proofreading—with minimal story level, or sentence level feedback—but it is possible to edit a novel for free. Likewise, there are the rare few authors who can edit their own novels without outside feedback. […]
80/20 RULE
The Pareto principle, better known as the 80/20 rule, states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.
What Does It Take To Write a Series People Want to Buy?
At its core, fiction is about emotional experiences for the reader. Provide that and you’ll find that your readers will stick with you throughout your series and recommend your books to their friends.
The Future of Publishing
Change is coming, but that’s nothing new for indie publishing. We learn, adapt, and iterate.
The future for New York, and the brick and mortar book store, doesn’t look bright, but they survived the great depression. The odds of them going away entirely are next to zero. They too will need to adapt, same as us, and it’s impossible to say with certainty what their new form will look like in five years, but it’s a good bet to say that at least one of the bigger publishers will go under. However, during the turmoil, there’s an excellent opportunity for new mid-sized publishers specialized into genres, to fill the void.
Learning From Those Before Us
Learning from those that have come before us is the key to success in life. If you can save yourself the growth pains, you’ll place yourself in the position to capitalize on opportunities earlier, and thus experience a longer period of compound returns.
What’s more, learning from fellow artists in different disciplines helps clarify the fundamentals to focus on. As an independent author, you are a corporation, and it’s vital you learn to manage your assets (the books you produce) accordingly. That means learning to place the financial needs of the business above your personal desires.
Balanced Health & Productivity for Authors
Health is the core element of general life quality. There is obviously far more than health, such as self-actualization—a core reason I’m an author—and social network of friends and family, but health directly affects those elements.
Write Faster, Write Smarter
Chris Fox’s Write Faster, Write Smarter series is on sale for 99¢ per book (normally $4.99 each).
Do You Read With Your Ears?
“Our new research review, released today, shows that engagement with audiobooks can benefit children’s reading skills and enjoyment, as well as their mental well-being and emotional intelligence.”
