I recently happened upon an interesting marketing idea that I wanted to share with readers of my blog. For a limited time the print version of one of my books was for sale on Amazon at a significant discount over the normal list price, so a good friend of mine, who is also a huge […]
Read moreThe other day I received a call from my friend Kristen, who recently opened her own business in the wedding-planning industry. She remembered that close friends of mine had once been featured in the Vows section of the New York Times, and she wanted to know if an introduction to the reporter who wrote the piece […]
Read moreSeveral months ago I received an email from an author named S.J. (That is a purposefully androgynous pen name.) S.J. was doing a blog tour to help promote the launch of his/her first novel and wanted to know if I would consider letting him/her do a guest post on my personal website. I’d never had […]
Read moreThere are few things I enjoy more than getting fan “mail”–in whatever form it arrives. I recently received a wonderful tweet from a woman named Yasminda that made me smile. I replied with my email address and asked her to send me a note. When she did, I checked her address in my database and […]
Read moreIn last week’s post I said that for the overwhelming majority of authors, it’s important to make an effort to connect with your fans. The same goes for having a good headshot. If you’re selling millions of copies of your books each year, no need to read further. Almost daily I receive an email from […]
Read moreIn a recent post about book marketing, I discussed how important it is to cast a wide net when reaching out to people and organizations about your book. Today I’d like to address the difference a personal touch can make once you’ve established contact with an individual who has agreed to help you in some way. […]
Read moreAfter years of referring to herself as a “professional dater,” a good friend of mine finally tied the knot last summer. She was, of course, joking about her title, but in a way it was true! She was determined to find the right match for herself, so she dated and dated and dated until she […]
Read moreFor my newest book (Wait for the Rain, which came out in February), my publisher and I were torn between several cover options, so my editor suggested we narrow it down to two and then put it out to my fans to vote. Needless to say, I was thrilled by this idea, and my fans […]
Read moreFor quite some time now, I’ve been recommending that authors use their email signatures as an indirect way to promote their work. Apparently a lot of you are taking my advice, because almost all the emails I get these days from authors mention their book(s) in their email signatures. Nice! Unfortunately, however, many of the […]
Read moreLast week I received an email from Leta Gail Doeer, an indie author and loyal reader of my blog. Leta has also taken my webinar on book marketing, in which I discuss the strategy of contacting book bloggers for reviews – and how those reviews can lead to other opportunities. Leta said she’d been reaching out […]
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