Being a creator means getting your content out there to a target audience, and one of the best ways is through social media channels if you want to reach your readers directly. Here’s some practical advice on social media for writers.
Luckily, it’s actually much easier than you might think. Let’s take a look at the best ways for an author to use four of the biggest social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Whew. Yesterday, I launched my novel, Surviving Death. The launch went well, and it couldn’t have done so without my book launch team. They were awesome helping me spread the word about my book!
How do you build a book launch team? I’m going to share some strategies that I did with this launch and offer some ideas for other things you could do.
When I sign up for a writing contest, I turn on “Eye of the Tiger” as I sit down to pound out my first draft. This is it, I tell myself. This will be the story that finally wins. A few finger exercises and I am ready to write the story to end all stories.
But what if nothing comes? Or worse, a story pours out and it’s terrible? What if I don’t win? How can I develop a winning mindset without reading an entire shelf of self-help books and further distracting myself?
Why do people enter writing contests? Some enter to get practice submitting. Others enter to motivate themselves to finish their stories.
But there’s one thing nearly everyone who enters a writing contest wants…
To win.
You have just opened your email from the magazine you submitted your article to. You read the email you have been hoping for and dreaming of: “Hey there, we want to publish your article. Please reply with a fifty-word killer bio. We will post it at the end of your article. You can include up to three links.”
Wow, your writing has been accepted! Now you have to say who you are.
Writing your biography can seem almost as challenging as writing the piece you submitted. But it is a necessary part of publishing your writing. How will your readers know who wrote your wonderful article if you do not tell them?
You’ve written a children’s book. Great work! Now, have you thought about marketing your children’s book? Do you wonder if this is even important, or how to do it?
One of the most important considerations you, as a children’s book author (or book author in general), need to address along with the creative side of things is: Who is your target reader? Or, who is your target market?
As a book writer, we like to imagine that everyone will love our book. But this is unrealistic, nonstrategic and a quick way to experience the disappointment of sluggish sales.
Truth: We don’t want to be all things to all people. We want to be the choice for specific, potential readers.
If we write a book without knowing exactly who we’re writing for, we end up writing for our own enjoyment. This is fine and good unless you wish to make money from your book writing efforts.
