13 Book Promotions Tips for Independent Publishers

Sue Collier | May 3, 2012

Marketing begins the minute you get the book idea or decide to write a manuscript. Be aggressive about prepublication marketing to generate working capital. Forge strategic alliances with others who are already reaching your customer base. Write all promotional materials from a benefit standpoint. Avoid advertising, except to tightly focused target markets or in trade [...]

7 social media marketing mistakes made by authors (and others)

Sue Collier | May 17, 2011

Social media marketing. Some call it a fad. Others call it a revolution. But most agree that in some form, it is here to stay. This is a very different type of marketing from the traditional methods, however, and it’s easy to make mistakes. Here are some of the most common: 1. Not using social [...]

27 things you can do to promote your book—Before you write it, before you launch it, and after you’ve published it

Sue Collier | April 14, 2011

I’m fond of telling authors that after they’ve written their book, the hard work begins—and by that I am referring to marketing and promoting. In reality, though, your book promotion plans should begin well before you start writing the book. In this post, I’ve listed those things you can do before you start writing, before [...]

Don’t be backward about getting a foreword!

Sue Collier | April 8, 2011

In today’s uber-competitive publishing world, each new book must be carefully nurtured to be successful. One of the ways you can help your new baby grow into robust adulthood is by christening it with a Foreword. To be effective, the Foreword should be by someone who is known to, and respected by, your potential reading [...]

13 easy tips for virtual author book tour hosts

Sue Collier | October 22, 2010

Virtual  book tours continue to grow in popularity with authors. From the comfort of their own computers, authors can tour the world, saving time and money while reaching a potentially large audience. Bloggers benefit as well since tours can drive new traffic to their sites. If you’d like to host a virtual author book tour [...]

Author marketing via social media

Sue Collier | July 26, 2010

Guest blogger: Fiona Ingram I live in South Africa and I am published in the USA. Distance has made it impossible for me to go the traditional marketing route. Online is all I have open to me. I have worked very hard to go from “Fiona Who?” to not quite “Aha, Fiona Ingram, the famous [...]

Promoting your book by using your natural talents

Sue Collier | June 25, 2010

When I talk with most authors, I find that writing their book isn’t the biggest challenge; marketing is. Many authors tend to be more introverted, so blatant promotion of their work makes them very uncomfortable. It’s disappointing when I see authors invest so much of themselves—emotionally and financially—into their book only to see their enthusiasm [...]

The business of writing and self-publishing–a Q&A

Sue Collier | June 7, 2010

(Cross-posted at the Writer’s Digest website.) What message do you find yourself repeating over and over to writers? Sue: The difference between true self-publishing and the so-called “self-publishing companies”—and why that difference is so important for authors to understand. Marilyn: Marketing. Marketing. Marketing. It’s mandatory in today’s publishing environment to be proactive and get behind [...]

Organizing a successful virtual author book tour

Sue Collier | May 28, 2010

Let’s face it: Unless you are a celebrity, traveling the country and hitting up bookstore after bookstore for signings is probably not going to sell many books. You’ll more than likely spend way more for travel than you’ll make in book sales. Enter the virtual age. From the comfort of your own home or office, you [...]

Book review

Sue Collier | May 21, 2010

Title: The Wealthy Author: The Fast Profit Method for Writing, Publishing & Selling Your Non-Fiction Book  Authors: Joe Gregory and Debbie Jenkins  Publishing Academy, 2009 Back cover synopsis: Renegade publishers, Debbie Jenkins and Joe Gregory, share their hard-won experience to show you exactly how to make a fast and impressive income as a non-fiction author [...]