Author Business Archives

How to Market Yourself on Social Media

Can an author survive without self-promotion? Not easily, so let’s discuss how to market yourself on social media!

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Over twenty years ago, Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook. It changed the world as we know it. Suddenly, instead of just having our small social circles, we had the world at our fingertips. We were able to reconnect with old friends and acquaintances. Define our relationships by our status. And it became a primary marketing tool for businesses. But this is still not always easy for all business owners. Authors, in particular, often struggle with getting out from behind the page and promoting themselves beyond their social circles. So, how do you market yourself on social media?

Accepting Social Media

One of the main things I hear from authors is they don’t want to deal with social media. It’s fake, they don’t know what to post. They don’t want to take time away from their writing. All of these are valid concerns. For any business. Social media doesn’t feel genuine and it is sometimes difficult to come up with post ideas. And it can be time consuming. However, for your business to thrive or your books to sell, you need to get past these concerns and learn how to self-promote on social media.

Learn to Be Genuine in Your Own Way

For starters, you need to get past the idea that it is all fake. Yes, there are fake “influencers” out there. But you do NOT have to be one of them. However, you do need to be open to sharing on your terms. And do it in an authentic way. For instance, there are times when it’s great to be made up and “perfect” looking, but my most liked posts are the ones where I am sweaty and coming out of the gym sharing a personal victory or in my pajamas with my morning coffee and a book. Find your comfort level of what you’re willing to share and be your true self. You will build the best relationships with your followers that way, which is the true purpose of effective social media marketing.

Build Relationships

Have you ever been to a party where you’re cornered with the person who only talks about themselves? You end up finding any excuse to leave eventually, right? It’s the same on social media. If you only post when you have a sale or you’re asking people to buy, people will feel like they’re in that same one-sided conversation. You need to nurture a relationship with your followers and make them feel like they know you and have built a personal connection to you. Then when you post that sale or new book launch they’ll be more willing to support you and buy.

Expand on Shared Interests

You are building followers for a reason. To eventually sell them something. So, why will your product appeal to them? Expand on that interest and naturally cater to it. Readers will read WAY more than just your one particular book. Besides, they’ll need something to hold them over until your next one comes out. In the meantime, share your own love of reading. Share what you’re currently reading and enjoying. Talk about your own favorite books in your book’s genre.

Share other hobbies and interests that you have. I have celiac disease and am always looking for tasty gluten-free finds. I always include that in my newsletters and on my social media feed.

I can’t tell you how many people have reached out to me about that and it creates and instant bond and thing we have in common.

Share the work that goes on behind the scenes. I share my writing process, victories when I complete a new chapter or word count. I share scenes from my current WIP, pics of my writing space etc. Again, if I forge a connection and get my readers excited about the process and work of writing the book they will hopefully be more invested and apt to buy when it launches and goes on the market.

Try to Have Fun

Social Media might never feel natural for you or a way you’d choose to spend your time. I, myself, only go on for my business and to share pics of my kids with family and friends. But I’m not a natural social media scroller/follower. However, I would say I’ve found a way I’m comfortable marketing myself. I’ve found a way that works for me and enjoy engaging with my readers.

Hopefully, these tips help you have a better idea of how to market yourself on social media in a way that works for you also. Have a great week everyone!

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How to Write a Business Plan for Writers

It’s officially a new year! So, let’s start it off by examining how to write a business plan for writers!

Writing a Business Plan for Writers

Time sure flies by and it’s super easy to fall into the trap of desiring to achieve a lot in a year, but never quite getting it together to make it happen. But here’s how you can rectify that. Here’s how to build a business plan for writers.

In my last post on Author Business Plans, I focused on the budgeting side and why that was important for your business finances. In this post I want to focus on what else a business plan can offer you as a writer.

Yes, your finances are important, but what about the accountability and goal setting? Forcing yourself to sit down and make specific and focused goals and following that plan to achieve them is absolutely priceless. So, here’s how to start.

Establish Your Primary Focus

First thing, is you need to figure out exactly what you want to be your primary focus for the year. Is this the year you want to complete a book? Or maybe this is the year you want to launch your book to the public. Wherever you are in your writing journey- try to take a step back and look at what you’d like to be the ONE primary focus you’d like to see happen this year.

Break Down Your Business Plan Manageable Goals

Now that you have your primary focus, try and break it down into the steps you need to accomplish to make it happen. For instance, if your focus for the year is on content, how many pages or words do you need to write a week to complete your project? If your focus is on expanding your readership and platform- maybe you need to focus on building a website and newsletter list. Make sure you write these down in clear, specific language with measurable outcomes. Otherwise, the checklist approach will never work.

Establish a Timeline with Deadlines

A year sounds like a long time, but we all know it flies by. So you need to hit the ground running. The sooner you can set deadlines, the sooner you can work towards fulfilling them. Just as I mentioned in my Writing Schedule blog post though, you need to also build in buffer room for life happening. So, yes, have a deadline, but know there’s SOME wiggle room in case of unexpected snow days, sickness etc. So for instance, don’t have an editor pre-booked for the day after you expect to have your book completed. Maybe schedule the editor for a week after, just in case.

Build in Support Systems

Do an honest assessment of your obstacles and shortcomings. Where do you usually falter in achieving your goals? For instance, I know I struggle with accountability. I’m an obliger and I prioritize everyone else’s needs over my own writing time. So, I combat that by sharing my deadline with my friends and family. Once it’s out there I have them check up on me. Now I feel like I HAVE to complete it. Plus, with them now cheering me on, they’re more apt to give me space to work without disturbing me.

Give Yourself Permission to Get Help

You need to remember that your writing IS a business if you treat it like one. Oftentimes, we classify it as a hobby because we’re not bringing in a huge sum. However, you ARE producing a complete product. Hopefully more than one even! Be proud of that. Own it! So, allow yourself the permission to unload things off your plate to prioritize your business time. Allow yourself a night away in a hotel for some uninterrupted writing time as a deadline grows closer. Hire a web designer to build your website for you instead of struggling through it yourself. Figure out what you need to be successful and budget the value of your time as well as if you can swing the monetary value.

Celebrate Your Successes Along the Way

Keeping to any business plan is never easy. But a business plan for writers can be even harder in some ways. Let’s be real, there’s a lot of variability and a lot that’s out of our control. Writing a book is hard. We might set out with every intent of keeping to a weekly word count and then one week can completely disrupt our flow! Then there’s the unpredictability of book sales, social media platforms etc. The point is I get it, it’s a lot!

Which is WHY– it’s crucial to celebrate the little successes along the way. You might not remain completely on deadline, but how many chapters have you completed? You might not hit your exact subscriber count, but how many more followers have you gotten? Every little bit matters and brings you one step closer to achieving your goal.

Good luck and happy planning everyone!

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Diversifying Income as an Author- September IWSG Post

Diversifying Income – The Way to Actually Make Money as an Author.

* This post is part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Monthly Blog Hop. (click the link for details on what that means and how to join.) The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or words of encouragement for fellow writers. This is my September IWSG Post. To see the other authors participating, click HERE.

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September 4 question – Since it’s back to school time, let’s talk English class. What’s a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?

I honestly don’t have much of an answer for this one. I’m back in the English classroom teaching so I guess I could say something I’ve changed my tune over in teaching my students. I used to believe that formulaic writing was inhibiting or potentially stifling. I steered away from templates or formulaic methods of storytelling. However, I’ve now found that to be the opposite of true.

I am now a die-hard outliner and I’ve also found since giving my students templates to help them structure their writing, it actually makes them more creative. It’s like it takes the pressure off so their creative juices can then take center-stage. What about you? Have any of you found this to be true?

Moving on to my other thoughts this month-

What does Diversifying Income Mean?

We, as authors, are ingrained to believe it’s next to impossible to make a living off our writing. And that’s true to an extent. We will most likely not, at least not off our book sales alone. Unless you’re pumping out a book a month or are one of the few isolated household names. But for the most of us, we’ll need to find other income streams besides book royalties. And that’s where Diversifying Income comes in. It’s establishing additional income sources.

Establishing Your Goals

I’ve said before, every author is different and has different expectations for their author career. Some people have a day job and are doing this as a side hustle, others are retirees just doing this to fulfill a lifetime dream. And then there are the folks who actually want to try and make a living from their writing. I fall into the latter category and want to share my personal experiences in hopes it will help others find their way.

I published my first book in 2021. I was still working another job at the time. But I decided to take the scary jump and walk off the cliff to write full-time. I’m not going to lie, it has been a HARD road since then. And I’m still finding my way. There are definite feast and famine times. But I have made money and the key to doing that has been by Diversifying Income Sources. By doing this, you can build a flexible patchwork quilt of income sources that together can provide security. Here are ideas for doing so.

1. Speaking Engagements

Everyone has a different comfort level with speaking in public. But it is one of the simplest ways to add to your author income. And depending on what your book is about, there could be a broad range of topics you can discuss. Children’s authors can do school visits, Genre authors can find audiences who will want to hear more about their expertise, Other authors might want to hear about your writing tips etc. It definitely is worth considering how you can add speaking engagements into your repertoire.

I’ve had decent success with this in doing speaking engagements with Historical Societies, Women’s Clubs, Book Clubs, Author Guilds, and museums etc. One additional word of advice, do NOT do a speaking event for free. I know it is tempting to accept to get the “experience” but your time is valuable. Many places will say they do not have the budget to pay you up front and will instead offer you the opportunity to sell your books at the event. This has backfired on me and not been worth it.

I booked a speaking engagement with a museum for Women’s History month. They promised to take care of all the advertising and to pay me by book sales. I spent hours preparing a detailed presentation and showed up to 4 people. There weren’t even posters up at the museum pointing to the event space. I now know I will only accept an engagement if I’m paid up front so my time is covered.

2. Freelance Writing & Content Creation

Evaluate your fields of expertise and see if there are places where you can freelance. For instance, children’s authors can expand into the Educational Market with Work for Hire projects. These could range from How To books to short historical or science based books on outlined topics. For more on this check out this fantastic book on Writing for the Educational Market by Laura Purdie Salas. There is also a great website by Evelyn B. Christensen about where to find publishers accepting Work for Hire writers.

Your freelancing also does not have to be limited to your book topics.There are magazines and online publications ranging on topics. Think of where you have “expert” knowledge.For instance, I write historical fiction, but I have celiac disease and was once employed at a hospital to educate others on the gluten-free lifestyle. I’ve used this experience and knowledge to freelance and publish a range of articles in publications nationwide.

3. Teaching, Coaching, Editing, Consulting etc.

Share your knowledge and expertise with others. There are so many flexible ways you can do this. For instance, I offer developmental editing services to authors.I also coach other authors about the self publishing process. I am also now a college adjunct teaching writing. But I also know authors who substitute teach, copy edit, offer graphic design and website design services and more.

These have been some of my most successful ways of Diversifying Income so far. Some other ideas I either want to try or know others have had success with are:

4. Online Courses & Educational Content

Creating an online course and some e-books on Author businesses is on my to-do list.Unfortunately, there is a large amount of prep and time that goes into creating this content. However, once it’s done it’s an “evergreen” source of income you can leave to earn money in your sleep. Once you figure out how to market it that is.

5. Merchandising

This is one I’ve started, but need to expand upon. I’ve created book themed merchandise and been very successful selling it in person at festivals and markets. Especially around the holidays. But, what I want to really work more towards is having it, again be an “evergreen” source, selling for me on Etsy. I have an Etsy store already, but I need to work towards getting more traffic to it.

6. Crowdfunding & Patronage

I have not had much success with this one. But I know other authors who swear by it. I know authors who have had great success monetizing their newsletters on Substack, others who have built VIP communities on Patreon and people who have funded their publishing expenses on Kickstarter. I’d say gauge what your goals are and see how you can market and garner interest to supporting them. The big question would be, what do your supporters get from you for it though?

7. Affiliate Marketing

This one is honestly over hyped in my opinion. But, I do take part in affiliate marketing and it does earn me some money. From my experience, unless you’re willing to go full-on influencer and put a decent amount of time into building up a ton of traffic to your website and social media accounts, you’re not going to make too much money from Affiliate Marketing. But, it’s still something and the point of this is the threads in the quilt right? So, make sure if you’re sharing links anywhere, they’re affiliate links. Never miss an opportunity to earn a commission off a shared link.

I hope this gave you some decent ideas to try. Do you have other effective income sources that I missed? Please share in the comments, I’m always open to learning and trying something new. Thanks!

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The Best Book Writing Software

There are SO many author software programs out there. How do you weed through and find the best book writing software? Read here to find out!

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Finding Your Favorite Book Writing Software

Determining my all-time favorite writing program is tough. As, I said above there are so many programs out there– all claiming to be the best book writing software. It’s overwhelming! And they serve such different purposes.

Like, anyone who knows me, knows I’m a HUGE outliner. So, Scrivener has been lifesaving when it comes to organizing my notes and busy brain. My walls in my office area used to look like police procedural crime boards with all my note cards hanging up.

But I use and love other programs for different parts of my writing process also. And I feel in many ways those are equally as lifesaving. So, I think I’ll answer this question most effectively if I highlight my favorite programs for different parts of my writing process.

Outlining Software

As I stated above, I love Scrivener‘s Corkboard feature. But to actually create my outlines and help me with figuring out my story, I use Save the Cat. And yes, I love the books that you’re probably thinking of when I say this, but Save the Cat has software as well now. And man, is this software life altering.

So, I love the Save the Cat beat sheet. If you follow my blog, you’ve probably seen my post on my Outlining Franken-Joyana system, where I use the Save the Cat beat sheet in conjunction with Story Genius and Plot Whisperer. If not, make sure you check it out. I swear the system works and makes the writing process SO much easier!

But anyway, back to Save the Cat, what I love about their software is it’s a full story planning program. It forces you to really think and break down your character development, scene creation and world building etc. It also offers writing prompts for when you get stuck. There’s also a writer’s board where you can keep everything in one place and track changes and plot out different versions of the story. You can even track certain characters, relationships and objects in the story to make sure they continue to appear and don’t get lost in development.Overall, I’d say the difference is Save the Cat is a guided “crafting” and story building program for outlining. Where in Scrivener you can build an outline, but it’s not going to “help” you do it. For me, I’d say Save the Cat wins for Outlining.

Drafting Your Story Software

Save the Cat can technically be used as a writing program as well. Like Scrivener it also has the capability to develop chapters from your beat cards. However, I have to be honest, Save the Cat‘s drafting and writing features are nothing compared to Scrivener‘s. I’ve also gotten by for years just using Word. But I got sick of having a bazillion files in my Dropbox folder and wasting time figuring out which draft was the most up to date. I also hated having so MANY tabs constantly open while I was writing so I could flip back and forth to what I needed research-wise while drafting.

Enter Scrivener. Basically, as a historical fiction writer, Scrivener keeps me sane and organized. I can upload all my research finds, my outline cards, my drafts and keep everything in one place. I no longer have to deal with a bazillion open tabs and bookmarks to saved links. Scrivener has definitely streamlined my process. So, for me I’d say Scrivener wins for Drafting.

I will add a disclaimer here though and say Scrivener is definitely not necessary for everyone. It has a steep learning curve and some might feel it is overly complicated. As I stated above, it works for me as a historical fiction writer because I have A LOT of notes and research to keep track of. But the average author might not need all the bells and whistles Scrivener offers.

Formatting Software

Lastly, as an Indie author I’ve found that formatting is another key part to completing/ preparing your book for publication. I’ve definitely gone through the gamut of these programs. I first started with Calibre which anyone who’s used it can relate to what a hair pulling stressful experience that was. I then became a diehard user of Vellum. Definitely a major improvement. But I’ve recently been converted over to Atticus.

First, I love that you don’t NEED to have a Mac to use it. As an Author Coach, I love that I can recommend it to all my self-publishing clients. I also love that you can format your books into Large Print which Vellum can’t do.

In general, I’ve just found it to be a better bang for my buck and a more flexible program than Vellum. So overall, in formatting– it’s Atticus for the win.

I hope this was helpful for seeing my arsenal for my writing process. But one thing I want to reiterate, what works for me might not be the best for you. Just like everything in the writing process, it’s deeply personal and one size does NOT fit all. Some of these programs offer free trials. If you can, try them on for size before committing.

What do YOU think are some of the best book writing software programs? Please share in the comments below. Thanks everyone!

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