5 Book Marketing Ideas to Increase Sales

Being an author comes with a lot of mixed feelings. You’re passionate about your writing and thrilled that you got published, but you’re also a little disappointed that your book hasn’t reached Best Seller status and hasn’t made it to Oprah’s Book Club. 

There’s no doubt about it: selling a book can be hard. There’s so much competition out there. Even if your story is completely unique and the most amazing piece of literature since Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights (OK, that may be a stretch), it can easily get lost in the mix of the countless other titles out there.

How can you get your book noticed and sell more copies? Here are five marketing suggestions that will help you move more copies of your title off shelves and drastically increase your sales.

  1. Do some Research

In order to increase sales of your book, you really have to spend some time researching – before you even start to write. Before you even pick up a pen or open up a laptop, conduct market research. Your research should focus on your topic and your audience. Attempt to find answers to the following questions:

  • What keywords are your audience searching for the most?
  • What are people saying about books that are similar to yours?
  • What is your audience really looking for?

The answers to these questions can help you compose a book that really meets the needs of your audience and craft something that will sell.

  1. Write a Killer Description

The description is one of the most important parts of a books. It’s what your audience uses to help them determine if they are interested in your topic and if they should invest in purchasing a copy. First, start with a hook that will really draw your readers in, then include a brief synopsis of the best parts, and then include a compelling call to action.

  1. Make Sure You Have Reviews

Most people rely heavily on reviews to determine if they should purchase something. In fact, reviews are one of the biggest influencers of buying decisions. Make sure you have a good collection of reviews. Ask your friends and family to read your book and write up some reviews for you. The more positive reviews you have, the greater the chances your book will sell.

  1. Market on Social Media

Social media is one of the most powerful marketing tools for any professional – including authors. Create social media pages for yourself as an author – apart from your personal profiles – and use your pages to promote your book. Compelling posts, eye-catching images, and even videos of you reading excerpts can really help to increase sales.

  1. Head to Forums

Forum marketing is also super effective. Join forums that relate to the topic of your book, as well as forums where readers gather. Interact with the community and include links to your book in your signature. You could see a significant increase in your sales.

My Favorite Places to Find Web Serials

Fanfiction is a form of writing that is largely written by amateurs. The movie After, Fifty Shades of Grey, and many others have been created from stories originally created as fanfiction. People who create stories in fanfiction generally pull from characters in real life, TV shows, movies, and sports and then create their own original version of the story. Fanfiction is all about exploration and discovery. It can honestly be fairly difficult to find great fanfiction so I’m here to share some ways to discover some of the best stuff. You may not exactly learn novel writing skills through writing fics, but you’ll certainly see how to tell great stories and craft great narratives and who knows, maybe eventually even getting a book published. The creative possibilities are endless.

1. Search from Archive of Our Own

Of all the website, AO3 has one of the best search tools. Sorting by kudos is a great way to help surface some of the best stories in a particular fandom.

I like to filter by the length I want to read, filter out any tags I’m not in the mood for, and then sort by the kudos. I find the list of results tends to be pretty good.

2. Look at fandom pages

There are a lot of fandom pages that show case some of the top stories within each fandom.

These can be hit or miss but oftentimes a great place to go when you’re exploring and still developing a taste for what you like.

Some examples of these types of pages:

3. Look for tumblr recommendation lists

For most fandoms, there are super fans who will read fics and recommend their favorites on different sites, Tumblr being one of the most popular ones. If you can find these curators, you’ll be in great shape to find high quality stories in your particular fandom.

4. Join a lot of sites

There are a lot of fanfiction websites out there, many with great stories. Try out a bunch of them to get a feel for which ones you like. This Quora answer also has a lot of sites for you to look at. The more you try and the more you read, the more of a sense you’ll get as to which types of stories really resonate with you.

5. Join Facebook Groups

There a number of fandom and fanfiction specific Facebook groups. If you join them, you’ll get a sense of what people like and what people are sharing. There many general fanfiction groups as well as groups that are dedicated to specific fandoms. Try searching around and seeing what you find. There are many good options and the best part about these groups is that you also get to surround yourself with a community of people who are interested in the same types of stories as you.

There are so many ways to get to good fanfics. Let us know if you have any other great methods for finding the best fics! We are always curious to learn the latest and greatest secrets.

List of Agents and Markets for Upmarket Fiction

If you’ve never heard of upmarket fiction, then you don’t have to worry: It’s not that hard, and you might find out that you’ve been writing upmarket fiction yourself all along. Simply defined, upmarket fiction is fiction that blends commercial fiction and literary work – so it’s fiction that’s easy reading but literary at the same time. Grind up some coffee while we’re at it, and let’s talk some business.

There are many markets and agents that are currently looking for upmarket fiction to publish and represent. Here are some of our suggestions.

Looking for more markets? Browse through the Reedsy directory of some of the best literary magazines out there to submit your work.

Irene Goodman Literary Agency

https://www.irenegoodman.com/submission.php

Irene Goodman Literary Agency represents several genres, though they are currently looking for upmarket fiction to represent – so if you’ve got a novella or novel in the making, then maybe it’s time to get in touch with the Agency to find out if they can point you in the right direction.

The Lotts Agency

www.lottsagency.com/sub-guidelines

The Lotts Agency has several agents part of the larger firm, and a lot of their agents represent upmarket fiction blended with genre fiction – and they have such a comprehensive list of agents that you’ll surely find what you’re looking for if you browse through their website.

Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency

www.jenniferlyonsliteraryagency.com/submissions.html

Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency is looking for writers that write primarily upmarket, commercial women’s fiction – though they will also represent authors that write any other amount.

Dana Newman Literary Agency

www.dananewman.com/submissions.php

Dana Newman Literary Agency prides themselves on being an extremely selective literary agency that’s interested in publishing excellent examples of upmarket literary fiction and “women’s upmarket fiction” – the next generation of chick-lit.

The Stringer Literary Agency

www.stringerlit.com/submissions/

The Stringer Literary Agency is looking for upmarket women’s fiction and general upmarket adult fiction. They also publish fantasy and romance fiction. They do not charge any reading fees.

Nelson Literary Agency

www.nelsonagency.com/submission-guidelines/

Nelson Literary Agency is looking for exceptional upmarket fiction that they describe as “evocative” and “page turning”, make sure that you read their guidelines thoroughly before you submit your work to them.

Laura Dali Literary Agency

www.ldlainc.com/submissions/

Laura Dali Literary Agency is a well-established and well-known literary agency that publishes a wide variety of genres including fiction and nonfiction, practical nonfiction, history, current events, food – and also fiction with “a literary twist”, “chick-lit”, romance. They have stated.

Kensington Publishing Corporation Submissions

www.kensingtonbooks.com/page.aspx/submissions

Kensington Publishing Corporation is a literary magazine that looks at establishing historical romance, mysteries, historical mysteries and suspense thrillers; but they also have a soft spot for upmarket fiction, and even if you write cross-over fiction, if it’s excellent writing they will likely be willing to consider it.

The Deborah Harris Agency

www.thedeborahharrisagency.com/submissions/

The Deborah Harris Agency looks to market and represent exceptional “literary fiction and serious nonfiction”, though they particularly note that they are also looking for upmarket fiction submissions and are more than welcome to consider even historical fiction that fits.

BookEnds Literary Agency

www.bookendsliterary.com/submissions-2/

BookEnds Literary Agency is looking for strong fiction submissions through several genres including romance, mystery and suspense – but they’re also looking for women’s fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction – and they love the right kind of upmarket fiction.

10 Copywriting Tips Everyone Should Know

How to copyright a book - Header

Being a good copywriter involves having a good diction, persuading the client, perfect spelling and grammar, yes, but it’s not all you should know. If this is your profession, you sure want to be the best and stand out over others. There are certain types of methods to optimize much more than the usual of the writings, and certainly, to obtain better results.

To achieve this, not only write, but clearly, concisely and accurately express your thoughts. To help you with this, in this article you will have the 10 tips that every copywriter should know. Let the game begin!

  1. Analyze your audience

If you have in mind to launch a new product through a campaign in blogs, or publications, you must take into account towards which audience or audience is directed. The fact that your product is the best, does not mean that it will sell by itself; first, experiment with using “sweet” or “rude” words, depending on what you want to get.

The human mind is easy to manipulate, and words have great force, so the laws are written, don’t you think? Once you have determined how to attack and to whom you are posting these attacks, a strategy of small clears and forceful paragraphs begins.

  1. Apply professionalism and creativity to your texts

Maintain a level of mixed writing, which allows to know that you have a great handling of the subject; this will give much to think positively on the perspective of your readers. However, at one point in your work, you must leave behind all professionalism or technisism to enter the section of creativity.

What has made the media successful since its inception? Of course, this is the sensationalism and the prominence that they use to broadcast a message. Make yourself feel to the marrow of every audience by using extravagant words and even a personal touch that sets you apart from the rest of the “dry” copywriter

  1. Highlight in bold font the relevant of your text

This rule is basic, and consists in highlighting in bold what matters in full view of the text; how to do it?, well its easy, a very efficient technique is to read two or three times quickly the text, once it is finalized. The words that make the most resonance in your brain as soon as you make that reading are the ones you should be highlighted.

They are usually verbs that describe an important fact in the context of news, publicity or history. So you should not have 30 highlighted words, when really important, is summed up in 6 letters or less.

  1. Use just enough keywords

You should not overload your text with keywords, as this would stun the user and also denote a total despair when wanting to promote your product. Who trusts someone in despair? The answer is this: nobody. If your text instead has the moderate use of the keyword, without repetitions or ambiguities, the public will fall before your feet.

 

  1. Transmit confidence with each written word

The words are in part the transmission of the soul to the outside world; great writers have been able to finish or start wars through a letter. Your duty is to transmit confidence to your audience, so that the product appears to be the most outstanding, perfect unique and particular market.

This is applicable to every field of copywriting, so the product example can be replaced by anything you want to make known. The right words in the right context are your gold tool.

  1. Improvise in every text you can

Improvisation is the most reliable skill of a copywriter has in his power, and if you learn how to use it you already have more than half the land won. If a text is missing something, this “spicy“, it is time to use it.

You can compare different ideas, make use of paraphrasing, or above all, tell your readers personal experiences with a very convincing tone. When it comes to winning the public, this will be great, you will see!

  1. Do not use colors in the texts

The text of a good blog or web with copywriter’s content, in addition to the raw file, should only have two colors: black and white. It’s that simple; if a carnivalesque paragraph is presented to a reader, the confusion will distract you from what you really mean. The simple often generates great results.

  1. Never post news without a reliable source

The news or work of journalism in the world of copywriting, and in general, in the media has a particularity in contrast to the creative texts. This is undoubtedly the use of a source that supports all your work, since this will know that you really have information that is true, real and without any fallacy.

Some of the most outstanding copywriters usually offer up to 3 sources regarding to the content they have published, which has a positive impact on one of the points touched upon: the transmission of trust.

  1. Research the topic before you start writing

When people start reading your work, and they know the subject more than you do, things are already starting to go wrong. Research at least 5 sources on the subject you are going to create, do not start launching baseless claims, and remember this: “Knowledge is Power“, and this, my friend, applies in copywriting.

At this point, if you must be totally drenched in the subject to be written; be a professional, a star of the subject, demonstrates your superiority and achieve to transmit that knowledge in the text.

  1. Uses a consistent level of literature for the general public

If your audience is general, varied, without any specific profile, then you should address to them in the same attitude. Be an assertive editor, don`t use the technisism over your convincing capacity; this point is closely linked to the use of trust and creativity.

You must make everything you write at the level of average understanding, remember that many times your work will be read by elders, children, youth, adults and with a great diversity of gender.

Is Self Publishing a Book a Good Idea?

Image result for reedsy self publishing vs traditional

There is a lot of controversy regarding self publishing and traditional publishing. Various people have got their own opinions.

In this post, I will be stating all the benefits that are connected to self publishing.

Self publishing is considered to be a much better option as it is undoubtedly faster than that of the traditional route. The traditional mode of publishing usually consumes a greater amount of time.

With self publishing, you will be able to get a book into the market in just a month or so, while on the other hand, traditional publishing industry usually consumes a lot of time since it consists of a lot of archaic practices which impede the business processes.

However, with self publishing, you would not require a literary agent. Unlike the traditional publishers who would require the authors to first get hold of a literary agent, which in turn usually adds more effort and takes more time on behalf of the author. It often becomes difficult to land some reputable agent and handover the publishing contract. IT Support NYC helps a lot with the process.

This even results in significant delays and takes a lot of time, sometimes even years to get a book published, which you could have otherwise spent in selling your books.

Besides, traditional publishers may ask you to change your book that you may not be willing to do. Therefore, in order to keep things completely under your control, you ought to avail the way of self publishing that makes things the way you have been wanting so far! Thus, definitely, self publishing is a good idea to prevent wasting time and money!

For more information on the costs and processed involved, check out Reedsy’s article on publishing a book

What is a Prologue and do you need one?

What is a Prologue and do you need one?

One of the things that you will sometimes see in books is a prologue. But what exactly is this chapter and do you need one? That’s a question that many new authors ask, particularly those who are self-publishing and have to make decisions like that themselves. In this article, we’ll go over exactly what the definition of a prologue is and what things must be included in it, or be true about it, to make it an actual prologue. This way, you do not get it confused with another part of the front matter, which can make your book seem unprofessional to readers in the know. Let’s start with what a prologue actually is.

What is a Prologue?

A prologue is a chapter of a fiction book that is separate from the rest of the story. The prologue usually tells a very different part of the story, and it is often set previous to the actual story that begins on chapter one in the books timeline. The prologue might be written from the perspective of the main character, but it is usually not. In fact, the prologue is sometimes even written from a third-person omniscient point-of-view. It is also sometimes written from the point-of-view of a character that never appears again in the story – or appears much later.

Why Do You Need a Prologue?

There are several reasons that an author might need a prologue. For example, if you are writing a fantasy novel about a teen that goes on a quest to find some kind of magical object, you might include a prologue chapter about how the object was created, how it became hidden, or what happened last time the object was in the wrong hands. The prologue will let you tell that story. However, don’t just include one because you think you have to. The prologue should be vital to the story.

The Facts about Prologues

There are some good reasons to add a prologue, but there are also some reasons that make a prologue a bad idea or unnecessary. For example, if you are creating a prologue just to show off how much you know about your world, you may bore your readers before the story even begins. In addition, if you have an introduction to the story by the author, such as info on where the idea came from or how you created your world and plot, you should put that in an introduction or preface instead.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to publishing fiction, the prologue can be a really great tool that helps you introduce a part of your story that wouldn’t fit in your regular chapters. A prologue can be separate from the rest of the book and allow the reader to get the information they need to start reading. Just make sure that you are putting the prologue in for the right reasons and not just including one for the sake of having it.

Common Mistakes Children’s Book Writers Make

Common Mistakes Children’s Book Writers Make

Whether you are talking about early chapter books, picture books, middle-grade or YA novels, there are some pretty common mistakes that writers make. These are usually restricted to new writers, although they can apply to someone used to writing in the adult genre that has just started writing for children. There are five mistakes that editors see over and over and which can make your book completely non-publishable. Let’s take a look at them.

Trying to Push a Moral Message

One of the most common ways that new authors to the children’s book world make their books unreadable by children is by pushing a moral message. The first thing that you need to understand is that children get moral messages all day from adults. They don’t want to read about them. For another thing, your particular set of morals may not be the same as the morals that their parents are teaching them. Believing that you are right about a certain creed or religion doesn’t give you the right to push those beliefs on other children.

Talking Down to Children

Contrary to popular mythology, children do not need to be talked down to. You do not have to control your vocabulary, unless you have a particularly large one, nor do you have to explain concepts that would be clear to most adults. Children are a lot smarter than many adults give them credit for, and talking down to them in books will make them put the book down faster than anything.

Being Lazy with Character Development

Just because a book is for children does not mean that you can work less on character development. In fact, in some cases you have to work harder for character development. Kids are complex and often going through all sorts of changes and mental states at once. They are always learning new things, changing their minds and discovering new things about themselves. Writing a good character in a children’s book, child or adult, is vital to the success of the story.

Not Putting Enough Emphasis on Plot

Another problem in many first novels for kids is the simplistic plot. Children do not want to simplistic plot, and they especially do not want everything laid out for them on a silver platter. Treat your plot just as seriously as you would if you are writing an adult book, and keep your cards close your chest until the end of the book. Don’t worry about children not understanding it.

Avoiding Adult Themes or Problems

Something else that some new writers of children’s books do is avoid adult themes or problems. Most of the time, these things exist in children’s books. There are certain themes in issues that are more suitable for different age groups. For example, divorce is a perfectly acceptable topic to tackle in a middle grade novel while sex should be something restricted to young adult novels. But don’t avoid these issues altogether because your books will be completely boring and unrealistic.

How to Start a Story – Characters First

Starting a Story with a Character

Another effective method for starting a story is with a main character; this might be the protagonist, but it might just as easily be the antagonist. In either case, starting a story with a character can be a really great way to proceed, because if you create a great character, they will develop the story themselves. Pack a bowl of legalized bud and let’s take a look at the process of developing a great character and then using them to inspire a terrific story. This is a step-by-step process that can be broken down into six distinct tasks.

One – Come Up With a Character Name

Before anything else, you should come up with the character name. If you know nothing about your character, then coming up with the name might give you some personality traits or some sort of back story. You can always change the name later if you want.

Two – Imagine That Character’s Ordinary Life

Coming up with a character’s ordinary life will allow you to contrast the events of the story with that life. Think about what they do every day, what they do for work, what their relationships are like and various other ordinary things about them. You have to show their ordinary life to a certain extent in order to contrast the events of the story successfully.

Three – Imagine an Extraordinary Event Changing That Ordinary Life

This ordinary life should be disrupted by some sort of extraordinary event. That’s where good stories are born. Take Harry Potter for example. Harry is a pretty miserable little boy with an ordinary life until a giant comes to tell him that he’s a wizard. Your event to be more mundane, but it should still have the same impact.

Four – Give Them an Extraordinary Obstacle to Overcome

This trigger event should create some sort of extraordinary obstacle to overcome. When this event changes that character’s life, you are not going to have much of a story unless they are trying to overcome something. Overcoming the problem is the basis of plot.

Five – Give Them Motivation to Change & Overcome the Obstacle

In order for a character to realistically want to overcome an obstacle, you have to give them the motivation to do so. In fact, everything should rest upon it. Your character must not be allowed to not take action. If they do not have the motivation to overcome extraordinary obstacles, trying to force them to overcome them will simply ring false.

Six – Throw Every Additional Obstacle into Their Path

If you want to tell a good story, then have them move mountains to overcome that obstacle. In addition, they should grow as a person during the course of overcoming this obstacle and you should throw every additional obstacle into their path during the story so that the odds are completely stacked against them and it looks like they are going to fail until the very last moment when they pull superhuman strength from somewhere and complete their task in the climax.

For more information on starting a story, check out Reedsy

How to Create Characters That Leap Off the Page

How to Create Characters That Leap Off the Page

Every author wants to create characters that leap off the page, but since new writers are not sure how to do that, their characters often fall flat. If you are writing two-dimensional characters, don’t worry because you are not alone. It takes time and experience to get to the point where your writing characters that resonate so much in a reader’s mind that you will start to hear things like they leap off the page. Here are some tips to help you get to that point.

Read, Read, Read!

The first thing that you need to do is make sure that your reading is much as possible. Writing is a unique job in which the first task is to do the thing you love the most more than anything else. If you do not love to read, then you have no business being a writer. If you do love to read, and you want to become a writer, then it should be no problem for you to read as much as possible to learn how to write.

Think about Your Character When You’re Not Writing

Another thing that you can do to make your character leap off the page is to think about him or her when you’re not writing. For example, if you are going to the grocery store, imagine your character besides you and try to decide what they would pick at the grocery store to get themselves a week of groceries. This will help you understand your character better.

Write a Character Backstory

You might also try writing a character back story. Understanding the background of the character and where he or she comes from will go a long way towards making him real in your fiction. If you know a characters background, then you can come up with motivations why he or she acts the way that they do. I character back story may be a little boring at first, but if you really get to know your character, it will be easy to do.

Interview Your Character

Another thing you may want to consider is interviewing your character. Imagine that you are doing an interview for a major TV program, and that your character is a celebrity and everyone wants to know the intimate details. Ask the hard-hitting questions that are going to get the responses that you need billable allow you to understand your character better and portrayed him or her to the world. This will allow you to write your character much better.

Imagine Your Character in Unusual Situations

The last suggestion is to imagine your character in unusual situations. For example, imagine a character in bed with someone they love or are attracted to. I imagine your character in danger or dying. Imagine your character having to kill someone else. These are all situations that will give you insight into your character and help you to write them better in your fictional story or novel.

Getting the Best Blender in 2020

When many individuals buy blenders with the target of a much healthier diet or a positive shift in their lives, a terrific proportion of these wind up going unused. You don’t need to be super picky in regards to deciding upon a stick blender. Stick blenders are offered in a selection of shaft lengths to satisfy your personal kitchen requirements. It’s a lot easier to just use a stick blender.

The removable regions of the blender are dishwasher safe. Finding the ideal blender to your kitchen is vital if you would like to make delicious smoothies and other beverages. Stick Blenders have become a critical add-on to the modern-day kitchen.

What to Make with Your Blender A blender can make so a lot more than simply smoothies, but you might not always have this in mind as you buy one. In addition, you require a blender that can clean up rather than be too tricky to use throughout the soap making process. Bamix blenders are a cinch to use, simple to clean and first and foremost, highly dependable. The blender doesn’t have to be super sophisticated and doesn’t have to have a wealth of features. Needless to say, you’ll discover genuine Vitamix blenders in plenty of retailers.

Blender Features Once you’ve decided on the sort of blender you require, you can begin taking a look at features. Picking a blender with different speed settings is a great investment so you are able to set it to an perfect speed. The stick it needs to have a comfortable grip that’s easy to hold. One needs to choose for the very best blender for your property, and it can be very challenging.

There are an assortment of mixers in many versions and colours. The mixers utilize a steel base or maybe plastic foundation. If you would like to elect for a mixer, you’d want to start looking for the construction quality that depends upon what you will mix and wish to be sure your mixer will cope with that. There are a few handheld mixers that have a extensive array of rates like 3,5,7 and 9.

Some blenders are less challenging to store than others, which may be an actual concern if you’ve got a tiny kitchen. Your blender is sort of essential to creating some of your favourite snacks and beverages, therefore it’s important that you locate the most suitable one. Once more, you must ensure it is effortless for yourself to use your brand new blender. With easy cleaning choices, your new blender can motivate you to keep at the new diet or way of life.

Blenders are made to make fibrous liquids. If you are instead intending to utilize your blender to make as much as you can, it may cost you a bit more. Blenders are normally loud, annoying, and a disturbance to the vast majority of people. You will discover that you usually get what you pay for, the best blenders are definitely the most expensive. Because of this, it can be considered to be among the very best ninja blenders extended in the marketplace. Thus, it truly is among the very best ninja blenders currently readily available for purchase.

You have to be very precise when it has to do with making soap. There are two approaches to make soap (cold procedure and hot process) and if you are very likely to make cold process soap you need to use a hand blender. The bottle itself is made from a transparent plastic material to make it less challenging to find the volume inside. Additionally it is quite easy to clean. There are lots of different varieties of blender bottles available to select from and hundreds of unique brands. They are critical for those who hit the gym on a regular basis. A cutter bowl provides you the ability to lower products into fine bits, whilst keeping the final result in a little container, instead of allowing it to earn a mess.

What About Best Blender?

Among the ideal tip on the way to tone stomach muscles would be to refrain from eating a heavy dinner. You don’t want a stick blender that’s going to let you have to fidget with settings. At less than $10, it is likely to pay for itself in only a few uses. Choosing one out of them is ready to be somewhat confusing that’s the reason we went ahead and chose the 10 most well-known ones. There are numerous, however, it can be hard to select one out, particularly in the event you want one of the Bullet-style blenders. Some people now scoff at the idea of a blender and will attempt to receive all their nutritional needs through their three-square meals every day.