Do authors absolutely need to blog?

My reasons to start My Musings three years ago were twofold. First, best-selling authors were suggesting that blogging was one of the best tools in the writer’s platform for developing a following and building a relationship with readers. Once having established this relationship, I hoped to convert these fans to book readers. Second, I wanted to chronicle my journey into writing and self…

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A good way to pump up weak book sales

Recently Lisa Day, an author friend suggested adding a virtual book tour, sometimes known as a book blog tour, to my author platform’s arsenal. Always looking for a way to pump up weak book sales, I searched the internet to find out more. This is what I found. A virtual book tour is similar to going to stores or signing events…

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The most effective digital marketing tool is your email list

An article I recently read stated that the most effective digital marketing tool is your email list. According to the author, email is the most effective tactic for building awareness, boosting sales, and keeping a following. If so, I am missing a great opportunity in my author platform–my email list contains less than 80 names. So how do…

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Book promotion—word of mouth

Word of mouth is the fourth installment in the series on book promotion. So far, the series includes  Getting noticed,  Getting book reviews, and  Book trailers.  If you are like most indie authors, you are probably using social media, book reviews, and book trailers to get your book noticed.  Yet, with all your efforts, there…

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Simple steps for creating an author brand—Part 2

This is the second of a two-part series on creating your brand.  It is meant for those who are just starting to think about brand and what it means. The steps outlined are simple, but ones that can make a difference in how your readers see you. In this post, I will speak about branding…

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Beginner writers’ biggest mistake: failure to consider the audience

You have decided to write your first book. You have had a great adventure or have thought up a great plot and can’t wait to get going. What should you do first? Start with an outline? A description of characters? Write frantically to get your thoughts down? As you think about it, you realize the…

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Using the author’s platform to sell—not your books, but yourself

Perhaps after reading Is an author’s platform necessary? Pros and Cons you decided to create an author’s platform. You spent countless hours creating a blog, joining various social media, and collecting emails addresses. You are proud to say, at last, that you have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, and…

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Is an author’s platform necessary? Pros and Cons

This week on the Books and Writers LinkedIn Forum, the discussion Is An Author’s Platform Now A Prerequisite? has stirred quite a bit of controversy. The author’s platform—a long-range career growth tool is a tool comprising of various of activities that you the author use to get readers to notice you and your work.  These…

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Things to consider when setting up a blog

Have you just written your book and wonder what to know next?  I was at that point just six months ago. I had read about how successful bloggers are in driving readers to the website, and I wanted  to do the same. Since I had experience with the Internet and even had a personal blog,…

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Six-month assessment and setting goals

It is six months since I published my book. It is time to assess my status and to plan the next six month’s goals. Do you routinely assess your goals as an author or indie publisher? If you are not selling the number of books you would like, are not writing to the extent you…

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