10 ways to deal with a negative book review
Last night, I got a negative 2-star review. It was titled Have read cook-books written with more elan and aliveness than this travel report/book … . This reader was unhappy with the book. Have you ever had a bad review? Did you get upset? Did you laugh? Even though I know that a book may…
Making your author dreams come true
What are your dreams as an author? Prior to releasing my first book, I dreamed about topping the charts in sales, of sipping a fancy drink on a beach while the money poured into my accounts, and of the glory of being, Jane V. Blanchard, the author. In reality, seven months after release, the book…
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,…
Nine helpful tweeting tips for authors
Do you tweet? I’ve been tweeting for about six months. I have two accounts, one for me as author (@janevblanchard) and one for the book (@womenoftheway). For the most part, the author account tweets are about writing and publishing whereas the book tweets are about the Camino and the book itself, although there is an…
Positive influencers in the indie writing community
One of the lessons I learned while hiking the Camino de Santiago was the importance of community and camaraderie. As I walked over 500 miles in northern Spain, many people crossed my path. Through their kindness and generosity, I learned that what is important in life is giving. Returning home, I joined a new community,…
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…
Five things I learned in the past six months as an indie author
Happy holiday! Whatever are your beliefs and traditions, I hope you that you find today enjoyable. I have double reason to celebrate: today is the six-month anniversary of the release of my first book. Do you recall the excitement you felt the day your book went public? I felt proud of the accomplishment, anxious about…
How to prepare for a successful book signing
Over the past six months I have had several book signings. I love attending these events and meeting my readers, though there is usually little time to chat with them. I love the gala atmosphere, the personal contact, and the actual signing. There is nothing more thrilling than having someone tell you how your book…
The indie author and book clubs
I recently read the post How to Get Your Book Accepted and Read by Book Clubs by Shamontiel Vaughn. Until reading this post, I had not thought about approaching book clubs. It seemed like a good idea, the more people who read the book, the more there would be talking about it. Also, most book club…
The author platform—a long-range career growth tool
If you are like many of us, you have recently published a book. Congratulations! Whether you self-published or went with traditional publication, you now need to market your book. You sent out an email to everyone you know telling them of your accomplishment. Having a little social media savvy, you told everyone on Facebook or…