I thought a lot about what kind of post I wanted this to be, especially since we're talking about lies - kinda negative, right? But it could be entertaining, too. So I'll cushion this post with a heads up that while I'm going to keep things real here as well as helpful. Think of it as a self-help reality check post for authors and writers. And, do me a favor. If something resonates with you and creates a negative feeling, like a defensive one, one of embarrassment, or an "I just got outed" ...
The F and B Words of Authors – How to Spot Fake Influencers, Reviews and Bought Bestseller Ranks
First off, sorry in advance for the long post. There's a lot of wheels turning here. But thanks for being here, and being interested in this topic. Here we go. The implications of F and B words are huge. And no, I don't mean your typical cuss words like fu$% and bit$%. I mean fraud, fake, funded, and bought. Even while using pseudonyms, as authors we're obligated to keep it real, because we sell book products and operate under the commercial law. We write and operate in a world of ...
Pinterest Marketing for Authors: The No-Brainer Approach to Free Book Marketing
Are you considering using Pinterest as part of your author marketing platform? If you're not actively pinning your books and other author blog-related posts on Pinterest, you're missing out on a HUGE free book marketing opportunity. If you love free book marketing, are tired of not having any sales, and are not using Pinterest, then you may want to consider changing your approach. There are three main myths about Pinterest: 1) it's for women 2) it's for recipes and crafts and 3) that's it's a ...
Here’s What Happened When I Did a Pinterest Board Cleanse
So if you've been following me here on the blog where I write semi-specific stuff on writing and design, then you know how much of a Pinterest fanatic I am. I've been a pinner for over a year now, and this is not my first confession, my friends, about how much Pinterest has either influenced my site designs or has dramatically improved my website traffic both as an author and a blogger. I've researched and studied Pinterest so much I was able to build a course around it, have consulted for ...
Writing Headlines, Writing Sales Copy & Effective Email Campaigns: Here Are 6 Articles to Help You
Writing headlines, writing sales copy and writing an effective email. So important when you work so hard to build your email list only to lose followers due to lackluster email content. This is something we all need to constantly work on, and so today I'm sharing some articles that are super recent that will help you with your email marketing efforts. I don't claim to be an expert at it by any means - and try to improve my messages with each email campaign. Honestly, I cue you to the experts ...
Beware of the “Experts” that Offer Services to Authors – Editors & Predators Part 1
I think independent authors are a special kind of targeted audience. It seems that way, at least with all of the fraud, spam, and alerts. People who you thought were trustworthy are running off with hard-earned authors' money for either shoddy work, partially finished or work that hadn't even begun yet. So, we as authors/writers end up filing claims for this and that, trying to get our money back, which eventually we do, but it's just the hassle and the fact that some person x-miles away got our ...
Do AMS Ads Include Paperback Sales? Yes
There's been a lot of posts circulating about the question regarding whether or not Amazon Marketing Services Ads include purchases of paperback books in its total for "Estimated Total Sales". I ran an experiment, and I can conclude that yes, AMS Ads do include paperback sales. Honestly, I don't like the column for "ACoS", because we never actually see that amount come into our possession - ever. So what I've done on my own spreadsheet in Excel is to include a column for "Average Cost of ...
How to Use Scrivener for Blogging
Before we get into the "how" part of this post, let's discuss the "why" on why you would, as a blogger, want to use Scrivener (www.literatureandlatte.com), a completely powerful tool and preferred writing app for writers, for your blog. Why not just write everything in WordPress or Microsoft Word? Well, there are plenty of reasons. Here are a few pointers on the why: Promotes organized writing (the most organized you could possibly get) Easily convert posts into book form A "binder" ...
How to Get Organized & Accountable for Your Writing & Blogging
If you've ever missed a blog goal, have gone in random spurts with writing or working on your book, or feel like a complete ignoramus when it comes to leading a "blogging lifestyle", by all means, this post is written just for you. It's easy to feel like you're an imposter when your behind-the-scenes world is a complete and utter mess. Disorganized. Unplanned. Or you may feel like you've planned your posts and social media, but you feel like it's not "complete". Like it's missing a strategy ...
Over 3000 Students Have Taken This Pinterest Course – Thank You!
Over the weekend I was checking in with some of my Learn Pinterest Strategy course students and realized I had just turned over 3000 enrollments - my jaw dropped. After launching my course last year, I figured that no one would even be interested in it. I mean, after all, there are some free ones out there (but they don't go into as much detail) and there are some really expensive courses, too. 3000+ students and counting. I just have to give a shout out to everyone and say "thank you!" I'm ...
