Resources Archives - Page 9 of 18

23 September, 2013

How to use a storyboard to plan your next book

By Grael Norton|2023-06-09T11:26:45-07:00September 23, 2013|Resources, Writing|Comments Off on How to use a storyboard to plan your next book

While storyboards are commonly used for creating video scenes and movies, they can also be used for planning your book. Whether your book is fiction or nonfiction creating a storyboard can help you to plan a timeline, plots, subplots, characters, and events.

To get started you will need a wide board that is smooth enough for sticky notes to stick. A 4 x 8 poster board can be rather expensive but you can make one yourself either with butcher paper that you tape to a wall or cut a large cardboard box cut to make a single surface. Use a big enough size that you can spread your notes apart and read them easily.

Initial Idea Session

You will need a small pad of 2- or 3-inch Post-it notes. To start, simply put a single idea about your book on a Post-it note. One idea per note. Slap it on the board. Any […]

19 September, 2013

Create an easy feedback form for your author website

By Support@wheatmark.com|2023-06-09T11:26:50-07:00September 19, 2013|Marketing, Resources|Comments Off on Create an easy feedback form for your author website

One way to interact with your audience is to have a form to get feedback or receive input for special events. With a form, you can ask for book reviews, endorsements, or submissions for a book contest.

Putting up a form can be done in a myriad of different ways. One of the easiest is to use a simple, free online tool such as JotForm. With this tool, you can put up a form on your site in a few minutes. It’s a simple drop and drag tool that creates forms as simple or complicated as you like. You get 100 free submissions a month. In most cases this will be all you need unless your site is wildly popular.

The site has over 3,000 form templates. You can find one for almost anything that you can think of such as story submission forms, sharing feedback, or even ask […]

14 September, 2013

Should you enter a Writer’s Digest eBook contest?

By Grael Norton|2023-06-09T11:26:54-07:00September 14, 2013|Marketing, Resources, Writing|Comments Off on Should you enter a Writer’s Digest eBook contest?

Writer’s Digest holding a contest for self-published eBooks?

Whoa! Times are a changing.

If your eBook has been self-published since 2008 (and yes, using Wheatmark qualifies you), you can enter your book for a chance to be on the front cover of Writer’s Digest magazine and win $2,000. You can submit a print edition of your book as well as an eBook version as long as it is self-published.

While Writer’s Digest does not have a huge circulation, a little over a hundred thousand subscribers, being noted as a winner by this established writing magazine will certainly give your book great credibility.

Wonder if your book has a chance? Here is what your eBook will be evaluated on:

Content
Writing Quality
Production Quality
Appearance

This is where Wheatmark’s continued insistence that your book have an awesome cover, professional layout and top-notch editing will give you a legs up on the competition. There will be one grand […]

16 August, 2013

Why every author should create a book marketing blueprint

By Grael Norton|2023-06-09T11:26:59-07:00August 16, 2013|Marketing, Publishing, Resources, Social Media|Comments Off on Why every author should create a book marketing blueprint

Writing a book? Ask yourself these three questions:

Question: What do you do once your book is written?

Answer: Get it published.

Question: What do you do once your book is published?

Answer: Sell it.

Question: How?

Answer: Create a step-by-step book marketing plan.

A friend of mine is an avid fan of Robert Middleton, Action Plan Marketing. His latest post she told me is about creating an action plan for marketing your business. Leaving things up to chance, Middleton says, “Is simply going around in circles with your marketing.”

Certainly, you may get some random moments of success. But, how about consistent moments? Moments that build up your book selling so that each month you sell more books than the month before?

That is done most effectively by creating a book-marketing plan. Not a “to do” list for today. Not scribbling down a few things you could do in the next week but a step-by-step, three-year book marketing […]

8 August, 2013

5 tips for password protection as you build your author platform

By Support@wheatmark.com|2023-06-09T11:27:06-07:00August 8, 2013|Resources, Social Media|Comments Off on 5 tips for password protection as you build your author platform

Is your website safely protected for your quick rise to fame and fortune?

As an author, it may come faster than you think. One way to prepare for it now is to safely password-protect your website and other web properties.

Whether you are on Facebook, Twitter, or have your website and or blog, making sure that your content is kept as safe as possible is worth taking a few moments to do.

Creating tough passwords is your first wall of defense. Just as it is no longer safe to leave the keys in your car when you park on a busy street, it is no longer safe to assume that no one will steal your identity, information, or use your email for spamming purposes.

Often people will create a password that is easy to remember or has some relationship to what their site is about. While this certainly […]

8 August, 2013

16 Bookstore Review Sites

By Support@wheatmark.com|2023-06-09T11:27:14-07:00August 8, 2013|Marketing, Resources, Writing|Comments Off on 16 Bookstore Review Sites

Looking to get great book reviews for your book? Here’s an idea that may at first seem counterproductive but actually may jumpstart your own book review process.

What’s the idea?

It’s based on the age-old biblical maxim, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Which means while waiting for those five-tar book reviews to come in for your own books, start writing reviews for others.

Writing book reviews is a good way to stay connected with books in your genre, assess your competition,and even help you to craft writing ideas for composing your book releases and sharing information about your books on your blog.

As you write a book release, you will find yourself thinking critically about why you like one type of writing over another. What makes the book stand out? How can you creatively write selling copy for your own material?

Some authors used book reviews to link back to […]

2 August, 2013

7 simple letters any author can write to sell more books

By Grael Norton|2023-06-09T11:27:21-07:00August 2, 2013|Marketing, Resources, Writing|Comments Off on 7 simple letters any author can write to sell more books

One easy way even the most introverted author can sell a few books is to write letters.

Here are seven different kinds of letters you can write. With each letter include a bookmark or business card, handmade or professionally printed, that includes the title of your book, a quote, and a link to your web site.

1. Friendship letters to family and friends. Share whatever is going on with your life and of course, part of that is your book! Talk about how excited you are about it. The challenges you are facing, the successes you have had and ask if they have any ideas to help you to promote your book.

2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in response to an article that interests you. You don’t have to promote your book, just getting your name out there for a cause that is important may cause someone […]

30 July, 2013

9 places to share a business card about your book

By Support@wheatmark.com|2023-06-09T11:27:26-07:00July 30, 2013|Marketing, Resources|Comments Off on 9 places to share a business card about your book

A low-cost way to promote your new book is with a business card. You can print them yourselves at home or professionally for as little as $10.00 for a hundred or more cards.

Most typical business cards are about two by three inches. These are small enough to slip a couple into a pocket, wallet, or bag. Because they’re so small it is easy to have one with you at all times whereas carrying a hard copy of your book is definitely not.

1. If your book is available digitally, you can share download information on your card. Include a sentence or two about the book, awards won and even a winning testimony about your book.

2. You can share your cards with family and friends and ask them to help you in getting the word out.

3. You can leave a business card in a magazine at the doctor’s office like a bookmark. […]

28 July, 2013

21 perfectly practical reasons to procrastinate from writing

By Grael Norton|2023-06-09T11:27:32-07:00July 28, 2013|Resources, Writing|Comments Off on 21 perfectly practical reasons to procrastinate from writing

1. Realize that you’re not in the mood for writing … Better wait till you feel like it.

2. Remember how stupid your last writing was … Better wait till you can do better.

3. Start comparing your writing to someone else’s … and sink into discouragement.

4. Need something to drink … Go get a drink.

5. Need something to eat … Get a snack.

6. Too tired to write … Take a nap.

7. Can’t think of anything to write … play a game of solitaire.

8. Can’t think of the perfect sentence? Stop until it comes to you. This may take weeks.

9. Realize you don’t have enough information … Stop and spend more time researching.

10. Notice how hot it is. Too hot to write. Better wait till it is cooler.

11. Hmmm, seems to be too cold to write. Better leave it for now till it warms up.

12. A blank screen is taunting you. Don’t […]

17 July, 2013

Ten ways to find top markets for your book

By Support@wheatmark.com|2023-06-09T11:27:39-07:00July 17, 2013|Marketing, Resources, Social Media|Comments Off on Ten ways to find top markets for your book

Finding the best market for a book is a challenge for every author. Below is a list of ten ways to find markets for your book.

1. Identify three categories of book genre for your book. For instance, fiction books can be broken down into age group, type, such as romance, mystery, thriller, audience, location, etc. Nonfiction books can be categorized as business, finance, science, history, etc. Each of these categories will have subcategories that will narrow your audience and offer best marketing positioning.

2. Go to Amazon.com and look up each of these categories and note the most popular books. Go to the website of each author and look for leads that will show you where they are promoting their books. For instance, websites they have featured guest posts on, articles from magazines, newspapers they are reviewed in, etc.

3. Look on their website for places they make public appearances, such as […]