This was a rant I wrote about 3 years ago, and decided not to publish because it was too rant-y. I’m now running low on character interviews for The Protagonist Speaks, so I decided to temper it down a little and publish. So here you are. A semi-relevant, rant-ish marketing advice from a lapsed author […]
Marketing
Swaggering Scallywags (or, How to Swag: CafePress vs Zazzle vs RedBubble)
I’m chuffed to formally launch the Egretia Swag Store! We bring many of Felix’s best moments from across the gulf of time and space, and ship around the globe. Check it out, and get yourself something nice and fishy for Saturnalia! For those of you who are about to go swaggering down the swag path […]
To Merch or Not to Merch? That is the Promo Code
I was approached by the lovely Melissa of Literary Book Gifts regarding merchandising. This is an idea I have been toying around with for some time, and planned to address in time for the (impending!) release of In Numina. While ultimately my designs were not something that gelled with the Literary Book Gifts’ style, there was one decidedly […]
How to Optimise your Amazon Page for Conversions
I’ve mentioned before the importance of setting readers’ expectations as part of my article on how I review books. This is a companion article for indie publishers and authors, about what you can do to make sure that your book hits the right target audience, for best reception. First for foremost, it should be absolutely […]
OMG! Best Meme Ever!
So… I was scrolling past the messages in one one my favourite Facebook groups – Grimdark Fiction Readers & Writers – when what should I see? Someone. Created a meme. About. MY. BOOK!! And I don’t even know them… Years of trying to push my own memes on people, and finally I have fans who […]
Why you should post more cat memes (Sales Model of an Indie Author part 3)
First and foremost, because I really enjoy them floating past my social-media feed. Everything further down from here is pure conjecture. If you’ve been around on social media, especially if you are a beginning author still building up your fan base, you’re probably wondering how to get noticed. The following are ideas about what might help […]
Book Marketing 2.0
A few weeks ago I ran a Facebook giveaway for marketing material – images to help authors put some pizzazz in their book marketing efforts. It gotten quite a response (particularly the later analysis of results), so I thought you’d all appreciate seeing what the fuss is about. Here are a few different ways in […]
The effectiveness of Facebook giveaways
Last week I ran a giveaway on my Facebook author page, in order to generate more likes. Let me first announce the winners, and then do some analysis on the effectiveness of such giveaways. Huge congratulations for Phillip J. Kessler and Karen Tate for winning marketing graphics! I’m sure you’ll be able to see the […]
YES!!! (Wherein I explain how to read reviews)
First, a big WOOHOO!! I’ve just got another 1-star review on Amazon! Yippee! No, I’m not crazy, I know how the star system works. This particular verified purchase review says: One Star do not recall this book and I cannot give a fair critic [sic] of it. So, basically, someone bought my book, maybe read it, […]
Amazon and Reviews: Myth Busting
I’ve seen people talk about the number of reviews on Amazon that can somehow trigger the “amazon algorithm” to start promoting your book. Some debunking is in order. This is my takeaway from the below article by Cate Baum: Amazon will promote your book whenever it thinks it has a chance to make money. If […]