Quality Control for Indie Authors

I’ve posted before about integrating my corporate skills into my writing. There was the two-part series I did on Presentation Skills, the post about establishing an author brand, and the one about the Law of Diminishing Returns. Being a self-published author is the same as running my own small business, and I love that I can pull from my past experience.

Today I’m back integrating my two worlds in one very exciting topic—quality control. As an Indie author, all accountability roads essentially lead to me. While I may contract out certain aspects of my business to others, it’s up to me to make sure it’s done right and keeps running smooth.

Here are the most important things you need to keep in your quality control zone.

Content

As I’m Queen of the Obvious, I like to start with, well, the obvious. It’s important to make sure what you write is checked for errors. Spend money on an editor. You want to make sure your work is as error-free as possible.

Marketing Materials

You’ve published your book (or are about to) and are ready to market the heck out of it. It’s important to ensure your marketing materials are error free. Get an extra pair (or two, or three, or more) of eyes on it to make sure you don’t miss anything. I messed up back with the publication of my first novel, Kingston’s Project. I had my graphic designer make me these awesome book cards. 

I approved them and had a box printed up. When they arrived I proudly presented one to my husband who said, “Cool, but there’s an error.” The word ‘planned’ was misspelled on the back of the card. I was mad at myself for not having him look over the concept before I had them printed and wasting money. (Luckily I was able to cut the cards in half—not what I wanted, but it kept me from wasting money.)

If you are creating a lot of your own marketing materials through sites such as Canva, make sure you have a quality check in place. Grammarly is great.

Author Website

This one is important as it’s likely the hub of your on-line presence as an author. Unfortunately, this one bit me in the butt just this past week. I usually visit my website, carriebeckort.com, several times a week. Last week, instead of seeing my landing page I was presented with ‘carriebeckort.com has expired’

WHAT?!?!?!?!

I had renewed my domain on time and processed the invoice. What in the ho-hay was going on?! Unfortunately, due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I wasn’t as on top of it as I usually am, so I’m guessing it was down for about 3 days. Luckily a quick live chat with my provider got it fixed and back up in minutes. Never assume your website is working the way it should. Check it out regularly.

Social Media Profiles

This one may not seem as obvious. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads—they are managed well and if the site is down, then it’s not just you that’s affected. But that’s not the stuff I’m worried about. I’m actually checking my profiles. I want to make sure my information is up-to-date and my links are working properly. I’ve clicked on website links for authors from their social media profiles only to be directed to an inactive page. More than 90% of the time I don’t take the effort to find the correct site on my own. If the author doesn’t care to keep it accurate, maybe I shouldn’t care to find it.

Embedded Links

To expand a bit more on links, your quality checks should expand to include any link you provide. Blog posts, websites, newsletters—if you embed a link, go to the preview and make sure it actually works. Again, I’ve come across links provided and they don’t go to the targeted site and it’s frustrating.

Content

I know I already talked about this one up in my Mr. Obvious section. I didn’t forget to quality check my post for repeat points. I just want to hit this one again, in a less obvious way.

If you are publishing ebooks, make sure you check your formating on every device possible. I download to my Kindle and to my iPhone. I don’t own a Nook, but I have some close friends that do. I send them an early download version and ask them to do a quick review to make sure it all looks good. Here are two issues I’ve run into on my ebook formatting more than once:

• Incorrect ‘starting point’—Shattered Angel was giving me a lot of fits with this. It would open up in the middle of my table of contents or in the middle of the first chapter. Since Shattered Angel starts at chapter 24 and counts down, it was critical for me to get the reader to the correct starting point so they weren’t confused (at least not any more than they already were). After a lot of hours reformatting and frustration, I finally got it to work.
• Odd text formatting—When I check my ebooks, I actually do a fast skip through all the pages on my device. It might sound like overkill, but I thanked my OCD stars after discovering entire chapters in italics.

I use Createspace for my print books, and overall I’ve been pleased with their quality. Of course, the first step in print quality control is to order a proof book. I highly recommend this. I do check the on-line preview, but I also order a print book. The colors of the cover may not be as exact in print as it is online. Maybe that glossy finish you wanted doesn’t look quite right in reality. Maybe the cover dimensions were off a bit and the title is off center down the spine. You get the idea. It’s a few bucks and a few extra days, but it’s worth it.

Another thing I recommend is to spot check the print books you order intended for private sale and book signings. I might not have thought to do this, but before I published Kingston’s Project I read a book by a fellow author who printed through Createspace. Midway through the book I found this page:

I knew this had to be a mistake as it had nothing to do with the book. As a result, I decided to start checking the books I ordered. Basically, I just fan through the pages looking for anything that catches my eye. I haven’t found any errant pages, but I did find these errors on several books:

Books cut incorrectly

Ink blotches

Luckily, Createspace worked with me to replace the books.

I know quality control can be a lot of work. However, it’s difficult for many Indie authors to get visibility to new readers. There is also still a stigma out there that traditionally published books have better quality than Indie published books. As a result, every impression counts. Don’t sacrifice speed for quality. And if quality control is not your thing, then I suggest you find yourself a new OCD best friend!

~ Carrie

Proud to be a BRAG’er

I’m not one to brag often. Not because I think negatively of those who do like to brag (OK, so I might think negatively of some people who brag often—it all depends on intent and execution). I just don’t because it’s not how I’m made.  That makes it kind of ironic to have a BRAG Medallion for two of my three books. So today I decided to embrace being a BRAG’er.

When I started this writing gig I didn’t have a single creative writing credential on my resume. I took a technical writing class back while studying Mechanical Engineering at Purdue, but that’s a far cry from writing a fiction novel. I was seriously worried about publishing my first novel, Kingston’s Project. I thought I’d be laughed at. I thought I wasn’t good enough. I felt like an imposter.

I found the courage to publish my novel despite my fears (you can read about it here in the first post I did on Across the Board). Positive reviews for Kingston’s Project started rolling in from people I didn’t know, and I started to feel more comfortable. But I won’t lie—I was still waiting for the curtain to be pulled back.

I had read several posts about how book contests/awards could help with promotion. I was hesitant, that voice in my head shouting at me that it would just be a waste of money because I wasn’t good enough. (Now, some are a waste of money, but that’s an entirely different post). I actually hated the idea of submitting my book, but I figured if I could publish it in the first place then I could select one or two awards to apply for.

I was in contact with another author who launched her first book around the same time I did. We would share information we found, and she was the one who first introduced me to indieBRAG. I reviewed the information on their site and decided to submit Kingston’s Project.

I have to admit I was both shocked and thrilled when I received the email that Kingston’s Project had been awarded a BRAG Medallion. Only about 10-15% of the books submitted are selected, so I was feeling extremely honored. I felt it was the validation I needed to help shut down that inner voice telling me I was just an imposter.

What I came to learn about indieBRAG is that they are a wonderful community of readers and writers. They don’t just send you a happy congratulatory note and a png of the Medallion. Their ‘next steps’ email has nearly 20 items on it. They are supported by a network of bloggers who offer to do author interviews or review your book. They do blog hops and host BRAG Medallion authors on the indieBRAG blog. They share information from BRAG authors on their social media sites. It’s a continuous support system—which is awesome.

My latest book, Shattered Angel, was recently awarded a BRAG Medallion. Yay! I’m super proud to be a two-time BRAG’er :)

If you’re an Indie author, I highly recommend submitting for an indieBRAG. The indiBRAG folks do this for their love of discovering new great reads and supporting the indie authors who create them, which can’t be said for all the award programs out there. If you’re looking for some great Indie reads, check out the list of indieBRAG books.

~ Carrie

Can Crowdfunding Help Me Publish My Book?

Earlier this year, I had an opportunity to meet the fabulous Lydia Sherrer at a local author event in Indiana. My table was across the way from hers, so I had lots of opportunities to watch her interact with others. I quickly learned she was someone I wanted to get to know, and as a result I also wanted to read her books -- I mean, I was certain her books would be packed with the same amount of personality that she contained in real life (and after completing book 1 in the series I can tell you that I was correct... Lily and Sabastian have quickly become one of my favorite literary duos.)

I'm super excited Lydia agreed to write up a guest post about her experience using Kickstarter to publish the first two books of her series.

Thanks, Lydia!

Can Crowdfunding Help Me Publish My Book?

Short answer: yes. Long answer: only if you do it right.

Hi, my name is Lydia Sherrer, self-published author of modern fantasy series "Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus - the Lily Singer Adventures." Books 1 and 2 are published (books 3 and 4 are on their way), funded via Kickstarter (91 backers pledged $4,832). Both books received five star review awards from Readers' Favorite and have a 4.9 out of 5 star rating on Amazon .  I tell you this to give you an idea of where I'm coming from when I say that crowdfunding is absolutely a valid tool in your dream to publish your own book, but it is not an endeavor to be taken on lightly, without detailed planning, or without a commitment to work your butt off.

To successfully crowdfund a book project you need three things: a solid product, a solid platform, and a solid plan.

Product

First of all, you need a solid product: crowdfunding isn't charity, or some magical money pot in the sky that you can pray to and all your dreams will come true. It is a community of individuals who use their own hard-earned money to back creative projects that they believe are worthy.

Therefore it is your job to make sure that the product you are putting out there is the absolute best it could possibly be. You can't just publish for you, to scratch some itch or add a shiny badge of accomplishment to your collection. It has to be bigger than that. It needs to be something that helps people, brings them enjoyment or benefit, changes them.

Has your manuscript been read by multiple beta readers, some of whom are NOT your friends, but experts in your field with a critical eye? Do you already have the editor, formatter, and publishing route lined up? Do you have any cover art yet? Have you written a back cover blurb that captures your reader's attention?

Your crowdfunding project should be the last piece of the puzzle, not the first. People back projects that seem well-thought out, well-planned, and already have as much of the work done as possible. All they need to do is add funding, so that the idling plane can take off the runway.

Platform

Projects need backers, and for backers you need a platform. Your friends and family are not enough by themselves. If, prior to this, you've not done any kind of advertising, blogging, social media, newsletter list, etc, if you're not part of any groups, organizations, or what-have-you that creates a community of supporters around you, your crowd-funding project is doomed. Crowdfunding isn't there to bring you supporters, it is there to give your supporters a means by which to fund you.

Now, that doesn't mean you can't accomplish this without thousands of loyal fans. But it does mean you need to have a presence on social media, possibly have your own website, and have been active in the places your ideal supporter will be hanging out. In addition to my friends and family, I tapped my 1000+ Facebook friends, my 500 or so Twitter followers, the few hundred people I had on my mailing list, and the people I knew from writing groups, work, church, clubs, etc.

If you hope to publish your own book, you should start building a platform NOW, because your platform is what will get your crowdfunding off the ground and attract others to your cause.

Plan

Lastly, you need a solid plan: if you don't have a plan for packaging and delivering your solid project to your solid platform in a way that will win over backers, your project will fail. So your first job is to go on Google and do a search for how to run a successful Kickstarter campaign (I personally recommend Kickstarter over Gofundme or Indiegogo, but do your own research). Yes, I'm serious. Go do a Google search and start clicking on articles. There are a ton of people out there who've written in-depth analysis of what works and what doesn't, so you have to educate yourself on such things as: which platform to pick, what to include in the description, what rewards/levels to provide, how to make a winning intro video, logistics of fullfilment, and more.

Go find other successful book Kickstarter campaigns and look at what they did (you can check out my Kickstarter from last year to get an idea of what a successful Kickstarter looks like). Also see if you can find unsuccessful campaigns and notice what they have in common (ex: lack of a good intro video, short/unprofessional description, little or no artwork, typos, badly planned rewards, etc.)

All this reading takes time, but it is absolutely essential to succeed. I've seen way too many half-assed kickstarters fail for people who had a good product, just no idea how to package it. Make sure to get feedback on your campaign page before it goes live. Those first viewers will help you catch typos and point out confusing or unpersuasive bits that will take your campaign from average to winning.

Conclusion

Yes, you should consider crowdfunding for your self-publishing project. However, you need to decide if you have the time and resources to accomplish it. I spent months getting ready and during the campaign I spent every single day marketing it, posting about it, calling people, writing emails, and more. If social media is not your thing, if you don't like putting yourself out there or asking people for help, if you're not willing to put in the work to create a solid plan, crowdfunding may not be for you.

The only reason my project was funded was the amazing generosity and help I got from my wonderful friends and fans. In the end, it is THEY who will get your plane in the air. Crowdfunding is just that, crowd funding. But they can't help you if you haven't already helped yourself.

Good luck my friends. If you have any questions or want to chat more about my Kickstarter experience, hit me up on Facebook or check out my website for my contact details.

Preparing For a Book Launch -- A Checklist

My new book, A BRIT ON THE SIDE, releases a week from today! Cue all of the flails -- and the to-do list! Here's a peek at mine:

1.  Create final-final version of e-book. I use Vellum to create my e-book files, which is SUPER easy. No coding or fiddling involved, and it even reminds you to include your "Also By" pages in the back of the book.

2.  Proofread final-final version of e-book. Again. For the 1,437th time. Just to make sure nothing's gone wrong in the file conversion.

3.  Upload to retailers. I upload to KDP directly and use Draft2Digital for the rest. Some vendors take longer than others (looking at you, iBooks), which needs to be taken into account when uploading files. Hint: uploading files on a Friday for a Monday release is NOT enough time for the book to be live on all vendors. I'm NOT doing a pre-order for my upcoming release, so this timing is key for me.

4.  Update author website with buy links. In theory, you've already updated your author website with the cover, Goodreads link, blurb and teasers, so all that's left to do is add those all-important vendor links.

5.  Create teasers. I'm not sure if this is a thing in genres outside of romance, but #TeaserTuesday is a BIG thing. Teasers start at least six weeks prior to release, but the week before calls for a flurry of teasers. Again, in theory you can create these anytime but if you're like me you're squeezing them in amongst everything else.

6.  Experiment with graphics for Facebook ads. I'm a big fan of Facebook ads and now Facebook has a new ad option called "Brand Awareness," which is a relatively low-cost way to experiment with graphics for ads before you're paying big bucks for clicks. I say relative because, well, even $3/day adds up. Basically, Brand Awareness delivers your ad to your target audience and you pay per estimated ad recall lift (EARL). You can read more about EARL here. Brand Awareness is a new advertising option on FB and I'm using it for the first time now, so I'll report back post-launch and let you know if I thought it had any impact.

7.  Create graphics and copy for launch-day Facebook ads. There's a lot of debate about direct-to-retailer links in ads vs ads leading potential buyers to your webpage, which then has all retailer links. My own practice is to go direct to Amazon and include links to other retailers in the ad copy. I've already tested my graphics (see #6 above), so now all I've got to do is wait for my retailer links and set my budget.

8.  Make a list of additional advertising venues. Books cannot be sold via Facebook alone and having a list of quality sites for advertising is key. This again requires buy links, but doing the research gets you more than half-way there.

9.  Create a release-day launch kit. Assume friends/bloggers/your weird Aunt Sally will want to share the news of your release. Better to have a bit of input into that, yes? I suggest creating a document to have at the ready that includes: your book cover, blurb, link to Goodreads, link to retailers, a few early review quotes.

10.  Reach out to blogger/author friends to gently remind them of your upcoming release. If you've had author friends blurb your book, offer them last-minute ARCs for their reader groups. If a blogger loved your book, offer ARCs for a giveaway. If you're active in a FB reader group, reach out to the owner of the group and ask if you can publicize in the group on release day. I HATE asking, but I've learned that it's definitely not the worst thing and often your offer is met with a "Yay! I don't have to plan a post today" sigh of relief.

11.  Draft email to send to ARC reviewers thanking them for advance reviews and asking them to post on retail sites. Goodreads reviews are fab, but let's face it -- we al want reviews on the 'Zon. Include retailer links to make this as easy as possible.

12.  Plan a celebration. In my opinion, the WORST thing to do on release day is to sit alone with your computer and continually check rankings and reviews. Much better to plan lunch/dinner/drinks with family or friends. Even better -- plan all three! You've just published a book and if that's not cause for celebration, I don't know what is!

In the name of shameless self-promotion, I've got my favorite teaser from  A BRIT ON THE SIDE to share with you! I've also got an ARC  to give away to one lucky blog reader. Just comment on this post and I'll pick a winner later this week. 

What’s a spelling-challenged Literary Engineer to do?

Have you ever seen this joke or a similar one?

If you’ve read any of my bios, you might recall that I’m a mechanical engineer by degree. While this joke is not accurate for many engineers (including my husband), I can tell you that it is accurate in my instance. I am horrible when it comes to spelling. Always have been, always will be.

And now I’m a self-proclaimed Literary Engineer.

Um . . . I think I have a problem.

Oh, wait—I’m an engineer. I can solve problems!

When I started to become serious about publishing my first book, I learned through my research that there are many readers who are passionate about an author’s ability to use proper grammar and spelling. That’s fair, after all. I can personally overlook a few errors in books (probably because I don’t notice them), but I have to admit to instances where an abundance of errors killed my enjoyment of the entire story. I knew I wouldn’t be in the camp of more errors than not for my own books, but I’m a big fan of eliminating distractions during the reading experience. I knew I had to pack my toolbox with some industrial grade spelling and grammar tools.

My aunt is a professional proofreader, so she does my final copy editing. It’s a huge relief to have a person I trust take a last crack at my books, but I still want to try to make the job a bit easier for her. I need to get better at catching my own mistakes. Because that’s the thing—in most cases I know what I’m supposed to write, but my fingers don’t always keep up with my brain. Except for spelling. When it comes to spelling, my brain is usually wrong.

I currently write almost everything in Word before I publish—be it a novel or a blog post—so the built-in spell checker is a huge help. However, it does not catch everything. For example, there are a few words I always seem to mix up, even though I know there is a difference and what that difference is.

• quite and quiet
• breath and breathe
• choose and chose
• heel and heal

These are just a few of the words always I seem to always mix up, so after I finish my manuscript I do a search for these words and correct any I have wrong.

Up next are the words that have multiple variations and different meanings depending on how you use them. For example:

• someday and some day
• awhile and a while
• anyone and any one

Then there are words I didn’t have to use often in my job prior to writing, so I have difficulty remembering the rules. Sometimes I inherently know which to use, but I’ve never stopped to think about why. Writing novels has forced me to slow down and consider proper usage of words like:

• farther vs further
• burned vs burnt
• blonde vs blond
• were vs was

Most of the time I do a Google search of grammar sites when I need help, but there is one other tool I’ve come to depend on: Grammarly. You can install a plug-in for Word that will catch the errors spell check won’t, but I never was able to get that working properly on my end. But no worries, because I can copy and paste into my Grammarly account.

Most of all, I love that it installs (for FREE) on Chrome. This means I have a powerful tool checking my spelling and grammar for everything I do online: blog posts, comments, Facebook posts, Tweets, etc. There is a green circle in the bottom right-hand corner of text boxes which changes to red with the number of possible errors found.

This has saved my bacon many times! I want to look just as professional in my online endeavors as I do in my novels, but I can’t pay my aunt to proof everything I type (nor is it possible for her to do so). As a result, Grammarly has become a very important tool for me.

I realize perfection can’t be achieved, but I’m hoping these tools will correct enough of my errors to keep the grammar police off my back :) Just please don’t expect me to ever learn when to use whom rather than who. Seriously.

Feel free to share any tools or sites you’ve come to depend on in your writing—I’m always on the lookout for additional tools I can use! And, I highly recommend giving Grammarly a shot if you haven’t already.

~Carrie

The series finale blues

What up, y'all. How goes it?

I'm writing to you today from my perch on my couch where I've been chilling for awhile, not writing. I was composing a pretty shitty first draft of a sequel for all of April and now I'm half-way through. But then I stopped. I got caught up in finishing a YA series (The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, fyi) and then I had to re-read the entire series because I could not part with it. I've never not been able to say goodbye. Even after Potter ended, I was able to say, "Well, it's over. On to something else." But now, I'm clinging to the fandom.

At first, I thought this was weird and was admittedly embarrassed to mention it to any of my friends. It's not normal for a 30-cough-something to spend hours reading fanfiction and watching fanmade YouTube videos of my OTP (Adam and Ronan!) instead of writing. Right? Well, it is normal. Maybe, not healthy after awhile. But then I realized I need to use these feeeeeeeelings in my writing.

Maggie Stiefvater is the model to follow when it comes to developing characters. If she wasn't, I wouldn't be so effed up in the head wondering how Adam and Ronan are getting along post The Raven King. Neither would the thousands of fans writing of their domestic bliss. Also, I've decided I want to explore a male/male romance in my next book. I've written LGBTQ characters in all my books, but I have yet to make a gay couple the focus of the book.

After finishing The Raven Cycle, I'm inspired to challenge myself and my writing. At first, I was feeling an existential crisis. I write paranormal mysteries. People seem to enjoy them. Can I switch it up? Can I write darker, contemporary crime fiction? Will it dilute my brand? But then a lovely friend said, "You're indie. You can do whatever you want." And you know what? She's right. I want to write what I want to write, when I'm inspired, even when I'm not, and try new things. That's what will keep me going.

Serial Offender: Writing serialized fiction in today's indie market

That blog title sounds crazy impressive, doesn't it? As if I'm the expert on writing serialized fiction. News flash -- I'm not. But I've been reading up on serials and trying to study the market because -- double news flash -- I want to write one.

What are serials? Serialized fiction is a story told in installments or episodes, usually each part being 15K-25K words. For some authors, a serial could mean a complete novel that they publish in parts -- preferably very quickly. For others, a serial model a TV show. Each episode features a cast of characters with a complete story arc with the entire season having a larger plot arc. Authors could release as many seasons as they like -- just like in TV.

Historically, serials have been well-received. Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers was a popular serial that made him a household name. In response, newspapers published their own serials to hook readers and increase circulation. Stephen King's The Green Mile was a serial published in monthly paperbacks in the 90s. Andy Weir first published The Martian in a serial format on his blog until readers begged him to release the parts together for Kindle.

Writing a serial isn't easy. It's certainly a commitment since authors need to release their installments in a timely manner or risk the wrath of angry fans. This means meeting deadlines. If fans have come to expect a serial published twice a month, then authors need to keep to that deadline until the season is over. As in The Good Wife is on every Sunday night, and when it's not, my husband gets cranky.

In addition, some authors complain of getting dinged in reviews for not meeting reader expectations. Some readers want more than a 25K-word story for their 99 cents or they'd rather pay for the whole story in one go. Fair enough, this may not be the format for them. Authors can always bundle a season and customers can binge-read.

The upside to serial writing is that it can be fun, energizing, and expand an author's platform. Also certain stories lend themselves to a serialized format. I'm working on a mystery serial set in the 90s -- a Veronica Mars meets My So-Called Life. Each episode will have my main character solving a mystery with a larger mystery being solved throughout the season. I can introduce a myriad of characters, kill off a few, and grow my protagonist. But boy, is this a bitch to plot. I need to outline each episode and then plot the whole season before I even begin writing. I have to make sure if I foreshadow something, I fulfill that promise. And if I introduce a character, I don't leave that character hanging around with nowhere to go. There's lots to consider here.

There's lots of information online about serial writing. If this is a format you're considering, I suggest you check out this thread on KBoards.

If you want to read an awesome serial, check out The Debt Collector by Susan Kaye Quinn. It's addicting, the way a serial ought to be.

Do you read serials? Are there any you can recommend? Do you write one? Advice for newbies? Sound off in the comments.

Presentation Essentials for Writers: Part 2

If you recall, I had the privilege of kicking off February here at Across the Board with a post about how authors can integrate a few presentation tips into their writing process. As promised, I’m back with the second installment to give you some presentation tips for those moments when you actually have to talk about your writing.

To be successful in any industry you have to have a solid network. Establishing a relationship with your readers and other industry professionals is the most effective way to build that network.

And building a network requires communication.

Today I’m going to point out some of the most common mistakes in presentations, and why you also want to avoid these in conversations about your writing.

Poor Preparation

The need for preparation is obvious for some events, such as book signings, and I’m not going to discuss those here.

What I want to focus on is that chance encounter with a potential business partner or a reader. You should always know exactly what you would say in any given situation. In many corners of the business world this is known as an elevator speech. The idea is that if you are stuck in an elevator with the CEO of your company, what would you say to form a lasting impression?

You should have elevator speeches for your bio and for your writing. You might even have a couple different elevator speeches for each, depending on who you are talking too. Here is an elevator speech for my first book, Kingston’s Project:

• Kingston’s Project is a poignant look at how one woman overcomes grief after a significant loss in her life and the relationships she builds along the way.

  

I mention the primary theme for the novel while (hopefully) giving just enough detail to make the person want to ask more questions. You will want to practice your elevator speech to the point that you can deliver it with ease and confidence.

Poor First Impression

It’s important to give a good first impression because that sets the tone for the conversation. Let’s say an author is doing a reading at a book signing and she cracks a joke as an ice-breaker, but it turned out to be offensive to some. Right away the author made some people uncomfortable. The result is that they may feel they wouldn’t like anything she wrote.

In addition to how you act, first impressions are affected by how you look. Think about what you wear and what it says about you and how it makes you feel. I personally dress as business casual to all book events. That’s what makes me feel most confident, and I know I perform at my best when I feel confident.

At book signings, you also need to think about the kind of first impression your table/display creates. If you don’t know, you can always take a picture and post to your social media sites and ask people to tell you want they think of your display—too busy, too bland, disorganized, awesome...

No Enthusiasm

I wish I didn’t have to point this one out, but I’ve seen this happen. When I participate in a book fair, I always make it a point to go around and talk to the other authors. There are always a few who just don’t seem excited to be there. I’m sorry, even if only one person attends the event you need to show passion for what you do. If you don’t have enthusiasm for your work, why would anyone else want to read it?

Lack of Engagement

Always remember—a conversation is not defined as only one person talking. It’s an exchange of words between people. Get the other person talking. Ask questions. “Do you like to read?” or “What types of books do you typically like to read?” are two simple questions that can easily open the door to communication. Building a solid network requires making a connection with others, and you can’t do that if you do all the talking. Also, pay attention to the other person’s body language. If a person is backing away or showing other signs of not wanting to engage, don’t push it. And don’t jump out in front of them as they walk past you or your table!

Weak Close

Spend some time thinking about what you can use as handouts for your various events. It might be a bookmark with the name of your novel, pen with your name on it, or a printout of a writing sample. The type of event will determine what’s appropriate.

I personally keep two forms of ‘handouts’ with me at all times. The first are business cards that contain my email address and phone number. The second are what I call book cards (see images below).They are the size of a standard business card, but instead of personal information they have my book cover on the front and my social media information on the back.

I can’t tell you how many times someone told me the name of a book or author that I’d forgotten by the time I got home. Professional looking handouts can significantly increase the chances of someone taking action later, either by reaching out to you for future opportunities or by buying your novel.

I could make this list a lot longer, but these are the core mistakes I’ve seen other authors make. I’ve even made a few of them myself! Take the time to plan ahead and practice, practice, practice!

~ Carrie

How do you Pinterest?

When I first learned of Pinterest’s existence many years ago, I thought I had stumbled into the most amazing on-line world ever created. I love just about anything crafty, and I was shocked that I hadn’t discovered it sooner. Despite this, I never really embraced Pinterest. Most of you probably don’t know me well enough to understand how truly shocking this was.

I loved Pinterest, but for me it seemed like a never ending rabbit hole of inefficiency. I only created about three boards, and I only had a handful of pins in each board. Feeling disappointed in myself for not becoming an instant Pinterest success, I just stayed off it most of the time. I logged in when looking for something specific, but that’s about it.

Over the last few months, I’ve seen a few blog articles about how authors should be using Pinterest to promote their books. It made sense—it’s an easy site to use and not having a presence eliminates one of the paths for an author to connect with readers. I decided to do a bit of research (because deep down I’m still a data-geek) and see what authors were on Pinterest. Since I didn’t want to fall too deep down the rabbit hole, I decided to take a systematic approach. I opened Goodreads and pulled up the list of books I’ve read. Using that list, I searched for some of the authors on Pinterest. I looked up about 70 authors. Only about 27% were on Pinterest.

The fact that not many authors are using Pinterest to promote could be either a good thing or bad thing. The low percentage could be because it’s not an effective marketing tool, and in that case I shouldn’t waste my time. Or it could mean that it’s an underutilized tool and getting in before it becomes over used could play to my advantage. Since I already had an account, I decided to give it a shot. Over the summer I tackled the task of revamping my Pinterest account, and I’ve outlined my steps here in case you are looking to do the same.

Establish Your Account

OK, so this seems ridiculous to point out, but I’m a fan of complete checklists (so that means including the obvious). If you already have an account set up, then you need to ensure it’s set up to support your business.

• Are you using your name or a nickname?
• Is your website information listed?
• Does the ‘about you’ section talk about your books/writing?

Research

As in many things, research is an important step that’s often overlooked. Set aside some time to go out and look at the Pinterest accounts of other authors. You definitely want to look at authors in your genre, but don’t forget to look at a few outside of it also. You can gain some great ideas for boards.

Determine Strategy

Once your account is set-up, you’ll need to determine what you want the public to see. Here’s where you need to consider the branding you’ve been trying to establish and be consistent. You also want to consider if you want to have boards on your books/writing only, or also include boards that give readers a glimpse into your personal life. Colleen Oaks is a good example of an author who has boards on both her writing and personal life. 

Set Up Your Boards

With a solid strategy in place, it’s time to start creating your boards. I decided to remove my old boards, but you don’t have to. That’s part of your strategy planning. You can create a board for anything. For example, one of the unique boards I’ve come across that I love is by James Patterson. He has a board titled, “My Characters’ Favorite Ice Cream Flavors” What a fun idea! I might have to steal, er borrow, this board idea. Here’s a snapshot of my boards to give you an idea of things you can include. This is just a start for me, and I’ll likely add more as I become more comfortable with the possibilities.

Here are a few things I learned as I worked through the process:

• I started all my boards as ‘secret’. This meant I had time to make sure everything was the way I wanted it before anyone could see the boards. It kind of took the pressure off!
• Make sure you have solid names for each of your boards. Each board should have a theme, and the title should make it clear what that is. Rachel Hollis is a great example for how boards can be organized. I admit I kinda fell in love with her organization while I was poking around her site!
• Make sure you have a good description for each board. You also need to select the appropriate category for what kind of pins will be in that board.
• If you are a new author, you may want to consider having at least one ‘general’ board. Good examples of this are motivational quotes, recipes, recommended reading, etc. These usually contain pins that others like to repin. The more people repin from your boards, the higher chance people will start to follow your boards—and hopefully that will translate into future readers. The goal for a general board is visibility.
• Once you’ve decided on all your boards, you can go into ‘edit’ mode and move them around to put them in the order you want them.

Start Pinning

Now that you have boards, you need pins. You can repin from within Pinterest, pin from other sites on the Internet, or you can upload images from your computer/device. A few things to note:

• If you don’t like the image from a pin through a web link, you can create your own and manually upload. Just don’t forget to add in the web link in the details! I did this for my book review links. When I pinned directly from the review site, the image was usually my book cover. That’s great, but suddenly I had a bunch of pins that looked exactly the same. I created a new image with the cover and reviewing blog’s logo for each and then used that.
  

• Make sure you go into the ‘edit’ feature and add a description for each pin. Be thoughtful here—you don’t want it to be too long, yet detailed enough to make people want to click on it. The picture above shows an example of this as well where I quoted part of the review for the pin description.
• Each new pin you add is placed before the previous pin. Unlike the boards, you cannot reposition your pins within the boards. In some cases this won’t matter, but in some cases it might (such as if you’re pinning blog posts and you want them to appear in chronological order). If order is important, pin the oldest things first.
• Include some pins with information that your readers won’t be able to find on any of your other sites. For example, in some of my boards I’ve included links to the real life locations that inspired certain parts of the book. Give them a reason to visit your Pinterest site.

Promote!

Congratulations, you now have a Pinterest account specific to your books/writing! Now it’s time to let people know about it. Besides sharing the news on your social media site and newsletters, don’t forget to include a link to your Pinterest account from your website. Oh, and don’t forget to make your boards public if you took my approach and started all your boards as ‘secret’.

Maintenance

As with any online presence, it’s important that you have a plan to remain active in Pinterest. Set aside some time to add new pins to your boards. Have a look at what pins are getting repined the most. And most importantly, have fun!

Are you on Pinterest? Have you seen a clever idea for a board from another author? If you’re not on Pinterest (either as an author or as a reader), why?

Feel free check out (and follow) my boards, and if you’re on Pinterest let me know how I can find you!

*Note: If you are not using Pinterest and want to but don’t have the time/knowledge to put into creating it, check out the options offered by independent services such as Inkstone Strategies.

~Carrie

Why Authors Need Graphics

While by nature authors are creative, many are more comfortable with stringing together words rather than images. If you’re not currently using graphics to help promote your writing, you should. Here are three primary reasons why.

Graphics Are Quicker

Let’s face it, these days everyone is busy. Well, maybe not the lady I see walking her dog past my window at least four times a day, but everyone else is very busy. Unfortunately, many of us are also addicted to social media, which can suck up time faster than a universal sized Hoover (anyone else thinking about Spaceballs when you read that line??)

Using graphics is a great way to solve this issue. Readers know they can stop to look at your graphic post because all the information is right there. They know it will only take them seconds to look at it, rather than the unknown minutes it would take to read a post with only text.

Graphics Stand Out

Building on our society’s heavy dependence on social media, graphics have a major advantage over text posts. When someone is scrolling through one of their social media sites, an image is much more likely to grab their attention. I know on my personal Facebook page, I often quickly scroll down my newsfeed and it’s the graphics that grab my attention the most.

Graphics Are More Likely to be Shared

Because graphics are quicker and stand out, people are much more likely to share them over a text post. And that’s what you want—people sharing your information.

In addition to the fact that graphics make it easier to share a post, it’s also more likely that a graphics post will reach more of your Facebook readers than some of your text posts, especially those that have links.

Here’s a real example from my own experience. Around spring break time, I posted to my Facebook page about my new novel Shattered Angel with a link to Amazon. It showed the book cover as an image, however it was through a link. I did something similar at the start of summer, but with only a graphic and some text—no link. The graphic below shows you how different my numbers were for reach, likes and shares. I’ve done enough experimenting and research to feel confident it was the Amazon link that kept my first post from reaching more people. In addition, I believe the graphic was shared more because it felt less like a sales push and more like a fun graphic to share.

I can tell that I've convinced you of the need to use graphics (at least those of you who weren’t there before). Now you might be wondering how you should use them, and how to create them.

I create my graphics in a few different ways. For one, I have Photoshop and use it to create some of them (the graphic above was created in Photoshop). I know many of you don’t have Photoshop, or similar software, so my recommendation is to use Canva.com

If you haven’t used Canva, well I’ll just say that you’re missing out. You can create some very good graphics for free, and others for just a few bucks. And better yet, it's very easy to use! You don't need high-tech skills to create an awesome graphic in Canva.

Here are some graphics I’ve created, where I created them, and how I used them.

This image was created using Canva. It cost me a total of $1, simply because I wanted a more custom image as the background. I could have used a plain background and it would have been free. As you saw in my earlier graphic, I used this on my Facebook page.

This image was created using Photoshop. I used a custom photograph that my cousin took just for this purpose. I then took a quote from my novel and added it to the image. I posted it on my different social media sites prior to the release of Shattered Angel. I’ll continue to post it periodically to generate awareness.

I created this graphic using Canva, and it was free. I uploaded the image of my book cover and the necklace, then added the text. I used this on my social media sites to promote my launch giveaway.

I actually created this image through a different software I have (a scrapbooking software I sometimes use to create graphics), but it could easily be done using Photoshop or Canva. I used this for a Facebook ad (Canva even has an option for a Facebook ad, which means it's already sized appropriately for the task). I simply cropped a section of a the book cover, enlarged it and changed the opacity for the background. I then placed the cover in the center, with a back frame to set the cover off from the background image.

This image was created using Canva. It also cost me $1 because I wanted a custom background. I haven’t used this one yet, but I will use it to promote awareness of my 4th book since this quote sums up the theme of the book very well.

This image was created using Canva, and it was free. I uploaded an image that I created (using Photoshop) for the background, changed the opacity and then added the text. Now, this is for a site I just launched that is not related to my author business, but I wanted to show you this because I used the Facebook cover option to create it—awesome! It even had a grayed out box in the template showing where the profile picture would be located so I was able to design around it. The only thing it didn’t show were the locations of the Like and Message buttons that appear in the bottom right side of the cover photo. I did have to go back in and shift the text up, but that was the only complication. There is also a Twitter cover option and I created a similar image for our Twitter account.

This image was created using Canva, and it was free. I uploaded an image from Death to the Stock Photo (another site you should use if you’re not), sized it the way I wanted, and then added my text. I used this as a header for one of my blog posts.

I could show you more, but I think you get the idea. With the availability of Canva, you really have no excuse to not be using graphics as much as possible.

Later this week, Kimberly is going to expand on this post by telling you how she used Canva to create a cover for her short-story. That’s right, a cover! And personally I think it looks better than many covers I’ve seen from some ‘professional’ designers.

Have you used Canva? Any other easy to use graphic sites out there we should know about?

~Carrie