Want more helpful tips on writing? Sign up for my free newsletter! Journalists delete dozens of press releases each day. Dozens! I only write about a small fraction of the releases that pop up in my inbox. So how do you get a journalist to write about your book? Keep in mind that my experience […]
For authors looking to promote their books, book blogs present some awesome opportunities. But how do you know which bloggers will review your book? And what’s the best way to approach them? Here to enlighten us today is Jen Karsbaek, who reviews books at her blog, Devourer of Books. On Twitter, this Chicagoan is known […]
I’m skipping my Writers’ Roundup this week and next because part of focusing on my book at Hambidge is getting away from my Google Reader and Twitter. Instead, I’d love to see suggestions from you on a specific topic: fostering community and conversation on your blog. If you comment here regularly, you may have noticed […]
Before I launched my Facebook page for Socialexis, I sent the link to my sister and my best friend, asking them to look it over. Both came back with the same criticism: I needed a more professional photo. I knew they were right. Not only did I need one to promote my new business, I […]
I hate all the emphasis in the publishing world on “platform.” I even hate the word itself. I think it takes away from what writers should be focusing on: writing. But the reality is, platform is important. I get that. I get that platform is vital to selling books. Yet I wonder if we’re all […]
I love communicating with readers of this blog, hearing about your projects over e-mail, getting updates on Twitter. It’s so great hearing from you that I’d like to take that private communication to another level — and introduce you all to each other. We’ve had successful blog parties here before, but lots of readers have […]
This lady knows her stuff. That was obvious to me the first time I “met” Marian Schembari on Twitter (she’s @marianschembari). She knows what she’s talking about. Whenever I have an idea about social media, I bounce it off Marian. And the cool things for readers of this blog? Marian specializes in social media for […]
Everyone’s always complaining about how much time it takes to build an online community — to grow a following on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, etc. It’s true. It does take a lot of time. So I like to give my clients tips to maximize every minute they spend online. And this particular tip will help […]
I probably should have titled this post, How to drive traffic to your blog. That would have gotten more clicks, right? But the truth is, while we sometimes use hits to measure the success of our Web sites and blogs, the reason for that success is community. One common mistake new bloggers make is thinking […]
Everyone’s always talking about personal branding. And a large part of creating your own brand, or self-packaging, involves the Web. I started blogging in June 2008 when I left my job at the Houston Chronicle to travel in Africa. When I returned to the States and began writing a book, and I decided having a […]