People sometimes ask me if I will market their books for them in exchange for a profit share. This seems like a good deal to them; I’ll earn more than I would otherwise once their book takes off, and they don’t need to pay me upfront. Win-win. But the truth is, almost nobody will ever
I talk SO MUCH about book cover design, but I thought it would be easier to just see all the important stuff in one simple book cover design checklist. So before you publish (or if you see someone’s hideous cover and want to gentle encourage them to make a better one) please share and use
Recently I wrote about how most authors will never make any money. I was surprised by the comments, which I expected to be more negative. It seemed to comfort people to learn that they weren’t failing at being an author – they were doing as well as 99.9% of other self-publishing authors, because almost everyone fails. But...
Today someone involved with a prestigious writing retreat requested to join my Facebook group, then immediately spammed us with a last chance offer to join an expensive online writing course. Technically, she was offering something that could have appealed to writers, so I felt bad for deleting the post, but on the other hand… you
All the designers I know who are decent at book cover design charge over $500 – but the majority of indie authors think paying $200 or so for a cover is “reasonable.” I don’t like setting a price threshold on publishing, or saying that if you publish you HAVE to pay a lot of money
Had this fun idea last week, it’s up on Amazon already. An adult coloring book inspired by the writings of Napoleon Hill. In the 1937 edition of Think and Grow Rich, American new-thought author and impresario Napoleon Hill insisted that fervid expectations are essential to increasing one’s income. But Hill’s plan for financial...
Today I got to chat with Sasha O’hara, author of the “irreverant” adult coloring books “Calm the F*ck Down” (which is #23 in the entire Amazon store) and sequel “Chill the F*ck Out.” Basically, these are books that take the stress-relieving craze of adult coloring books and make them fun by adding swear...
I talk a lot about writing to market – AKA writing books for popular genres to maximize profit – but since it seems sketchy and abhorrent to authors who consider themselves “real authors” writing “real books” I thought I’d share my process. It’s true there are a lot of other online marketers...
I wrote an article a year ago about what I see most self-publishing authors doing wrong. They’re still doing it. So I made a new post… with a big infographic. If you want to help indie authors and self-publishers succeed (and gently nudge them away from being annoying and spammy) please share – you can
I see a lot of indie authors begging for reviews (and feeling stupid for it). I hate begging for stuff. I hate asking friends and families for reviews, giving out ARC copies, and then knowing specifically who should be but isn’t reviewing my books. Trust me, I’ve been there. But I stopped that nonsense years
When I talk about what authors or artists need to do to sell their work and earn more money, a common response is “It’s not about the money for me. I’m in it for the joy of creating.” This is what I hear: “I don’t care if anyone likes my work.” A lot of creative
Most authors (and lots of small business owners) spam. They kind of know they shouldn’t, but they do it anyway because they’re desperate for sales, and they might convince themselves that they’re NOT spamming, so here’s a short guide. If someone asks for your opinion or advice, or they put out a general call for
