I can tell you exactly how to write books that matter, but first we need to agree on some basic tenets, regarding the purpose of writing. Otherwise, you may resist some of the strategies I’m about to share, due to things you’ve been told, and things you believe. You’ll feel them when they come up,
People often ask me if it’s worth crowdfunding your book to get the resources you need to publish. I generally say “no” – because Kickstarter won’t give you an audience, nor help you figure out how to package and position your book to appeal to them. Plus, first time authors drastically over-estimate how much it...
Today in my free book marketing group someone asked: I was wondering if there was any easy ways to somewhat promote a book for free other than trying to convince your friends on Facebook to tell their friends and anyone they know about your book. Since in my case that’s never seemed to work for me
I’ve never put much thought into personal branding – I had a bunch of stuff I liked, but I couldn’t put them all together in way that made sense. My first header logo was a dumpster fire. I’ve had to learn to withhold enthusiasm, and add more space, because less is more. I’ve always focused
This will be my fifth WDS (Word Domination Summit – a meetup for people living unconventionally). I wrote this post years ago before the 2014 conference, and had a lot of people tell me they’d read it before coming and it had set their mind at ease. So I’m updating it and reposting it for
It’s not to hard to build a website these days and show off your work. It’s much harder to get loyal followers or supporters. Success is rarely made by having more customers. You need loyal customers – you need people who actually give a shit about what you’re doing. That might seem tough to do over
Everybody will tell you that starting an email list as soon as possible is the #1 way to grow your platform and sell more of anything. But how does it really work? I’m not an expert on blogging or email marketing, but this week I’m sitting in my sister’s apartment in Vancouver BC and finally
I spent the last four days in Portland attending the World Domination Summit (a congregation of people living remarkable lives in a conventional world). It’s my second time – immediately after the first one I attended (2013) I bought tickets for myself and my mother to return this year. Since I wrote a little about
I’m up to almost 10,000 signups on my email list – that’s a hefty amount, worthy of celebration. Except that, using MailChimp, I’m paying $80 a month, or $960 a year. I only send emails once a month or so, when I’ve finished some big project worthy of sharing or have a new book out.
This weekend Portland will be taken over by around 3000 people leading unconventional lifestyles for the 4th annual World Domination Summit. If you’re attending, you may want to read my 8 Tips on Preparing for WDS. The official WDS website has lots of information about the schedule, activities and meetup, but my guess is more
This past month I’ve been thinking big and buying up online platforms related to publishing and book design. My little blog gets some traffic, and my book cover design business is doing fine – I just want to be a bigger player. A couple weeks ago I found a little blog network for indie authors
One of the most powerful ways to promote your book is to offer it for free for a limited time. Why? You need to remove all resistance separating your book from your readers – including a price tag. Not forever, but enough to get a ton of downloads and some thoughtful reviews, which will help
