This is a slide from the live masterclass we ran today on building an author platform, but we went quickly so I’m posting it here. These are opt-in ideas you can use: make something that appeals just to your ideal reader. For the the #1 best idea is “Signup for a summary of my favorite (genre) The 3 secrets to book marketing, and...
I made this infographic to help authors figure out their author websites. If you like it, share it on Pinterest/Twitter/Facebook/Everywhere! The 3 secrets to book marketing, and a haunted castle tour. Totally free. Get it here.Derek MurphyI’m a philosophy dropout with a PhD in Literature. I covet a cabin full of cats, where I can The 3...
2018 UPDATES: Amazon has been doing “purges” of reviews and a lot of authors have seen hundreds of reviews deleted. Read this to keep Amazon from deleting your reviews. Also for a while Amazon was displaying the review with the most comments on top, instead of those voted most helpful… but that didn’t seem to stick...
If you’re any kind of writer, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “show don’t tell.” It basically means, don’t tell readers what happened, or why it matters, or how the characters feel about it. You need to demonstrate those things with good writing, and by letting the scene and action and characters show...
I’ve been running this blog, and several other websites, without ever focusing on earning money. That’s a mistake for two reasons. 1. It means I’m more focused on myself than on finding out what readers want and giving it to them. 2. It means I didn’t pay attention to conversion rates. Conversion rates = getting The 3...
Update – I’m almost done with my first month living in a castle for Nanowrimo. I’ll post a wrap-up soon with what I’ve learned… and I set up a giveaway to get started for next year. >>Sign up here.<< By 2016 I’ll be a full-time author, which means I can finally do Nanowrimo properly, The...
The first website I made was for my art. It was awful. But I learned. When I was doing my MA in literature, I started an editing company. I saw those websites that fixed student papers and tried to copy the style, then build traffic. I was so excited when I got my first $300 The 3 secrets to book marketing, and a haunted castle tour. Totally...
I just read a blog post from a self-styled “international marketing expert” that rubbed me the wrong way. It was basically a rant against helping other people for free, when she had courses for that, and they should pay her, dammit! I understand that people want to be protective of their content… but I often The 3 secrets...
I hear this from authors and clients all the time: That author is making tons of money, with terrible books. My book is way better, so I should be able to make at least that much. There are several things wrong with that logic, but the one that irks me the most is this: It’s condescending The 3 secrets to book marketing, and a haunted...
My book, Book Marketing is Dead, has been out for almost two years. In that time, it’s sold around 10,000 copies and has 140 reviews. But the two reviews most people found helpful are critical. I understand why the normal advice is to ignore negative reviews and not respond, but I think these issues need The 3 secrets to book...
Edit: Shit, October came quickly. It’s Oct. First and I’m heading up to the Resort and Mt. Hood for Pioneer Nation… after that we’ll go down to Lake Tahoe, up to Vancouver, and end up back in Portland again in November. So my scheduling for these events is pretty crazy – I’m going to postpone The 3 secrets...
Last week a friend in Armenia invited me on “Blab” to talk about book cover design. I’d never heard of it before. Turns out it’s like Periscope meet Google Hangouts (kind of). It’s not just a one person broadcast, up to four different people can share the screen. And the cool thing is, other people can The 3...
