A Bit of Free Advice



The problem with the fantasy genre is…

Posted by on May 22, 2013 in Blog Tours, Writing | 1 comment

This is a guest post by Thaddeus Nowak I have always loved the fantasy genre. Ever since I first started reading books of my own choosing, I’ve read fantasy and SciFi novels. Perhaps, I loved the idea of being transported away to another world or to another time and place. Maybe I was fascinated by learning about beings who differ from myself. Whatever the reason, these stories felt–and still feel like–home to me. Happily, today there is less social awkwardness attached to these genres. In fact, shows like The Big Bang Theory...

read more

The Mother’s Justice whirlwind tour starts today! Welcome to blogaganza where the questions are fun and the prizes are huge.

Posted by on May 20, 2013 in All Advice, Blog Tours | 43 comments

Leave a comment, and you could win an autographed copy of Mother’s Curse or its sequel, Daughter’s Justice! Read on to learn how you can win the other prizes including a Kindle Fire, $450 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of each book. Today, we’re absolutely delighted to kick-off the the Mother’s Justice whirlwind tour. It’s going to be a wild ride as the author weaves his way through the blogosphere and social media universe in a way that just can’t be ignored. So who’s this cool guy you’re going...

read more

Don’t be that guy: How to get your message across without spamming

Posted by on May 16, 2013 in Facebook, Social Media, Twitter | 1 comment

This is a Post by NP Marketing Staffer, Anne Chaconas Everyone knows a version of that guy. You know who I’m talking about. We all know the type (because we all, unfortunately, have at least one of these individuals on our various social networks): That author who never says anything, never comments on anything, never sets fingers to keyboard unless it’s to relentlessly self-promote. And that guy’s not a quiet, occasional presence, either (are they ever?). “The cover of my book is truly spectacular–and the content is even...

read more

Get the most out of Facebook in the least amount of time: A 10-tip guide

Posted by on May 15, 2013 in All Advice, Facebook | 6 comments

This is a Post by NP Marketing Staffer, Anne Chaconas Ah, Facebook. Possibly my all-time favorite time-suck, and definitely my favorite social network. I could spend hours on it every day, reading articles, commenting on posts, sharing memes and pictures, and managing my pages. If you’re anything like me, you could, too. The problem with doing that, though, is that then you’d never get anything done. Social media for authors is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you know you have to have a social media presence in order to be a...

read more

Taming the Monkey: How to set up a MailChimp newsletter (and why you need one)

Posted by on May 14, 2013 in Other Social Media Sites, Social Media | 3 comments

This is a Post by NP Marketing Staffer, Anne Chaconas As an author, indie or otherwise, having a newsletter that you use to periodically communicate with your fans and followers is essential. Why? It allows you to keep in touch with your fanbase. It allows you to offer them special perks for being a fan. It gives you a list of people you can contact whom you know have a vested interest in you and your work. That last point is the most important one. As authors, your main goal (aside from being read) should be to establish meaningful...

read more

What makes a book irresistible: One reader’s advice to authors

Posted by on Apr 25, 2013 in Writing | 12 comments

This is a guest post by Naomi Leadbeater Apparently, I adore books, but I have a system for finding the ‘good’ ones. I’m also enamored with numbers, statistics and analytical trends, which is probably why I also enjoy language…you know, that thing that books are composed of. One of the biggest attractions to a new book is the way in which the author transmits their story through the written language. It sounds simple, but it’s awfully complex. Languages, whether they are verbal, written, musical or mathematical, are comprised of...

read more

How to write and market a niche book that sells

Posted by on Apr 23, 2013 in Publishing | 8 comments

This is a guest post by Jessica Velasco How to write and market a niche book that sells Read through this definitive guide and start succeeding within the niche of your choice today. Finding a niche The first thing you must do before any money is made is figure out which niche you want to enter. There are literally millions to choose from. Decide upon one that you have some interest in. The reason for this is because if you follow these directions correctly, you will be involved with that niche for many years to come. Identifying and...

read more

Rejections happen: Here are some of the reasons why, plus how to deal with the inevitable disappointment

Posted by on Apr 15, 2013 in Publishing | 4 comments

This is a guest post by Sherry Helms A writer who puts work in the postbox or clicks ‘send’ on that email knows that there’s a possibility that he or she may get a negative response or no response from the other side. Of course, nobody likes rejection. And those who like being rejected may be robots or emotionless creatures. But those who give up after two or three rejections, thinking that their work won’t be worthy to be chosen without analyzing their strength and creativity, never get success. Yes, rejection stings....

read more

Novel Publicity Teams with UP Authors to Offer an Awesome Awards Contest for Authors. Prizes Abound!

Posted by on Mar 13, 2013 in Publishing | 1 comment

This is a guest post by Ron Knight Over the years, UP Authors had run several different types of contests to give authors every possibility to be promoted and win awards to show off to their fans. But now, UP Authors are raising it to another level by giving away cash prizes, promotion, along with discounted marketing packages in conjunction with Novel Publicity! The Fiction Challenge is open to all fiction authors of any genre, or age group. Why are we doing this? Because UP Authors wants to find that hidden gem and show the world what they...

read more

Death to the Sock Puppets: Legitimizing Indie Books (and Reviews) via Rabble

Posted by on Mar 12, 2013 in Publishing | 4 comments

This is a guest post by Amy Eldeman I’ve worked with self-published authors since I launched IndieReader back in 2007.  And while in that time they’ve come a very long way, one thing that has not changed is the difficulty in finding outlets to get legit reviews.  And after that, the problem becomes how to make sure those reviews—often written by book bloggers with a small readership—get the widest amount of exposure to book-lovers. Why is that so important?  Because although there are many places to get reader reviews—Amazon...

read more