Understanding the Difference Between a Facebook Profile and Page Hello from Cat Hoort. I was just visiting the Kregel Publications Facebook Page and found an interesting question from an author: I’m finally joining Facebook, but I need some advice. HOW should I be using Facebook? This is actually a very common question. I first congratulated the author on asking the right question. He didn’t ask SHOULD I be using Facebook? (he knew the answer to that was “yes”); instead he asked: HOW should I be using Facebook?
Category: Writing Business
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Hi, all. Ava Pennington here again! Once upon a time I was the Vice President of Human Resources for an international insurance company. The corporate rat race consumed all my energies. Writing for publication was a vague dream that belonged to another life – a life far removed from my reality.
Marketing and Writers Conferences – Update
Hi, all – Ava Pennington here, back from the Florida Christian Writers Conference (FCWC). While I was at the conference last week, I blogged about the relationship between marketing our books and attending writers conferences. If you missed it, here’s the link. This week I’d like to compare that post with my actual experience.
Out With the Old and In With the… Old
How to Reinvent Your Merchandising Postcards, bookmarks, business cards and flyers have all been consistent elements in book promotion for several years. Together they make a standard part of a publisher’s marketing plan and an asset to an author’s promotion toolbox. And yet, they are just so… old. Marketing is about creating a splash and catching someone’s attention. More than that, our industry requires marketing campaigns to build relationships with readers. Merchandising pieces have traditionally offered a take-away that not only catch attention but also give the reader something to look at later to remind them of a book’s title,…
Tips from the Pros: Susan Titus Osborn
Hello from Sarah Sundin on a blustery day in northern California. Today I have the honor of interviewing a veteran writing professional, Susan Titus Osborn, author of over thirty books, including several on the craft and business of writing. Susan is also director of the Christian Communicator Manuscript Critique Service, and offers many on-line writing courses on her website. Susan, how did you get into writing? In 1978 while I was teaching Sunday school, I decided to write some stories for the kids. They loved my stories, so I thought I would sell them to church school take-home paper markets. A…
Spread the News…in a Newsletter
Hi, all – Ava Pennington here. Happy Valentine’s Day a few days early! February is the month of hearts, flowers, and love notes. Whether or not you write love notes to that special someone in your life, every author should be writing love notes…to their readers! Okay, maybe not love notes, but we should be keeping in touch with our readers on a regular basis, and email newsletters are an effective, low-cost way to do it.
How to Send a Press Release
Dear Fellow CANers: I’m Ann Byle, a CAN member from way back. I’m a freelance writer for The Grand Rapids Press in Grand Rapids, Mich., as well as other publications including Kyria.com and Publishers Weekly. Before turning freelance 13 years ago, I was the book review editor at The Press. I received many press releases then; as a freelancer I have often done stories based on hard copy or email press releases. There is a fine line between sending a press release too early and sending it too late. Too early and the assigning editor loses it in the pile…
Tips from the Pros: Donn Taylor
Good day from Sarah Sundin in northern California, where the fog is almost making it feel like winter. Today I have the privilege of interviewing Donn Taylor, a man with a diverse and impressive list of achievements. Donn led an infantry rifle platoon in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, holds a PhD, taught college-level English literature, writes poetry – oh, and he has two published novels. I told you it was impressive. Donn, how many books do you have published? What are a few of your latest titles? I’ve published two novels and one poetry book. The…
Little Things Mean A Lot
Hi, all – Ava Pennington here. Happy New Year, everyone! New year, new calendar. I love the potential of a brand new calendar, don’t you? All those pristine pages with their empty little boxes…well, they started out pristine when I unwrapped the cellophane. But they’re filling up quickly! As I look back on the past year, I had so many thoughts about how to market my book. I had planned certain tasks for six months before publication, three months before, the month before, the week of…you get the idea. Unfortunately, the calendar got away from me, and many of those…
My Book is in Print – What’s Next?
Hi, all – Ava Pennington here. I had planned to offer a greeting from warm and sunny Florida, but we’re in the middle of a cold spell (well, cold for us, anyway!). That’s okay, because the brisk weather just makes it feel all the more like Christmas! My last several blogs have been about the launch party for my first book, One Year Alone with God: 366 Devotions on the Names of God. Now that the book launch party was a success and my book has been available for two months, what’s next? Once the launch party ended, there was…
