by Sarah Hamaker, reluctant marketer Marketing takes time, and for us writers, that’s usually time away from our writing. With marketing a necessary part of our writing business, we need to ensure we are marketing smart and not spinning our wheels on things that don’t generate results. Here are the top 5 marketing mistakes that can waste our time and drain our creativity.
Tag: marketing
This is our archive pageAre You a Candidate for Niche marketing?
Marketing Ideas From Cheri Cowell Niche marketing is identifying and reaching out directly to groups of potential readers. It’s also about finding an angle in your book that is unique and attractive to a smaller market than the broad market of some books. So the question is–is your book a good candidate for niche marketing and if so how do you use this to your advantage? .
Before You Market
by Sarah Hamaker, reluctant marketer Do you consider yourself a writer? If you’re a CAN member, the answer had better be “yes!”
In Marketing, One Cut Leads to a Paste Somewhere
A few scenarios might have seemed frustrating, but easily turned to fodder for marketing My editor had me find and use a quote daily for a devotional and then changed it to scriptures I did tons of research for each day’s devotion for a historic nonfiction (Stories of Faith and Courage From the Home Front) and had folders of excess info Another editor cut content and had me add other content I realized each time that I had plenty of material for social networking. I had a whole database of historic dates I blogged about. I had quotes on my…
Marketing Versus Self-Promotion
Marketing Ideas From Cheri Cowell As Christians at this time of year we are particularly aware of the commercialization of the season. We look for ways to put “Christ back in Christmas.” Yet, when the decorations are put away for another year, many of us still struggle with the need to market as a Christian author and our desire to put Christ first with us second. As a new writer at a conference once said to me, “It all seems so self-promotional.” If this is you, here are a few thoughts that might help during this holy season and in…
Picture Perfect
Jesus used words pictures to carry His message so, to follow in His example, in today’s media culture, a photo is often “worth a thousand words”. Getting a great promo shot that captures you and your brand can feel nearly impossible – especially if you have a shoestring budget. Here are a few tips for getting that W.I.N.N.I.N.G. photo: Wear what you LOVE- and what loves YOU: Test clothes ahead of time with simple snaps on your cell. You will soon see what colors, lines and fabrics look best on you. It is also helpful to know what mood or…
Wrestling the Dream-killer
Wrestling the Dream-killer Dianne Barker here, wondering…have you wrestled the dream-killer? Weariness and its family—exhaustion, fatigue, disillusionment—are experts at destroying dreams. Their persuasive whispers can talk us out of doing what we believe God called us to do. Authors battle weariness on many fronts. We begin a project with enthusiasm but time and trials slay our energy and our expectation. Who hasn’t felt searing pain when an editor slashed hope of publishing the manuscript we penned in heart’s blood? Who hasn’t stumbled under the weight of marketing demands? Who hasn’t declared, “I give up!” In such a place, questioning the worth…
Tips From the Pros: Billie Montgomery Cook
Kevin: Welcome fellow CAN author, Billie Montgomery Cook! Billie, it’s great to have you on our “show.” Tell our readers how you got involved in writing? Billie: I’ve always been interested in writing, at least the concept of it, because I’ve always been interested in reading. My 12th grade English teacher was the first to see something of a writer in me and seriously talk to me about it. I was a History major in college which demanded a lot of writing, and there was the time a History professor of mine used a great deal of a term paper that I had written…
Marketing mania? Think again
Linda J. White here, writing from Somerville, Virginia. I write mystery/suspense but to me, there’s not much more mysterious than marketing! I’m an introvert, like many writers, and the thought of self-promotion sends serial chills down my spine.
Marketing: Goodreads Giveaways
Authors with new books are always searching for ways to get the word out. Goodreads offers a simple giveaway program that requires very little, yet it spreads the word to many potential readers who may have been unaware of the author’s newest book or even of the author herself. Listing a Goodreads Giveaway Become a member of Goodreads. It is free and only takes a few minutes to complete the necessary forms online. Choose one for title for each giveaway. Decide how many copies of the title will be given. (The author is responsible for supplying the books and for mailing…
