Tag Archives: author marketing

Canadian Author? Save a Few Bucks!

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by @AnnieDaylon 

shutterstock_110397353Are you a busy Canadian author looking to save a few dollars? Read on…

Recently, I came across a post about additional sources of income for Canadian Authors.*** It occurred to me that, with the loonie at a thirteen year low, Canadian authors might be not only seeking more revenue but also searching for ways to keep that revenue in their pockets. Here’s one possibility:

My husband, who teaches business strategies at BCIT, informed me that Canada Post has a Solutions for Small Business Program. Upon consulting the Google gods, I discovered that this program was free to join. Without knowing exactly how it could benefit me, I signed up and printed out my paper membership ID card.

The next day I set off for the post office to mail books (ten picture books and five novels) to winners of my two Goodreads Giveaways. I pulled my paper Solutions for Small Business ID from my wallet and asked if it would be of benefit.  Much to my delight, the clerk nodded and smiled.

How did the membership help? On the picture books, it did not help at all: they fit snugly into 8 X 10 manila envelopes and slid easily through the two centimetre wide mail slot. However, my ‘fat’ novels did not fit through that mail slot and had to be shipped as parcels. On those, I saved between two and three dollars… per book!

As promised, Canada Post delivered my ‘real’ card a few weeks later. I was surprised to discover that they sent me not just one copy, but five. I assume the reason behind that is that most small businesses have a few employees. (I’m sure I will use all five cards once I rocket to the top of Amazon lists and hire myself some staff. 🙂 )

I don’t know what other gems the Solutions for Small Business Program has in store for me, but it will be fun learning. Right now, I know that this program saves money on the cost of shipping.

A dollar saved is a dollar earned!

*** Additional $ources of Revenue for Canadian Authors  via  Indies Unlimited  written by Martin Crosbie, author of the amazing ” How I Sold 30 000 E-books on Amazon’s Kindle.”

I invite you to join my author journey: subscribe to blog or newsletter or both! The newsletter contains news about books, links to some blogs, and occasional fun facts about my beloved island of Newfoundland. To sign up, simply place the required information in the spaces provided on the right. Rest assured your email address will not be shared for any reason. 

My best to you, eNovel-Round-Logo

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Pick of the Twitter: May, 2015

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Pick of the Twitter 005

Looking for writing/marketing tips? Here are my Top Twitter picks for May, 2015:

  1. Recently, I watched, then tweeted about SHOWRUNNERS: THE ART OF RUNNING A TV SHOW  (Don’t usually include my own tweets here, but I was blown away by the amount of work these writers do! This show is available on Netflix and is well worth the watch!)

  2.  Wondering how to use Pinterest for author website? Check it out! via @BublishMe

  3.  Writing Different Genres? This is one of many Reasons to Use a Pen Name  by Danielle Hanna

  4. How To Make Your Book Stand Out In A Crowd by Kathleen Boucher via @shareholic @bkmkting

  5. 10 Ways to Promote Your Self-published Book [Infographic] by @chrisrobley via @bookbaby

  6. Chilliwack used book store parody video goes viral – Chilliwack Times  via @BlackPressMedia  @MargaretAtwood

  7. Book Marketing: How to Sign a Book  by Debbie Young @IndieAuthorALLI

  8. Steve Jobs: Do What You Love Motivational Video via @111publishing

  9. Pros And Cons Of Being An Indie Author by Joanna Penn @thecreativepenn

  10. Aspiring writers: Before worrying too much about networking/promo, FINISH WRITING YOUR BOOK by Debbie Ridpath Ohi @inkyelbows

  11. No, Not Anyone Can Write a Good Book  (Patricia Park on Becoming a Writer After Life in the Publishing Biz) via @GalleyCat

  12. James Patterson Gives Tips on How to Kill Off a Character  @GalleyCat

  13. 10 Book Marketing Tips from 2 authors, one traditionally & one indie published. @bkmkting

  14. 4 tips for writing children’s books by Alexa Elheart @bookbaby

  15. Spring Cleaning Your Blog in Ten Easy Steps by Allyn Lewis @allyn_lewis

  16. Want an Unforgettable Protagonist? Your Minor Characters Are the Secret  by @KMWeiland

 Many thanks to Tweeters and Bloggers alike!

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My best to you,
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Author Marketing Virtual Conference: One-Stop Shopping

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by @AnnieDaylon

Author Marketing Conference

Last week (Jan. 26 -30, 2015) I participated in the Author Marketing Live! Virtual Book Summit.

What is that, you may ask?

To quote Jim Kukral, founder of the Author Marketing Institute and creator of this marketing summit,  it is a “learning and networking event for new and experienced authors who want learn the best strategic ways to sell more books through innovate and proven book marketing.”


What was included in this event? Here is a sampling of the workshops:

  • Building Amazing Author Websites: the Absolute Necessities by Deborah Carney

  • Hit the Bestseller Lists with E-Book Pre-orders by Mark Coker

  • Path to a Best-Selling Book Launch: Multiple Books and Multiple Promotions by Joel Comm

  • Zombie Loyalists: Using Great Service to Create Rabid Fans by Peter Shankman

  • How to Quickly Write, Publish and Profit from a Book That Will Grow Your Business by Adam Witty

  • Thirteen Reasons Are Not As Successful an Author As You Should Be by Jim F. Kukral

  • Building a Non-Fiction Platform by Steve Scott.

 

Was this conference of value? Yes. Here are the advantages:

  • ONE- STOP SHOPPING. In the past, I acquired marketing information sporadically, from tweets and blogs and webinars and books. To me, a veteran of garage sales, this event was like discovering a street on which fifteen houses were holding sales simultaneously. (Love those spring and summer Saturday mornings when I can just park and shop.)

  • CONTENT. Not all of the information in all fifteen workshops applied directly to me. However, there was a smorgasbord here; in an era that demands more from authors in terms of marketing, virtual summits such as this can benefit all authors–indie, traditional, and hybrid.

  • CONVENIENCE. I have attended many brick and mortar conferences, all of which require physical presence at events in real time. The Author Marketing Summit allowed me the option of attending in real time or watching at my own convenience; in fact, these workshops will be available to me for a period of one year.

  • COST. I discovered a link to this Author Marketing Summit on Twitter (Thank you, Joanna Penn, @thecreativepenn) When I followed the link, the price had been reduced from $399 to $149. I typed in the discount coupon code given by Joanna and the cost plummeted to $99 U.S. That was it, the total cost. I acquired tons of information without incurring a mountain of expense (e.g. travel, meals, and accommodation costs.)

Thank you to Jim Kukral and all speakers at the Author Marketing Live Summit. Indeed a one-stop shopping extravaganza!

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My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue