For book/ebook authors, publishers, & self-publishers

Donna Marie Williams's Blog – November 2010 Archive (20)

How self-publishers can become sought after media experts

Goal: to become the media's go-to person in your area of expertise. Problem: in some circles, self-published books are not viewed as credible. Challenge: how can self-published authors position themselves in the media as experts?

To learn how to position yourself as a media expert, read this highly informative article at…

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Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 30, 2010 at 12:30pm — No Comments

To self-publish or not? That's the question!

Recently a writer asked, "Should I self-publish or should I seek a deal with an established publisher?"

Writing a book is the easy part. How will you publish it? With the variety of publishing options to choose from today, the decision is far from simple. Read this thought provoking article to help you sort through your options on… Continue

Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 29, 2010 at 3:30am — No Comments

Secret weapons of successful self-publishers

A hot topic on many online writing and publishing forums is whether or not to self-publish. The naysayers complain about lost money, poor quality, low sales, and the many other challenges that go with publishing your own book.

For the past few years I've provided editing, ghostwriting, and production management services to self-publishers. We've pretty much accepted that there always will be challenges. That's… Continue

Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 26, 2010 at 6:30am — No Comments

Black Friday for self-publishers

Might I humbly suggest a couple of different ways to spend your Black Friday?

1. Rather than spending hundreds or thousands of dollars the day after Thanksgiving, why not use at least a significant portion of that money to invest in your self-publishing project? Use it to publish your book. Hire a good editor or…

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Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 25, 2010 at 1:30pm — No Comments

How to fast track your author marketing platform in a reality tv world

Infamy and controversy sell today. If you're desperate to sell millions of books, here are 5 ways that will guarantee you financial success, but will you be able to sleep at night?

1. Release a sex tape. Kim Kardashian's sex tape launched an empire, and now the sisters' book, Kardashian Konfidential, is #40 on Amazon. Note: releasing a sex tape should not be confused with "sexy marketing," as I explain… Continue

Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 24, 2010 at 5:00am — No Comments

Published novelist forced to market like self-publisher

I met novelist Kenn Bivins at an online book marketing forum, where we talked about the challenges of marketing…

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Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 23, 2010 at 5:00am — No Comments

Jumpstart Monday // TRICK writer's procrastination

If you're battling writer's procrastination (in which writer's block may be lurking), you may be suffering from the alleged "Monday morning blues." Read this article for 2 powerful ways to trick the urge to dally and dawdle: TheCelebrityEditor.blogspot.com.

Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 22, 2010 at 6:14am — No Comments

How to jazz up your next book signing

The author book signing is a time honored marketing event used by publishers to promote authors and sell books, but I've never attended one that wasn't, well, boring. How many times have you attended a book signing that followed this formula: read-sign-go home. That's no fun.

For 4 ways to make your book signing more entertaining for fans, read this… Continue

Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 21, 2010 at 12:19pm — No Comments

Lessons in author branding from ANTM cycle 15

What can models teach celebrity authors (you!) who are about to step into the spotlight? Judge not for they can teach us mere mortals a lot.

In every cycle of America's Next Top Model, the models-in-training must endure a make-over. Hair is weaved, cut, and dyed. Why?…

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Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 19, 2010 at 11:25am — No Comments

Make a book trailer with great online tool

Who doesn't like a good movie trailer? The jury is still out on whether or not video book trailers (same as movie trailers) are effective, but why not give it a try. It surely couldn't hurt, and if your video is entertaining enough, it could go viral. That would be nice!

To read about making your own book trailer easily and for free (for 30 days, then you have to pay), and to view one that I, a low-tech person, made, read this article at… Continue

Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 19, 2010 at 1:10am — No Comments

Jay-Z book update: Gucci designed BOOK JACKET for Jay-Z

Writing stars, this is what I'm talking about. Remember the collections of Barack Obama fashions that paraded down runways during the 2008 election? Gucci has taken the concept to a whole 'nother level.…

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Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 17, 2010 at 9:30pm — No Comments

How sexy is your marketing campaign?

That I have to even ask the question suggests something is terribly wrong in bookdom.

Yesterday Edward Nawotka at…

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Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 17, 2010 at 5:30am — No Comments

Free blogging resources for unemployed writers (pt 1)

Many writers are using the daily discipline of blogging to develop content for the books they will self-publish one day. For unemployed writers, blogging is one of the best ways I know to keep writing, keep working.

The Information Age is tailor made for our kind of work. Where many writers have fallen short, however, is on the monetary side of the ledger. We must get…

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Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 16, 2010 at 5:21am — No Comments

Jumpstart Monday // DEFEAT writer's procrastination

The stress of not writing is worse than not writing! Have you ever had a panic attack because you weren't writing?

An article in Psychology Today offers 10 things you should know about procrast… Continue

Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 15, 2010 at 5:56am — 2 Comments

Promote your mission through self-publishing

I feel a connection to the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls. In a time of war, their mission was to preserve in writing their history and teachings for future generations. Self-publishing mission accomplished!

Read about promoting your mission through self-publishing at TheCelebrityEditor.blogspot.com.

Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 12, 2010 at 12:30pm — No Comments

A new way to think about author branding

Like matter, author marketing can exhibit both particle and wave properties, to loosely paraphrase a concept from quantum mechanics (and I mean loosely). Particles appear to be separate from one another, but that's not true. It's hard to see, but all particles are actually part of the greater whole, the wave.

To learn how you, writing star, are that wave read here:… Continue

Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 10, 2010 at 9:43am — No Comments

Self-publish your autobiography

Has your life been full of drama? Want to share the lessons you learned with others? Capture your life story by self-publishing your own autobiography. Read here for some things to think about: www.TheCelebrityEditor.blogspot.com.

Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 9, 2010 at 2:10pm — No Comments

7 steps to accurate proofreading

If you can raed tihs, 

 you're giong to hvae a tguoh job 

 pronfiog an entrie book.

I bet you can read the above sentence. It says, "If you can read this, you're going to have a tough…

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Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 9, 2010 at 2:02pm — No Comments

Developing a marketing mindset

Imagine the scene: A crazy friend of mine (let's call him Jody) says I'm too nice, too traditional about marketing my books. He has shamed me into being more bold, so I'm standing across the

street from Harpo Studios in Chicago with the ridiculous goal of getting on the Oprah show. I'm hoping to talk to a producer or cleaning lady about…

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Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 9, 2010 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Great online resources for self-publishers (pt. 1)

Never before in the history of the universe has there been such a time as this for self-publishers. The power to make and sell books is ours!

Reality check: yes, publishing has been democratized, but that means you've got a lot of work to do. The good news is that there are a ton of resources on the web to help you take your place among the self-publishing superstars. Read here:…

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Added by Donna Marie Williams on November 9, 2010 at 1:30pm — No Comments