Category: Author’s guide to book publicity

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Author's guide to book publicity

Social Media for Writers: A Complete Guide

In today’s age and time, social media has become an indispensable tool for writers to connect with their audience, build their brand, and promote their work. Whether you’re an aspiring author or a seasoned writer, harnessing the power of social media can significantly impact your writing journey in major ways than you can comprehend. Writers can leverage various social media platforms to maximize their online presence and reach a broader audience. Let’s find out how! 

1. Know Your Audience

Before diving into the world of social media, it’s crucial to understand your target audience, Identifying your readers’ demographics, interests, and preferences will help you tailor your content to resonate with them. Conduct surveys, engage in discussions, and analyze your book’s reviews to gain insights into your audience’s preferences. Understanding your readers will guide you in selecting the most suitable platforms for your social media presence.

2. Choose the Right Platforms

With an array of social media platforms available, it’s essential to focus your efforts on the ones most likely to yield results. Here are some popular platforms and their unique advantages:

Facebook: A versatile platform that allows you to create an author page, join writing groups, and share your blog posts or articles.

Twitter: Excellent for short and snappy updates, connecting with fellow writers, and participating in writing-related discussions using hashtags.

Instagram: Ideal for sharing visually engaging content like book covers, quotes, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into your writing process.

LinkedIn: A professional platform where you can connect with other writers, editors, and publishing professionals.

Pinterest: Great for showcasing visual inspiration boards related to your writing projects.

Remember, it’s better to excel on a few platforms than to be overwhelmed on many. Choose the ones that align with your writing style and resonate with your target audience.

3. Optimize Your Profiles

Consistency is key when it comes to branding. Use the same handle or username across all platforms to make it easier for readers to find and recognize you. Craft a compelling bio that highlights your writing niche, accomplishments, and personality. Use a professional profile picture, preferably a headshot, to establish a strong online presence.

4. Content is King

Create engaging and valuable content to capture your audience’s attention and keep them coming back for more. Here are some content ideas for writers:

Writing Tips: Share writing tips and advice that have helped you on your writing journey.

Behind the Scenes: Offer a glimpse into your writing process, research, and the journey of creating a book.

Quotes and Snippets: Share intriguing quotes or snippets from your books to pique readers’ interest.

Blogs and Articles: Write blogs or articles on writing-related topics or subjects that resonate with your audience.

Visual Content: Utilize images, infographics, and videos to convey your message creatively.

5. Engage with Your Audience

Social media is all about building relationships. Respond to comments, messages, and mentions promptly. Engage with your followers by asking questions, running polls, and encouraging discussions. The more you interact with your audience, the more invested they will become in your writing journey.

6. Consistency and Scheduling

To maintain an active and engaging presence on social media, consistency is vital. Create a content calendar and schedule posts in advance. This ensures you have a steady stream of content even during busy writing periods. Use social media management tools to schedule posts across different platforms efficiently.

7. Hashtags and Trends

Stay updated on writing-related hashtags and trends within the writing community. Hashtags can help increase your content’s visibility and connect you with like-minded writers and readers. Participate in writing challenges or online events to expand your network and gain exposure.

8. Cross-Promotion and Collaborations

Collaborate with other writers or writing-related businesses to cross-promote each other’s work. This can introduce your content to new audiences and create a sense of community within the writing sphere.

9. Track and Analyze Your Performance

Keep track of your social media efforts using platform analytics or third-party tools. Analyze which types of content perform best and resonate with your audience. This data will help you refine your social media strategy over time.

10. Balance Promotion and Connection

While it’s essential to promote your work, avoid being overly promotional. Focus on building genuine connections with your audience by sharing valuable content and engaging in meaningful conversations.

By harnessing the power of social media, writers can amplify their reach, build a loyal readership, and establish a strong personal brand. Social media success does not happen overnight, but with consistent effort and authentic engagement, your writing journey will undoubtedly flourish in the digital landscape. Happy writing and connecting!

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Author's guide to book publicity

Book Marketing Vs Publicity: Knowing the difference

One would think as an author, you’d know all the available strategies to get your book to your target audience, and of course the differences between each strategy applied and in extension, their impact. 

One of the age-long misconceptions among authors is the differences between book marketing and publicity- many still think they are the same thing, when they obviously aren’t. Knowing the difference between book marketing and publicity is a great tool to your arsenal of strategies as this will help you fully grasp its importance in your author’s journey and how to make the right approach for meeting your goals as an author and measuring its progress. 

Book marketing and publicity, of course, both have their unique benefits and if you’re wondering which is a better approach? Well, the answer to that complex question is equally complex. However, to help point you to the right direction on what possible strategy to follow, we have outlined three major differences between book marketing and publicity. 

WHAT IS BOOK MARKETING ?

There is a very thin line that differentiate the concept of book marketing and publicity. When a brief explanation of what they both mean, we hope this is a start to your discovery journey of how different both concepts are.

Book marketing is all activities carried out towards creating awareness of your book, employing all Successful Tips Towards Book Publicity: mostly in the book markets( online and offline). This is done to generate massive book sales. 

WHAT IS BOOK PUBLICITY ?

Book publicity on the other hand, is all the activities that are carried out in order to attract the right attention to your book. The goal for this is to connect with the right media channels to in order to offer more opportunities for earned media/editorial coverage. This could either be done by a publicist after signing a deal with the aid of your Literary Agents

CONTENT: 

  • Book Publicity: A gateway for author credibility 
  • Book marketing provides control

The most self-accomplishing moment for every author is having their book published and ready to go into the world. That is often considered a big deal, whether as a startup or a professional. That moment is often associated with anxiety as most authors are overwhelmed by all available strategies to put in place to achieve success with their book promotion. 

At this point, you should have at the back of your mind, when promoting your book, that while book marketing and book publicity-as a book promotion tool, may seem similar, they are not. Educating yourself on the differences between both types of book promotion, will make everything easier ( this includes budgeting, time frame, the energy put into promoting your book and the overall success of your book). 

Let’s dive into the two basic differences between book marketing and book publicity in hopes that this makes it easy to design your book promotion plan. 

Book Publicity: A Gateway For Author Credibility

As mentioned earlier, the goal for book publicity is to connect with the right and relevant media channels, by the publicists in order to secure earned editorial coverage on behalf of the author. 

Here, your publicist organizes book conferences, where they present the work of the author to an array of media channels, magazines, broadcast channels, newspaper channels and all available channels that gives publicity to the author and his work, which eventually leads to interviews, Q&A sessions, giving credibility to the author. 

Book publicity is mainly focused on the media appearance of an author in turn  driving more opportunities to the author. 

Book Marketing Provides Control

In a wide contrast to what book publicity is targeted at, book marketing focuses on the promotional activities that ensures that your book is available to as many bookstores as possible. This, unlike with book publicity, gives a higher level of control to the author. The author exercises his control over the book through various means; launching an author’s website, advertising on available social media platforms all of which are targeted at book sales.

One distinct advantage to all of these means of book promotion, is the provision of analytical means: conversion rates, analyzing click rates and thus by measuring these tools (paid and unpaid), you can evaluate and formalize your strategy. 

FINAL THOUGHT:

While the differences between book marketing and publicity is glaring, both mean well for the author. They are promotional tools done to drive visibility of the author and their work. 

Where book publicity relies on trends, and editorial coverage is dependent on the editorial calendar; book marketing relies on the sales statistics and of course, the consumer market, both are ultimately done to give an author a lead way in the competitive market. 

It is advisable that both promotional tools, be efficiently employed for maximum result. The book market grows large each day with the competition on a rise as well. Many authors are actively competing for the same market space as you are, thus, you’d need all the help of all the tools you can get. 

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Author's guide to book publicity Writing Series

Self-Publishing Vs Traditional Publishing: Pros and Cons

Just as it is with everything else, (writing or non-writing), there are pros and cons to self-publishing and traditional publishing, and it is paramount to go through them all and adequately make plan around them. These pros and cons serve as a guide to understanding which path best suits your needs and goals as an author. 

Having a book meet its targeted audience is the ultimate delight of every author-regardless of whatever else they seek to achieve as subsidiary. 

This post thoroughly goes over the pros of self-publishing and traditional publishing, highlighting all of its benefits, and as well their cons, to give a author a better grasp of the path to follow, in order to achieve their book success. 

CONTENT

  1. PROS OF SELF-PUBLISHING 
  • Creative control
  • Quicker Publications 
  • More Royalties 
  • Control over production right.
  1. PROS OF TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING 
  • No financial burden
  • More author exposure 
  • More recognition.
  1. PROS OF SELF-PUBLISHING 

Creative Control

As a self-published author, one of the many benefits you get to enjoy is the absolute control and involvement in all that concerns production and its processes. 

Self-published authors, although they get to work with other professionals in various departments (such as editing, book cover designs, marketing team, etc), the ultimate decision rests on your shoulders and all things work out exactly how you intend for them to.

 You get the privilege of exploring you creativity, not just with the book content, but also get to work with your team of professionals in deciding what book cover design best resonate with your genre and the message of your book. You get involved with professionals who understands your target audience and they work together to achieve your goals with little to no manipulations.

This is one of the many privileges traditionally published authors do not get to experience. As a traditionally published author, you get little say on matters regarding marketing and publications, and all the other factors that are involved in the book production. 

Professionals from various departments in the publishing houses get to run the show and you would have to consider all of their opinions. 

Quicker Publications

Going down the traditional route, you get to have the best hands on the job- which involves a team of professionals in the editing department, professional designer and as well the best marketing professionals. While this sounds like a dream come through for every author, the realization is that, a collaboration this big will likely take up more time than is intended. 

It can be time-consuming setting up meetings between these teams and also taking into consideration the fact that your book is certainly not all they get to work on, the possibility of your book fitting into their tight time schedule is also pretty slim. 

Publishing houses takes up hundreds of book titles to work on per year, thus, it is very possible your book gets little attention and you may have to wait for over a year before your book gets published. Such slow processes can greatly affect your publication timeline and the idea of it can be frustrating.

However, as a self-published author, your publication timeline solely depends on how quick you and your professional team gets to make decisions on your book. It is easier and simpler to schedule meetings and meet up to deadlines. 

More Royalties

This is one of the highest advantages enjoyed by self-published authors. Having to enjoy more royalty rate than traditionally published authors. 

Sadly, traditionally published authors get little percentage of royalties ( as little as 5%, in some cases, 20%, depending on various factors), which you get to split with your agent. 

The royalty percentages received depends on the format of your book; whether it is a hardcover or a paperback ( hard covers gets more percentages than paperbacks).

However, a satisfactory pros of self-publishing is the fact that you get to receive as high as 50-70% of your royalties. 

Control Over Production Rights. 

Another major pros to self-publishing is that you get to keep the production rights. Meaning you have the right to publish in whatever format. 

Traditionally published authors are made to sign up their production rights to the publishing houses. Meaning the publishing houses get to publish the manuscript in any format (either as an audiobook or film).

With traditional publishing, the outcome of this bargaining rests on the shoulders of your literary agents and how well they strike a good deal. 

Self-published authors don’t have to worry about such things as signing up production rights and can always independently sell subsidiary rights when the opportunity presents itself.

  1. PROS OF TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING 

No Financial Burden

This is a huge relief for authors as it can cost quite a lot to get a book published. Traditional published authors are essentially off the hook financially and do not have to worry about the financial risk involved. 

You not only get to enjoy the benefits of having experienced professionals on your job, but also you get to be free from all financial burden. Traditional published authors are not expected to pay for anything- not even for the services of the high demand professionals working on their book publication ( which covers editing, marketing, other technical issues, designs, etc). 

Unfortunately, one of the cons of self-publishing is that all financial risks and responsibility rests on your shoulders and of course you get to cover the cost of professionals that you hire to work with on your book production. 

More Author Exposure 

As an author, if you’re looking to get more exposure for your work and as an individual, you probably should go down the traditional publishing route as this promises to give just that. 

The mainstream exposure is one of the pros traditionally published authors gets to enjoy. It goes without saying that publishing houses has all the right connections and the budget to get you there.

Your book as a higher possibility of getting in bookstores and all the right media houses quicker than you can do so by yourself as a self-published author. 

You get more speaking engagements deals and more publicity with the backings of publishing houses. 

More Recognition 

With more publicity comes higher recognition. This pros sadly doesn’t get to be enjoyed by self-published authors-atleast not as much.

It is difficult for self-published authors to compete with traditional published authors in the aspect of literary recognitions and awards. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

It is a complex question asking which path is better, as they both have their benefits and disadvantages. However, these pros and cons provides a guideline in choosing which best suits your needs.

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Author's guide to book publicity Writing Series

Self-Publishing Vs Traditional Publishing


It is a common thought for every author as to whether to go down as a self-published author or to traditionally publish. It is more common than one would like to admit. After all, everyone wants a bigger share of the pie. While every author wants to enjoy the benefits of their ‘hard work’, they would rather avoid the responsibilities that come with it. Hence, looking the traditional way. 

Whether you take the path of a self-published author or you’d rather go down as a traditionally-published author, is entirely up to you. Everyone has a unique reason for the decisions they make. While some authors confidently know which they would rather be, a larger percentage still wonders which would be suitable for them.

In this article, we’d be addressing the larger pool of authors who still wonder if going the traditional publishing way is the better option to self-publishing. 

WHO IS A SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHOR?

Before diving fully into what best suits your needs, getting a firm grasp of both contexts gets the job half way done. 

Self published authors are authors who are in charge of their book production process, taking autonomy and risks of production. 

Just about anybody can self-publish, ranging from a long list of;

  • Start up authors 
  • Small Business owners
  • Doctors
  • Lawyers
  • Business coaches
  • Fitness coaches
  • Financial managers
  • Business executives 
  • Business consultant 

WHO IS A TRADITIONALLY-PUBLISHED AUTHOR 

Traditionally-published authors relinquish their production rights to publishing houses, who in turn take full responsibility for all production processes. 

With traditional-publishing, it is more complicated than it seems, while it sounds like a good idea to have someone carry the production burden, it is very difficult to get a good offer on publication by publishers. Getting a good publishing deal has little success rate as the pool is very competitive with thousands of authors vying for the same opportunity as you are.

With traditional-publishing, the list of people who can get traditional-publishing deals includes;

  • Famous celebrities 
  • High ranking officials 
  • Political leaders/individuals 
  • Professional authors with a large number of audience/readers 
  • Individuals with high connections 

KEY DIFFERENCE

The key difference between self-publishing and traditional-publishing is simply the level of control both parties have over the rights and production of their books. 

With self-publishing, the author covers the cost of production ( which includes the editing cost, book cover design, book marketing, etc), enabling them to have over 70% of the royalties. 

Although the answer to the question, “should I self-publish or not?” begs for a very complex answer (it is one of the most asked questions here at BookTraction), we have curated a list of questions that would help you determine what better suits your desires as an author. 

Below are some questions that are targeted at giving some clarity to the uncertainty of what path to follow as an author seeking to publish a book. 

  1. Can I Land a Book Publishing Deal? 

As stated above, it is VERY difficult to get a book deal that meets your satisfaction. The long list of other authors seeking to get the same deal as you are makes this road a difficult one to follow. 

However, if you believe you have a good chance of signing a satisfactory deal with publishing houses, and finding yourself a good literary agent, (https://tinyurl.com/Literary-agents)then go for it. You should give traditional-publishing a shot if you think your chances are high. If not, you probably should self-publish.

  1. What Is Your End Goal As An Author?

This is another factor that deeply affects your publishing decisions. With each author, the ultimate aim or motive differs. If you wish to ;

  1. Make Quick Money : You probably should look at traditional-publications as it has a high chance of meeting your needs. 
  2. Gain Status/Validation : Authors who seek validation should most certainly traditional-publish. The credibility of the publishing house will look good on your bio/portfolio. 
  3. Writing Freedom: if you’re an author who doesn’t like to be told what to do, then you should most certainly self-publish. Self-publication gives you the right to your work and manuscript. Giving you full control and freedom over your work and the changes to it. 
  4. Writing Creativity: If you love being creative with your piece, exploring with your words and ideas, self-publication should certainly be at the top of your list. This gives you the opportunity to be creative with your writing, with no external manipulations.
  5. Making Impacts: Do you love making an impact? If so, then you should self publish. 
  6. Lasting Wealth: this goes without saying that self-publishing will certainly guarantee you this. With the large percentage of royalties, you are on your way to making higher income. 

While we hope this was helpful in giving clarity and a nod towards the right direction in making your decisions, you shouldn’t forget to do what works best for you. 

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Author's guide to book publicity Writing Series

Ways To Ensure And Measure a Successful Book Launch

Launching a book

Launching a book comes with a great sense of satisfaction-even before the actual launch itself. The months leading up to it is one of the most exciting and anxious moments in the life of an author. After long months of sleeplessness, you finally have your book resting on your palms, ready for launch-the moment couldn’t get any more beautiful can it? Well, in as much as it is a self-fulfilling moment to have your book finally ready for take off into the world, it is equally as important to get it right. 

For most authors, writing a book comes with varying reasons, ranging from

  • Making revenues from actual book sales
  • Looking to land speaking engagements 
  • Wanting to impress 
  • Sharing knowledge 
  • Selling value to the reader 
  • To sell a course and win consulting contracts

The list could go on as every author has a reason unique to them as to why they embark upon publishing a book. But one thing that is very common among every author, is getting to launch their book-and getting it done right of course. 

WHAT IS A BOOK LAUNCH?

Book launches are all forms of activity done by an author to promote the release of a book. Activities created to market and create awareness of a book usually to initiate sales.

Research shows that most people don’t feel very comfortable giving their money out right away, no matter how much value you’re selling to them. Most readers need to be cajoled into knowing who you are and the value you offer. 

Launching a book is a very delicate process for an author because things could go badly pretty quickly. Whatever your end goal is, the success is determined by the success of your book launch. A great book launch is the door that leads you to your ultimate goal. 

Ensuring a successful book launch most times goes beyond just having actual book sales, it helps support the customer/reader relationships you wish to build. The importance of a successful book launch cannot be overemphasized as it gives you the support you need at every stage of your authors’ journey moving forward. 

Successful book launches for every author is the gateway for:

  • Creating the right media connections and author awareness 
  • It boosts your portfolio as an author 
  • Helps you build an engaging social media platform. 

In recent times, it has been proven that the value of book launches aren’t the sales they provide-well, not at first, but all of the other benefits to enjoy from the publicity of your book ( authors awareness included). 

There are various ways to ensure that your book launch measures the right success and value, here we will be looking at three most powerful ways to achieve that. 

  1. Launching On Amazon.

Amazon is a powerful medium to get the right publicity and to launch your book also. The Amazon reviews are valuable and immensely build up an author’s portfolio. Most authors make the mistake in believing that launching your book on Amazon and having reviews should equate to making immediate sales. This isn’t right. Whilst the sales do come later on, its first value of launching on Amazon is to help introduce your work to potential readers/buyers. 

To better reshape your thoughts, think of this medium as providing the right tools you need in building your reader’s infrastructure rather than looking to make actual book sales. Launching your book on Amazon helps you build your author’s portfolio, authors website, social media channels or even building your newsletter. It aids in giving you more credibility as an author. The more reviews you have on Amazon the better. 

  1. Secure Media Placements

This is one of the perks that comes with a successful book launch and also one way you can measure the value of your book launch. 

The media placement aids in building your reader’s infrastructure, just as it is with launching on Amazon, it doesn’t ultimately lead to massive book sales. However, the more media placements you secure the better. 

Whilst landing media placements after a book is published is good, what you do with the opportunities is what truly matters. The question on how you intend to leverage on the media placements should be your guide;

  • How to leverage on each media placement to land yourself new opportunities 
  • How to use media placements to build on your portfolio 
  • How to ultimately ensure sales through early media placements 
  1. Social Media 

The advent of social media has been proven to be of a huge advantage to authors. The possibility seems endless and it has once more proven to be an important tool towards launching a book and thereafter providing much value after the book launch. 

Social media is the perfect avenue to exploit building up the right momentum to your book launch. The more contents you add on your social media channels, the easier way you get to figure out what content your readers contents to and you get to leverage on that. 

Building up to your book launch, social media is the right tool for your book publicity. You get to give a snippet of your book through graphics with brief quotes from your book, this way you keep your readers engaged and also learn ways to introduce your book to your audience. 

The social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc) provide the right audience for pitching your book and ultimately book sales. 

Home » Writing Series » Author’s guide to book publicity
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Author's guide to book publicity

How To Identify The Target Audience For Your Book

Your target audience are you keys to a successful book sales

Targeting the right audience for your book can be quite the hassle, especially when you have no clue how to begin your search. It is a bigger disappointment when you know how much of an amazing writer you are, you have all of the creativity overflowing and the right words in check, but, if only you know just how to pinpoint your target audience.

Knowing how to target the right audience for your book will not only help a great deal in getting your books onto the hands of your readers( or e-readers), it will also help a great deal with your marketing process, especially if you’re looking to make money through your writing(https://tinyurl.com/Make-money-through-writing).

As a writer, one of the prewriting exercises that is proven helpful to your writing process is identifying the right audience for your book.

Oftentimes, authors make the mistake of embarking on ‘broad writing’, but that has never helped anyone as it would only get you lost in a maze of words. Writing for a specific audience gives your book a structure and clarity, not to mention the massive success rate added to your name.

While it is okay to write a book without an audience in mind or writing without a care in the world about who your target audience is, you absolutely should not expect the book to do so well. If you want to make good sales from your book, then you better buckle up and start hunting for your target audience. 

WHO IS AN AUDIENCE?

While it looks like a great idea for your book to be centered around the right audience, without the slightest clue who an audience is, you might as well be building castles in the cloud. Who is an audience and how do you identify your target audience?

An audience is a group of people with a shared problem, experience or goals. Narrowing down as an author, your target audience is a group of people with a shared problem that your book solves.

This article provides four simple ways to make your search easy. Knowing how frustrating it can get seeking out the right audience for your book, we have carefully curated simple steps to take to ensure your book finds its way to the right audience.

CONTENT 

  1. Create a Reader Persona
  2. Think Beyond Your Primary Target 
  3. Identify With Books Similar to Yours
  4. Take Advantage Of Social Media.
Your target audience is your first step to making book sales

Your target audience might be closer than you think, all you have to do is look. These steps will certainly help you get the ball rolling in your quest for identifying your target audience.

  1. CREATE A READER PERSONA

Having a vague idea of who your audience might be sadly won’t cut it this time. Having an exact description will make the job so much easier. When identifying who your audiences are, a detailed description of them largely solves the problem. This includes knowing the age, sex, marital status, location, interest, etc. Knowing the right details helps you structure your book to satisfy the needs of your audience instead of just taking a shot in guessing.

For example, if you set out to write a book on dealing with the effects of menopause, your book should be targeted around women in the ages of 40-60. Those are the people you reach out to when marketing your book. 

In achieving this fit, you need to create a reader persona as a case study. This simply means, thinking like your reader.  Placing yourself in the position of a reader will help you identify all the needed factors and information for your book and how to better reach out to the right audience.

Creating a reader persona greatly helps you figure out which community you should market your book to. It also provides the right structure to your book. Thinking like your reader places you in a position where you provide the right information needed to solve a problem as it serves as a guide in your research process.

  1. THINK BEYOND YOUR PRIMARY TARGET 

In identifying with your audience it is also vital to broaden one’s horizons. While it is great reaching out to the right people or audience that needs your book, you should have at the back of your mind the possibility of extensions. 

For example, if you are a writer who specializes in children books, while your target audience are the children who reads your book, you need to have at the back of your mind the possibilities of the parents, teachers, child therapists who will also source out your book to learn a thing or two from it. 

Thinking beyond the primary target is also very vital when identifying with your target audience, this helps gives room to more accommodations not just in the content of your book, but also enlarges your book coverage in terms of sales. So, you should not tick that off your list!

  1. IDENTIFY WITH BOOKS SIMILAR TO YOURS

Identifying with your target audience may be harder than you imagined, to avoid the headache, sometimes the easiest thing to do is to identify with books and authors similar to your yours! Having a niche comes in handy when identifying with the right audience, chances are, writers with similar niches just as you probably shares the same audience just as you do!

The saying ‘the riches is in the niches’ couldn’t be more well said when viewed in this context. If identifying with the right audience seems to be a bother, all you have to do with network with the authors with similar books or niche as yourself and you stand a high chance of identifying with your target audience along the way.

  1. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA 

This is an age where being a writer isn’t such a difficult road to embark on. The times we live in has provided just another tool to connect with authors as well as readers. When you think there’s no way in seeking out your audience for your book, you might be surprised what you find online via surveys.

For example, going on Facebook or Twitter to research on the interest rate of people likely to read your book will provide you with  a stepping stone to identifying with your readers. Or simply conducting an online search or survey will also be of great help. 

FINAL THOUGHT

Identifying with your target audience for your book via these steps will certainly make the job easier. However, if you’re a self published author, word of mouth is your best shot to connect with your audience.

You probably may not have enough resources to push your book to a good amount of your audience, however you can appeal to the readers already seeking out books similar to a niche like yours and if they love your book, they’ll certainly let the word out and you’ll be on your way to having a good sales coverage.

Your readers are out there, just keep looking!

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Author's guide to book publicity

5 Proofreading Tools To Keep Your Writing Mistake-free.

Tools to make your editing process easy.

Proofreading is fundamental to a writer’s editing process. Most writers often dismiss the importance of editing, which is very vital to your writing journey, because a clean and accurate text makes the reader’s experience extensively engaging and seamless. 

Editing itself serves a writer multiple purposes; it is done in order to fix writing mistakes, help clarify the writer’s message, help to meet up to a specific or desired word count, help shape a writer’s tone to fit its intended audience.

Being a good editor will immeasurably improve your writing skills overall, especially if you’re looking to make money from your writing. Proofreading is the very last final stage of editing a writer does, to ensure the work is absolutely free from grammatical errors and layout inconsistencies. 

Proofreading can seem a bit bothersome most times, because it is done just when your work is ready, the bulk of it can seem scary. However, you do not have to worry. In this article,we have carefully prepared some of the best proofreading software tools that can make your editing process easier and ultimately make your writing mistake-free. 

After spending hours writing a book, it isn’t nice not to give it the right editing it deserves, to ensure your work comes out clean and accurate, giving it the professional touch your readers will thank you for. Below are some strategically researched tools to help out in your editing process. 

CONTENT 

  1. Grammarly
  2. ProWritingAid
  3. Antidote 
  4. LanguageTool
  5. QuillBot.

Whether you are a professional writer or just a casual writer these tools are necessary to give your work a polished look. They are user-friendly and can be used by just anyone (including students).

  1. GRAMMARLY 
Grammarly is one of the best proofreading software tools

Grammarly is probably the best known web proofreading tool there is. It had a good run in 2022 and is still at the top of its game this year, 2023. This proofreading tool comes with a free plan that makes it all the more appealing to its users. It allows you to correct mistakes and also provides suggestions tailored to meet the user’s goals.

Grammarly is placed at the very top of the list when it comes to proofreading softwares because of the various features it offers, which includes;

  • An Ms Office add-on for windows 
  • A full service online app
  • Browser extensions 
  • Mobile apps. 

Most of all, this tool is beginner-friendly. Which means it is easy to use and understand without much complexity. 

  1. ProWritingAid 
ProWritingAid fits as one perfect proofreading tool

ProWritingAid is a proofreading tool that seems to be giving Grammarly a run for its money. It comes closely second to Grammarly due to its similarly accessible interface. With a free plan you can also get access to some basic proofreading features that make your editing process easy.

However, to get the best out of this tool you need to go premium. Its premium version sets its editing game apart from the rest. With premium you can get access to tips for a better story structure, spelling suggestions and the right vocabulary for an overall improved readability. 

ProWritingAid works on various interfaces like Google Docs, Chrome, Ms office, Scrivener and Desktop apps.

  1. ANTIDOTE 

This is one of the oldest proofreading software tools available in the market. With 25 years market experience up its sleeve, it goes without saying that this proofreading tool deserves an ample  amount of thought through the minds of writers looking to have a polished book/writing. Unfortunately, despite its many years of experience, Antidote doesn’t come close in comparison to Grammarly or ProWritingAid. 

Antidote is more suited for professional writing standards and academia. It does excellently well in its dictation of grammatical errors and typographical errors. It provides its users suggestions on vocabulary, writing styles and gender neutrality. Sadly, this tool doesn’t come with a free user plan. 

  1. LanguageTool

This proofreading tool is also user-friendly and it offers just as many features as Grammarly and ProWritingAid. This feature comes at half the price compared to the offers. LanguageTool proofreading tool offers its users just the right suggestions for basic writing. Sadly, its premium version doesn’t offer much features as expected and to many, it seems lacking in many areas. However, if you’re simply a casual writer, or a student, LanguageTool will get the job done just perfectly. 

  1. QuillBot 

QuillBot is another proofreading tool that gets the job done. It offers numerous benefits to its users which includes; paraphrasing, checking out for grammatical errors, citations, and also general summary. When it comes to proofreading, QuillBot comes to mind easily, due to its impeccable performance. Generally, QuillBot is a perfect pick for writers of all kinds. 

FINAL THOUGHT. 

Whichever tool you choose to edit with, will certainly give great results. Hopefully these tools are super helpful in making your proofreading process less difficult.  Ensure to give the right amount of time to your proofreading process as this plays a significant role in ensuring your book is nothing short of a professional standard.

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Author's guide to book publicity Writing Series

4 Successful Tips Towards Book Publicity: An Author’s Guide

CONTENTS:

  1. Build Online Relationships. 
  2. Keep Watch For Pitching Opportunities. 
  3. Leverage On Your KeyPoints.
  4. Prepare a Fire Pitch Template.

Though often overlooked, publicity is important. Sometimes being an author goes way beyond just putting pen to paper, or creating imaginative spark.

There’s alot of work to be done, if you want your book out there in the hands of millions of readers across the world and not just sitting on your shelf, gathering dust.

An author’s work is never complete if nobody has read your work, no matter how much of a creative you think you are. There’s no greater joy or accomplishment that beats having millions of people across the world reading your book. 

Whether you’re a self published author or you prefer having it the traditional publishing way, (through publishing agencies), there’s alot of work to be done in order to get your work out to the world,(either as a hard copy or digital content), publicizing your book needs crucial and careful approaches and we’ve prepared a guide to make it easier. 

Believe it or not, the writing pool is very competitive, with so many creative minds fighting for the same spot and/or recognition.

There are a few things an author must do in order to set themselves uniquely apart from the rest. It takes more than just being good at writing to be a successful writer. The competition increases by the second, with every author around the globe pitching for the same print, or as with the rise of technology, pitching for the same digital space.

Below are a four(4) successful tips listed for every author who wishes to stand out amongst the crowd,and hoping to get the publicity and recognition from the right outlets,regardless of your genre.

  1. BUILD ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS

 As an author looking to getting your book publicized and noticed by the right outlets or journalists, then you better be ready to activate your stalker mode. Be ready to go high and above in getting your book noticed.

The best way to go about building online relationships is by making the right researches, going on social media platforms and seeking out journalists that writes articles, contents or reviews that are related to your book theme. Follow them on their professional social media accounts (on LinkedIn,Facebook, Instagram or Twitter). You have to be very active in their spaces, by liking their posts, commenting and sharing whenever they make a post.

This way you get easily noticed by them and it is will be easier to get their attention when you approach them for a coverage of your work.

  1. KEEP WATCH FOR PITCHING OPPORTUNITIES

This should come easily if you are active on the social media sites of the desired outlets or journalists you wish to cover your book.

As an active follower on their social media spaces, you should be watchful of whatever posts they make. Things you should look out for are :

  • Who are they interviewing? Who have they interviewed?
  • What topics were being covered in the interview session?
  • What topics do they frequently post about?
  • What kind of stories or books do they make a review on every week?

Keeping watch of these things will help you prepare cause you never know when an opportunity may arise for you to pitch an idea or two, and that might just be your big shot in getting the recognition or audience you seek.

  1. LEVERAGE ON YOUR KEY POINTS 

If you’re one of those authors who hardly ever take notes of their works, then you best be ready for some changes!

As an author outlining is very important and will prove useful in getting you prepared for your big publicity break. Your key notes is important because it will help you recognize the key points of your books.

Going through your work chapter by chapter will enable you recognize some of the vital concepts that your work addresses. Some of the the questions you should ask for yourself when seeking your relevant key points are;

  • What problems do I wish to address?
  • What solutions am i providing to each problem?
  • What can my readers learn from my book?
  • Is my book an educational piece? Am I looking to teach or inform my readers ?

With these vital questions asked, you should be able to derive just enough key points to help you prepare yourself as you watch out on social media spaces for the perfect pitch opportunity. 

  1. PREPARE A PITCH TEMPLATE 

Your pitch template should be absolute fire! A pitch is any form of presentation or communication aimed at persuasion.

As an author, you author’s pitch is any form of communication meant to persuade a journalist or a publishing agency towards covering your book, or seeking your expertise.

A pitch can come in different forms as it can be an email or even a letter you send, however, your pitch should be ready to go at whatever point and time. Each pitch should be updated to suit the different journalists or outlets you’re seeking to reach out to.

An author’s pitch should consist of the following;

  • A few lines about your book (The theme).
  • The publication date of your book. 
  • Key points and messages of your book.
  • Brief bio about you (The author).

As an author seeking to get your book published, it would be great if you have an author’s website created, containing all the information about you, (your brief background, social media handles, contacts details, call to action etc). 

Alas! When you do get to secure your desired publicity and coverage for your book, it is important that you make sure to share it on your social media, ensuring to tag the appropriate handles of the outlets or journalists covering your work. This will further help build your profile, build your connections and as well grow your network. 

We hope you find these tips helpful dear Author, as you begin the journey towards your book publicity, these tips will serve as the right guide in getting your name out to the world.