Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission (at no extra charge to you).

I love when someone I follow shares their favorite tools and resources in a blog post or podcast episode. I nearly always discover something I can add to my arsenal.

Maybe I can offer you an “aha!” or two by sharing the favorite writing tools I use day in and day out, too.

A couple – like the mug warmer on my desk to the left of my keyboard – are things I use so much I take them for granted. Others are tools I use weekly, rather than daily.

But they’re all resources I’d panic without – every single one of them.

Category 1: Writing basics You’re Probably Using, Too

I’m a blogger, freelance writer, author, and book marketing resource creator. I wouldn’t be able to earn a living without the tools that are foundational to writing.

Click on the name of each resource to learn more.

Word for Windows

Do you write in Word, too?

This is so basic for me that I’m always (still) a little surprised when someone in an author group asks what software they should use to write their book.

I remind myself that not everybody has been pounding away on a keyboard since desktop computers – along with Word – entered the workplace.

I’m hearing good things about Scrivener for books, too. (If you use it, please tell me what you like about it in a comment below!)

WordPress

WordPress is the tool my website designer used to build my website. It’s particularly blogger friendly – I can create and format content for you without knowing anything about programming.

WordPress has a lot of competition, especially among small business owners like you and me (yes, authors are small business people). Even so, almost half of all websites are powered by WordPress.

It’s both powerful and easy to use. I’m sticking with it.

Category 2: Office Supplies

There’s nothing cool or whizbang about the products in this category that I use daily. But I’d be lost without them.

Mug warmer

I can’t write anything longer than an email without a cup of tea next to me.

This gem keeps it hot as long as there’s something in the cup.

Scholar Notes Organizer notebook

Big thanks to my bestie Marcia for introducing me this side-spiral notebook I use as my “big ideas” notebook.

I record product ideas, capture brainstorming notes, and track progress of products or programs I’m creating. I pay $1.25 for them at Dollar Tree, so check your local dollar store first.

Pilot G-2 07 roller pens

How do I love thee, blue G-2 roller pen? Enough that I bought a 14-pack at BJ’s for a great price.

Word flow is easy and smooth.

Category 3: Success Tools

These are my favorite time-saving, productivity-boosting tools.

Headline Studio

I use this headline-writing tool so much that the brand invited me to join its influencer team.

It’s both a WordPress plug-in and web-based tool that helps writers create effective, attention-getting headlines.

The first week I started using it to craft new headlines and rewrite older ones, my site users increased by 56% and time spent on the site increased 50%.

There’s both a free and premium version. I have a premium account; my influencer link lets you try it free for seven days.

Canva

The top graphic you see on this post? I created it with Canva.

I use this graphics resource almost daily for my weekly blog post images, social media graphics, and to create printable products that include worksheets (I’ll be introducing a printable bundle soon!).

Canva Pro, the premium version, has more options that reduce the amount of time I spend creating content. Still, if you don’t use Canva as much as I do, you can probably get what you need with a free account.

Depositphotos

There was a time when I spent hours scouring free photo sites for images for my blog posts and social media graphics.

But time is money. So I now pay for a Depositphotos image pack and get what I need in seconds.

Huge. Timesaver.

ConvertKit

ConvertKit, my email service provider, was designed for creators like us.

It’s powerful, yet easy to use, and technical support is excellent.

The brand also works hard to help its customers succeed. I recently participated in a free ConvertKit mastermind webinar where participants broke out into small groups to discuss their email marketing challenges. That time with people who are far more experienced than I am was invaluable.

What are your favorite writing tools?

I use other tools, too, such as QuickWrite as a writer’s assistant, and Qwoted to find experts to interview for articles assigned by clients, but not always daily or weekly.

Be sure to check the Resources page on this site for even more help solving problems we all share.

I’m curious about what you use and love, too.

What are your favorite writing tools or resources — from tangibles to software or even services? Please tell us about them in a comment!

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Associates links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a couple of pennies (at no extra charge to you).

I learned about Make a Big Impact With Your Book: Author Marketing Strategies for Long-Term Success by book marketer Melanie Herschorn on social media.

Without looking the book up on Amazon, I contacted the author for a review copy. The title told me that it’s a book you’ll want to know about. (I mean, if you’re reading a book marketing blog, you’re probably interested in long-term book marketing success.)

I didn’t even look at the Amazon description before I started reading the book. Again, the title was so broadly on-target with what most of my blog readers want to learn, that I didn’t think I needed to.

That was a mistake.

Note to self: Always read the book’s description

It’s why I was surprised when I saw in the third paragraph of the first page of text that the book is for “thought leaders” who have written a nonfiction book. That’s a pretty narrow focus.

Huh.

Only then did I pull the book up on Amazon.

The description clearly says,“Are you a nonfiction or children’s book author with a powerful message to share with the world? Do you dream of becoming a thought leader, increasing your book sales, and leaving a lasting impact on your readers?”

Whoops.

Stop now if you write fiction

The fact that it’s for a narrower audience than I expected is not a dealbreaker, of course. (But it does explain why my Kindle announced it was a one-hour read and the description noted the paperback version is just 115 pages.)

And really, so much of what works with nonfiction book marketing also applies to fiction.

Except not in this case – and that’s okay. Most of Make a Big Impact With Your Book won’t help novelists.

The key to long-term book marketing success

This book is built around the premise that its readers are mission-driven (yes, cynical me rolled her eyes while reading that chapter), and the advice focuses 100% on content marketing.

The Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

It adds that when you use content marketing, you aren’t pitching products or services – in this case, a book. Instead, you’re providing your target audience with relevant information that helps them in some way.

It’s an approach designed to build trust in the entity providing the useful content.

All good. This blog is an example of content marketing, so you know I appreciate the strategy’s value.

Repurpose your book’s content for long-term book marketing success

The author wisely advises readers to build their content marketing plan from their book’s content. She explains that you can use it to create:

• Blog posts
• White papers
• Podcasts
• Emails
• Social media posts
• Lead magnets
• Guest blog posts
• Articles for blogging platforms such as Medium and Substack
• Public speaking
• LinkedIn articles and newsletters
• Recorded videos
• Live videos
• Online summit presentations

(I’ll add one more to her list: tip sheets.)

This strategy is absolutely a smart timesaver.

Herschorn shares more “what” and “why” than “how,” though. She writes about what you need to do, but I felt like you’d need more instruction on how to do much of it.

Still, repurposing your book’s content into several different forms for marketing purposes is smart.

Will the book help children’s book authors?

Back to that book description I overlooked…it says it’s for children’s book authors.

Um, no.

The content marketing strategy might work for some children’s book authors, especially nonfiction books for older readers.

But there’s no question that it’s a book for people who have written nonfiction books they want to use as giant business cards to generate consulting and speaking gigs, among other opportunities.

The author illustrates her points with helpful anecdotes from client experiences, but only one of them is for a children’s book.

Children’s book authors might need more help connecting the dots than the book offers.

Should you buy this book?

Take these specifics into account before buying this book:

• I’ll admit that I feel like the title makes it a bit of a bait and switch. A more accurate title would be: Make a Big Impact with Your Nonfiction Book: Content Marketing Strategies for Long-Term Success.
• The author’s advice is solid. And some of it is universal for all authors — specifically, why you must get clear on your target audience and where you’ll find them online, and the importance of consistency in your marketing.
• Readers get a URL for several helpful worksheets and tips. That URL is repeated over and over and over. Including screenshots for those bonus resources plus information on how to use the worksheets would have added value to the book. (But I love a digital download!)
• If you believe the book will help you, get the Kindle version after you’ve accumulated a few digital credits from Amazon. At $9.99 for the equivalent of 100 print pages, I think it’s a tad over-priced. But it’s more affordable than the higher-than-I’d-expect print price.
• This book is a big lead magnet for the author. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Herschorn wrote this book to build credibility with the people her LinkedIn profile says are her ideal clients: law firm founders and million dollar business owners. She’s saying to them, “You can trust me to market your books.”

Regardless of Herschorn’s motive for writing Make a Big Impact With Your Book, it’s a useful, albeit limited, resource for nonfiction authors. Just don’t expect it to give you a complete blueprint. (Here’s a better book for that.)

What’s your best nonfiction book marketing tip? Please share it in a comment!

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Associates links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a couple of pennies (at no extra charge to you).

When Stephanie Chandler asked if I’d like a review copy of her new book for authors, I replied “Yes!” without even reading on to see what the book was about.

I’ve known, liked, and respected Stephanie, founder of the Nonfiction Authors Association, for years. I’ve read a few of her earlier books and know her content is relevant, well-written, and loaded with specific how-tos.

I was even more interested when I learned the new book’s title is “The Nonfiction Book Marketing and Launch Plan: Build Your Audience and Sell More Books.”

It’s a time-saver for you … and for me

I wondered if this might be a book I would write if I finally made the time to do it. I hoped it was, because it’s so much easier to recommend someone else’s excellent resource than it is to create your own, right?

Not surprisingly, this information-packed guide and workbook printed in an 8.5 by 11-inch format is everything I hoped it would be … and more.

(Feel free to skip the rest of the review and buy this workbook now.)

What’s “The Nonfiction Book Marketing and Launch Plan” about?

Part training manual, part workbook, this 243-page resource instructs you to:

• Acknowledge and accept the authority you gain from authoring a nonfiction book.
• Own that authority.
• Leverage that authority in ways that help sell books.

Stephanie uses the word “influencer” rather than “authority” or “expert.” I prefer “authority.” I encourage you to read Chapter 1, “Become an Influencer in Your Field” with the word “authority” in mind instead.

Why? Because in today’s lexicon, “influencer” and “influencer marketing” don’t necessarily have anything to do with knowledge or expertise.

When people hear “influencer,” they think of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube stars. You can be a social media influencer simply because of your personal style, celebrity parent, or physique.

But if you’ve written a book on a subject, you’re an authority. A subject matter expert. You know what you’re talking about.

“The Nonfiction Book Marketing and Launch Plan” does a masterful job of showing how to make the most of your position of authority to promote your book.

Use these features to launch your nonfiction book

Stephanie combines three features to educate and prompt action:

• Instructional content
• Exercises with accompanying worksheets
• Checklists

You can write on the worksheets in the print book, but if you’d rather not – or if you’ve purchased the e-book – use the downloadable worksheets and checklists available at a URL provided in the book (email address required).

The instructional content addresses most tactics you’ll need to make your nonfiction book a success, from creating an effective website to pursuing podcast interviews and from public speaking to snagging publicity.

The chapter on author and book websites is outstanding. You might buy the book just for that information if you haven’t created your website yet or are looking to improve an existing site.

Blurbers and beta readers

I love the attention Stephanie gives to securing pre-publication blurbs – endorsements and testimonials – that validate and praise your content. Too many authors skip this step.

She focuses on securing them from other authors. I encourage you to look to other people who influence your target audience, too. I’ve had success with that approach for my books.

I wish the book offered more of a distinction between beta readers and launch team members, too. Beta readers provide early feedback on content. Launch team (also known as street team) members help promote the book when it’s published.

Some beta readers might join the launch team, but you’ll want to recruit non-beta readers to your launch or street team, too.

Buy this book, but don’t let it overwhelm you

You need this book. Get it here.

But … keep in mind that any time you find a resource as comprehensive as this one, you risk overwhelm. (The table of contents alone is seven pages.)

So, take your time with it.

You might already know some of what’s in there. Skip those sections. Jump to what’s new to you.

As you learn and complete the exercises, remember that you’re an authority. You’re an expert. You know more than the average person about your book’s topic.

Let “I’m an authority on this subject” be your mindset as you select the tactics you’ll incorporate into your book marketing plan.

And be sure to download my free Book Marketing Plan Template. It will let you take all you’ve learned from “The Nonfiction Book Marketing and Launch Plan” and drop it into a simple, easy to follow template. Use it as your blueprint as you move forward.

When you want to learn how to do something, do you prefer to learn from a book or a course? Please tell us in a comment.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Associates links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a couple of pennies (at no extra charge to you).

A compelling book description is such an important book marketing building block that one of the first things I do when coaching a novelist is read their book description.

I can tell quickly if it works or not. I’m able to offer high-level feedback on why it doesn’t – maybe the writing itself is weak or awkward.

Perhaps it doesn’t tell me enough to interest me. More commonly, though, it tells me too much.

What I haven’t been able to do, though, is offer specific feedback on how to improve it.

This book has completely changed that.

The missing link for writing book descriptions that work

Authored by Phoebe Ravencraft, editor-in-chief of book description company Best Page Forward, “Fiction Blurbs The Best Page Forward Way: The Step-by-Step Guide to Win over Readers, Sell More Books, and Market Like a Pro,”* offers specific, detailed instructions for writing a book description that will turn book browsers into book buyers.

Now I can say to a book marketing coaching client:

• “It doesn’t tell me what’s as stake.”
• “The main character has no agency.”
• “You need to bridge from the first paragraph to the second.”

And that’s just for starters.

Sentence-by-sentence breakdown of fiction descriptions that sell

Those of you who have been reading my articles here for a while know that I’m big on how-to information. I know how frustrating it is to be told it’s important that you take a specific action without also having instructions on how to do it.

Ravencraft seems to share that approach. She deconstructs book descriptions at the sentence level so you understand the role each sentence in your description must play. (One related tip from the book: Never use “must” in your description.)

Before and after examples illustrate concepts in ways that underscore what you’ll learn.

What’s covered in the book

I see Ravencraft’s book as a course on how to write fiction descriptions that sell. In this affordable but powerful guide, you’ll learn:

• The elements of a fiction, memoir, or narrative nonfiction book description that sells
• Why those elements are important
• How to write those elements
• Specific words that will make your descriptions more appealing to readers
• How to pull it all together

Every chapter ends with a homework assignment involving books and movies you know well.

Do the homework. It will give you the practice needed to create a book description or improve one you’ve written already.

If you start to get overwhelmed while reading, take a break. Set the book aside and come back to it later – but do come back. It’s important information.

Create a fiction descriptions that sell cheat sheet

I highly (highly!) recommend building on the minimalistic, bare-bones templates in the appendix to create your own cheat sheet.

I love cheat sheets – at-a-glance summaries of the most important details related to a topic. Because of that, as I read this book, I kept wanting to create one with tips for writing each book description element.

For example, under P1S1, the author’s shorthand for “paragraph 1, sentence 1,” I’d add some of her must-includes and must-avoids. Doing this will make an already valuable resource more useful, not only for the description you’re writing now, but for those to come, too.

I don’t write fiction so that’s pointless for me, but it will be a useful exercise for you.

Buy this book

If you’re a self-published novelist, buy “Fiction Blurbs The Best Page Forward Way: The Step-by-Step Guide to Win over Readers, Sell More Books, and Market Like a Pro.”

If you’re a traditionally published author, I want you to buy this book, too. It will help reassure you that your publisher’s description does its job. If it doesn’t, it will give you the tools you need to provide constructive feedback.

*While traditional publishers (and this blog) define “blurb” as an endorsement or testimonial, the author uses it to mean “book description.” This is common usage.

What’s your best top for writing a book description that sells? Please tell us in a comment.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Associate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a couple of pennies (at no extra charge to you).

Penny Sansevieri has created the book marketing guide that I wish I had the time to write.

This is good news for me — I can stop feeling guilty about not writing my own guide. It’s even better news for you. Penny’s From Book to Best Seller: The Savvy Author’s Guide to Book Promotion, Smart Branding, and Longterm Success will take your book to the next level.

Note that this is not a “book marketing basics” book, though. As Penny writes in the introduction, “If you want some basic book marketing ideas, From Book to Best Seller isn’t for you. But if you’re ready to up level your marketing, then you’ve come to the right place.”

So who is Penny Sansevieri?

What you need to know about the author

I continually refer authors to veteran book publicist Penny Sansevieri, founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., because Penny is very good at what she does.

She’s more than competent, though. Penny is an innovator who tests, measures, and tests some more before bringing new book promotion ideas to her clients.

Just one example: When I ran into Penny at a conference several years ago, she showed me the new book character trading cards she created to help promote a client’s novel. They were colorful, fun, and unique. They were popular, too.

From Book to Best Seller highlights

Penny has written the most comprehensive, here’s-how-to-do-it guide for next-level book marketing that I’ve seen. Here are a few highlights, starting with the table of contents.

How many nonfiction tables of content have you seen with nonspecific and uninspired chapter titles? Nothing turns me off quicker.

Chapter titles within the three parts of From Book to Best Seller include “Key Ways to Make Sure Your Website is Helping You Sell More Books” and “Being Obsessed With Your Reader Will Help You Sell More Books.” Each is loaded with what you need to know and instruction on how to use it or take action.

Here are just a handful of the specifics in this book marketing guide that resonated with me on your behalf:

• Social media engagement is more important than the number of followers; you’ll learn best practices for generating that engagement.
• If you read nothing else, read the website chapter mentioned above, and take note of how you need a goal for your site.
• While many authors say they need to find more readers, Penny points out that authors don’t find readers – readers find books. Your goal is to get your book discovered by the right readers.
• Authors need super fans. How do you create super fans? It starts with a book that’s so good that people rave about and recommend it.
• Will book clubs be interested in your book? Learn how to make that happen.
• The chapter on bookstagrammers will help those struggling with Instagram figure out how to make things happen there.
• Need video ideas? They’re here, near the end of the book.
• The “Bonus Resources” offered at the end of the book are a good example of how to use your book to get email subscribers. I hope they inspire you.

Buy this book marketing guide, but pace yourself

There’s potential for overwhelm because of the volume of information and the level of detail. That’s a good thing, though. Just pace yourself.

But, please, please, don’t skip to the topic that interests you the most before reading all of Part One: Setting the Stage for Success. Without that information, the material in Parts Two and Three are almost useless.

I highly recommend From Book to Best Seller: The Savvy Author’s Guide to Book Promotion, Smart Branding, and Longterm Success. Whether your sales are lackluster or you’re just ready to move to the next level, you’ll find what you need in this book.

Have you read From Book to Best Seller? What did you think about it? Please tell us in a comment.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission (at no extra charge to you).

You’ve probably heard lots of chatter about artificial intelligence (AI) writing tools recently. ChatGPT from OpenAI is getting the most attention, and not all of it is good.

Users have documented problems that include capacity issues (you can’t always use it when you need to) and inaccurate information. Inaccuracy isn’t unique to this resource, though – it’s something to watch out for with all AI tools.

People are also concerned about bias picked up from information fed into the system and copyright issues.

QuickWrite and copyright

As a writer, I worry about copyright violations, too. So, before I started using and recommending QuickWrite, an AI tool created specifically for authors, I asked C.J. McDaniel, the tool’s creator, about copyright and plagiarism issues.

Here’s what he told me:

“First, the content being generated is original, and the algorithms & AI do not copy information. They generate responses to your queries. Our AI engine has been trained on billions of words of content to give it its wealth of context and knowledge and to train it in how humans communicate. So the information you receive back will be original to you; even if someone else gave it the exact same information, they would still get different results.

“But taking that a step further, some of the things you can do to make sure that someone else doesn’t have the same content are the things that I believe we authors already naturally do. This includes things like making sure we give it original commands and then do edits or add expertise, knowledge, or creativity to further flesh out what is given.

“QuickWrite comes up super clean on all the plagiarism checkers we have tested and anything we have seen is always common phrases that authors would use anyway. On our plagiarism checks, we haven’t seen anything come even close to that 25% duplicate content that Google uses as its standard for duplicate content.”

My QuickWrite review starts with firsthand experience

With my copyright question out of the way, I first used QuickWrite to help me write a blog post on how to use YouTube for book marketing. Here’s the process I followed:

1. I asked it to generate book marketing blog post topics.
2. After making a selection, I asked it to outline the article.
3. I then asked it to write each section of the outline, one section at a time (because that’s how the tool works).
4. As I worked, I copied and pasted each section into the text editing box until I had an AI-generated draft.

It would have taken me several hours to write that draft. QuickWrite produced it in about 15 minutes.

I spent time removing repetitious content, editing the text so it was more my style and less generic, and adding my stories and anecdotes.

But wow – this was a timesaver! That’s just one reason I wanted to write this QuickWrite review for you.

QuickWrite is a writer’s assistant

Think of QuickWrite as a writer’s assistant, not as a writer that replaces you. You wouldn’t use it to write a book (um, right?). But you can use it to brainstorm titles and character names, write book descriptions, and even write the email announcing your book.

via GIPHY

Artificial intelligence tools give you a starting point, not a finished product.

Completing an AI-developed project involves fact-checking nonfiction details, too. My bio is a good example of that. My QuickWrite-generated bio wasn’t accurate and neither was ChatGPT’s.

The lesson here? Write your own bio! (And do some fact-checking.)

QuickWrite was created for authors

The genius of QuickWrite is that C.J. McDaniel (the whiz behind MockupShots) created it specifically for authors. You won’t be tempted to waste time asking the software to solve math problems, write code, or find recipes.

And to make it as easy as possible to use, there are separate “task” sections for fiction and nonfiction and another for marketing-type writing.

You get access to all of it, making it especially useful to authors who write both fiction and nonfiction.

What can it do for you?

Save hours and hours of time with your creative process by using QuickWrite to:

• Develop well-rounded characters with backstories
• Master world-building that complements your storyline in seconds
• Get original scenarios that provide multiple options so you can create better stories
• Reduce research time with access to a vast pool of data and ideas for key elements and items for your book
• Craft a compelling email with the click of a button
• Create a nonfiction book title
• Write sales copy for your book with ease
• Create social media content for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn articles
• Generate genre-specific blog content you can use to get traffic to your website or blog
• Create images
• Translate text (but I haven’t tested this)

Watch our videos to see how it works

After using this for the first time late last year, I created a short demo video to show authors what it can do, and how easy it is to use. (Note that it’s not a QuickWrite review — it’s a how-to demonstration.)

There are demo videos on the product sales pages, too. They’re more in-depth than mine, so be sure to watch them. You can get to the fiction demo here and the nonfiction video here.

Speaking of videos, I’ve been able to figure out how to do most tasks, but when I’ve been stumped, I’ve turned to the training videos in my QuickWrite account. That instant help makes a difference

Authors love QuickWrite

I love this tool – but don’t take my word for it.

I’ve received several testimonials from authors who purchased it on my recommendation. One told me:

“One particularly good aspect I found is generating character names. It saves trawling phone directories or googling to find suitable names for characters, and it appears to do it for any country. As I get used to it, I’m sure I’ll find a lot more to assist me. Thanks for introducing me to this software.”

And here’s another:

“Just wanted to THANK YOU for this QuickWrite info….. I’m stunned at how fabulous it is… actually makes me giggle out loud at how fast AI can come with plots, descriptions, etc. that would have taken me hours. Maybe days. Or even NEVER have thought of! Brilliant.”

No waiting

I especially appreciate that I have unlimited access to the tool – there are no restrictions. I’ve had to wait to use ChatGPT a few times and while that’s not the biggest problem in my life, it makes a big difference for me to have my tools available when I need them.

And, while you can’t try it before buying, you get a 30-day, money-back guarantee. That means you risk nothing when you purchase and try it.

Get special pricing

To use most AI tools like this, you have to buy “credits” to generate content. With my QuickWrite affiliate link, though, you can get lifetime, unlimited access for a one-time fee of $197 until June 16.

On that date, the price with my affiliate link increases to $297, which is still a better deal than what you’ll pay without my link.

Anyone without an affililate link pays either $49.99/month or $497 for lifetime access.

Not for purists

Obviously, I’m an enthusiastic user. And my QuickWrite review is an honest one. It’s a good fit for me, but whether you can benefit from its power depends in part on how you like to create and write.

One author told me that she is a purist who would be uncomfortable using a tool like this as part of her creative process. Others appreciate its ability to do certain writerly tasks frees them up to be even more creative with their writing.

I’m old-school with certain things, too, but I’m also a fan of anything affordable that does a good job of saving me time. This is one of them.

Ask me questions about my QuickWrite review!

What have I missed in this QuickWrite review? If I haven’t answered all of your questions, please ask them here or in an email.  If I can’t answer them, I’ll turn to someone who can.

Which AI tools have you tried? Do you like them? Please tell us in a comment.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Associate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a couple of pennies (at no extra charge to you).

I never know if I should be relieved or disappointed when I read a book about book marketing that validates what I already know.

The validation is definitely reassuring. But, I do love when the hours I spend reading someone else’s take on the subject gives me a few major “ahas.”

In this case, the lack of new insights for me is because How to Sell Your Book Today: Focus Your Book Marketing for the New Economy by a colleague I met recently, Karen Hodges Miller, is a Book Marketing 101 kind of book. Nearly every author needs a resource like that.

Here’s my take on this book.

Don’t let the book’s description fool you

“How can you sell your book in today’s new world of social distancing?” reads the first sentence of the book’s description. That’s soon followed by “So how do you market your book when you can’t hold an in-person event of more than a few people? Go digital.”

Because of this, I expected How to Sell Your Book Today, published in 2021, to focus completely on online strategies and tactics. It doesn’t though, and that’s okay.

The book includes a fair amount of information on in-person tactics. It felt like Karen wrote the book pre-pandemic, then tweaked the title and description to make it more timely.

But because of that “selling books during the COVID lockdown” positioning, I was surprised that the section on book launches included more specific information for in-person events than for virtual launch events. I expected to read tips for creating an engaging Zoom book party, something authors struggle with even today.

The content is relevant even now, as in-person events have returned for many.

What I like most about the book

Chapter 3, “Marketing basics,” is excellent. Its “10 Things to Remember” list that includes “The day you stop marketing your book is the day it stops selling,” is exactly what authors need to hear. I was high-fiving Karen as I read that section.

Karen continually delivers the message that you need to zero in on a specific audience (it’s not “everybody”) and you need to be marketing constantly. We all need to be reminded of these things, and repeating it in the book is a good thing.

One of my favorite sections in the book is Chapter 6, The 100 Review Book Launch.

Definitely follow the recommended process with one exception. Karen says that to get 100 reviews, you have to contact 100 people.

Nope. To get 100 reviews with outreach versus receiving them organically from readers you don’t know, you’ll have to contact more like 1,000 people. You already know that 100% of 100 people you contact won’t read and review the book.

I also appreciate how Karen acknowledges that marketing fiction is just plain harder than marketing nonfiction. She gives novelists a little extra help in Chapter 13, “Marketing Fiction.”

There’s also more information on snagging book publicity than you’ll find in most books like this.

The author’s style is clear, direct, and helpful. She’s that friend who looks over your shoulder to make sure you stay on track and on task.

Where I disagree

Karen’s written a helpful book about book marketing basics. But writing an honest review for you requires that I point out advice I disagree with. (Please forgive me, Karen!)

Don’t add people you know to your newsletter list.

Should you announce your book to everyone in your contacts list? Absolutely. But, as suggested, should you “Start your newsletter list by going through your email contacts and adding their names to the list”? No, no, no.

via GIPHY

Sending a book announcement one or two times to your contacts is fine. But emailing them repeatedly without their permission – without them opting-in to your email list – is against FTC guidelines. You could be identified as a spammer.

Don’t hound friends and family to write reviews.

It’s a great way to piss them off. I don’t read science fiction, so pushing me hard to review your science fiction book won’t generate a meaningful review on Amazon or Goodreads.

Will it add to your review count at the top of your sales page? Sure.

Will it create friction in our relationship? You betcha. Is that your goal?

Do the work to find other reviewers instead.

Don’t tempt Amazon.

Also, counter to what the book states, your family can’t review your book. I mean, sure, they can physically write and post one. But it’s against Amazons terms of service and puts your Amazon account – and your book sales – at risk.

Amazon’s customer product reviews policy states that violations include, “A family member or employee of the seller posts a review of the seller’s product or a competitor’s product.”

I understand why Karen recommends this. She believes that it’s unlikely that Amazon will figure out who’s connected to you, so you can probably get away with it.

I, on the other hand, have never gotten away with anything. When taking food out of the dining hall was prohibited my freshman year of college, I tried to smuggle a sandwich out in my purse anyway.

I didn’t get away with it.

My penalty was embarrassment. Yours might be losing access to the retailer that sells more books than any other site online.

Buy the book for book marketing basics

If you’re new to book marketing, How to Sell Your Book Today will help you. It’s an excellent, thorough, overview. And, importantly, it’s not overwhelming.

I think you’ll like it.

This book will help even if you aren’t a new author, too. There are specific sections, including the information on getting reviews, that will help all authors.

If you get even just a few gems from How to Sell Your Book Today that you can use for your book, the value will be far, far more than the $3.99 e-book price.

What’s the best book you’ve read on any topic related to book marketing? Please tell us in a comment. 

What self-published author (including this one) doesn’t want to write more powerful and intriguing book descriptions?

With that in mind, I bought Brian Meek’s 2019 book, Mastering Amazon Descriptions: An Author’s Guide, to help both you and me.

Book descriptions are super important, so you really want to get yours right.

Will this book help you? Here’s what you need to know.

More powerful and intriguing book descriptions convert

Meeks, who writes both fiction and nonfiction, explains that a book description that resonates with readers will help you convert more “looks” to “buys.”

You see the value in that, of course, especially if you’re paying for advertising.

If you’re running Amazon ads, you’ll spend less to get people to buy when your description convinces them to do so. If you’re not advertising, you’re selling more books than you would with a lackluster description.

You’ll spend less to get people to buy when your description convinces them to do so.Click to tweet

Instruction is brief

The first few chapters explain the importance of a compelling description.

The true “here’s how to write more powerful and intriguing book descriptions” instruction is just a few pages long, starting with Chapter 4 and concluding at the end of Chapter 7. There isn’t a lot there, but there doesn’t need to be.

What’s in those few chapters is helpful. I would have liked to have seen a formula or template to go with it, but you can use what’s there to create your own.

Sample book descriptions and re-writes

The bulk of Mastering Amazon Descriptions is 40 before-and-after book descriptions. Meeks shares the original description, a short critique, and his re-write. “Read them all,” he advises, rather than flipping through to find those in your genre.

I read maybe the first 10, all for fiction. Then I started skimming to find nonfiction examples.

I found one.

One.

One nonfiction book description out of 40.

That doesn’t mean that nonfiction authors can’t learn from the instruction and the descriptions for novels – they can.

But it does mean that Meeks should include that detail in this book’s description because it’s important. If I bought this as a nonfiction author rather than as someone working to help authors identify helpful resources, I would have been disappointed. (And maybe even annoyed.)

Table of contents doesn’t help

Why didn’t I just check the table of contents to find the nonfiction examples, you ask?

I did.

But the chapters are numbered without titles. Not much help there, ya know?

And without chapter titles in the table of contents, you can’t identify the padding – and there’s a lot of it – without continuing to turn the page as you move through the book.

More fluff than a Rice Krispies treat

Speaking of fluff … I take notes when reading books I plan to review on this site. Here’s what I wrote for a couple of chapters:

• Chapter 29: Bizarre
• Chapter 37: What the what?
• Chapter 44: Huh?

I realized by the end of Chapter 29 that it was originally either a long Facebook group post or a blog post written while Meeks was attending an authors’ conference. It has nothing to do with writing compelling book descriptions.

Here’s a sample from the chapter: “To those who are not here in Las Vegas this week, we shall miss you.” It concludes with another sentence referencing “tonight.”

I think you can understand my confusion.

Skip those chapters.

Still, the fluff is obvious, which makes this book quite skimmable, in fact. You’ll see quickly which chapters are padding and which are relevant.

Kindle price is $9.99

I paid $9.99 for the Kindle version. That seems high for a book with so much filler text, but if it helps me sell more books, it will pay for itself.

For that price, though, I expected more tools and less random content.

And I’ll admit that sometimes I felt like I was being pranked. For example, right up front, Meeks tells us to copy and paste text promoting his book – and with his Amazon Associates link no less – into a Facebook post to see how many more likes we get than we usually do.

I mean, have people actually done that – recommended his book before they’ve even read it just because the author told them to?

Some might see that as clever … others might decide it’s insulting to the reader.

Do I recommend it?

Did I get $10 worth of value from this book?

I did.

Will you?

It will help, especially if you write fiction. You’re likely to see at least one before and after for your genre. If you’re like me, examples help provide clarity.

It will help nonfiction authors, too, but because there’s only one nonfiction example – and examples are the bulk of the book – it’s less useful to them.

This isn’t the wildly enthusiastic review I was hoping to write (especially because I laughed out loud during the first few pages). But I did learn from the book, and for that, I’m grateful.

What book would you like me to review next? Please tell us in a comment.

While one of my missions is to help authors see that there’s more to book marketing than social media, I realize that many (if not most) use it as their primary marketing tool.

So if you’re going to focus on social media, you might as well use it effectively, right?

With that in mind, I read Secrets to Selling Books on Social Media: Social Media Marketing for Writers – How to Get Readers to Buy Your Book by Bethany Atazadeh and Mandi Lynn. Both are novelists who also offer products and programs for writers.

It’s the fourth in their five-book Marketing for Authors series of short, how-to guides on important book marketing topics.

What you’ll learn about selling books on social media

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this book offers you a framework for social media activity.

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this book offers you a framework for social media activity.Click to tweet

You’ll learn a few essential marketing principles. One is why quality is more important than quantity with your social media connections. Another is why you must focus your social media time on where it will do the most good.

And, if you’re a nonfiction author, you’ll learn about why your audience needs to know, like, and trust you.

What I absolutely love about this book is its specificity with regards to what you should post and how to create that content. It includes:

• Three sales formulas you can use to create posts
• Templates for your postings
• Instructions for creating a content calendar

You’ll find the formulas, templates, and examples in the second half of the book so if you’re something of a social media power user already, you can skip right to that.

A few things to be aware of

Some of what’s in this book made me think, “Hmmmm….”

Selecting the right network for selling books on social media

The authors recommend that you put your effort into mastering and using a single social network. I’ve offered that same advice here and elsewhere many times.

In my course on how to figure out and find your target audience, you learn how to uncover details about your target audience. With that information, you use audience and social network demographics to determine which platforms they use. The course provides demographic information about  each network’s users.

This book mentions in passing that younger readers use Instagram and TikTok and aren’t on Facebook. But other than that, they don’t directly recommend comparing your reader’s characteristics with each social network’s users.

Instead, they recommend selecting the social network you’ll focus on based on what you enjoy doing.

That’s a big part of success, of course. You’ll spend more time on any platform that’s inherently easier for you to use. But if you head to TikTok because you love making videos, you won’t accomplish much for your books if your readers aren’t there.

You want to find the intersection between your skills and the platform most used by your readers.

Social media income

The authors suggest that authors who learn how to sell books using social media will earn more money than social media influencers.

Referring to authors as “entrepreneurs,” the book says that “Entrepreneurs have it slightly easier [than influencers], because the profit margin is naturally a lot larger than affiliate sales would be, since they’re the creator of the product.”

I’m not sure that logic applies to “entrepreneur” authors selling e-books, the least expensive book format.

In addition, the co-authors sell training programs and other products to writers. I think their work to build a following on social media among writers rather than readers skews things a bit.

Fact is, legitimate (vs. wannabe) Instagram influencers make money in a variety of ways that include sponsorships and affiliate marketing. A recent Wall Street Journal article features a 19-year-old college student who earns as much as $30,000 a month as a TikTok influencer, thanks to brand sponsorships and TikTok’s Creator Fund.

BusinessInsider reports that one Instagram influencer with more than one million followers charges $1,000 for a sponsored story. Another “micro influencer” with a smaller audience earns $100 for the same.

How many books would you have to sell to earn $1,000 in royalties from an Instagram story? Or $100 worth? And will you earn that much from most of your stories?

Sure, some social media influencers earn next to nothing. You can say that about lots of authors, too.

The personal touch

This book offers excellent guidance on how to craft a social media post that will help you sell in a non-salesy way.

At the same time, I got the impression that the authors think you should be focused on selling 100% of the time.

Even when the selling is subtle, I don’t recommend that you sell in all of your posts. I think it works better when you fold in some slice-of-life content, too.

But if you do follow their advice, consider having two accounts for your chosen network – one for your author career and another for your personal life.

Your book is key

Secrets to Selling Books on Social Media doesn’t mention the elephant in the room, either – a book’s quality.

Their advice will help you write persuasive social media posts, but if readers are turned off by an amateurish cover or other flaws, you’ll struggle to sell books.

I recommend Secrets to Selling Books on Social Media

I realize I’ve covered several downsides to the book, but the upsides outweigh what I see as missing or flawed content.

I can’t think of a single author who wouldn’t appreciate the sales formulas, post templates, and sample posts. For those alone, I think this book is a great investment for your book marketing library.

I can’t think of a single author who wouldn’t appreciate the sales formulas, post templates, and sample posts. For those alone, I think this book is a great investment for your book marketing library.Click to tweet

Learn more about Secrets to Selling Books on Social Media: Social Media Marketing for Writers – How to Get Readers to Buy Your Book and the other books in the series on its Amazon sales page.

What’s your favorite book marketing book or course? Please tell us in a comment.

“Does anyone have a book publishing checklist?”

It’s a common question in author groups.

In the past, I might have recommended using Google to find one, but now I can recommend Andrea Schmidt‘s new book, Almost Done Writing: Now What? A Guided Workbook for Self-Publishing Authors (Nonfiction).

Take a deep breath

Recognizing that new authors might be overwhelmed by the self-publishing process, Andrea uses words, design, and typography to quietly and gently guide them through the process.

In fact, Andrea’s “voice” is one of this book’s best features. She’s not your cheerleader; she’s your encourager, quietly touching your shoulder or nudging you to take a break when you start to feel overwhelmed.

She's not your cheerleader; she's your encourager, quietly touching your shoulder or nudging you to take a break when you start to feel overwhelmed.Click to tweet

It’s like having the nicest person you know sitting next to you as you take on a new challenge.

More workbook than how-to book

Almost Done Writing: Now What? is a thin workbook that offers an overview of everything from cover design to front and back matter and launch teams.

“Overview” is the key word here, as this is not a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know to self-publish a nonfiction book. Instead, it presents a high-level look at most topics covered, often giving them just a paragraph or two.

Along the way, Andrea  leads you through exercises that will help you create a compelling cover and better understand your target audience, among other things.

And that’s as it should be, since this is a workbook rather than just a how-to book.

Highlights

From my perspective, Andrea’s thought-provoking exercises are the best part of the book. In fact, the book title exercises alone are worth the price.

From my perspective, Andrea's thought-provoking exercises are the best part of the book.Click to tweet

I also appreciate the various checklists, including those for the front and back book matter. (And oh-by-the-way, much of the content applies to fiction as well as nonfiction.)

Each exercise includes space for your answers or brainstorming. There are also plenty of lined pages for “notes” and, at the end, blank monthly calendars for planning and scheduling.

I’ll admit, though, that I was sometimes confused a couple of times about how Andrea organized the book’s content. More than once, I stopped and thought, “Why is this here, rather than there?”

I think that shows that my brain approaches things differently. I mention it only so that if your brain works like mine, you won’t let it slow you down, because it shouldn’t.

And just a head’s up on word choice: Andrea uses the term “advance reviews” for endorsements, testimonials, and blurbs. I think some authors will think “reader reviews” when they see “advance reviews” so I want to get ahead of any potential confusion now.

Buy the print format

If you’re interested in this book, I recommend buying the printed version.

Completing the exercises and activities within the book, rather than in a separate notebook, will make it more useful for you. It will help to have that record in one package to refer to as you move through the publishing process.

Think of Almost Done Writing: Now What? A Guided Workbook for Self-Publishing Authors (Nonfiction) as a friend leading you to the finish line. It will get you there.

Do you have a favorite book publishing or marketing book? Maybe I’ll review it here! Please tell us in a comment.