Just seeing this. Thanks so much AWP for the promo!
Tag: indie authors
Indie Authors: Stop Giving Away Your Books for Free – Angela Ford
Check out this article by Angela Ford on giving away your books for free. I’ve never been comfortable giving away my books except to my ARC / Beta Readers so I find her perspective interesting. I would love to hear other’s opinion on it though and to be provided with more resources to support the article. The comment left on the post poses a good question too.
What about you? Do you think authors should give their books away for free? Why or why not?
“In the indie author community, there’s a false mindset you have to give your books away for free before people will be willing to purchase them. If the first book in your series is free, someone will pay $0.99, $2.99 and even $5.99 for your full priced books. In truth, I’ve been seeing the opposite effect and heard from indie authors who have had the same experience. Here are some examples…”
Click through to the ORIGINAL post HERE
New Page for Introduce Yourself Author Feature + How Guest Posting Can Help You Win
As we approach the end of the year, I am doing what I always do at this time. Revisit my pages, update them, move some things around and maybe change my theme. In doing so, I’ve compiled all the Introduce Yourself Interviews and stored them away on their own page. You can now easily access the author’s interview using the Introduce Yourself Author Interview page. If you are one of the featured authors, you can also easily access your feature if you need to copy and paste your link or share it.
As a reminder, I am still looking for authors interested in being interviewed by me on this page. When I took that extensive break the feature slowed down but I am now ready to start scheduling again. AND if I missed you, please resend your information to my email HERE.
Interviews are published every Monday (being it’s already Sunday afternoon here whether we have one tomorrow will depend on how early I get some questions in).
Here are some benefits of being featured on someone’s blog:
Whether you are guest blogging or being interviewed, promoted or featured, as a guest your work is introduced to a NEW audience. This gives people who have never heard of you or your books an opportunity to learn more about you, follow your blog and check out your social media pages.
I’ve heard it said that guest posting is FIVE TIMES GREATER than posting to your own blog. Now, I am not sure how accurate that is but I do know from experience that guest posting gives you the opportunity to connect with a new group of people and to share your expertise or skill. If you wrote a book, I believe you are an expert on the subject matter that you are writing or have written about. In fact, I believe we are all experts in some way. Everyone is a genius when we focus on our own individual gifts. We have all been given something special that others can learn from.
You could have been blogging for five years and promote your books the whole time only to find out, after posting to someone else blog, that few people knew you existed. That’s the power of networking. Being featured on someone’s blog is stepping outside the box. If you’ve been blogging longer than one year, chances are you are already comfortable with your own blog. If you want to continue this growth, step outside your comfort zone and introduce your books to a new audience. Why not start here? Whenever I publish an Introduce Yourself Feature, it always becomes the most viewed page on my site for that week and a few authors have even informed me that they have sold a book or two.
VISIT THE ORIGINAL POST HERE TO GET STARTED
and Remember, this feature is FREE.
Not interested in an interview but have books to promote? Just shoot me an email with your covers, links, bio, and release date. I’ll be happy to help you to spread the word!
Note: If you have any trouble with the email link or emailing me in general, use the contact page.
Yecheilyah (e-see-lee-yah) is an Author, Blogger, and Poet of nine published works including Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One), her latest novel available now on Amazon.com. Learn more by exploring Yecheilyah’s writing on this blog and her website at yecheilyahysrayl.com.
Self-Publishing: Don’t Forget to Set Up Your Amazon Author Central Page
UPDATED: The layout has changed since this post was last published in 2017. I am republishing this with instructions on using the new platform, which I have found more straightforward than the previous layout.
I read a ton of books written by Indie Authors. If I like a book, I am going to click on their name on Amazon.
What happens when I click on this name are two things:
- It will take me to the author’s page with a listing of all their books to date, along with their bio, videos and photos, blog updates, and website link. (Update: Amazon Author Central no longer includes the blog posts.)
Or..
- It will take me to a page on Amazon with a listing of that author’s book, along with a lot of other authors.
Authors, don’t forget to set up your Amazon Author Central Page. In this post, I show you how.
What is an Author Central Page?
Author Central is your author page on Amazon. If this is set up, readers can click on your name under your book as seen below…
And be taken to a page that looks like this….
Update: The page looks different now, but it still lists your books and other info as shown.
There’s an author photo, bio, display of all the books you have on Amazon next to your photo, and at the bottom. You can also add your blog feed to your page and videos.
Update: You can no longer add your blog feed.
Getting Started
First, go to https://authorcentral.amazon.com/ and sign in.
The layout of the page has changed. You used to see this page…
Now it looks like this…
And it is a lot easier to set up this way.
On this page, go to Edit Profile
It will take you to a page that looks like this.
Upload your photo here…
Add a bio here and media like photos and video
Now add your books…
Scroll back up and click on Books
It will take you to a page that looks like this. If you have books already added you should see them here.
If you have no books added, simply click on the Add a Book Button
And then search your book on Amazon by your Name, Title, or ISBN
Now go back to profile and click here to see your page on Amazon.
It should take you back to this page
Now test it. Go back to your page and click on your name.
If set up correctly, it should take you back to the page you just left.
Another thing that makes this cool is that your bio will also show up on the book page where readers have bought it. And once again, it is the opportunity for readers to follow you! It looks like this.
I hope this has helped someone!
Check out more Indie Author Basics Here.
Facebook Reviews
I am trying out different things so I don’t know how much it helps, but I’ll appreciate those who can assist.
If you’ve read any of my books or enjoy my blog, would you mind leaving a review on my Facebook page?
Here’s how:
Go to My Facebook Page at
https://www.facebook.com/literarykornerpublishing
Like the Page
(if you want)
Scroll down to where you see reviews. Rate and review.
- You can write a review based on books of mine you’ve read (so if you read and enjoyed Renaissance or Stella).
- You can write based on this blog (maybe you have a favorite segment, poetry, Black History Fun Facts, Throwback Jams, etc)
- You can review based on my Book Reviews.
Whatever it is about my writing / blog you like in general you can review based on that.
CAUTION.
You can comment on my pinned photo but that does not count as a review. Please leave your review under the review section for it to count.
Thanks so much for those of you who can help. I really appreciate it.
Goodnight to you.
Chat soon,
Peace
-EC
I Believe in Progress
I believe in progress. In recognizing and acknowledging your growth. In appreciating not just everything that you have but also everything you’ve endured to get to where you are. In process. In stopping to consider where you are, not just where you are trying to go. In gratitude and contentment. In looking back only to be reminded of where you’ve come from. To see the lessons and to teach them and to inspire. To never forget where you came from. Your roots. Your experiences. Everything that made you who you are today. Everything that built you. You are not just the positive. You are the negative too. The struggle. The hustle. The grime. The beautiful and the broken. The good and the bad. You are balance. I regret nothing. There’s no reason to. I am not just made up of the good things. I’ve stolen. I’ve lied. I’ve been drunk. I’ve been hungry. I’ve been homeless. I’ve been hopeless. But I’ve also been happily married for seven years to a man I’ve been with ten years. I’ve also produced documentaries and taught women and children all over the world, hosted radio shows, performed poetry, taught grown women how to read, fed the homeless, helped felons to find jobs, and authored nine books and counting. I am not perfect, trust I have my days. Some are harder than others and I wonder how I’ll make it through but then, I believe in progress.
Yecheilyah (e-see-lee-yah) is an Author, Blogger, and Poet of nine published works including work in progress and short inspirational guide “Keep Yourself Full.” Learn more by exploring Yecheilyah’s writing on this blog and her website at yecheilyahysrayl.com.
Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One) is her latest novel and is available now on Amazon.com.
Introduce Yourself Returns
I am just about settled in which means that I will be getting back into the swing of things with reviews and promotions real soon. I still have a few things to do before I am back full time so I am still somewhat MIA this week, but I’d still like to get some interviews scheduled in time for November if possible.
If you are not familiar with my Introduce Yourself feature, here is a short breakdown. For more information, please do check out the first post HERE:
Introduce Yourself is a free promotional opportunity for new and established authors via an author interview on this blog. Unlike the same questions over and over again, authors have the opportunity to choose from 50 questions (SEE ORIGINAL POST) they would like to answer in the interview from writing and books to relationships, religion, and politics. But that’s not all.
To further set this feature apart, I do not just copy and paste your answers so be sure your answers are juicy and interesting! Once you have sent me your Q&A, I go over them to see if there is anything I want to add by way of commentary and you are given the chance to respond. We email back and forth until the interview sounds more authentic and real life (as if we are two friends sitting down for coffee) because that is at the core of what Introduce Yourself is all about. We want to get to know the real you. While your books and links will be promoted freely on this site, I ask that you use this opportunity to do less selling and more connecting with potential readers. This is what social media is all about.
If you are an author (Indie / Trad / Hybrid) and you’re looking for more exposure, CLICK THROUGH TO THE ORIGINAL POST HERE, choose your questions and email them to me at yecheilyah@yecheilyahysrayl.com. I will look over them, email you back so we can chit chat and then schedule your feature. All interviews are scheduled to go live the Monday of every week @ 12:00am Eastern Standard Time.
The PBS Blog 