Writing Fiction vs. Selling Fiction

Writing Fiction vs. Selling Fiction

In his comment on my previous marketing post, reader Misha Burnett draws an important delineation between writing fiction and selling fiction: And this is exactly why I gave up trying to write for money. It's a sales job, and I don't like sales. Having a fairly decent product line helps,…
June 7, 20175 Comments
Marketing Is Everything

Marketing Is Everything

Author Russell Newquist helpfully informs us of the difference between marketing and advertising while explaining why marketing is essential for authors. First of all, you have to understand that marketing and advertising are two separate but related things. Any business you run (and remember, selling your own books is a…
June 6, 201718 Comments
I’m Bullish on Amazon, and So Can You!

I’m Bullish on Amazon, and So Can You!

There have been rumblings in the small and indie publishing scene of late foretelling Amazon's imminent lapse into tyranny. "They're just too big!" goes the lament. "With no moral or economic checks on their operation, Amazon is sure to screw authors...somehow!" I've been publishing with Amazon for two years. I…
June 2, 20171 Comment
TANSTAAFL: Marketing Edition

TANSTAAFL: Marketing Edition

Author Russell Newquist highlights two vital principles that all authors must embrace: marketing is not optional, and you have to spend money to make money. But going into business for yourself means that you want to make money. And if you want to make money – real money – in…
June 1, 201711 Comments
Amazon Terrifies the Big 5

Amazon Terrifies the Big 5

A friend alerted me to an article published by Vox.com which purports to show that Amazon is an evil monopoly bent on destroying the publishing industry. I greatly enjoyed this story, and not just because it's rife with the usual Amazon zombie memes. Here, Vox.com take their butthurt over the fact…
May 25, 201711 Comments
Rolling Funnels into Buckets

Rolling Funnels into Buckets

Publishing consultant Michael Shatzkin notes that literary agents and big publishers aren't doing enough to help authors develop their digital platforms. A major difference between book publishing today and book publishing 25 years ago is the practical power of the author brand in marketing. Multi-book authors can not only build…
May 16, 20173 Comments

On the Books: Author Marketing

Dragon Award-winning author Nick Cole, author (and my Soul Cycle editor) L. Jagi Lamplighter Wright, and Geek Gab host Daddy Warpig convene with me to discuss author marketing strategies on this star-studded episode of On the Books. Do blog tours build buzz for a launch? Do podcasts sell books? Is…
May 11, 20173 Comments
MILO Inc.

MILO Inc.

Less than three months after his #1 Amazon best seller Dangerous was cancelled by Simon & Schuster, free speech advocate Milo Yiannopoulos has announced a bold plan to hasten the demise of the Big Five publishers while building a new platform for authors who never would have made it past the…
May 9, 2017
Fake Ebook News

Fake Ebook News

The Guardian reports the sensationalistic story that readers are abandoning eBooks and going back to print. But surprise, surprise: it's fake news. Sales of consumer ebooks plunged 17% to £204m last year, the lowest level since 2011 – the year the ebook craze took off as Jeff Bezos’ market-dominating Amazon Kindle…
May 2, 201717 Comments
A Winner’s Mindset

A Winner’s Mindset

Author Jon Mollison explains why he's optimistic about the future of the Pulp Revolution. Everybody I interact with in the Pulp Revolution has a winner's mindset.  They are relentlessly positive individuals who channel their energy into their work and into each other.   They don't just work alone, tossing stories…
April 7, 2017