The Only List of Authorly Marketing Resources You'll Ever Need
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Resources are great. But the right resources can save you so much time. I'm often asked for all sorts of how-tos on social media, email marketing, author branding—you name it. For the last couple of months, I've been compiling them all into a nice list just for you. Because I love you.
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Favorite books on marketing/branding/publishing/writing:
Your Brand Is Calling by Mike Loomis (honestly, if you're building a business, just hire the man so that you don't waste time like I did. When I hired Mike, I had a 35% increase in profit . . . in one quarter.)
Your First 1,000 Copies by Tim Grahl (it's all about email marketing)
Making a Killing on Kindle by Michael Alvear
How I Sold 30,000 Books on Amazon's Kindle by Martin Crosbie (beginners, you'll want to read this one first)
Publishing 101 by Jane Friedman (if you have any interest in traditional publishing, this is the only book I recommend)
A Writer's Guide to Characterization by Victoria Lynn Schmidt (this changed everything for me in terms of archetypes)
Writing Deep Scenes by Martha Alderson (once I learned that there are actually four parts to a novel, it made outlining so much simpler)
The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman (ensure this is by your side when writing dialogue)
My blog posts on marketing:
5 Simple LinkedIn Tips for Authors
5 Email Marketing Tips for Authors
How to Build Relationships with Book Bloggers
5 Reasons Why Every Author Needs Instagram
18 Author Branding Upgrades to Make You Say YAAAS
20 Fresh Social Media Tips for Authors
How Paul Sohn Sold 1,000 Copies of His Book & Landed a Literary Agent
Helpful posts I always recommend:
Book Marketing:
7 Emails You Should Send Your Subscribers
50 Book Marketing Ideas Every Author Needs to Know
Book Marketing 101 by Jane Friedman
Marketing Your Book by Joanna Penn
7 Book Marketing Challenges and How to Overcome Them
33 Giveaway Ideas for Authors (Plus cheatsheet)
Mixtus Media — (Basically anything on this site is good. Tons of value and freebies!)
Positive Writer (Anything Bryan Hutchinson puts out truly motivates and inspires writers!)
The Book Designer (Joel Friedlander's freebie, 10 Things You Need to Know about Self-Publishing, is a must!)
Social Media Marketing:
The Truth about the Pinterest Craze and What It Actually Does for Your Blog
Tried and Tested Instagram Brand Promotion Strategies
Top 10 Instagram Resources to Bring Your Instagram Game to the Next Level (Buffer compiled their best posts just for you)
The Facebook Algorithm: What You Need to Know to Boost Organic Reach
Facebook Ads: The Complete, Always-Updated Guide
The Best Times for Tweets, Facebook Posts, Emails, and More
25 Ways to Promote Your Book with Instagram
Publishing:
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Price for Your Book
Interactive List of 100+ Book Promotion Sites & Free Submission Tool
How to Spot (and Avoid) Pay to Play Publishing Contracts
A List of Things NOT to Say in Your Query and Cover Letters
How a Great Amazon Book Description Can Help Authors Sell More Books
ISBNs: The Complete Lowdown for Indie Authors
17 Crucial Things Authors Forget to Do When Self-Publishing
Writing:
When You've Lost Your Passion for Writing
The Ultimate Guide to Building a Writing Habit That Sticks Like Superglue
How to Write from the Opposite Gender's Point of View
5 Ways to Keep Writing When Life Intervenes
7 Insanely Useful Books That Helped My Writing Career in Many Ways
Writing a Memoir? Avoid These Mistakes
21 Tips to Beat Writer's Block (Infographic)
60 Things for Your Characters to Do When They Talk or Think
What's Your Genre? A High-Level Overview for Writers
My favorite stock photo sites for social media:
https://www.sitebuilderreport.com/stock-up
https://www.canva.com — (Use for designing text on imagery for social media posts.)
Goodreads help:
8 Ways Authors Can Use Goodreads to Promote Their Books
The Ultimate Guide to Goodreads for Authors
Preparing Your Goodreads Marketing Timeline
The best authorly Facebook groups:
Constellation: Storyteller Network (fantasy/sci-fi)
Dark Writers Unite (horror)
An expert editor, seasoned writer, and author-centric marketer, Shayla Raquel works one-on-one with authors and business owners every day. Her blog posts have been featured on popular websites like The Book Designer and Positive Writer. She is the author of the Pre-Publishing Checklist and her novel-in-progress, The Suicide Tree. She lives in Oklahoma with her two dogs, Chanel and Wednesday.
