Rewrite a book blurb
Book Marketing

Re-Write of a Book Blurb

Occasionally I like to re-write a book blurb because it’s leaving so much unsaid. When writing a non-fiction book blurb especially, we need to focus on the specific group of end readers and what problems they want solved. How does the material match those problems? How can their dreams be helped on track by these pearls of wisdom? Let’s see how it works in this example (re-write is below the original). ORIGINAL: “How to be a Six-Star Business” (2021) Share the stories, inspiration, and genius of 22 entrepreneurs from around the world who provide insights and action steps to go BEYOND the every day in your business. Discover the 3 pillars and 9 principles that will make your business 6 Star as you continually strive to do and be better connect your heart to your purpose and join the 6…
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Pay to Play Book Media and Marketing
Book Marketing

Steer Clear of Pay-to-Play Book Media

Indie author, you thought you were in the clear because you chose your own editors and designers and uploaded your books and didn’t get caught in hybrid or vanity publisher fees. Or maybe you did.Either way, there are more sharks waiting for you: it’s called Pay-to-Play Media and Marketing. Pay-to-play means hiring a company or individual to ‘guarantee’ your brand a mention in a publication, for a fee.There are all kinds: paid reviews, paid upfront (higher than $99) book awards, book fair stands, video trailers, ‘blog reviews’, pay-to-play magazine articles, book ad setup, and even high markups to place your book ad into Ingram’s magazines – which an author can tick a box to do themselves for US90 (not that non-US residents should). This last one was seen at a Balboa Press website.It may come to you sneakily, an email…
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Engage the world in book creation
Book Marketing

Engage the World in Your Book Creation to Engage an Audience

In the 1990s I went to see a band called TISM. This is Serious Mum is an anonymous, energetic rock band which riffs on social themes and is quite ‘out there’. Now what has this got to do with book creation and engaging an audience, you might ask?  (Engagement is key to creating a buzz pre-launch and post-launch.) Three things:Suburban and urban themes, real hypocrisy Energy Novel ideas – no idea is too out thereBring the energy to your Category of OneNow let’s bring that kind of vibe to these thoughts on trend waves and involving the world in your book creation. This is a radically different thing than writing a book you like and putting it up on Amazon KDP to hope for sales… la, la, la.You need to write in a category of one.Why do we need radical ideas…
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ramp up a personal brand with new AI tools
Book Marketing, Personal Branding

How to Ramp Up a Personal Brand with Canva’s New AI Tools

Why Canva? Well, 16 million paying subscribers and 150 million free monthly users believe it’s the tool that will make their content marketing sing. Some of us (like me) also use it to make workbooks, business cards, brochures or beautiful pitch decks.Canva can be used for anything visual, and that’s why it’s great for promoting books.I have already done plenty of mockups with my book cover in different variants. For my personal profile on Facebook, Magic Edit replaced a boring background with blue and gold balloons. It used to take hours in Photoshop to do what’s now done in a click or two.Now there are 10 more AI tools, some of which could be handy for authors:Magic Switch: Like Re-size on steroids, Switch converts your design into a range of formats with one click. For example, you could turn a slide…
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Marketing your Book Ultimate Guide
Book Marketing

Marketing Your Book: The Ultimate Guide

‍Why Book Marketing is Crucial for SuccessWriting a book is often a long labour that you’ve poured your heart and soul into, along with your trusted editor. But what good is a masterpiece if nobody knows about it? Along with planning, book marketing is the key to ensuring that your masterpiece reaches its intended audience and achieves the success it deserves.Effective book marketing and media planning are crucial, firstly because they help to generate awareness about your book. With so many books being published every day, standing out from the crowd is essential. You need tactics to make book readers curious about your book’s content.Secondly, book marketing helps to build your author brand. By promoting your book and connecting with your target audience directly, you establish yourself as a credible and trustworthy author. This can lead to a loyal fan…
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Brand Hub at Canva
Book Marketing, Personal Branding

Selling Personal Branding to a Sceptic

I often imagine a sceptical consultant, leaning on his metaphorical shovel, and asking, “I’ve already got a brand, why do I need a personal brand too?” The latest book, out soon, My Personal Brand covers much of this reasoning in detail, so here are the crib notes. (Incidentally, ‘sceptic’ is spelled with a ‘c’ in British English.) Click to view.Get 5 Tips to Get Unstuck as a Thought Leader – in printable format.A Personal Brand will carry more trust. While companies can build up trust in their brand over time, a personality-rich soloist can build trust faster, simply by showing their face to the camera. People like doing business with people, those they like. It has been shown that video content is the preferred format for viewing promotions, and Facebook Lives get 10X the engagement of other videos. Facebook Lives generally mean you…
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