Say Cheese - Headshot Tips for Authors

Authors need a professional headshot. Selfies or photos taken with a cell phone are great for social media candids, but they shouldn’t be your primary image. Here are some tips that I’ve learned through the years.

• Invest in a professional photograph. Your writing is your business.

• Lighting and location are key.

• Make sure you’ve done your hair and makeup.

• Choose clothing that has a solid color and not busy or patterned prints.

• Choose jewelry you want to appear in the photos. Rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and others will show.

• Take several outfits with you if you are having a studio session.

• Outside shots are great, but be mindful of the wind and background photobombers.

• Choose a photographer who can touch up your photo digitally.

• Avoid using a photo where you’ve cropped out others. You can tell that you’re standing beside someone.

• Update your author photo regularly. I have been to author events where we were looking for the person in the photo, and it turned out to be from 20 years ago.

• You need quality photos that can be used on the web and in print. You should have copies of your photos in different sizes and pixel quality. (You don’t want to send an 8x10 or a 11x14 to a blogger or a reviewer.)

• Make sure that you have the rights to the photos and that you can use them in your promotion.

In a past life, my husband was a photographer, and he does great photos for me. But I do go to a studio for my headshots. The one that I use does hair and makeup before the session, and it’s always a fun afternoon.

Do You Know Where Your Posts Have Been? Basic Analytics for Authors

It’s Friday. Do you know where your posts have been or where they’ve been seen? Do you know who your target audience is? Your website and social media analytics can help you hone in the demographics of people who visit your sites.

Website - Your website should have an analytics tab or page. (Mine just came out with a mobile app that I can track the information on my phone.) You should be able to see things like what posts (blog) or pages are getting the most attention, what countries are visitors coming from, what days/time are most popular for viewing, and how are they getting to your site (e.g. browser search, from another social media site). This is all helpful information. . It shows you how they’re getting to you. This lets you know if promotion or advertising on a social media site is working (or not).

Facebook Business/Author Page - After your likes increase on your business page, Facebook gives you access to Insights. There is an overwhelming amount of information on this page. I monitor likes and performance of posts. It shows how many people liked, commented, or shared. This gives me an idea of what my readers are interested in or respond to.

If you drill down on the Posts link, you can see what time of day people visit your Facebook page. Pre-pandemic, I had a lot of after midnight visits from other parts of the world. Now during the stay-at-home orders, I have a lot of US visits during day hours.

Click on the People link to see demographic information on your visitors (e.g. gender, age, language, and country/city of origin). This gives you detailed information on who is visiting your page.

This information is helpful if you plan to boost your FB posts or purchase ads. It can help you target countries, days, and active times.

Twitter - Their analytics are buried under the More link. They show a dashboard of each month’s performance, and the information is updated daily. The current month’s numbers may look off if it is reporting on a partial month (meaning it’s only tracking days or weeks for the current month to date). Keep scrolling to see previous, completed months.

You can view your most popular tweet and most popular mention. There are totals for followers, tweets, and mentions. You can also see totals for impressions.. An impression is how many times a browser has showed your content (in this case, your tweet). This doesn’t track clicks or shares; just the number of times it was shown.

Other Tools - There are lots of apps you can use for free or buy for your computer or mobile device to track analytics on your social media pages. There are also plugins and Google Analytics that you can add to your website for additional visitor information.

It’s a good idea to track your posts and followings at least at a high level to ensure that all the hard work that you’re doing on your website, blog, and social media sites is reaching your intended audience. I wouldn’t get too hung up on likes and unfollows. They do tend to fluctuate daily and weekly.

Preparing for Your Next Book Launch

For each book launch, I pull together a giant spreadsheet of marketing ideas. The previous one always gives me a good place to start. I also build a calendar that shows three months before the launch date and three months after. This helps me keep track of deadlines and marketing items.

I’ve expanded my spreadsheet over the years. Here are the key areas that I’ve added:

Media Outlets: I send press releases to local radio, TV, newspapers, and magazines.

Online Announcements/Calendars: Many of the local TV channels and websites here offer free event calendars. When I have book events, I post them on these sites.

Bloggers and Podcasts: I keep a long list of mystery book bloggers. Their calendars fill up fast. You may want to reach out to them 3-6 months ahead of your launch.

Blog Tours: There are lots of companies that do blog tours and marketing events. I keep a list of my favorites. If there is a date that you’re interested in, you may want to get on their calendars early. (As soon as you post that you’re an author, you’ll get bombarded with offers to increase your followers and promote your books. Do your homework. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.)

Other Blogs: I keep a list of friends and favorite blogs who offer blog spots to authors. I reach out about 3 months ahead of time to see if they have availability. Many do interviews, and other ask for a guest blog post. I do author interviews here on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Message me if you’re interested. My calendar books up quickly. Right now, I have dates open for December and January.

Your Contacts: Make a list of all your contacts that will help you share your book information. Think about your book clubs, church, alumni associations, writing groups, neighborhood news, professional organizations, etc. This is a great way to spread the word.

Facebook Groups: I keep a list of FB groups. These are great places to post announcements/sales.

Hashtags: You can tell that I’m a list maker, right? I keep a list of hashtags by topics for Twitter and Instagram for promotional posts.

Book Clubs: Make a list of all the book groups/clubs that you visit with their contact information.

Libraries and Indie Bookstores: I send my contacts emails or a postcard when a new book releases.

What else would you add to my list?

Remember Staples's Easy Button? Authors Need One Too

Years back, Staples offered an Easy button, and I had a boss who used this as his mantra. Whatever the request, his directive was to make it easy for the user. Authors need an easy button. We are always asking for followers, subscribers to our newsletter, reviews, and blurbs. If you’re asking for something, make it streamlined for the person to comply.

Links: If you want someone to follow you or sign up for something, always provide the link. (And make sure it works.)

Blurbs: If you’re asking for a blurb, and the person agrees, provide your short biography and synopsis of the work, along with the ARC (Advanced Review Copy). It takes time to come up with quotes. It always helps if you provide all the information for the person.

Reviews: The same is true for reviews, provide all the links, biography, and synopsis to help make the process smoother.

Photo Sizing: Make sure to send the correct size photo/book cover. Keep a collection of your headshots/covers in different sizes. There is nothing worse than getting an 8x10 scanned photo for a blog post. I have to take time to resize it to fit a webpage. A high resolution print version is too big (dimensions and file size) for a web posting. The majority of people are viewing web content on a mobile device. Loading speed and proportionate graphics are important for optimal viewing.

Organize Your Requests: Put the “ask” (what you want) in the first paragraph. People get hundreds of emails a day, and they often skim. This is a basic rule of journalism. Put the most important facts first in case someone doesn’t read the whole document. Chunk similar information together and use paragraphs or formatting to create subtitles. Be specific if there is a deadline.

Keep Copies: If you send a request or provide something, keep a copy of it. You never know when there is an email hiccup, and you’re asked to resend. Make it easy on yourself.

I Need an Author Website. Where Do I Start?

Authors (Prepublished or Published) need a website. This is your home base. This is where readers, librarians, reporters, and bloggers find you.

When you go to create your site, research other authors in your genre and see how they present their brand. Look at layout, page content, and colors. Your look and feel defines your brand. It should match your writing style and your books. For example, you don’t want a sweet, romantic look if you write horror. Your content and design need to be neat and polished.

You should purchase a URL with your name. Some authors who use pennames have multiple sites, and others combine them into one. If you create multiples, make sure that you can maintain all of them.

You want guests on your website, blog, and social media sites to recognize you. The name should be the same (or similar), and the picture should look like you. If your photo is a flower, it’s hard for readers to make sure they have the right site.

Decide whether you are going to pay someone to design your page or create your artwork. It can be expensive. Make sure you have clear requirements and get estimates. Also make sure you understand what you’re paying for (e.g. just the site, site and maintenance, hosting, etc.) and when you’ll get it. There are also a lot of services out there that have build-your-own websites for different prices. I’ve used Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress. There are lots of how-to instructional videos on YouTube if you want details on a specific service.

You need to keep your website current and find ways to drive traffic to it. Your social media sites are great, but if you’re blocked or the company shuts down, you have no way of contacting your followers. Your website should work in conjunction with your email list and social media sites as part of your marketing strategy.

If you do not have a lot of published works, you may consider starting a blog on your site. This will give you fresh content and drive interested readers to your site. Blogs also let you showcase your interests or elements of your books (e.g. cooking tips, crafting, writing tips, book reviews, traveling, etc.). You should have a regular schedule for posting. Blogs can be a lot of work, but they can help you keep readers returning to your site.

Here’s what you need to get started:

1. Make sure that you have a professional headshot that you can use for your promotions and books. Selfies don’t look professional. Save those for casual candids in your social media posts.

2. Make a Press Kit or About You page. It needs your photo, contact method, and a short biography. Make sure you keep your biography current. Many website templates have forms that guests can fill out, and it will send you an email notification without publishing your email address or contact information on the website.

3. Make sure your social media links are on your site. Most webpage templates have an option to include them on every page.

4. If you have published books, make sure to include them. Some authors put their latest on the home page, and then create a book page that shows their books in order by series.

5. Most website templates have a feature that you can add to allow readers to subscribe to your newsletter. If you have an email list, you need to include this on your website. (When you configure the feature or widget, you’ll need to connect it to the site that contains your email list.) I use MailChimp.

6. Most websites allow you to have a tab or link to multiple pages. Make sure the links are in the order that you want them and that the labels are understandable to readers. You also want to keep the labels short. Many readers are accessing your site with a phone or mobile device.

7. When you’re done with your site, check it out on your laptop and mobile devices. Most website templates are mobile friendly and will adjust to fit the screen the person is using. You want to make sure that yours does since most users access websites with mobile devices that have smaller screens.

8. Test all of the links and forms on your site. Make sure they work. You don’t want to miss email subscriptions or contact requests, and broken links frustrate users.

9. Put your website URL and your social media links in your email signature. You never know who will be interested enough to check out your site.

There's So Much out There? Where Do I Start with My Author Platform?

Social media and book marketing can be overwhelming. There is a lot out there, and it takes time to build and maintain your sites and followers. When I got my first contract, I had no idea how much marketing and promotion were involved. Here’s my advice to new and sage authors:

1. Start small. Start with the sites that your readers are on. My primary sites are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But I do have accounts on Goodreads, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Bookbub, and Amazon.

2. Schedule some time daily to log on, post, share others’ posts, and build your followers. Readers like to interact with authors. All of your posts shouldn’t be “buy my book.”

3. Post photos of your hobbies, pets, or travel. Post comments or questions that give your followers a chance to interact. Post photos of you doing research or other activities.

4. When you mention or include photos of others, make sure to tag them in the post. You want people to like, comment, and share. If you attend a class, workshop, or conference, take a picture and tag the presenters.

5. There is scheduling software that you can use for Facebook author pages, Twitter, and Instagram. This helps me line up my plan for the week. I usually do my scheduling for the next week on one day.

6. Set up your social media sites and website before you are published. It takes some time to build an audience of followers.

7. Authors need to have a website with their unique URL. This is your brand and home base for your activities. There are lots of services out there where you can build your site from templates. (I’ve used Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress.) I like that I can update my site when I want. If your visitors see old or outdated content, they rarely come back. (If you’re not sure how to use services like this, check out YouTube. There are lots of good instructions.)

8. Make sure that your website and social media sites have the same look and feel. That means your color palettes and graphics look the same or similar. Make sure you have a professional headshot, so readers can identify you. Make sure your name is easily identifiable.

9. Find other authors in your genre and look at their sites. Do your colors and graphics match your writing style? I received some good feedback on my website from a publicist. (My first published story was in an anthology that had red and black on the cover, so I used those as my primary colors on my first website.) After my first novel came out, she said that my books are light and funny, and that I should stick to pastel colors.

10. Set small goals. Make sure you have interesting content to post regularly (or schedule). Then focus on one site each week to build your followers. Follow other authors in your genre and their followers. Make sure that you interact with posts and answer questions. Your numbers will grow organically as you participate more.

It takes a while to build your audience. The more you interact and post interesting things, the more you’ll see your numbers grow. It can be overwhelming, but working on your social media reach a little at a time will pay off. (I started off with three Twitter followers.)

Let’s Be Social:

Newsletter

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Goodreads

Amazon

Pinterest

LinkedIn

BookBub

YouTube

Book Promotions When You're Stuck Inside

We all have had to be resilient in 2020. All spring events were cancelled, and now a lot of summer and fall author conferences and workshops are being moved online. Authors need to be creative and think of ways to promote their work during quarantine or partial-reopenings. Here are some ideas…

1. Run a sale of one of your previous books. This will generate interest in your current book and your series. There are lots of good email promotions like BookBub, the Fussy Librarian, and Book Doggy.

2. Plan a Facebook party with some author friends. This is a great excuse to hang out with readers and writers. And everyone loves prizes and freebies.

3. Send out your newsletter with tips, hints, photos, and projects.

4. Partner with a local bookstore that is doing online events. Pitch a panel or interview discussion.

5. Be active on your social media sites. Interact with readers. This will help you build your platform. Readers like to interact with authors.

6. Partner with your librarians who are looking for panels and workshops for their online programming. Pitch an idea to your librarian.

7. If you like to teach or conduct workshops, look for groups in your area that provide learning for students or seniors. There are several in Central Virginia. I’ve done workshops in person before. This year, they have moved their programming to the virtual realm. This is a good way to share with others and to get introduced to a new audience.

8. Write your next book. This will put you ahead of the game when markets start to open again.

9. Think about doing a collaboration project in an anthology. When you partner with other authors, you’re able to increase your readership. The promotions also have a bigger reach when there are more authors involved.

What would you add to my list?

Stuff You Never Get To...

It looks like we’re going to be at home more and more over the next few weeks because of quarantines, self-quarantines, and social distancing. It’s the perfect time to get to work on some of your writing tasks that have been languishing. Here are some ideas…

1. Update your website. Make sure that all your links work and that your content is current.

2. Revise your author biography.

3. Work on book club questions for your novels and post them.

4. Make sure you have a summary/synopsis of all your works.

5. Put together a press kit for your publicity.

6. Work on blog posts for the future. It’s always nice to have a stockpile.

7. Check out your biographies on your social media sites and make sure they’re current (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, BookBub, Amazon, etc.) Don’t forget the ones that you don’t visit that often.

8. Work on your next newsletter.

9. Create a marketing campaign. Work on all the scheduling and promotions.

10. And don’t forget to write your next story, novella, or novel.

I hope you and yours are safe. And if we can’t visit in person, let’s keep up with each other on social media.