What To Do With My Website...

Many authors only update or overhaul their websites when they have a new book release, and this isn’t always frequent enough to keep readers coming back. Here some ideas for ways to generate visits to your site.

Blogs are good ways to have fresh content on your site and to encourage repeat visitors. I do guest author interviews on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and I post my new content each Friday. The guest interviews are a win-win for the author and me. They get the exposure to my readers, and they share my site with their fans.

Try to think of topics that appeal to your readers. Most of my Friday posts relate to writing or books. Do you have hobbies or job skills that your readers are interested in? Most blogs will let you embed videos for more interaction. The video content can be reused on Instagram or TikTok.

Add the links to your blog posts on your social media sites to drive traffic to your site. Twitter/X and Instagram are hashtag friendly, and this lets you highlight topics that appeal to a variety of readers. If your blog posts appeal to professionals, don’t forget to the share the links on LinkedIn.

I send out a quarterly newsletter with contests and updates. Inside, I also feature six or eight of the recent author interviews. This lets me recycle some content, and it provides more coverage for my guest authors.

Sometimes, it’s a good idea to spot check your webpages to ensure everything is current and working correctly. Here’s a quick check list of areas that may need updating:

• Make sure your latest author photo is posted.

• If you list events, verify that they are up to date.

• Ensure that all your latest books appear on your site. If you have book club questions, make sure you have a set for each book.

• Check all of your links to make sure they are working.

• Review your biography and press kit.

Websites take some time to maintain, but it a valuable and the central part of your author platform.

I've Got a Table -- Now What?

You’ve registered for a table or a half-table at a book event. Now what? Here are some hints that I’ve discovered over the years that can help you promote your books and make the most of your display space.

My One Rule: Pack only what you can carry. Bring what you need but not enough to make two or three trips to the car. Books are heavy. I either use a rolling suitcase or a collapsable dolly.

My Bag: I have an event bag, and I restock it after ever event. Here’s what I keep stocked in mine:

• Bookmarks, Business Cards

• Give Away-items (usually pens and a container to hold them) If you bring candy, make sure to have a dish. And don’t bring chocolate if it’s a hot day.

• A Tent Card (with my name on it in case one isn’t provided)

• My Acrylic Sign Holder

• My Banner

• An Unwrinkled Tablecloth (Mindy Quigley turned me on to fitted stretch tablecloths that connect to the table legs. They don’t wrinkle, and they hide whatever you’ve stashed under your booth.)

• My Emergency Stash: a small notebook, lots of pens, tape, painter’s tape, scissors

• Book Stands (I like the ones that fold.)

• Clipboard for Newsletter Sign-ups

Table Displays:

• Know the size of the table. Make sure you check the specifications and rules for the event. Some don’t allow free-standing banners.

• If you’re sharing a table, be a good neighbor. Don’t encroach on your partner’s side. He or she has a display to show off, too. And if you have a standing banner, don’t block anyone else’s table.

• Make your space eye-catching. You want people to stop by and talk to you. Always have some sort of give-away: bookmarks, pens, candy…It is an icebreaker that draws people in to chat.

• Have some sort of a theme. If there’s a theme in your books, add small touches that create a polished and connected look for your display. Figure out what’s integral to your story and highlight that. (For the Mutt Mysteries, we had a dog/pawprint theme.)

• I put small stacks of books on the table. It creates a sense of urgency for buyers. If you have hundreds of books there, some get the idea (right or wrong) that your items aren’t selling. And everyone wants to get one of the last ones before they sell out.

• If you can, offer a deal or discount for that day. I put up a sign and offer something like a small discount if they buy two or three at full price.

• If you can’t think of anything specific for your table, bring a vase of flowers. It brightens up an empty space.

What’s on your display table?

Marketing Tips for Writers

Recently, I’ve attended several marketing workshops, and here are some good tips that I gleaned from the speakers.

Facebook and Social Media Sites:

Barbara Hinske, with the SinC Grand Canyon Writers, stressed that authors need to go where their readers are on social media. She recommended using Facebook groups as part of your marketing strategy. Set one up for your street team/super fans. Also look for online groups that share interests with the themes in your books.

Trends and analytics change almost weekly on the social media sites. You need to keep up with what’s in and out. Marketing ideas that worked last time, may not work the next time.

Nancy Cohen suggested making a list of all the Facebook groups from your genre that allow book promotions. She has a document with all the links, so when she has a post, it’s a lot easier than trying to find sites.

Newsletter/Email List:

Barbara Hinske stressed the importance of always building your email/newsletter list. This is a key part of your author platform. Make sure you have a signup sheet at every event you do. When I do Facebook parties and take-overs, I always include a link for people to sign up for my newsletter.

Other Resources:

Speakers in both of the sessions I attended recommended the following as resources for authors:

• Bryan Cohen

• Mark Dawson

• InkersCon

What have you added recently to your marketing toolbox that works for you?

Do You Invest in Your Writing Career?

You as an author are your brand, and you need to treat your writing as a business. Here are some ideas of ways you can invest in your learning and your craft.

• Do you have a professional membership in a writing organization? Many like Sisters in Crime have local chapters. These groups can help you with training, programs, ideas, and writing opportunities. Mine are invaluable. I cherish the friends and the networking opportunities they afford. My first traditionally published work was a short story in a Sisters in Crime anthology.

• Do you have a professional headshot? Selfies and candids are fun, but you need a professional photo for print media and the web. Selfies don’t have enough dpi (dots per inch) resolution, and if you try to enlarge it, it looks fuzzy. Invest in a professional photo. It’s one of the first things I spent money on.

• Do you invest in your training or learning? Professional organizations often have programs or learning opportunities. Check out online programs, YouTube videos, your local library, and your local colleges. Many offer low-cost or even free courses on a variety of topics that can help you on your writing journey. Don’t forget blogs and online magazines. There are tons of articles out there with good advice.

• Is your computer secure? Your writing is valuable. There is nothing that will make a writer cry faster than losing part or all of a manuscript. Make sure you back up your files.

  • You need to make sure you upload patches and updates when they come out. These fix vulnerabilities in your applications or operating system. The longer you wait, the longer you’re vulnerable.

  • Make sure you have anti-virus software on your computer and make sure it’s up to date.

• Do you have a brand?

  • A logo for you and your books are nice. You can use it on your website and your socials.

  • Your platform (website and social media sites) should have the same look and feel (e.g., colors, fonts, etc.). My first work was published in an anthology with a red and black cover, so I did all my graphics in those colors. A publicist told me later that it really didn’t reflect my writing style. She told me to use pastels since I write cozy and funny mysteries.

  • Make sure that your readers can identify your sites. A professional photo and a logo go a long way to help with this. If your photo is a flower, readers often don’t realize it’s your author page.

  • Make sure that your site, your biographies, and book lists are updated regularly. People don’t visit outdated or inactive sites.

  • This sounds like Captain Obvious, but it’s true sometimes. Make sure visitors to your website and socials know you are an author. Your banners, posts, graphics should all promote your books and services.

What else would you add to my list?

How to Build Your Social Media Following

No matter if you’re indie or traditionally published, you’ll be required to build your social media followings and market your books. Here are a few tips that worked for me to add to my following:

• The social part is key. You need to be active on the sites. Block off some time each day to comment, share, and celebrate with others. I found that if I log on early in the morning, at lunch, and after dinner for about 20 to 30 minutes, I have time to be active throughout the day. It also gives me time to respond to comments and inquiries in a fairly timely manner.

• Post interesting content (e.g., things you’re doing, your hobbies, your pets, your travels, tips and tricks, etc.) Don’t be the person who only posts “buy my book” posts. If you’re funny and interesting, people will find you, and they’ll share your content.

• I schedule posts once a week for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X. I look at my analytics and determine when my audience is most active, and I schedule them for those days and times.

• For Instagram and Facebook, take the time to create an author page. Meta offers tools and opportunities for business sites that are not available on your personal one. It takes time to build a new site and a following, but the analytics, tools, and reach are better. I use the Meta Business tools to schedule posts. (If you’re using a personal page, you cannot boost posts or create ads, check analytics. Friend pages also have a cap on the number of friends you can have.)

• Pick one of your socials that you want to work on and commit to following 15-20 new people each day for 2-3 weeks. Look for those who follow authors like you. Look for readers, librarians, and book sellers. When you get new followers, look at their followers and follow the interesting ones. If you adopt this has a regular process, you’ll build your following. (My husband likes to watch sports on TV. I use this time, to work on my socials.)

• For business (author page) in Facebook, the platform offers you an option to send an invitation to people who have liked posts on your page. You also have the option to invite friends to like your page. In both cases, you can send invitations to groups of people who are interested in you and your page.

What would you add to my list?

Playlists for Your Books

Music is such an integral part of my writing process and my life. I listen to jazz or classical music when I’m writing or revising, and I like songs that remind me of the characters, the era, or the setting while I’m plotting. I always have background music on.

If you haven’t already, you should consider making playlists for your books. My sister mentioned that her book group always asks visiting authors if they have a playlist to share. What a great idea.

I used YouTube links for my early playlists. (Search for the song and copy the link. Then link the song title in your blog post to the music video.) I recently started listening to Spotify, and it has a lot of my audio books and podcasts available, so it was a perfect platform for me to create song lists. I named each one for a series and added all the songs that reminded me of those books. Now I can share the link with book groups and readers.

Check them out:

• The Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries

• The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries

• The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries

What Should You Put in Your Next Newsletter?

I think your website and your newsletter are the two most important parts of your platform because you own them. Sometimes though, it’s hard to come up with interesting content. Here are some ideas…

• Add a “What’s New” section to talk about what’s coming out next.

• Run a contest. Ask a question and then post the winners in your next newsletter.

• Add a recipe.

• Show pictures of recent events. Include ones with readers.

• Include pictures of your pets.

• I feature author interviews on my blog. I pick a few to feature in each newsletter. It introduces my readers to new authors, and I get to reuse some blog posts.

• Include fun facts about the month or season. Brownilocks has a neat calendar of all kinds of “holidays” and celebrations.

• Include links to podcasts, special interviews, anthologies, or group blogs that you participate in.

• Add a list of upcoming events (in-person and virtual).

• Talk about what’s going on with you. Readers are interested in what you do when you’re not writing.

• Partner with another author. Let her guest star in your newsletter, and you visit hers.

What would you add to my list?

25 Ideas for Social Media Posts

Social media is a key part of every author’s marketing plan. It’s important to check in regularly and post responses and comments. It’s also key to have regular posts. Here are some ideas if you’re looking content ideas for your sites. Readers are interested in you and what you do outside of your writing life.

Post a photo or video of…

1. What you’re reading and get feedback on what others are reading - It’s great to do a shout out to other authors.

2. Your pet (or your neighbor’s pet)

3. Your favorite recipe or a picture of the dish

4. Things you see on your walk

5. Your favorite writing spot

6. Things you see from your writing cave’s window

7. Your desk or your junk drawer

8. Your favorite reading spot

9. Where you’ve been lately and why

10. Your favorite place to vacation

11. Your library or favorite bookstore

12. A request for TV show or movie recommendations

13. Your latest hobby or project

14. Your favorite holiday decorations

15. Your favorite seasonal snack or drink

16. Share a behind the scenes tidbit from one of your book’s locations

17. Share a tip or a hack about how to do something

18. For #ThrowbackThursday or #FlashbackFriday…Everyone has that funny school picture.

19. A sunset or sunrise

20. Things from your garden or flowerbed

21. Your favorite tiny or free library

22. Something that happened on this day in history or in pop culture

23. Places from your hometown

24. Before and after shots of something you’ve changed

25. Your favorite quote

Remember text-only posts don’t do as well. It’s always good to have a photo or a video. You can use a drawing tool to make a graphic to garner more attention for your post.

What other ideas would you add to my list?