I was honored to take part (okay I was the head cat-wrangler) for an event in Chicago this weekend that can serve as a template of sorts for other Hometown Reads cities. We had some fun, learned a lot, and made some mistakes. I post this only so…
When my friend Jeff recommends a book, I usually run right out and buy it. So when he mentioned Gift-ology, I placed my Amazon order. Gift-ology, by John Ruhlin is about the art and science of using gifts to cut through the noise, increase…
You feel like an imposter. You hear your inner voice whispering, “What makes you think you’re a writer? What makes you think you’re any good?” “Why would someone want to read anything I write?” How do you combat these voices and be the…
Writing a book is an amazing accomplishment…but also extremely daunting and overwhelming. You pour your heart and soul into a piece of writing for months—even years. You’ve built up your connections through writers groups, publishing options…
Next, is Google’s Keyword Planner research! I know, I know…I said this would be simple. Google’s Keyword Planner tool can seem daunting, but trust me. This is an important step, so, for lack of a better saying: Struggle through…
In the ever-changing world of book publishing, one thing always remains a deadly constant: Discoverablity. Without discoverability, many New York Time’s bestselling books wouldn’t even graze the bottom of the list. A new book could be…
I must admit that marketing is WAY more than I ever imagined. As an indie author, without a major publishing company behind me, I have realized that marketing and promoting is, for me, much more difficult than writing my books. After completing my…
When I started Hometown Reads earlier this year, I hoped to launch 20 locations total in 2016. I also had an idyllic vision of traveling to each of the locations we launched, to meet people in person to fuel the local communities of authors and…
This morning, my husband texted me to tell me that a well-known novelist is speaking this evening in a nearby town. Since I haven’t read his books, I’m not planning to go, but the exchange spurred me to think about the relationship…
I packed a bag with copies of my books and press releases, made a list of places I hoped would be receptive to my pitch and started making the rounds. The local libraries were less enthusiastic than I had hoped however they did…