Cat had an amazing week meeting new author friends and was invited to be a guest on an awesome podcast that all my “ladies” need to know about! Please meet Candace Gish. Candace is the founder of “Divas That Care Network.” She is also the host of the podcast of the same name and has several women who host shows on Divas. Candace is a best-selling author too.
I really enjoyed being interviewed on her podcast this past week, as you will hear just how much fun we had doing so as she wanted me to share some of what I do here through “Cat Lyon’s Reading Den & Lyon Literary Services” and how I enjoy helping other authors learn how to market their books and branding.
Let’s learn a little more about Candace and all she does with the Divas! But first? Here is the link to the episode we did, and I hope you will take some time to listen. I even shared some of my marketing tips with all her listeners!
About Candace ~ Join Diva Host Candace Gish as she interviews a variety of committed women weekly, who are working to make the world a better place!
Candace is an independent businesswoman who understands the challenges women face in business, including how to be successful. She also understands the importance of having mentors and a strong support network. Her four daughters and wonderful husband inspire her to work for a better world. She loves connecting with women who have big dreams and the commitment to make a difference. She believes in the power of women when they come together to effect change, which is what the Divas That Care movement is all about.
Hello! My name is Candace Gish, Iām a motivator and empowering change agent who understands the challenges women face while finding success in their everyday lives and businesses. I am an advocate for mentorship and strong, supportive networks. My four daughters and wonderful husband have inspired me to create a better world, thus the Divas That Care Network was born. I enjoy connecting with goal-oriented women and a commitment to make a difference. I believe in the power of women converging to implement change and have ensured that the purpose of the Divas That Care movement quantifies just that.
I created the Divas That Care Network because I am the mother of four beautiful girls who look to me to model the hope and countless opportunities that lie in their futures. I recognize and salute the power that a true DIVA holds. A strong, informed, and empowered woman is a force to be reckoned with and admired. She will not back down or accept no for an answer. She works hard and pays her dues on her path to success, but not without often being overlooked and discounted by others, due to her self-assuredness. She is a lover, a giver, loyal, and dedicated, but her passion is often mistaken for overconfidence.
The Gish Family!
Why I Keep The Divas Going
Every day I get more and more inspired by the guests who have been on my show, they talk about their lives, dreams, fears, motivation, ways to help themselves or others, things that can be hard to talk about, and so much more. How can you not get inspired when listening to these amazing women. My continued desire to provide a proper example for my girls as other women inspires me to keep moving forward and NEVER give up.
There have been many notable changes in the publishing industry over the last several years, from the steady rise of audiobook sales to the introduction of AI technology in book production.
A global pandemic and calls for more diverse representation shook things up in 2020 and 2021, so whatās in store for 2022?
Weāve analyzed some of the most prominent trends based on recent studies and our own data and observations to get a feel for whatās to come in the year ahead.
Publishing Trends
Here are 6 key publishing trends and predictions to look out for in 2022.
1. BookTok is a marketing must-have.
In 2021, TikTok became one of the fastest-growing social media platforms and an essential tool for branding and marketing. The publishing industry also caught on, with many authors and publishers turning to TikTok to grow their audiences.
Following in the path of āBookstagram,ā BookTok appears to be here to stay, with all trends indicating that even more authors will join the platform to market their books in 2022. So far, the hashtag #BookTok has garnered over 34.7 billion views on the platform.
Weāve seen the impact of BookTok firsthand with one of our own authors, Maclen Stanley, who has accumulated over 424,000 followers and 6 million likes in just a few months since his book The Law Says What? debuted in July. Many reviewers on Amazon have commented that they bought the book specifically because they enjoyed his related TikTok videos.
Book reviewers have also taken to the platform to share their thoughts on new books in short, easily-shared video clips, making them an influential force that authors and publishers cannot afford to ignore in 2022. To learn more about how TikTok can help you grow your platform, check out our post onĀ TikTok marketing for authors.
#Bookstagram
2. Audiobook sales will keep growing.
Although theyāre still nowhere near topping print, audio, and ebook sales have beenĀ steadily risingĀ for the past decade or so, with the audiobook industry, in particular, seeing rapid expansion.
One major development from 2021 was Spotifyās acquisition of Findaway, which likely indicates Spotifyās intent to give more focus to audiobooks, in addition to their current library of music and podcasts. Storytel also acquired Audiobooks.com, so there are now multiple players on the expanding audiobook field.
As we watch these companies implement their growth plans in 2022, audiobook sales are likely to continue their steady increase. Authors and publishers will want to keep their eye on these new and emerging opportunities to market their audiobooks.
As for the industry itself, there are a number of developments that will make audiobook production easier and faster, including rapid technological developments likeĀ AI narration.
3. AI will expand its influence.
Speaking of AI, itās already being used to write fiction that improves almost daily. While itās far from replacing human creativity, AI can help content creators find inspiration, retrieve facts, and outline their writing.
Of course, youāve probably already used AI to improve your writing in some form or anotherāfor example, if youāve ever used a proofreading tool like Grammarly.
But publishers can also use the technology for plagiarism checks, editing, translations, SEO, and marketing. For example, if youāve ever gotten a newsletter email with content recommendations that match your interests, you can thank AI for that.
Think of AI as publishingās virtual assistant, and one that will prove increasingly helpful in the years to come.
4. Book prices will increase.
Inflation has caused the prices of many goods and services to rise over the past year, and it looks like book prices will be no exception.
IngramSpark already announced price changes that took effect on November 6, 2021, raising their print pricing by up to 6% in the US.
In a public service announcement to its members, the company explained that the changes are a result of āseveral cost increases for consumables, such as paper and packaging materials, as well as an increase in the cost of labor.ā
So since the cost of producing books has risen, so too will their prices.
And on top of growing costs, thereās also a book shortage. As this Vox article explains, back in 2008, the world expected print books to become obsolete after the rise of the ebook, so many companies invested less in printing books.
But instead, the demand for print books has steadily increased (after experiencing a brief drop in 2008), and printers have not kept up.
The silver lining is that with book prices on the rise for both print and digital formats, special, limited-time promos likeĀ Kindle Countdown DealsĀ could prove more appealing, allowing readers to benefit from discounts while authors can sell more books in a short period…
Reading Apps
“IntroducingĀ Kindle Vella”
“Kindle Vella brings you stories released one short episode at a time, available on the web at http://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella and in the Kindle app.
Things to look out for if you’re newto Kindle Vella:
Follow the stories you like to keep up with the latest from your favorite characters.
When you like an episode, give it a Thumbs Up to let the author and other readers know you liked it.
The first few episodes of every story are always free–after that, purchase Tokens and redeem them to unlock episodes.Ā Tokens may only be used to unlock Kindle Vella story episodes in the Kindle app and on the web at http://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella.
When you unlock episodes, you will receive one Fave a weekĀ that you can award to the story you’re enjoying most that week. We’ll feature Top Faved stories so other readers can find them too.”
5. Serialized storytelling will continue to flourish.
Serialized fiction on platforms like Wattpad is nothing new, but there are more options than ever for both writers and readers of serials.
Amazonās Kindle Vella rolled out last year, adding another prominent player to the serialized fiction field.
Some authors are finding serial fiction to be a more reliable monetization strategy than traditional publishing. Self-published authors in particular will benefit from this development, as theyāre more likely than traditionally published authors to experiment with these platforms.
Sites like Wattpad, Kindle Vella, Inkitt, Tapas, Radish, and other online reading apps will continue to flourish as more authors experiment with different formats.
6. Calls for diversity will persist.
Calls for more diversity and representation in literature have grown stronger in recent years, and with all the work still left to do, itās likely that those calls will persist.
In 2020, a study found that just 5% of childrenās books published in the UK that year featured a main character who was Black or Asian (thatās actually an increase from 1% in 2017).
Meanwhile, in the US, childrenās books featuring racially diverse characters or subjects grew slightly from 29% to 30% between 2019 and 2020.
Since it can take several years for a childrenās book to be produced, we can hope to see more of the effects of 2020 and 2021ās intensified calls for diversity in 2022.
And itās not just childrenās books that need more diverse voicesāaccording to a 2019 study, 85% of the people who acquire and edit books for the Big Five are white. This means that the people who decide what gets published by the Big Five, and how the final products turn out, are overwhelmingly white.
One way that publishers have begun to address this issue is by hiring editors tasked with recruiting more minority talent and also enlisting the help ofĀ sensitivity readers.
Is Publishing a Dying Industry?
The publishing industry is far from dying; in fact, print books rose 8.9% in 2021 over 2020.
And rather than hurting business, the Covid-19 pandemic actually saw many positive developments and increased book sales in 2020āa silver lining in an otherwise dark year for many.
Regardless of trends, thereās no better time than the present to finally write your book, or apply for that publishing job youāve been eyeing.
Everyone loves a good story, so while their formats and production may change, books and publishing are here to stay.
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As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Most of my friends and authors who come to visit “The Reading Den” know this CATS PASSION is helping authors and writers learn where to promote and market all their books. I am also the Queen Cat of discounts and affordable book advertising to larger reader sites.
Now, I happen to stumble upon this amazing website of Books Shelf here- https://www.booksshelf.com/about-us around late spring early summer. Was this CAT happy she did! They offer an array of services from Amazon marketing and ads, publishing, and many promo options to get your books the exposure they deserve
First?I highly suggest you go visit them and sign up for the Author/Book Email Newsletter so you don’t miss a DEAL or perhaps your next amazing read!
They have helped make some of my job much easier when Building My Marketing Plans for my author clients and pretty much have added them as one of the “Go-To” places all my authors are set up on.
Here is why the email newsletter is a MUST. Every so often they run a Special Offer and discount for the up coming month you can purchase. They do what they advertise with exceptional service and why I keep setting my clients on Books Shelf. Again, they give great client service before and after your promotion/ad too! It is free to register and edit up a nice Author Profile and Ad your Books before you make any promo purchase. They make simple to do. Then you will be ready to go!
So, this week, Books Shelf is my choice as my ‘Featured Guest & Article’ as they share with all of us “How to Build Our Author Fan Base.” Let’s all learn together! ~The Avid Marketing Cat!
When writing a book, you always want someone to recognize your work and eventually fall in love with it. No one really wants the countless sleepless nights he or she spent in writing to be all for nothing. If you have done everything right, people will buy your book, read it, put it on the shelf, and maybe forget about you or your work after a month or two.
That is not something you want to happen. You need to build your fan base, you need people that will wait in excitement for a new release from you, you need people who will tell all their friends and relatives about your books. But how to achieve that?
First of all, you have to know your target audience. For example, you canāt expect children to read a book about politics or something more romantic and vice versa, you will not see any adult read a book about a rabbit with superpowers, except if it is a bedtime readable for their children. You should set yourself a target audience for which the content of your books would be relevant. Then you can start advertising your book on social media, or on your own website.
Okay, now that we have set our expectations, we need to think about how can we fulfill them. A great way to make your readers become your fans is by interacting with them. Social media is your main weapon in this fight. You can make promos for your new books, you can post a teaser of your new project, you can make a āquestions & answersā post in which people who have bought your book can find a bit more about you as a person. Letting them closer to your life will mostly benefit you, people love to feel a close connection to each other, and you can use that to your advantage.
You can make a blog and post stories from your life which can help your fan base to be more involved with you, you can also make giveaways, in which you can put a free copy of your book up for one lucky reader to get.
Now that weāve briefly covered the author promotion and social media marketing, we have to look at our fan base expectations towards the book itself. If your book is a huge success and you want to make a sequel, there are some unwritten rules you need to follow.
First of all, you should never change the main part of the storyline too much, because your readers would most likely purchase the second part of your product, just because they liked the first one very much, and when something is very good you should not change it, you only want to expand it.
The characters can “evolve”, but for this to happen you have to set a slower rhythm. For example, a bad bloodsucking vampire canāt fall in love with the innocent girl that randomly came to his house. His behavior can change, but not immediately, this will help keep the interest of the reader and will look a lot better story-wise.
Of course, you can always ask your readers about what do they want, and if you feel like fulfilling all of their expectations, you will raise your prominently book sales. Another thing you should remember is thinking twice about making drastic decisions towards plot twists. Most of the readers love seeing plot twists happen because they want your book to be unpredictable before its end, no one wants to read a book where you can predict the ending after reading the first thirty pages. Making a plot twist is a high-risk, high-reward move.
In the past, whole fan bases have turned against their favorite author because of a bad decision for a plot twist, you would rather avoid a similar situation because it would greatly damage your reputation and most likely put your book sales number on a hold.
Building a fan base is hard, it requires a lot of time and dedication, but once you succeed in this manner, you will find out how this will affect your life. Your fan base can become your friends, even your family. Donāt look at your books only like a matter of living, look at them as a way to express yourself, as a way to change people’s way of thinking, or even changing their life.
Having a fan base that always buys your new books without hesitation is the best thing that can happen to an author, it means that your books are worth something much more than their prices in the bookstore, it means they have a value that no money can match, and last, but not least, it means a lot for your value as a person.
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MORE ABOUT MY FRIENDS OF BOOKS SHELF
We are a group of 7 book lovers with expertise in different fields ā marketing specialists, SEO specialist, author, and graphic designers.Ā
We all love to read, we have our favorite genres (weāll keep that in secret!), and we all want new books and authors to succeed. In our opinion, there are many pearls in the ocean waiting to be found!
Using the knowledge in our fields we help authors the best way we can!Ā
“Like me, you are probably saddened by news reports that COVID-19 is making a resurgence. Once again, the pandemic is poised to dominate news cycles and, in addition to worrying about health concerns, anyone who is trying to gain media coverage will need to think about how their message fits into the current media conversation.
One bright spot in this otherwise dismal situation is that we learned a lot over the last year about the opportunities for and the importance of PR during a pandemic, and we can all put those lessons to use going forward. In the spring of 2020, we encountered something we rarely if ever had faced in the more than three decades that News & Experts has been in existence.”
Practically every single news story every day was about one subject ā the coronavirus. Under those conditions, how could we pitch clients whose expertise and messages had absolutely nothing to do with medicine or health? The one-topic news cycle seemed like a barrier ā but only momentarily. Quickly it became clear that the pandemic affected more than health. Finance, sports, personal relationships, corporate culture, the workplace, education, travel and numerous other aspects of life were upended by the pandemic.
All of those topics were also ripe to be discussed and explored in the news. In other words, regardless of your message and your expertise, there was a place for you in the COVID conversation if you approached things the right way. That holds true today. This time the pandemic hasnāt completely hijacked the news, but it does still touch nearly everything in one way or another. Thatās why itās good to review any lessons learned from more than a year of dealing with it.
Stay In The Game
One lesson we definitely learned is that you donāt want to put your publicity efforts on hiatus until the pandemic is over, as some people were tempted to do. Who knows when this will all end. Instead, stay in the game by constantly massaging your message so it fits with whatās happening. This really is no different from what we always told clients in non-pandemic climates. You improve your odds of media success anytime you can link your expertise and message to what print journalists are already writing about, and what radio and TV talk show hosts are already talking about. With our guidance, this is what our clients were able to do.
One client who wrote a book on how the pandemic affected schools was able to speak to the difficulties parents and children encountered, and ways education might be improved as a result of lessons learned from COVID. Another whose expertise was remote work suddenly found that lots of people needed advice about her subject. A client who specializes in helping businesses raise capital spoke about funding options for those businesses rebounding from COVID.
So, if you are trying to promote your personal or business brand, explore where you might fit into the current conversation about the pandemic. The media always needs experts to comment on events and you can be that go-to person and share your knowledge.
If you are a business owner or a consultant who advises businesses, that could involve discussing business decisions about whether to require employees to be vaccinated or whether to request that customers wear masks. If you are a medical professional, you might be able to comment on news stories directly related to the virus or the vaccines.
Or possibly you could discuss the impact the pandemic is having across health fields, such as evolving protocols for office visits or procedures that get postponed.
Doing Good While Promoting Your Brand & Expertise
Something I wrote a year ago also bears repeating now as a lesson learned. You have an opportunity to become part of the conversation about the pandemic and its impact, but making use of this opportunity doesnāt mean you should be opportunistic.
You donāt want to approach it in an exploitative way because that would quickly backfire. But, if you have something valuable to share with the mediaās readers, viewers and listeners, they will want to hear from you. A bonus is that you will be doing good in the world as well as promoting your brand.
Yes, we all learned lessons in the last year ā and likely there are plenty more awaiting us.
And thatās the good news because each of those lessons will assist you in your goal of building a long list of media successes…
It might be a MONDAY, but this Cat is feeling frisky and would like to share some marketing tips and places to help all authors have some low-cost options to promote their books at either No Cost, Free, or Discounted and get exceptional results! I sure know there are many, many authors who might be releasing their very first book, so I want to help out and share some of my discounts and “Go To” places I use for all my marketing clients/friends.
First I would like to share that I am now a Freelance Marketer in Arizona and now Cat L ~ Marketer https://reedsy.com/cat-lyon is now listed on this great place all authors need to be set up on!
It’s called reedsy, https://reedsy.com/discover/ and I’m listed as a Professional Affordable Marketer on their Reedsy Market Place…
The market place side is where authors can find amazing services and providers looking for editing, proof readers, publishing, promo and marketing, and many other services. Professionals, including myself are put through a rigorous approval process to receive a recommendation and added to their list. You see my most current clients and projects I have been working on or currently working on.
My first highly recommended book promotion and is offering a deep discount to promote your book on is over on one of my FAV places, BooksShelf … https://www.booksshelf.com/ and they share what they offer in the month before in time for you to set your book up for the next months promo! Here is what they are offering for the whole month of September and you can Book it Now! All this for just $39.
We Invite You To Join Our PlatformSubmit Your Book FOR FREE Or Take Advantage Of The Sept. Promo Packages Below
70% off Savings at BooksShelf!
Grab your Golden chance to secure a spot on our September Promotional Campaign! Not only we’ll heavily promote your book on our website, you’ll get Twitter posts AND your book will get a review, which will also be promoted on BooksShelf.comAnd all of this at 70% OFF! They have a huge readership and do a great job in sharing your book once it is listed! Learn More and Get The Promo
Check out some of the other promotional options they offer while you are there.
Do You Want To Be PartOf Every Promotion Each Month AND Save Some Money Doing It?
Regardless if you decide on the BASIC, PLATINUM or anywhere in between you’ll be sure to have your book constantly on TOP SPOTS on our website every month, for every promotion! BooksShelf.com
Cat Loves BooksShelf!
Cat’s next affordable book promotion places and my “Go To” to help authors is over at both Book Goodies and Awesome Gang! I have been working with Deb Carney of https://bookgoodies.com/authors-start-here/ and my buddy Vinny of https://awesomegang.com/advertising-on-awesomegang/ for many years and they do an exceptional job when you advertise and promote your books with them! They have built their sites with a huge readership spread across genre specific sites and so much more.
They key is? YOU NEED to SIGN up for both “The Author Newsletters” when submitting a book for the first time on both sites and they will send YOU discounts, a lot! LOL. They do a fantastic job with promoting your books throughout the large social media presence and groups they have on many platforms.
Check all the amazing testimonials from current authors they have helped on both https://awesomegang.com/testimonials/ and they both give you a FREE Author Interview (Self-Serve Form) to submit that goes along with your Book Promotions! https://bookgoodies.com/category/interviews/ . . . AND? THIS IS BEING OFFERED On BookGoodies! ( “Everyone is busy one way or another with back to school this week so IĀ am going to keep this short and sweet:Ā BookGoodies Home Page AdsĀ for $25 per week. No coupon needed. Just useĀ this special link: https://bookgoodies.com/advertising/seasonal-features/ This is only being advertised to our newsletter list but you can share it with your author friends that might not be on our newsletter. They can sign up at the end of the form when they book their ad.
Let’s sell some books! Our paid advertisers will be getting some special promotional opportunities in the next few weeks. Stay tuned and whitelistĀ dc@bookgoodies.comĀ andĀ deborah@bookgoodies.comĀ so you keep getting our emails.
Deborah Carney BookGoodies Network of Sites for Book Lovers”
AND? Thanks to the hard work Vinny of Awesome gang has put in for you? Here Below is a LIST of BOOK SITES You Can List all your books on for FREE! YUP! FREE! ššŗāØāØ
Places To Submit Your Book For Free Promotion
“In my quest to help authors promote their book I am going to make a list of places where you can submit your book for free to get it in the hands of readers. I realize that it is hard to get your book in the hands of readers and hopefully this resource will grow.”
It has been a while since I have shared some Marketing and Promoting Advice/Tips with all the authors and writers who stop by and visit the “Reading Den.” I always get good tips and also do my own research on what is trending and hot in book promoting or large book sites that offer low-cost or FREE promoting. I want to share some changes as well that have made in regards to my small literary business. Readers seem to be back to reading all formats and not just e-books and audiobooks.
More and more authors are also releasing new books like crazy and my business is finally picking back up after last year and due to the COVID virus. So let me start with a fantastic new place I came across that covers and promotes your books through Twitter and it’s FREE to register and promote your books! Who doesn’t love free? The book site is called “Book Club Pro” and the link to Register is >>>> https://www.bookclubpro.com/users/sign_up and it really is free to use. All you do is fill out the form, create a Author Profile, then start adding your books! Pretty Simple!
When you begin listing your books, they don’t have to be on promo sale. But this IS a great place and tool to use if are reducing the price of your e-book for a promo sale. Either way? Your books will great exposure. And make sure you ADD your Amazon Link to your e-book listing. I forgot at first and could not understand why my books were not being tweeted automatically! Yes, they do all the tweet posts for you! So go now and get your books listed.
Now about Cat’s business changes. I have changed my business name to Lyon Literary Services & Marketing Plans and the “GUY” who runs my official website of the same name is working hard to get the changes done that I need for the domain and what I am now offering.
So, I made a temporary page for what I’m offering and doing now here this website. So instead of Cat putting it all here? You may visit my page that has the three Marketing Plans we offer and all come with free consulting, referrals, and book ad discounts.
If you are looking for help or would like to purchase a plan and work with Cat? Just send my an EMAIL: lyonmedia@aol.com and we can set an appointment to chat and discuss what your goals are for your books. My testimonials and current authors we have custom made marketing plans will be finished soon, but check out my sidebar Photo Gallery to see who are working with or our former recent clients.
Cat’s main goal for our clients is of course, great exposure, increased sales and book reviews! Put Cat to work on your next book release and will make it SHINE!
Cat Lyon's Reading Den For Authors & Readers 