Meet My Marketing Friends of Books Shelf. Together We Are Sharing Author Advice and Featured Article About “How To Build Your Author Fan Base”. . .




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!

Second? You need to check out all the services they offer for Advertising Promos and they also have publishing services too: https://www.booksshelf.com/advertising-plans.

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!



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“So Many Books, So Little Time!”



Books Shelf 4 days ago

How to build your author fan base?


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 can’t 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 “questions & answers” 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.


How to Create a Book Out of Your Blog Content | Elegant Themes Blog


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 we’ve 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 can’t 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. Don’t 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 – marketing specialists, SEO specialist, author, and graphic designers. 

We all love to read, we have our favorite genres (we’ll 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! 

Follow us on Social Media too!

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Authors? How Do You Handle “Bad Book Reviews?” An Article Share That Just Might Help! Courtesy of ‘Insecure Writer’s Support Group.” #10? My FAV!

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A MUST VISIT FOR Writers and an Article Reshare About?  “BAD REVIEWS”

Bad reviews! Any writer with a published book gets crappy reviews. How do we deal with them?
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Here are ten tips:

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1 – Refrain from responding
As much as you might want to respond, either politely or with harsh words, don’t do it. Once you’ve left a comment or sent out a Tweet or posted to Facebook, your negative response will be out there for all to see forever. You might get a few fans to rally to your cause, but most will view you as the villain, not the reviewer. Even if you later delete it, the damage is done. Sending an email is a bad idea as well. So refrain from adding fuel to the fire and keep your grumblings private.

2 – Know that it’s part of the process
Guess what? We all get negative reviews. It goes with the territory. Remember, you created art. Art is subjective and not everyone will like your book. You can’t please everyone. (And if you do, then you really didn’t say anything of value.)
Shake it off and move on.

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3 – Laugh about it
What are you going to do—cry? Might as well laugh about it! Often a bad review is just as poorly written. So turn the tables and have a good chuckle about it.

4 – Remember they add validity to good reviews
What do you think when a book has nothing but five-star reviews? You start to wonder, don’t you? Friends and family of the author? Paid reviews? A couple bad reviews mean some readers were honest—which means the rest of the good reviews are probably honest as well. Plus sometimes people want to know if the book is really that bad and they read it!

5 – Look for constructive criticism
Often two and three-star reviews will offer constructive criticism. Look for it. Is there any validity to what they said? Can you see areas where you can improve or issues you need to address? (Several reviewers didn’t like the fact there were no women in my first book. I listened and made sure there were several women in the next one, including a female main character. That book garnered better reviews than the first.) Learn from the bad reviews and write a better book next time.

6 – Don’t focus on the negative
We tend to focus on the negative. We can have a hundred great reviews and one bad one. Which gets our attention? The bad one! Who cares? When doing averages, what do they always do? They drop the top numbers and the bottom numbers. So ignore that bad review and don’t even factor it into the equation.

7 – It’s just one person’s opinion
Everybody has an opinion. And they are just that—opinions, not facts. So one person didn’t like your book? Big deal! Out of millions of readers, that’s not even a drop in the bucket. (Unless all of your reviews are bad!)

8 – Don’t let it stop you
Yes, putting a book out there is scary. It’s a creative endeavor, which makes it a little more personal. We can’t take it personally though. We have to believe in ourselves and not let bad reviews stop us. Have you ever encountered a jerk at your work? Did it cause you to give up and stop working forever? No! So don’t let a negative review from someone you’ve never met stop you.

9 – Write the next book
This is the best thing you can do! Just hunker down and write your next book. Show those naysayers that you are a great writer. Take your experience from the previous book and pour it into the next one. Besides, you’ll be so busy writing, you won’t have time to worry about bad reviews.

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10 – Kill off the reviewer in your next book
If all else fails, then just put that reviewer into your book as a murder victim or monster that is slain by the hero!

So come by today for more tips and advice at “The Insecure Writer’s Group”…

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“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” – Teddy Roosevelt

How do you handle bad reviews?

****CAT****

 

Authors? How Do You Build a Brand and Media Presence and Look Good Online? Read This Guest Article and Learn How!

How to Build a Brand Presence and Look Better Online.

BY: My Friends of Strong Social …

Building a better brand presence and looking better online overall is no easy task. In fact, is one of the first challenges everyone encounters when they start a new business. Sure, you create accounts on all the relevant social networks you can think of, but how do you take the next step?

How do you build a strong brand presence on social media and how can you make it look even better? With all the competition out there and all that “social media noise”, it’s not going to be an easy process, but here are a few tips that will help you achieve your goals.

1. Make sure you have a great website.

You can’t build a better social media brand presence without a plan in mind, and you can’t build an effective plan without taking into account the importance of having a great website. Sure, “great” may seem like a pretty vague and generic term, but there are actually quite a few must-have factors that make a website to be indeed great.

Make sure that your website has been designed based on all the latest trends, without neglecting UX & UI, and try to make it as SEO friendly as possible with the content that will be posted there. Remember, your website is the window to your business so don’t forget to keep it clean and to the point.

After implementing this initial step, you will be able to establish your brand voice and better communicate with your audience on your own platform (your website) and on social media, thus making you look better by being more connected with your current clients and future possible customers.

2. Make sure that you are on the big 3 social networks – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

If you want to reach a larger audience, it is imperative to build a social media presence. It helps you reach out to people that don’t know you, your business and your website. It’s also the best way to send out updates to your entire target audience.

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are definite must-haves for any business that wants to survive in the digital age. This is already well too established as a general condition for getting your products and services known around the world with fractions of the costs of traditional advertisement. These three social networks will raise awareness about your brand and it will make people engage with your company faster and much more efficient.

However, using social media tools does not imply that you should not be present on your accounts as much as possible to engage with your audience in real time. Answering fast and honest is always better than answering late and impersonal through a generic website reply.

3. Create lots of blog content and use it effectively.

Write, write and then write some more. If you have reached this stage, this means that you already have a functional website online and you are present on all the important social networks: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. So, what do you do next?

Simple. You start by sharing your content throughout your social media, thus making your brand known throughout your audience. Share content that is relevant to each target group in part and you will quickly see the engagement rate with your brand increasing. Just don’t forget to write good blog content which appeals to people interested in your area of expertise, in your industry and, last but not least, in your products, services, and your brand. A good series of blog content goes a long way.

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4. Engage with your followers with exceptional content

This step is probably the most important one if you want to build a strong brand presence and look better online. People want to be noticed and they want to relate to the brand they interact with.

A great website with good blog content and a strong social media following could become worthless if the brand does not interact with its fans and followers. People want to be noticed and they want to be heard. If they comment, engage with them. Answer their questions. Ask questions yourself. See what their needs are and try to get as much productive feedback as possible.

Listen to your audience and adapt your brand to answer as many of their needs as possible. Engage, engage and then engage some more!

Be sure to take into account all these tips if you want to build a stronger, more effective, and not to mention prettier brand on social media. If you’re interested in learning more, check out our website at Strong Social …

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HAPPY NEW YEAR YOU – Brand Yourself For 2019! Should Our Brand Be All The Same? Guest Jason From Strong Social Tells Us.

Happy New Year’s Eve and Welcome All! Brand Yourself in 2019!

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Brand Voice – Should It Remain the Same Across All Social Networks

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How is your brand personality determined?

It is largely determined by the words you use in communication, as well as the kind of sentences you write. Your brand voice reveals whether your brand is corporate, academic, deadpan, grave, serious, witty, funny, clever, and so on.

When defining a company’s brand voice, the problem is that rigid guidelines can stifle you. Your brand’s personality has to appeal to different people in different locations, so like a human personality, it has to retain some elasticity. Like, a central character that can convey a message in different tones. For example, your blog posts may appear enthusiastic and professional, while the promotional copy for your social media shares should probably be less enthusiastic.

Here’s what you should know about ways of using your brand voice across different social networks.

1. Instagram

Instagram is the place for B2B and B2C companies. On this platform, you can drive brand engagement and awareness with positive visuals and copy. Thus, on Instagram, you can use the classic marketing tone.

On Instagram, the line that divides branded content and UGC (user-generated content) is quite blurry. Also, it is more challenging to spot Ads, especially from influencers with undisclosed relationships with brands. When it comes to hashtags, Instagram is quite friendly towards the use of hashtags. According to SproutSocial, about 80% of all users follow at least one brand, while 7 out of 10 hashtags on Instagram are branded. It means that you should be as clear as possible about what you want your followers to do – click the link in Bio, tag a friend, or swipe up for a free trial if you are running ads.

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2. Facebook

Facebook is an exciting opportunity for any brand being that it’s the most extensive social media network in the world. With 2.27 billion monthly active users, it’s very challenging to stand out and maximize your reach. You need a distinct brand voice and identity.

What makes an effective Facebook copy? It should be accessible, familiar, and slightly informal. Unlike Twitter or Instagram, Facebook’s user group is more intergenerational. That’s why the emotion that dominates the platform is nostalgia. The content that can recall the “golden years” of your readers resonates best, whether you want to reach out to Millennials recalling the 1990s or Baby Boomers.

On the other hand, if you can’t appeal to nostalgic content, you can use particular calls to action, such as – join the debate, develop an opinion, and inform yourself. Have the copy tell your audience that there’s a larger conversation happening without them. Facebook audiences want to be entertained, so hit them with your most potent and most human content.

4. Twitter

Active Twitter copy is quick and witty. There is so much conversation happening so fast that brands often can’t move quickly enough to keep up. It is the platform of instant information, and people there want to know what’s going on this very second. Twitter is no place for old news. That’s why you should use it to experiment with your brand voice because Twitter users appreciate a more daring and experimental voice. If you have any humorous and funny content where you’re trying out some jokes, you should use Twitter as your experimental ground.

If all you’re sharing are dull press releases, people most likely won’t follow you. Better have something funny or something valuable to add to a conversation.

5. LinkedIn

According to Pew Research Center, LinkedIn is mostly used by people in the 30-49 age range. Most of them are college graduates in urban areas. The number of LinkedIn users increased to 500 million between the years 2016 and 2017. Being a professionally-oriented social network, people go there to look for jobs or to offer them, as well as share valuable content. That means that your LinkedIn copy should take the readers straight to the point, without beating around the bush. The competition is a lot less fierce than on Facebook, but you’ll still need to give a fresh and unique angle to your material to attract your audience.

To conclude, your brand voice does have to stay coherent across all social media channels. However, every social network is specific and attracts different people. The best brand voice strategy is to have an inner brand voice, but deliver your messages and engage in slightly different tones that resonate the best on each social network.

So in the coming in NEW YEAR, make sure you Brand Yourself effectively throughout Media and Social Media TOO!

Please visit my friend Jason of StrongSocial for more amazing tips and articles all of 2019! Cat

Sound Advice When Dealing With Book Reviewers…Guide For Indie Authors.

Guest Post By LaFifeReviews  Ms.  Latoya Fife ~ September 5, 2017 by 

Book Blogger Confessions: Tips for Indie Authors

Book reviews have become a valuable marketing tool for commercial and indie writers. When I look at the top selling books on Amazon and Goodreads, I realize they usually have a ton of reviews. The modern writer’s job does not end when they hit submit and send their creative babies off to publishers. As the publishing world evolves the lines between publisher, author and publicist blur. One powerful tool that can make or break an author is the book review.

Popular book sites like Kirkus and Indiereader know the importance of a professional book review. Authors pay $250-$500 to get a review that will hopefully give them access to an audience that will buy their books. Kirkus and Indiereader both go a step further than the professional review, offering publishing services such as editing and marketing. There is a debate in the publishing industry about the value of a paid review. With the rise of blogging, more book lovers from different careers and backgrounds have brought to life the freelance occupation called the “Book Blogger”.

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Book Bloggers are book lovers
who offer free, honest and in-depth book reviews. Successful book bloggers make money through advertising on their blogs and other freelance opportunities. Book Bloggers, unlike a paid review service, have nothing to gain from giving a positive review. This article will help writers get the most out of the writer blogger relationship to improve craft and to gain exposure. After reviewing other book blogger’s review policies and my experience as a book blogger and a lover of books, here are some tips for indie authors to create a positive blogger-writer relationship.

Submit a finished product.

I cringe when authors submit a book filled with errors, some authors would even let you know ahead of time that it’s not the finished product. Book bloggers introduce books to their audience of readers, putting your best foot forward is best when you want to potentially grow your readership. Some authors confuse beta readers and book reviewers. Beta readers are readers that read mostly fiction to correct errors and to add suggestions in regards to character development, plot etc. Book reviewers are book lovers who read for enjoyment, they are giving you a sneak peek into the thoughts of your reading audience. Book reviewers critique the finished product, beta readers’ help with the development of your product. As a book lover with a lot of books to read and very little time, a book that’s has been thoroughly edited has a better chance of getting a review.

Read Book Blogger’s review policies and submission guidelines thoroughly before submitting a book.

Policies and submission guidelines are created to ensure a smooth process. Book lovers/ book bloggers create policies and submissions based on preference and experience. For example not reading submission guidelines an author might submit their nonfiction book to a fiction reviewer’s blog. Also, some bloggers request books or galleys in formats that support their devices. Sending the wrong format may delay your review and as an indie writer, your time means everything.

Remember to never lose your cool.

Most professional readers are readers who study the craft of fiction or literature. Writing a book is not an easy task, as a literature student, I understand the complexity of creating complex characters and making sure my plot is well-developed and consistent. As a book blogger to give a constructive review, one must separate those feelings of understanding and critique a book based on the product that is presented. One important piece of advice I received from a mentor is as a writer you must listen to all feedback and apply constructive advice based on your style. When I go on sites like Amazon and Goodreads and I see some authors respond negatively to unfavorable reviews, it deters me from reading that book. As an Indie Author creating a good positive image helps build a good brand and it lets the reader feel safe, to be honest with their favorite writers. Book Bloggers don’t enjoy giving unfavorable reviews but giving constructive criticism helps writers write better books.

You can get a list of book bloggers that you can contact to review your books from sites like “The Book Blogger List and The Book Review Directory. Book Bloggers can help indie authors grow readership and improve on your craft...

Submitting a book to a book blogger is an opportunity to get unbiased feedback on your book without the conflict of interest when purchasing critique. So go check out The Book Blogger List Authors  and BeingAuthor.com Today!

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About the Author (@marvelustalent)

Writing and literature student and Book Blogger at LaFifeReviews. Ms. Fife has posted reviews online and an article on school readiness on her school’s website. Latoya Fife is a life long learner with a great passion for reading books and connecting readers to her favorites.

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“CAT LYON’S Reading & Writers Den” ~ Author, Catherine Lyon

My Author, Writer, and Blog Pick of The Week. Meet My Friend Stephen Who Needs Your Advice Blog Friends!

Many of my friends and readers know I ENJOY meeting new authors and writers through social media. Isn’t that using social what using social media for besides maybe business, marketing, and promoting or supporting something…I met Stephen I believe on Facebook as we have a lot in common.

SO, I wanted to help support him and his awesome blog by sharing a recent post he has on “Seeking Advice” on his book project he working on. Here is more and I invite you all to share your tips, advice, and wisdom writers and authors. Even YOU Readers!

 

Meet Stephen Kavalkovich

Author/ Speaker/Recovery Advocate and Coach

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I am a man who was given the gift of many experiences in life. For most of my adult life, I was a 911 Paramedic. I have seen tragedy and suffering first hand for many years. Little was I aware that I was the one who needed the saving. Through seeking peace within by using all things external, I wound up dead and ruined in every way.

My goal is simple, to use my experience to connect and give you a voice. I have expertise in Emergency Medical Care, First Responder and Addiction/Substance abuse issues, Recovery Coaching, Intervention, Leadership, and Spiritual Studies. I am available to serve your coaching, professional speaking, and journalistic needs.

 

HELP! FRIEND, I SEEK YOUR GUIDANCE…

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Good evening, friends. I have taken to my blog to enlist your guidance. I have had a burning desire for many years to write a book. A few months ago, I sat down at my table and just began writing. I wanted it to be a memoir of sorts, but my research showed a massive selection of the same format in the marketplace. I wanted to do something different, so have decided to draw on my personal experiences and create a fiction novel. I also felt that it would give me more creative freedom regarding details and specifics. As you can see above, this is the book cover I have created along with a short description of its contents.

Now, for my humble request. I wanted to ask what it is you would want to read about when you see the title and cover design?
What is it that would keep you turning pages?

If you take the time to read my autobiographical story at https://www.facingaddiction.org/news/2017/05/25/paramedic-survives-911   
this might help you to understand who I am and where I came from. I am so excited to embark on this project and really thought it would be a great idea to have as much of your input as possible.

For those who take my request for help seriously, there is a reward for you.

Any feedback or guidance offered will get a mention in the acknowledgments and 2 free autographed first editions. Would you want war stories? Factual events? What is it that would get you to purchase the book from a store display or on your Kindle or Ipad? I know what I would like to read but I really want to know what you would want.
I sincerely wish to express my gratitude for your current and hopefully continued support in the future. I pray for blessings and peace for each of you on your own journey of life and transformation…

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I would like to invite you to visit Stephen’s blog  ~  Welcome to Tales from the Broadside.  And connect with him on Social Media too!

On Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  LinkedIn   ~  And Instagram!

Thanks, Friends!

“Cat Lyon’s Reading Den”

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