{"id":3229,"date":"2010-12-13T12:00:58","date_gmt":"2010-12-13T06:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookbuzzr.com\/blog\/?p=3229"},"modified":"2014-12-23T17:16:10","modified_gmt":"2014-12-23T11:46:10","slug":"authors-marketers-the-5-most-asked-questions-answered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookbuzzr.com\/blog\/authors-marketers-the-5-most-asked-questions-answered\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Marketing Mondays: Authors & Marketers: The 5 Most Asked Questions Answered"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest Expert: Jo-Anne Vandermeulen<\/a><\/p>\n

Throughout the year, I have had many opportunities to submit and host interviews. Some have been author focused\u2026others have been market focused\u2026and yet, my favorite is a blend. Perhaps it\u2019s time not to consider both as separate.<\/p>\n

Wouldn\u2019t your life be a lot easier if you combined yourself as both an author and marketer?<\/p>\n

Here are the top 5 most asked questions:<\/p>\n

1.) When should I start marketing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Building an author platform begins even before the book is released. John Kremer<\/a> states that a blog should begin as soon as you come up with the idea or know what your book will be about.<\/p>\n

2.) I love to write, but I don\u2019t even know where to start. What do I do first?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you are an aspiring author or published, I always give the same advice\u2026start a blog. A website is good, but do you have a place where your followers can interact with you? Think of today\u2019s marketing as more personal\u2026mix formality with conversational writing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best marketing is not selfish. It never has been. It\u2019s caring. It\u2019s understanding your customer or audience and giving them what they want. The best marketing is careful and detailed. The best marketing is personal.\u201d >Carolyn Howard-Johnson<\/a> \u2013 The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor <<\/p>\n

3.) I\u2019ve got a blog but there\u2019s no one reading it. What do I do to get noticed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Be proactive \u2013 reach out to many social media sites where your audience will be. Post snippets, answer questions, and participate. This will draw attention. Don\u2019t forget to leave your signature with your blog link included.<\/p>\n

\u201cExposure is king. All marketing efforts on and offline should lead people to your blog. If they like what they see, they will buy your book. The blog gives you an opportunity to expose readers to your writing. Your blog gives you the opportunity to publish content to keep your readers interested in what you have to say. The goal is to develop a following that can\u2019t wait to see what you are going to write about. When you release your book, or your next book, you have a built in customer base.\u201d >Todd Rutherford \u2013 the \u201cPublishing Guru\u201d, Todd Rutherford<\/a>, VP of Yorkshire Publishing <<\/p>\n

4.) Is there a formula or something I can follow to make sure my blog is what it takes to sell my book?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out other bloggers who have high traffic. What makes their blogs successful? And if you\u2019re wanting to sell your book, here\u2019s a short checklist that you can use:<\/p>\n

Vital Checklist for Your Blog:<\/span>
\n_____ \u2013 my book cover is visible even before the reader scrolls.
\n_____ \u2013 there\u2019s a purchase button (preferably embedded in the book cover) or directly under the book.
\n_____ \u2013 there\u2019s a tab or button where readers can click and directly connect with me.
\n_____ \u2013 if given a brief personal bio of myself and I have my full name included.
\n_____ \u2013 the link to the purchase button goes directly to the purchase page.
\n_____ \u2013 a tab indicates more information about the book (brief synopsis, reviews)
\n_____ \u2013 posts include valuable information for my audience and will be an awesome sample of my voice.<\/p>\n

5.) How do you do it all? Being an author is one thing, but now I have to market?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Combine authorship with marketing. Sort of like the saying goes, \u2018kill 2 birds with 1 stone\u2019. Use your blog as a place to write and market. Learn short-cuts by following the advice of experts. There are many of us out there who are so happy to help and give tips. Do a search and follow these experts. They will save you tons of time and energy. (pssst\u2026I\u2019ve quoted a few above\u2026oh, and then there\u2019s myself\u2026and don\u2019t forget Tony Eldridge<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Oh, and if you want the easy way out\u2026(here\u2019s the plug\u2026lol)\u2026order my book, \u201cPremium Promotional Tips for Writers\u201d. The many many amazing 5-star Amazon reviews don\u2019t lie. There have been others like you who\u2019ve appreciated the much needed advice.<\/p>\n

Remember, on the Internet, you\u2019re never alone. You can *conquer all obstacles*.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a> Jo-Anne Vandermeulen<\/a> is a Canadian author<\/a>, expert blogger (offering free marketing tips)<\/a>, producer and hostess of \u201cAuthors Articulating\u201d on Blogtalkradio<\/a>, founder and marketer of the online marketing business\u2014 \u201cPremium Promotional Services\u201d<\/a>, and on many major social media sites (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc.)…a professional support network for writers. With two books out (including a suspense\/romance novel) Jo-Anne has overcome her own obstacles to follow her dreams. An English major, graduated from the University of Saskatchewan (Canada), in 2006 she had to give up teaching when she was diagnosed with an illness that forced her to get out of the classroom. Now, with the novel Conquer all Obstacles, and the non-fiction resource book Promotional Tips for Writers, Jo-Anne is an inspiration for many. You may also find her marketing advice at Dream Chaser\u2019s Magazine<\/a>, Yahoo Group MFRW (Marketing For Romance Writers)<\/a>, and BookBuzzr Blog<\/a>, where she is a regular contributor.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest Expert: Jo-Anne Vandermeulen Throughout the year, I have had many opportunities to submit and host interviews. Some have been author focused\u2026others have been market focused\u2026and yet, my favorite is a blend. Perhaps it\u2019s time not to consider both as separate. Wouldn\u2019t your life be a lot easier if you combined yourself as both an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,173,720],"tags":[360,310,9,358,175,3,18,359],"class_list":["post-3229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-marketing","category-book-marketing-mondays","category-guest-posts","tag-answers","tag-author-platform","tag-authors","tag-blog-checklist","tag-blogging","tag-book-marketing","tag-book-promotion","tag-questions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookbuzzr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookbuzzr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookbuzzr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookbuzzr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookbuzzr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookbuzzr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3229\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookbuzzr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookbuzzr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookbuzzr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}