Use Instagram to Sell Books and Get Your Writing in Front of People

book newspaper and snack ontable-1162230_640Guest Post
By Chris Armitage

So you wrote a book, now what? We all know social media is a powerful tool for introducing your work to new people and eventually helping them become fans who will buy more of your work in the future. While many authors do spend money on this sort of thing, you can actually do this with a budget of zero dollars and zero cents. The incredible democratization that social media offers means that quality work has more of a chance than ever to shine. Once upon a time, a writer needed a deal with a publisher or a gig with a well known media source; those days are gone. Continue reading “Use Instagram to Sell Books and Get Your Writing in Front of People”

Top 5 Rules for Promoting Your Brand on Social Media

social media platforms Guest Post
By Chris Armitage

Social media has the power to connect you with your audience and this can be done for free, making it an incredibly powerful tool for democratizing marketing! Through years of trial and error and hundreds of hours of training, these simple rules have made a world of difference in my social media work. The advice being shared here is identical to what is shared with my closest friends and family who have a need to grow their social media following and aren’t ready to make the leap to hiring a professional.

Bottom Line Up Front or B.L.U.F.

More of the right followers engaging with your content means you make more money or bring more attention to your cause. You can grow your following without spending a cent.

Here are my top tips: Continue reading “Top 5 Rules for Promoting Your Brand on Social Media”

I’m Promoting My Book — Where’s My Sales Spike?

book sales graph-841606_960_720 (003)If you’re a regular reader of IU, you know that writing a book is only part of the recipe for success. You’ve taken all the advice about punctuation, plot, characters, and story arc to heart, you’ve written the best book you could, gotten first-class editing, paid for an eye-catching cover and now your book is up on the web just waiting for the orders to roll in.

But they’re not.

Okay… you’ve sent out an announcement to your email list, you’ve posted on Facebook and Instagram, tweeted on Twitter, touted your book on LinkedIn. You’ve sent press releases to the local media and to any distant locations that might be interested (i.e. the setting for your book, your old home town, etc.).

Still no sales spike. What’s up with that? Continue reading “I’m Promoting My Book — Where’s My Sales Spike?”

9 Things Authors Aren’t Doing (And Should Be Doing)

checklist tips-4235819_960_720At BookDoggy, we often receive submissions from authors that are missing important items which could totally help them connect with more readers. We’ve put together a rant, I mean a list of things that drive us crazy, I mean things that will help you. Anyway, here it is.

1.       Do you write books in a series? Continue reading “9 Things Authors Aren’t Doing (And Should Be Doing)”