Your Author Banner - One Time Investment, or Break the Bank Recurring Charge?

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm talking about author banners. You know, those things you put up behind your table at conferences. I get a lot of questions about mine when I put it up because of the way I created it. Because it's come to my attention that several authors might like to do something like this, I figured I'd share here. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

So, my author banner is 2.5' x 6' Vertical and looks like this:

I got it at VistaPrint for $100 with a stand. If you wait on a sale, you can get them cheaper (from what I hear), but I needed one in a hurry for RAI this past April.

I know what you're thinking: That's so plain! There are no book covers or anything on there!

You're right. There aren't. But keep reading!

So, $100 is a significant investment, right? I thought: How can I do this just one time, and NEVER have to do it again (unless my clumsy self damages the actual vinyl)?

I went to this site: MPIX and ordered all my covers (8 of them) at 8X12 on single weight matboard and E-surface paper for a little over $60 with shipping. They were around $7 each.

If you're keeping up, that's a $160 investment so far.

Well, I needed a way to make those images interchangeable on the banner (and a way to make them stick). I headed to Amazon and snagged a roll of 75 5/8" white Velcro dots for about $10.

Now comes the fun part!

I designed my layout on the banner with nothing sticky (this step is very important). Then, I flipped the prints over and put the dots on the four corners (the soft side, not the hook side), and then I stuck the hooked side to the soft and removed the covering from the adhesive.

Keep up, this is the MOST important part.

Very carefully, I flipped the first print over and stuck it to the banner where I wanted it.

Then, I detached the dots from one another and removed the image.

I then attached new hook dots to the soft dots ON THAT IMAGE and repeated the process twice, putting it where I had the other two laid out.

Now, my banner has dots that will hold that image in three places, but I want to be able to stick any of the images anywhere.

I then attached soft dots to ONE of the patterns on the banner and removed the adhesive cover. After lining up a new image and gently pressing it down, I had a second image that would fit ALL THREE places on my banner. I repeated this action until all my images had soft dots on the corners.

I used the soft dots on the images so I can stack them and not worry about them scratching one another.

*****IMPORTANT: I know it's time consuming to do it this way, but if you just stick dots on willy-nilly, there's a chance they won't line up with the ones on the banner. Take the time to do it right.

My banner can now display ANY of my covers, and I don't have to spend another $50 (banner with no stand) each time I want to update it, just $7. Here's a picture:

Total investment: $170

If I ever change my branding (colors or WriteJoMichaels), I'm screwed, but I like it enough that I plan to stick with it forever.

You can leave space at the top, bottom, or wherever! It's your design. Do with it what you will.

I'll get into those nifty little stands that are holding my books next week. They're my favorite EVER!

What do you think? Will you try it?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Goodreads Demystified

Happy Monday! Today, I'm making a post for all those new authors out there struggling to get a grip on good old Goodreads. There will be some info in here for old hands, too, so give it a skim and pick and choose what you think may help YOU. I'm going to break it down into sections so you can find what you need more easily. Not a long intro today, because this puppy will be LONG. Ready? Let's get going!

CREATING AN ACCOUNT

Go to Goodreads.com:

Fill out the boxes and click "sign up with email" unless your author name is your FB name (if they're the same, click sign in with Facebook--not sure how you'd choose to do that because of all the Amazon/FB "stuff" going on). ANYway:

Leave off connecting any of your social media right now. You can always do it later. Click "skip this step":

Please also skip the reading challenge question (dear me, this is a lot of stuff to add to an account setup):

Because Goodreads is primarily a site for readers, they want you to select your favorite book genres so they can match you with people with similar interests or recommend books to you. Do that and click Continue:

Skip the ratings page by clicking:

Yay! Now we're finally to your profile (sort of)! Click the big green button:

Now, really quickly, go to your email and verify your account.

APPLYING FOR AN AUTHOR PROFILE IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A BOOK LISTED

Now go to the search bar in the top and type in the title of your book (I'm searching for a random title because Jo Michaels is already claimed and can't be claimed again):

Click on it. Then click on the author name:

You'll see this. Click on "let us know":

Fill it out and click "submit application":

All done! Now, you sit back and wait to be approved!

APPLYING FOR AN AUTHOR PROFILE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A BOOK LISTED

After you have an account for 24 hours, go to the search bar in the top and type in the title of your book (going with something I know isn't published) and hit enter:

If your book isn't listed (and it shouldn't be), click "manually add a book" (for tutorial reasons, I had to go back to my other profile--this one hadn't been active long enough to add a book. You CAN have an established friend go in and add your book):

Fill it out. Goodreads will give you hints and tips on how to fill out the page as you go along. If you don't have an ISBN, go ahead and pop over to CreateSpace, create a new title, and click give me a free ISBN. Use that. Obviously, I won't be adding a non-existent book, but you get the idea. Don't forget to go to the top, right hand side and upload your cover. Once you're done, click "create book":

Wait about 10-15 minutes, then do the steps for applying for an author profile if you already have a book listed as outlined above.

Now, you're ready to rock and roll!

Tomorrow, I'll go through filling out your shiny new author profile that you should have by then, and I'll introduce you to some cool Goodreads features like events, giveaways, and groups.

Any questions?

If you're a SASS member, write your questions down and hang on to them. I'll address your concerns on our call later this week.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Facebook Page Basics - Getting Ready for Likes

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today is a post for the newer authors, those who don't have a Facebook page or those who are thinking about starting one. If you're an old hand, feel free to skip this one. For all of you sticking around, grab a pen and notebook and let's get going!

Okay, in order to have a Facebook page, one must first have a Facebook account. If you don't have one, go to Facebook.com now and sign up.

Done? Good. Now, look on the left hand side of the screen. You'll see this:

Click it.

Here's where the fun begins! When you click Create a Page, you'll be taken to a screen like this:

Each of the squares you click on will open a dropdown with a number of choices. Because we're focused on author pages, you want to click the bottom left box (Artist, Band, or Public Figure) and choose Author. Type in your name and click Get Started.

I'm going to pause here for a moment and talk with you about your name choice. There are a ton of first time authors who create a page for their book or series rather than their author name. This is amazing if you only plan to write one book or one series of books, but what happens when you have fifty or more books out? Are you going to have fifty pages? Why not keep all those fans in one place and just have one page to keep up with?

Now that you've thought about it, let's move on.

I typed in Forexampleonly as my name, because I plan to delete this page once we're done here.

Now you'll see this:

This first tab is the basic stuff you'd expect. You add a description of what your page is about (don't use your author bio, please) in about 200 characters, and what fans can expect to find there. Add your website address, too.

I know you "can" skip it, but please don't. Let's just get it done and over with, okay?

VERY IMPORTANT: Once you SET your PAGE URL, it can only be changed ONE time. People will be notified if you ever do--that screams, "I had no idea what I was doing when I set this up." Choose this wisely (should usually be your author name, as simply as possible), so you won't have to deal with all that.

Here's mine:

Now, click Save Info and let's move to step 2:

Ideally, your profile photo should be square (1:1 ratio) and around 200dpi. As you can see, you can either upload one from your computer or grab one from the web. Do that now. Mine is 6" X 6" at 200dpi in RGB colorspace. I added some graphics around the edge so you can see how nicely it fits.

See? No crop!

Click Next and go to step 3:

Yes, add it to your favorites. That way, it'll show up on the left side of your main feed at the top rather than under the word Pages.

Click Next and go to step 4:

This is where you define your target audience. Hint: "everyone" is not a target audience. Be specific. These are the folks who will be shown your page most often.

Age range goes from 13 to 65+. Choose their location(s). Add their interests. Be specific! I know I said that already, but it bears repeating. For this one, I'll do age 18-35, men and women, with interests in publishing, who live in the US, UK, and Australia.

Click Save and admire your new page!

Facebook will walk you through looking around at all the "stuff" you now have to play with. Go ahead and get clicky with it, and then come on back here and I'll show you a couple more things.

You back? Okay, cool! Now, on to your banner! Here's the size requirement: 851px wide X 315px tall at 72dpi. If you make the resolution any higher, Facebook will resize it, and it'll look janky. If you need a template, you can use this one:

Once you get your banner made, click Add a Cover and upload!

Before I go, I want to show you Settings and how to schedule a post to publish in the future. Click Settings.

Be sure you go through every single tab and set your page up exactly the way you want it. This is also where you can add other people to your page as admins, block specific keywords, and turn on profanity blocker. Yes, it's a lot, but it's worth it.

This page's URL is: https://www.facebook.com/forexampleonly/

That's it. No string of numbers or all that other shizz. Why? Because we took the time to set it when we created it.

To create a post that'll publish on a future date, click in the box that's ghosted Write Something... and type in what you want to share. DON'T CLICK PUBLISH. Instead, click the arrow next to publish and get the dropdown menu. Looks like this:

Click on Schedule.

Choose the date and time you want the post to go up. You have to actually click on the boxes and type in the time manually, but the calendar is a dropdown select.

Guess what? You're done!

You're now ready to share your page with the world. Get out there and get busy. Don't forget to invite your friends to like your page!

Once you have a handle on how all the basic tabs work, take a look at the Insights. Here's a post I wrote that'll walk you through all those cool features.

Did that help? Any of this you didn't know?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

HeadTalker - What it is, How to use it, and Why it's Awesome

Happy Monday, everyone! Today's post is going to be rather long-ish, but you'll want to read all the way to the end. We'll be getting into a new marketing tool called HeadTalker. I'll show you why it's awesome, how to use it, and go into how you can apply it to your current marketing strategy. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks, and let's get going!

As you're all aware, I'm never paid for anything I talk about here on my blog, and there are no affiliate links. This is why I'm free to speak my mind. I don't owe anyone anything, and no one owes me. Recommendations made here are 100% because I loved the product. Now that I've restated that, we can move on.

I'm gonna start with a big WHAT IS HEADTALKER? snippet.

HeadTalker works like Thunderclap, a social media blasting platform, with more options and more ways to get your message trending. Plus, HeadTalker has some REALLY cool features Thunderclap doesn't.

If you don't know what Thunderclap is, go check out this post.

Please understand, I'm not saying you should use one of these over the other, but HeadTalker is another platform to put firmly in your corner because of the features.

Speaking of, let's get rolling on those, shall we?

Social Media Platforms - There are Four

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Tumblr
• LinkedIN

Campaign Features (this is where it gets really cool)

• Video (book trailer!)
• Share Image (I'd love to see them add design specs to this and the next one)
• Background Image (see comment above)
• Media Embed (images, music, etc...)
• Set Supporter Goal (between 25 and 500 - ANY number)
• Include a Giveaway

I have to be honest, when I saw all the bonus features, I got really excited. I did run an experiment to see just how it worked, and I'll get to that after I show you all the "fill me out" things (which will happen now).

CLICK THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

As you can see, you have a campaign title, message you want to go out, a URL, the place to embed your YouTube video, featured photo and background photo, a category, your story (which you can edit at any time without having to resubmit and will hold things like music and photos), your supporter goal, a start and end date with a time to go live, and a giveaway option.

Now, once approved, you can't change your URL or message. Those are fixed. You'd probably have to delete your campaign and start over.

Anyway, I did a little test to run through the functionality and check out all the features. Here's how I set mine up:

CLICK THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

I also did a $20 giveaway (the minimum, to see just how it worked). One thing I didn't use was the background image option because I wasn't sure what it was and didn't want to muck up the look.

Once my campaign was live, I got a PayPal invoice for $22. HeadTalker takes 10% off the top for handling the giveaway for you. Not too shabby. I put it out there and don't have to worry about it again. For what it's worth, I love simple. *grin*

Now, here are the stats broken down by time:

15 min shot

30 min shot

45 min shot

1 hour shot - Notice I hit my goal of 35

6:56PM

At 10:27PM I got a message that said my HeadTalker was trending and was on the homepage. 

SCORE! After that, this happened!

1:01AM

8:36AM

10:45AM

4:22PM

Today at 11:33AM

As you can see, the numbers are astounding (I'll give a comparison to the other one on Thunderclap in a moment). Now, when I first got the message that my campaign was ready to start gaining supporters, there were a number of links included (this is also pretty fun, so stay with me).

There was a link to the HeadTalker Academy (I highly recommend going through this even if you think you know what you're doing - several tips and tricks there.

Another took me to FAQ (self explanatory, no?).

Still another took me to Success Stories (those were fun and interesting to look through - think of it as a "what works well" class).

But, by far, the most interesting one took me to the HeadTalker Market. This is the place where you can pay others to support your campaigns or have others pay you to support theirs. Now, I don't know about you, but I think this is flipping brilliant. If you can't get the support you need any other way, or if you're serious about making the biggest impression possible and have the cash to lay out there, I don't see limits on your potential reach. Might be better than doing a cash giveaway. Hell, it might be awesome as a passive kind of income, too, if you have a strong social media presence.

So, anyway, for a price (from $1 on up, depending on social reach ability), you can get limitless support for your campaign. I didn't do this, but the option is totally there.

Now for a comparison screenshot of my other campaign. We set this one to go at noon, and HeadTalker to fire at 5PM day of release. This was taken today at 11:33AM.

Is there even a comparison? It's literally crazy, right? Or am I missing something?

What do you think? Will you make the jump from one to the other? Use both? Do you see any downsides?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

From Old Hands to New Mouths - Authors Helping Authors - Publishing Helping Hands

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I had a typesetting job I needed to work on today, and I've been hemming and hawing about how to approach this topic. I'm gonna warn you now, my opinions are strong, and they're about to be vomited all over my blog. If you're not sure you can handle it, I suggest you get on outta here now. However, if you think maybe, just maybe, you'll be interested in hearing what I have to say, grab a cup of Jo, get comfy, and read on.

*rubs hands together*

Here we go!

I was interacting with a few authors a little while back, and one of them said something that made me pause and think.

Here's what was said (no, you don't need to know who said it): "I usually see big time authors only helping other big time authors. It could be because they have been friends since the beginning, who knows. But I rarely see a best selling author promoting someone new."

How true.

My immediate response was anger, and then I thought about it. Now, I'm beyond pissed.

Why?

Well, once upon a time, we were ALL brand new authors. Yeah, we kicked and clawed our way up the ranks, writing and fighting, promoting and extending hands to help those in the same boat we were in. Ergo, people rose up together. When one person got a piece, they shared it with those who've been by their side from the beginning.

Nothing wrong with that.

Until...

Once you get a big name (or even a semi-big name) and you start to crap on the little guys because they're all "nobodys" or you snub new folks at signings because you can't be bothered. Better yet, you're rude or just don't bother to respond when someone approaches you or asks you a question.

Yeah, those folks are all new to this publishing and marketing stuff, and you know what? They could use a friggin hand. Even if you just take five minutes to share your process or give a tiny piece of advice that isn't "keep writing." Everyone knows they have to keep writing. Duh. That's like telling a painter they need to keep painting or a bricklayer to keep building. That's not the advice they're looking for.

What is there to lose, really? An hour or two of your writing time?

Really?

But stopping to give someone advice isn't all there is. Nope. You can share a Facebook post (or two—gasp!), swap backmatter, or even—dare I say it?—read or buy their book. Holy crap! Now there's a new idea! Actually buying the books of your fellow authors. Who would've thought?

Next time you're on Facebook, head over to a book page and like and share a couple of their posts on your page. Even if you don't know the author. No, especially if you don't know the author.

Because, believe it or not, those new authors of today will be where you are tomorrow, and some of them will rocket past you to the top. How silly will you look when they recall your reaction to their query or request for a handshake when you step up to get your copy of their book signed?

Truth be told, you never know who'll make it in this industry, so be kind to everyone while you can. If all the people you know stay on the bottom rungs forever, that's okay, too.

Know why?

Because you've made new friendships that'll be there forever. And those, folks, are worth more than gold.

So, my call to everyone who's up there now: Get a kid sister or brother author. Help them out when you can. Offer to put a snippet of their book in the back of yours. Put out a call. I guarantee someone will answer.

Be kind. 

Lift as you climb.

Be a mentor.

You can't write enough books to fill all the hungry brains out there. These authors aren't your competition, they're your partners.

Think about this:

What if you offered to swap backmatter with a new author and their book takes off, hitting the top twenty? Guess what? Part of your book is in there! What if your book rockets up the charts? Well, that's a win for them, too!

It WILL work if you work together, but a house divided against itself cannot stand (thank you, Abe, for that sage advice).

Tell me in the comments what you plan to do. Then, go out and do it. Come on back and tell me how it went or how it's going.

Help one another, because there isn't another magic formula that'll do it all for you.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Write Better. Write Faster. Right Now. A FREE 4-Part How-to Video Series

Happy Wednesday again! *grin* Okay, you guys, strap in, because this post is a doozy!

I'm so excited to share this!

Want to write faster (and BETTER)?
Want to finally write that novel?

This is where you start.

This 4-part video series is designed specifically to teach you—for free—how to start writing better, faster, today.

FYI, the makers of the videos are Heather Hildenbrand & S. M. Boyce: published, best-selling authors. They’re the real deal, with a NBC film option and published novels to drool over. They run a company called Find Time to Write and in true Find Time to Write BOSSness fashion, they decided to tackle the largest issue first.

Authors hire these ladies to level up their careers and propel them forward. But today, they’re doing this video series for free.

Check it out here.

Now, there's a place at the bottom where you can stick your e-mail address in and get the next three videos absolutely FREE, too.

What do you think? Will you be checking it out? Let me know in the comments.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

EBook Theft - 5 Easy Steps to Help Nail Your Pirate

I'd say happy Friday, but this issue is a serious one, and I need you all to pay attention. I need you all to protect your work. I'm gonna give you some background as to why I'm writing this, then we'll get into how to put it into action.

Twice over the last three days (yes, TWICE), I've seen authors who either have had a book up on a pirate site before release date, or had their manuscript published by someone else using the author's name before release date on one site or another.

Just... NO.

This angers me in more ways than I can count. That author, who spent God only knows how many hours and dollars to produce a book, was ripped off.

But here's the best worst part:
Those authors had only sent the book to their ARC reviewers and/or beta readers. People believed to be trustworthy.

As an author, you don't know who to trust. Let's just be honest about it. I like to believe in the good in people, but that shouldn't stop any of us from covering our own butts.

But there are a couple of ways to cover your butt and find out who's stealing your work.

Best part about this: DO NOT TELL THEM WHAT YOU'VE DONE. When they pirate your work, you'll know exactly who to go after.

Here are two methods:
#1: ONLY send out PDFs, and password protect them with the reviewer/beta-readers' names.

1. Open in Adobe.
2. Click on options.
3. Choose to password protect.
4. Save.

#1 is the easiest option, but also the least secure. There are ways around that password.

#2: Change certain lines in your manuscript. Create an Excel spreadsheet with the line you changed and the reviewer/beta-reader's name.

1. Open your MS.
2. Choose a random line.
3. Change the wording, delete the sentence, or move it to a different part of the paragraph.
4. Make the note in Excel.
5. Save the manuscript with a number: _1, _2, _3... you get the idea (so you can keep up with which one goes out to whom).

If you find the book on a pirate site or seller site, go download it.

Even if they remove the _number, you can do a quick check to see which line was changed.

#2 is my favorite option, because they won't know what you did unless you tell them.

I do hope every author reads this, implements it, and shares the post.

I also hope every slimy scumbag book pirate out there is cringing in FEAR. You WILL be found. Authors WILL prosecute you. And you won't even know what hit you.

May you be infested with a billion superpowered fleas on your body and your arms be too short to reach your butt.


AUTHORS: If you need help password protecting your manuscript (if you use option 1) contact me, and I'll help you.

This has GOT to stop.

Until next time,

Jo