Jake Needham - Reader's List Value

Top Shelf Author Advice is a collection of comments made by a group of outstanding authors during Author Interviews and Studies presented by HBSystems Publications. Today's advice comes from:


Jake Needham

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers Author

Author's Blog: Jake Needham blog
Website: Jake Needham
Twitter: @jakeneedham
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
E-Mail: JakeNeedham@jakeneedham.com
Spotlight Author Interview - Jake Needham



Question
Are there problems you should avoid in developing and using a reader's list?

Answer
I have an opt-in mailing list and people who visit my website can add their names to the list. I don’t use any online tools to capture email addresses. My list is strictly opt-in and the only way to do that is by filling out a short form on my site. After I set up the mailing list, it very quickly ran up to about a thousand names, but over the last year or so growth has slowed to a trickle. I have no idea why since I’ve changed nothing and the number of visits I get to my website has steadily increased. Maybe newsletters have simply gone out of style and few people want to receive them anymore. That’s easy to understand since most of us already get far more email these days than we know what to do with.

I should also say that I have the sense that my mailing list is worthless as a marketing tool. Most if not all of the people on it are fans who have already read most of my books. I do get a lot of nice email back whenever I send out a newsletter that has any substance at all. Clearly many readers do enjoy hearing from me and reading my thoughts on things that touch on the subject matter of the books I write, but I don’t think the newsletters actually sell any books for me at all. Trying to sell more books through an opt-in mailing list is almost the definition of preaching to the choir.



Source Post
How Do You Develop and Use a List of Your Readers? - HBS Author’s Corner STUDY

Author Jake Needham @jakeneedham is a best-selling Mystery & Thrillers Author.



Author Recommended by: James Moushon, a Mystery Writer and writing industry blogger and HBSystems Publications, a Publisher of ebooks and the sponsor of the following blogs:
HBS Author's Spotlight
Top Shelf Author Advice
eBook Author’s Corner
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Disclaimer
This blog is for information only. It is not an endorsement of the comments or advice discussed in the post. This blog features author’s information gained from the author or the Internet and is by invitation only.
Permission from the author is required via email to publish this information. It is not a group, subscription or forum.
HBSystems Publications Copyright 2014

Catherine Bybee - Free eBooks Promotion's goal

Top Shelf Author Advice is a collection of comments made by a group of outstanding authors during Author Interviews and Studies presented by HBSystems Publications. Today's advice comes from:


Catherine Bybee

Author Genre: Romance

Author's Blog: Romance by Catherine
Website: Catherine Bybee
Twitter: @catherinebybee
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
E-Mail: catherinebybee@yahoo.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Spotlight Author Interview - Catherine Bybee



Question
What was your goal in having Free Book Promotions?

Answer
Find new readers
“Most of my fans come from my contemporary or time travel world. Giving readers something for free gives them the opportunity to see if they’d like my writing style in the paranormal.

I think giving away free books is a great way to find new readers. The only real drawback is for a new writer that doesn’t have more books to sell. In this case I suggest they hold off.”



Source Post
Free eBooks Promotions Can Be Pure Gold for Authors

Author Catherine Bybee @catherinebybee is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Romance Author.



Author Recommended by: James Moushon, a Mystery Writer and writing industry blogger and HBSystems Publications, a Publisher of ebooks and the sponsor of the following blogs:
HBS Author's Spotlight
Top Shelf Author Advice
eBook Author’s Corner
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Disclaimer
This blog is for information only. It is not an endorsement of the comments or advice discussed in the post. This blog features author’s information gained from the author or the Internet and is by invitation only.
Permission from the author is required via email to publish this information. It is not a group, subscription or forum.
HBSystems Publications Copyright 2014

Dianne Harman - Finding Your Readers

Top Shelf Author Advice is a collection of comments made by a group of outstanding authors during Author Interviews and Studies presented by HBSystems Publications. Today's advice comes from:


Dianne Harman

Author Genre: Romance and Literary Fiction

Author's Blog: Dianne Harman Author
Website: Dianne Harman Author
Twitter: @DianneDHarman
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Spotlight Author Interview - Dianne Harman



Question
How do find your reading audience?

Answer
Starting Point
You must know your audience before you to start looking for your readers.

Finding a reading audience is one of the most difficult things an author has to deal with, particularly if you write contemporary fiction which crosses several genres…I'm a believer that no one is going to look for your works if they're under a rock, so I think multi-exposure is critical. If you write in a very specific genre, I think it's much easier to target your audiences.



Source Post
Authors: Finding Your Readers On-line

Author Dianne Harman @DianneDHarman is Award Winning Bestseller Romance author.



Author Recommended by: James Moushon, a Mystery Writer and writing industry blogger and HBSystems Publications, a Publisher of ebooks and the sponsor of the following blogs:
HBS Author's Spotlight
Top Shelf Author Advice
eBook Author’s Corner
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Disclaimer
This blog is for information only. It is not an endorsement of the comments or advice discussed in the post. This blog features author’s information gained from the author or the Internet and is by invitation only.

Permission from the author is required via email to publish this information. It is not a group, subscription or forum.
HBSystems Publications Copyright 2014

Devin C. Hughes - Why do Free Book Promotion?

Top Shelf Author Advice is a collection of comments made by a group of outstanding authors during Author Interviews and Studies presented by HBSystems Publications. Today's advice comes from:


Devin C. Hughes

Author Genre: Ethnic & Minority Studies + Biography

Website: Devin C. Hughes
Twitter: @DevinCHughes
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Google+: Check Out Google+
Spotlight Author Interview - Devin C. Hughes



Question
Why do you do Free Book Promotion?

Answer
Branding
Another reason for giving a book away is to create or improve your brand. Branding sells books in the future.

Book Promotion are a two edged sword here. One side is book sales and the other is promoting my speaking tour.

I give away quite a few books to a variety of folks who attend my events … I giveaway books to promote me and my brand.



Source Post
Free Books: Give it away. Just give it away.

Award-winning speaker and a bestselling author, Devin C. Hughes - @DevinCHughes.



Author Recommended by: James Moushon, a Mystery Writer and writing industry blogger and HBSystems Publications, a Publisher of ebooks and the sponsor of the following blogs:
HBS Author's Spotlight
Top Shelf Author Advice
eBook Author’s Corner
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Disclaimer
This blog is for information only. It is not an endorsement of the comments or advice discussed in the post. This blog features author’s information gained from the author or the Internet and is by invitation only.
Permission from the author is required via email to publish this information. It is not a group, subscription or forum.
HBSystems Publications Copyright 2014

David Brin - Using Video in Your Marketing Effort and Entertain at the Same Time

Top Shelf Author Advice is a collection of comments made by a group of outstanding authors during Author Interviews and Studies presented by HBSystems Publications. Today's advice comes from:


David Brin

Author Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Thriller, Comics & Graphic Novels

Author's Blog: Contrary Brin
Website: Worlds of David Brin
Twitter: @DavidBrin1
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Google+: Check Out Google+
Spotlight Author Interview - David Brin



Question
I enjoyed watching your Youtube presentations. What advice can you give to authors about the importance of using video in their marketing effort?

Answer
Authors, Marketing, Video and Entertainment. We are entering an era when it will be rare for written fiction to stand entirely alone. Oh, I love the power of the autonomous novel. But it is becoming easier to enhance the experience. For example, in EARTH I included "links" (way back in 1989) that already crudely expanded the main storyline and that could now pop over to broad experiences - and some young artists want to do that.

The best recent example was my collaboration with the great web artist Patrick Farley (electricsheepcomix.com) on a gorgeous and very dramatic 3 minute video trailer for EXISTENCE. At the opposite end are YouTube spoken missives that range from simple chapter readings to advice for new writers and freshmen heading off to college.

Always the goal remains the same… to entertain. To have folks go: "Huh… interesting!" And for them to want more.



Source Post
David Brin - HBS Author's Spotlight



Author Recommended by: James Moushon, a Mystery Writer and writing industry blogger and HBSystems Publications, a Publisher of ebooks and the sponsor of the following blogs:
HBS Author's Spotlight
Top Shelf Author Advice
eBook Author’s Corner
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Disclaimer
This blog is for information only. It is not an endorsement of the comments or advice discussed in the post. This blog features author’s information gained from the author or the Internet and is by invitation only.
Permission from the author is required via email to publish this information. It is not a group, subscription or forum.
HBSystems Publications Copyright 2014

Ruth Cardello - Using Free eBooks Promotions

Top Shelf Author Advice is a collection of comments made by a group of outstanding authors during Author Interviews and Studies presented by HBSystems Publications. Today's advice comes from:


Ruth Cardello

Author Genre: Romance - Contemporary

Author's Blog: Bestselling Author Ruth Cardello Presents…
Website: Ruth Cardello
Twitter: @RuthieCardello
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
E-Mail: minouri@aol.com
Spotlight Author Interview - Ruth Cardello



Question
What was your experience using free eBooks promotions?

Answer
Hoping for a recommendation from a non-buyer.
“I put my first book FREE on all the major vendors in April of 2011. Since then approximately 1 million people have downloaded it. Now, not all read it, I’m sure. Also, not everyone loves it. However, enough people come back to purchase book 2 that I consider it the number one most successful promotion I did for my book series. It put my book in the hands of many readers who may not have taken a chance on a new author if they had to pay for the first book.”



Source Post
Free eBooks Promotions Can Be Pure Gold for Authors

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Ruth Cardello @RuthieCardello is the author of the Legacy Collection.



Author Recommended by: James Moushon, a Mystery Writer and writing industry blogger and HBSystems Publications, a Publisher of ebooks and the sponsor of the following blogs:
HBS Author's Spotlight
Top Shelf Author Advice
eBook Author’s Corner
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Disclaimer
This blog is for information only. It is not an endorsement of the comments or advice discussed in the post. This blog features author’s information gained from the author or the Internet and is by invitation only.
Permission from the author is required via email to publish this information. It is not a group, subscription or forum.
HBSystems Publications Copyright 2014

Chrissy Anderson - Getting Book Reviews

Top Shelf Author Advice is a collection of comments made by a group of outstanding authors during Author Interviews and Studies presented by HBSystems Publications. Today's advice comes from:


Chrissy Anderson

Author Genre: Chick Lit, Romance, Humor And Comedy

Author's Blog: Chrissy Anderson
Twitter: @AskChrissy
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
E-Mail: Chrissy@askchrissy.net
Spotlight Author Interview - Chrissy Anderson



Question
What is your method in Getting Book Reviews?

Answer
My method for getting reviews is simple- Every time a new person *LIKES* my facebook page, I post a message directly to them on my page thanking them for *LIKING* me and I ask for them to leave a review on Amazon (I provide the link making it as easy as possible for them) and tell them I’ll look for the review the next day. The acknowledgment and the call-to-action usually results in a speedy AND good review. Also, because of the true life love triangle storyline of The List Trilogy, I get a lot of personal emails from women asking me for advice. I’m quick to reply and I always ask if they’ve left a review on amazon. I constantly reiterating that I rely on reviews for sales and that I’m grateful for the time and effort it takes to leave one.



Source Post
Getting Book Reviews: The Methods Award-Winning Authors Use – A Study

Chrissy Anderson @AskChrissy writes Chick Lit, Romance, Humor And Comedy novels.



Author Recommended by: James Moushon, a Mystery Writer and writing industry blogger and HBSystems Publications, a Publisher of ebooks and the sponsor of the following blogs:
HBS Author's Spotlight
eBook Author’s Corner
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Disclaimer
This blog is for information only. It is not an endorsement of the comments or advice discussed in the post. This blog features author’s information gained from the author or the Internet and is by invitation only.
Permission from the author is required via email to publish this information. It is not a group, subscription or forum.
HBSystems Publications Copyright 2014