Blogger to Author

So many authors focus on selling books online. But, working to promote your book to your local community can actually have a huge impact on your book sales and your business, maybe even more than if you focus on promoting your book online. It's easier to stand out from the crowd when you can meet with people face-to-face, which can result in more book sales and a bigger impact. Then, you can take that local momentum and bring it online when you feature the buzz you're getting in your community on your digital platforms.

In this episode, I'm excited to feature an interview with Marsha Apsley. Marsha is a repeat guest on the Blogger to Author Podcast (you can also catch her in Episode 30 – Finding Your Purpose by Re-Purposing). Marsha has had amazing success from promoting her book heavily in her local community, including taking advantage of local media opportunities and having a signing event at her local bookstore. In the interview, she fills us in on how her local focus is really paying off (literally and metaphorically), and how that local momentum is helping her build her business online.

Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/63

Are you stuck in the middle of writing your book? Maybe you just have an idea or an outline. Maybe you've written a chapter or two...and that's it. You know you want to finish your book, but it just never seems to get done. Something always comes up, and there are always tasks that seem more urgent.

This episode will help you get writing again...and help you write your book faster. I'll walk you through the top five strategies that I think you should use to write your book ASAP so you can move your book from your "to-do" list to your "done" list. These five strategies are what I've used to write and self publish my four books, and I think that you'll find them really helpful, too.

Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/62

You know you want to write a book, but you have so much going on in your blog or your business or your life. Is it really a smart idea to set aside your valuable time to write your book, or should you be spending that time elsewhere? It's a tough decision for any blogger or business owner to make. But luckily, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to make the decision-making process easier.

In this episode, I'll help you figure out whether your book will help you meet your immediate goals, whether it's the right time in your marketplace for your book, whether you actually have the time to write your book, and more. By the end, I think you'll have a good idea about whether you should put in the effort to write your book now, or whether it can stay on your to-do list a while longer.

Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/61

You've written a great book. Now you need to get it into the hands of more readers. If you're a blogger, you're already familiar with influencer marketing. And if you're not a blogger, you probably still understand the power of having someone with a following share their book with those followers. Influencers can help get your book in front of an audience of your ideal readers, which can mean more book sales and more people helped by your book.

This episode walks you through the process of planning influencer partnerships. You'll also learn some best practices for approaching influencers and asking them to share your book, including the four things that I recommend you include in your pitch. You'll learn all of the basics you need to know to start pitching to influencers in under 15 minutes.

Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/60

You may have seen some authors give away their book for free. (I've certainly done it with several of my books.) And, you may have wondered why in the world would they give away something for free if their goal is to make money selling books. I get it; it seems totally counter-intuitive. But, it's also been a really great strategy for some authors.

In Episode 59, I walk you through the reasons why you might choose to list a book for free on Amazon. Then, I'll tell you about my free books on Amazon, including how I made one of them permanently free and how that strategy has worked out for me. If you've ever wondered whether this strategy is one you should try to sell more books, definitely listen to this episode.

Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/59

Have you used connections in your community to build your business or to sell your books? I know, I know, it can be really uncomfortable to put yourself out there and meet with people in person. (Shout out to my fellow introverts.) But, those face-to-face relationships can also be one of the most effective forms of marketing you have available to you. Going local can be your key to success both as an author and as an entrepreneur.

Episode 58 features an interview with Nicole Culver, business coach and strategist, and creator of the Local Leverage Method. We talk about the many reasons why you should go local, how to start getting visibility in your local community (including some great actionable steps you should take), and how you can utilize local relationships to sell more books.

Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/58

Write smarter - have a plan! In Episode 56, I walked you through WHY you should take the time to create a plan for your book, and told you about the steps you should take to get started with the outline for your nonfiction book. In this episode, I'm talking you through the next steps that you should take to finish writing your outline.

Here, you'll learn the best, most efficient way to go from a list of topics you'd like to include into your book to a well-organized outline. I'll also tell you why you should get feedback on your book at this stage—and how you can go about getting that feedback. By the end of this two episode series, you'll have the know-how you'll need to create a detailed plan for your nonfiction book.

Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/57

You have a great idea for your book...now what? You need a plan. When you have a detailed plan or outline for your book, you'll be able to work more efficiently and be more productive as you write. That means that you'll be able to write your book faster, even if you just have a few minutes a week to dedicate to writing.

In this episode, you'll learn why it's worth taking the time to write a detailed plan or outline for your nonfiction book. And, you'll learn more about the first two steps that you should take when you begin to put your plan together. These steps will help you save yourself a lot of time, which translates into you getting your book into your readers' hands sooner!

Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/56

It can be hard to stay on track when you're writing a book. Bloggers and entrepreneurs have a to-do list that's a mile long, from posting on social media to emailing their list to everything else they need to do to keep building their audience so they can continue to make money.

I know a lot of you have started a book (or have planned to start a book), but then you get sidetracked. It's happened to me, too. But, if you're going to become an author and ultimately get all of the benefits that come along with having a published book, you have to stick with it. In this episode, I'm giving you three simple actions you can take to make sure that you stay motivated and keep up momentum so you can get your much-needed book out into the world.

Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/55

Many of the authors I know have always dreamed of writing a book. Some have always envisioned writing an attention-capturing novel. Others want to write a bestselling memoir. Many others dream about writing a children's book. If you fall into the latter category, you're going to get a lot out of this episode. (If you don't, you'll still learn a lot about book writing and self publishing!)

In this episode, I'm excited to be interviewing Angela Ferrari, a self-published children's book author. We talk about how to start writing a book, why Angela chose to self publish her books, how she gets the ideas for her books, what it's like to work with her as an illustrator, and much more. I think you're going to learn a lot from her insight.

Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/54