Writing Roots

The dream of many writers is to become well-known and bestselling. Unfortunately, just writing the story isn’t enough. In the world of self-publishing, it is up to the author to get their books to sell. Not an easy task when that author is also still trying to write more. This month is focused on marketing, that step just before and after publishing. Topics will include using social media, where to publish and sell, and creating interesting ads that will draw potential readers to a book.

When it comes to marketing, knowing whether or not the book could be a series or have a sequel is essential. If a reader likes a book, they’ll often look for more from that author or even in that world. It’s not so easy to plan for that, though, if it’s the first book ever from that author. In this episode, Ley and Leigh discuss ways to plan for and use sequels in marketing as an author.

First aired July 27, 2020.

The post S12E8 – Using Sequels During Marketing appeared first on Writing Roots.

One very effective way to begin promoting both a book and an author is to participate in interviews, especially on local radio or television programs. It lets an author talk about themselves, their writing process, and an upcoming or newly-released book, during which hundreds or thousands of people are listening. In that group may be potential new readers and fans. It’s a great way to simply get a name out there and expand an audience.

However, being interviewed can be an anxiety-inducing process, even for those who aren’t shy introverts. Ley and Leigh sat down with a local radio host, Carl Bott, to talk about how to get interviews and how to be interviewed. They discuss things from how to prepare for an interview to how to use a microphone.

First aired July 25, 2020.

The post S12 Bonus – Tips and Tricks for Interviews appeared first on Writing Roots.

The dream of many writers is to become well-known and bestselling. Unfortunately, just writing the story isn’t enough. In the world of self-publishing, it is up to the author to get their books to sell. Not an easy task when that author is also still trying to write more. This month is focused on marketing, that step just before and after publishing. Topics will include using social media, where to publish and sell, and creating interesting ads that will draw potential readers to a book.

As the quote of this episode says, there is no substitute for quality when it comes to people enjoying a story, but there are certain tricks of the trade to help get the best reviews. It comes down to finding the right audience and making sure they’re the ones that find the book or published work. Additionally, sometimes a bad review or two isn’t a bad thing, so long as you have many good reviews. This episode explains why.

First aired July 23, 2020.

The post S12E7 – Getting the Most Effective Reviews appeared first on Writing Roots.

The dream of many writers is to become well-known and bestselling. Unfortunately, just writing the story isn’t enough. In the world of self-publishing, it is up to the author to get their books to sell. Not an easy task when that author is also still trying to write more. This month is focused on marketing, that step just before and after publishing. Topics will include using social media, where to publish and sell, and creating interesting ads that will draw potential readers to a book.

While the most common places for self-published authors to sell their books are online, it’s not the only option. We discussed in a previous episode how print and audio books are still well within the reach of new authors, even if they don’t have the backing of a large publishing company. While having those other mediums available is nice, it does create some more work to get the books out into the world. Ley and Leigh discuss in this episode the different options for where to sell.

First aired July 20, 2020.

The post S12E6 – Where to Sell Your Books appeared first on Writing Roots.

The dream of many writers is to become well-known and bestselling. Unfortunately, just writing the story isn’t enough. In the world of self-publishing, it is up to the author to get their books to sell. Not an easy task when that author is also still trying to write more. This month is focused on marketing, that step just before and after publishing. Topics will include using social media, where to publish and sell, and creating interesting ads that will draw potential readers to a book.

Much of marketing relies on writing, though it’s a different style than what is used to write the book or story. Ads should entice the intended target audience to investigate further and give them a reason to purchase the story. Every tease – a type of ad – should make the reader ask questions which they want to answer. This episode explains how ad writing works and how to effectively write them.

First aired July 16, 2020.

The post S12E5 – Writing Effective Ads and Teases appeared first on Writing Roots.

The dream of many writers is to become well-known and bestselling. Unfortunately, just writing the story isn’t enough. In the world of self-publishing, it is up to the author to get their books to sell. Not an easy task when that author is also still trying to write more. This month is focused on marketing, that step just before and after publishing. Topics will include using social media, where to publish and sell, and creating interesting ads that will draw potential readers to a book.

Nearly all forms of social media can be very useful tools for marketing books and authors. It does take some work, though, to create a good following that will benefit rather than harm marketing efforts. This episode goes over some of the main ways to use social media, as well as things to avoid.

First aired July 13, 2020.

The post S12E4 – Using Social Media to Market appeared first on Writing Roots.

The dream of many writers is to become well-known and bestselling. Unfortunately, just writing the story isn’t enough. In the world of self-publishing, it is up to the author to get their books to sell. Not an easy task when that author is also still trying to write more. This month is focused on marketing, that step just before and after publishing. Topics will include using social media, where to publish and sell, and creating interesting ads that will draw potential readers to a book.

Self-publishing authors all need to decide – hopefully early in the process – what mediums they will choose for publishing their books. It’s never an exclusive decision, as you can publish in all three main mediums: print, ebook, and audiobook. There are different things to consider for each one, such as upfront cost and possible return. This episode discusses the benefits and possible setbacks of each one.

First aired July 9, 2020.

The post S12E3 – Choosing the Right Medium for Your Book appeared first on Writing Roots.

The dream of many writers is to become well-known and bestselling. Unfortunately, just writing the story isn’t enough. In the world of self-publishing, it is up to the author to get their books to sell. Not an easy task when that author is also still trying to write more. This month is focused on marketing, that step just before and after publishing. Topics will include using social media, where to publish and sell, and creating interesting ads that will draw potential readers to a book.

A common mistake of new authors is not spending enough time on branding, or focusing on branding the wrong thing. Authors should be focused on making their name recognizable so that a reader will make the connection across all books the author writes. People read Stephen King because it’s Stephen King. This episode explains why it’s important to build an author brand and some tricks on how to accomplish that task.

First aired July 6, 2020.

The post S12E2 – Building an Author Brand appeared first on Writing Roots.

The dream of many writers is to become well-known and bestselling. Unfortunately, just writing the story isn’t enough. In the world of self-publishing, it is up to the author to get their books to sell. Not an easy task when that author is also still trying to write more. This month is focused on marketing, that step just before and after publishing. Topics will include using social media, where to publish and sell, and creating interesting ads that will draw potential readers to a book.

The first and most important step to marketing is identifying the target audience. No book, not even those written by well-known names, will sell if they are marketed to the wrong audience. This episode helps writers find their target audience in order to start the process of marketing.

First aired July 2, 2020.

The post S12E1 – Finding Your Target Audience appeared first on Writing Roots.

There are all kinds of four-letter words people consider to be bad. In writing, those four-letter words aren’t the traditional ones most people think about when they hear the phrase. The four-letter words of writing are the difficult topics to consider, write about, or simply just to do. None of the words are bad, but can be frightening for new authors or authors unfamiliar with certain topics. They are all something that needs to be addressed, at least, and decisions made on how to use them to the author’s advantage. Through June, this podcast will be breaking down those difficult words, such as edit, time, LGBT, and best.

Authors almost always want to be the best at their craft, but for new authors that goal can be daunting. It leads to comparing their first works to the professionally edited works of bestselling authors. Reaching for the best can help, though. This episode is dedicated to helping new authors figure out how to achieve their best work by focusing on themselves and improving each step of the way.

First aired June 29, 2020.

The post S11E9 – Best: Improving Your Writing to Achieve Your Best appeared first on Writing Roots.