HEARTICLES: Articles with Heart

So, Author Branding ...What is it? Do you think it's about how good your books are? Nope. It's about establishing yourself as an expert on the topic you write about. It's also about knowing the difference between a writer and an author. As it says on the tin, a writer writes. A writer is someone who focuses on craft, style and structure as much as the story they're creating. And they constantly push forward to hone their craft and polish the voice they're establishing. An author is those things and also a published writer. But more so, an author is someone who has a message they want to share, and they do so by writing those stories they can then share with like minded people...readers. To do that, the author must establish their brand...why they are the best person to tell this story. Before we continue, think about three topics you may read and if you can connect the author: Scaring the bejeezus out of readers. Dragons, Fantasy Realms, Warfare. 12th Century Eng...

Hashtags are an essential tool for any promotion. For the sake of conversation, let's talk books. What is a hashtag? Firstly, a hashtag is made up of two components...the hash and the tag or keyword. Using the two together creates a type of label or metatag used on social media to make it easier for users to find messages with a specific theme or similar content. The has looks like this #. Back in the old days, we called this the pound sign, but with most things, over time, names and meanings can change. In a time of social media, this innocent looking character has become something which holds much power. Why? Using this symbol alerts social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to share the topic on the hash, much like a neon arrow that's blinking, "Hey, over here...someone's talking about your book!" And with luck, that person will be inspired to buy your book, or whatever you're promoting. Each social media site uses the hashtags a little dif...

{please note, this article is aimed at writer's not participating in this month's NaNoWriMo} "OMG! I haven't written anything — anything — in a month! Where has the time gone? What's wrong with me? I'll never get this book published if I can't hunker down and write!" Have you said this? I bet you have, at least to some degree. But let's look back over your last month, or number of weeks, since you've written. Have you been concentrating on submissions of a previous story? If you're previously published, are you submitting to reviewers or doing guest blog spots to promote your latest book? Are you a member of a critique group or have a partner you critique with? Do you write a blog? Have you got buried yourself in research? There are a number of reasons why you're not working on your story, but that doesn't mean you're not writing. If you're submitting to agents and publishers, that's important if you want your story pub...

So, you have a blog and you're wondering why you also need a website. The biggest difference between a blog and a website is that blogs are generally about current, up-to-date information. The most current of that information always comes up immediately when visitors log in. Websites are generally more static, offering semi-permanent landing points for visitors who want to learn more about you and your work. Traditionally, the homepage is the only page that frequently changes. And for people like me who have a blog and a website, it's easy to use the blog as the homepage to the website, then use the website itself for the semi-static information. More about this later. First off, here are the top ten reasons why you need a website — 1) Compartmentalization - By setting up dedicated areas for specific things, visitors to your site can click into that section and find everything they're looking for in that topic in the one place, such as all of your books or to learn more ab...