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...

THE ART OF SELF-PROMOTION: The ability to market one's work is the difference between a hobby and a career Writers, like it or not, cannot escape the fact they are small business owners. And to succeed in any small business, we need a business plan and a steady stream of activities to generate buyer awareness and desire for the product. Here are some easy tips to help you with self-promotion. 1) PROMOTION AND MARKETING - Learn the difference here . Promotion is the 'what' in sales. Marketing is the 'why'. Don't just show potential readers your book. Tell them why they need to read it. 2) BRANDING - Do you write a series, or excel in a particular time period or genre? Recognize your brand and focus your efforts in that direction. This will also help you target your reading audience. 3) ENGAGE - Be more social on social networking sites. Go to the readers, don't expect they'll find you . Being social means talking to people, sharing ...

Probably one of the most confusing parts of selling books, or any product, is marketing and promotion, but not many understand the difference in the terms. Before we begin, we must go back to the 5 Ws: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Marketing includes all of those things. Promotion is just part of it. In the simplest terms, Promotion tells a customer WHAT you have for sale. Marketing tells the customer WHY they need it. You can't have one without the other. And if your book is on sale, you can include your WHERE and WHEN to that. WHO? That's your audience. Let's break it down with a few examples -- Promotion -- what = the product: Just Desserts Cookbook Marketing -- why =  you need this book because . . . It's full of dozens of seasonal recipes that can be used year-round. All recipes were written and donated by many Tirgearr authors. There are recipes for most occasions. The recipes are easy to make, so even beginners can make them. There are twi...