200 Book Marketing Tips by Alinka Rutkowska, http://alinkarutkowska.com/authors-home/

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200 Book Marketing Tips by Alinka Rutkowska, http://alinkarutkowska.com/authors-home/

200 Book Marketing Tipsby Alinka Rutkowska

Alinka Rutkowska is a multi-award-winning and #1 International best-selling author. She published over a dozen of titles, both fiction and non-fiction, specializing in children’s picture books.

She is an online marketing maven, author coach and teacher of online book marketing courses.

She’s been featured on Fox Business Network, Author Marketing Club, Examiner, She Knows, She Writes, The Writer’s Life, Blog Talk Radio, and many more.

Visit Alinka’s hub for authors at http://alinkarutkowska.com/authors-home/ to learn how to effectively market your book.

***Copyright 2015 Alina A. Rutkowska.Edition 1.3.

***

Thank you for downloading this ebook. If you got it anywhere else than at http://alinkarutkowska.com/authors-home/ - you have a pirated copy. Please report this immediately by contacting me at alinka.rutkowska@gmail.com.

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Yes, there are 200 book marketing tips/resources in here, even more than that but instead of providing a random list I preferred to group them thematically.

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This ebook came to life as a collection of award-winning authors’ best marketing tips (via a closed Facebook group I created). While I provided the majority of them, many others have contributed. Thank you, all!

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Now I know that you can’t wait to tap into all the goodies I prepared for you, so I’ll skip thanking my husband for taking care of the house chores so that I could prepare this for you. Let’s get straight to business.

***

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Table of Contents

WHERE DO YOUR READERS “HANG”? 4AUTHOR WEBSITE 4EMAIL LIST BUILDING 5SOCIAL MEDIA 6PAID PROMOTION 9SELF-PROMO WEBSITES 11BLOGGING 13BOOK AWARDS 14BOOK REVIEWS 18BOOK FAIRS 19FOREIGN RIGHTS 19BOOK LAUNCH 19OPTIMIZING YOUR BOOK FOR SALE 20PRICE 20SELF-PUBLISHING 21TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING 21PUBLICITY 22AUTHOR PLATFORM 22OFFLINE PROMO 22MORE ON BOOK MARKETING (LISTS) 23EVEN MORE ON BOOK MARKETING 23THE WRITING OF YOUR BOOK 24INSPIRATIONAL 25LIBRARYBUB 26NEXT STEPS 26

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WHERE DO YOUR READERS “HANG”?

It’s very important to understand who our target audience is and where they “hang”. Here’s a very insightful article on how readers discover ebooks, but to really know your target market you have to go much more in depth than this.

How Ebook Buyers Discover Books: http://blog.smashwords.com/2011/09/how-ebook-buyers-discover-books.html

1. The most-selected answer was "Recommendations from fellow readers on online message forums, blogs and message boards," with 29% of respondents choosing this. By contrast, only 4% selected, "Personal friend/family member recommends it to me." I think this is fascinating, because it implies readers might trust the collective wisdom of strangers and online acquaintances more than they trust the recommendations of immediate friends and family. At the risk of placing too many eggs in this basket, remember 71% selected something else.

2. The second most common answer was, "I look first for my favorite authors," coming in at 18%. This makes sense. As I mention when I present my Seven Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success talk, the author is the brand and if the author can earn the trust and loyalty of readers, readers will return to that brand for their next read. Readers in this group may also be more risk-averse.

That’s why it’s important to build your brand and nurture your contacts. I’ve tried plenty of things and what really works for me is tapping into the power of Goodreads and transforming those readers into YOUR readers (see more about Goodreads in the Social Media Section).

To learn more about your target market see the last point in the section on Facebook.

AUTHOR WEBSITE

The key to successfully creating an author platform is your author website.

Your online home, your hub, your kingdom is your website. A professional author website has the author’s name in its domain. If you’re rolling your eyes because your website’s domain is your book’s title, please consider this: you’re an author, right? So you will write another book and another, and another, and another. Are you going to create a new website each time? No. I learnt this the hard way… but I’m here to help you save some time: buy your NameSurname.com domain or if it’s taken buy it from the owner for $10,000. Just kidding. If your name-surname domain is taken, get the AuthorNameSurname.com domain or a variation.

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5 Elements of a Successful Author Website

Here are the 5 elements of a professional author website:

1) The first thing you need is a sign up form. You want those readers on your list and you have to give them something exciting in exchange.

2) About your books page: obvious.3) About you: with a funny, memorable bio and a professional author picture.4) Testimonials: copy paste all the editorial reviews you’ve got or even your best

Amazon reviews.5) Links to social media, but not too many (this is a fine art).

Feel free to check out my website for readers at http://alinkarutkowska.com if you’re looking for inspiration.

I’m not the only one with these views on effective author website. Jane Friedman (notice the domain name!) agrees: http://janefriedman.com/2012/02/27/effective-author-website/

Did you know that over 70% of internet traffic comes from mobile devices? And in 2017, more than 90 percent of internet users will access online content through their phones.Have you checked what your website looks like on your phone? I have and some parts looked like crap so I had to redo those. Make sure your author websites look great on your phones, that's where most of your traffic comes from!

How to Build that Website

There are many free services out there and you can start with a free wordpress template but soon your needs will outgrow what these free sites have to offer and you will need something professional.

I’ve had around 10 websites before I finally figured out what works and set up www.alinkarutkowska.com. I use, love and recommend OptimizePress to create your professional author website. Go to http://bit.ly/1z6y0f4 to set yourself up and start dragging and dropping subscription forms, book covers, awards and so much more.

EMAIL LIST BUILDING

This is my primary way of attracting and nurturing my relationship with loyal readers and I have successfully used both Facebook and Goodreads (see Social Media below) as well as offline endeavors to grow them.

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Articles

Here's a "soft" start to Email Marketing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7J8qWVzgvc

How Authors and Writers Can Build An Email List for Marketing: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/09/25/how-authors-and-writers-can-build-an-email-list-for-marketing/

The 5 best incentives authors can use to build an email list: https://www.standoutbooks.com/5-best-incentives-authors-can-use-build-email-list/

"Let's give away an iPad!" - what NOT to do when setting up contests and building your lists. http://socialmouths.com/blog/2013/09/04/value-proposition-choosing-the-right-contest-prize/

Are you making these 11 MISTAKES with your GIVEAWAYS? http://www.shopify.com/blog/12638405-warning-are-you-making-these-11-mistakes-with-your-giveaways-sweepstakes-and-contests

Tim Ferriss about Email: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2014/08/05/timothy-ferriss-email/

Building a Killer Email List: https://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/building-a-killer-email-list/

How to Run a Simple Contest and Add 500 New Subscribers to Your List: http://boostblogtraffic.com/subscriber-contest/?inf_contact_key=cc5bed6a2cbcfd33bf767e954235ae59c660de7cc3f282e5e47ff3633bf2bfe6

Recommended Email Provider

I’ve used several email marketing service providers and I love, use and recommend GetResponse at http://bit.ly/1vKoePK. This is what the pros use. It’s easy to navigate, the support team is very fast and helpful and you can send out what you want (not the case with some other popular services).

SOCIAL MEDIA

Never-ending and ever-changing but we have to keep up! Here are some useful insights:

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Twitter

The Minimalist Guide to Twitter: How to Handle It in 15 Minutes a Day: http://boostblogtraffic.com/minimalist-twitter/?inf_contact_key=46c046c19409f00f590ea6094867d1c12f2f1a092d1e660c41230297e07252f4

The Beginner's Guide to the Hashtag: http://mashable.com/2013/10/08/what-is-hashtag/

Twitter for many authors is a scary place but it’s something that can be very powerful in your marketing efforts. The key is to learn Twitter etiquette and to use meaningful hashtags in your tweets.

Here are some of those magical hashtags:

Reading Hashtags #Books #BookWorm #GreatReads #IndieThursday #MustRead #Novel #Paperbacks #Storytelling #WhatToRead

ePublishing Hashtags#Amazon #eBook #BookBuzzr #eReaders #ePubChat #iPad #kidlitchat #Kindle #KindleBargain #Kobo #KPD #Nook #Pubit #SmashWords #Sony #Webfic #YALitChat #Zinechat

Marketing Hashtags #99c #AuthorRT #BookGiveaway #BookMarketing #FollowFriday #FreebieFriday#FreeReads

More on Twitter:

Ten Tips for Promoting Your Book on Twitter: http://writeforkids.org/2014/07/ten-tips-for-promoting-your-book-on-twitter/?utm_content=bufferea77e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

12 Twitter Marketing Tips from the Pros! http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/12-twitter-marketing-tips/

Twitter ads: https://ads.twitter.com/login?ref=uk-lp-tw-gocart-video

Google+

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8 Types of Rich Media to Share on Google+ http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/rich-media-share-on-google-plus/

Linked-In

Your LinkedIn Profile: Why You Need to Revisit How You Look on LinkedIn: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/linkedin-profile-with-ron-nash/#11

Pinterest

5 Ways to Take Your Pinterest Marketing to the Next Level: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/pinterest-marketing-next-level/

Facebook

Everybody’s on Facebook and so are your readers so you need to be there too! There are two ways in which you can work Facebook:

1) The organic way. Check out “Facebook for Authors: Getting Started Guide”: http://janefriedman.com/2014/12/08/facebook-for-authors/ to learn the basics. Also see “The Vin Diesel School of Facebook” at http://selfpublishingteam.com/the-vin-diesel-school-of-facebook/

2) Facebook ads. Since the reach of posts has been drastically limited recently so that maybe 1% of your followers see them two things have happened:1) Business owners including authors stopped using FB as a platform and so FB

has reacted with some new features for 2015: http://www.theloneliestplanet.com/2014/12/facebook-for-writers-new-features.html

2) Entrepreneurs tapped into the incredible power of Facebook Ads. I’ve had great success with these, so big that I created a course so that you can replicate it: http://bit.ly/1BUu6b6

More on Facebook:

Ten Facebook Pages for Writers and Authors: http://writerswin.com/ten-facebook-pages-note-writers-authors/?utm_source=Where+Writers+Win+Blog+Subscribers&utm_campaign=99f4399407-10_25_14_Update&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3ab37a1f6c-99f4399407-53733221

Increase your Visibility on Facebook: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-news-feed-visibility/

How to Research Your Competition on Facebook: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/research-competition-on-facebook/

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If you pay a “like farm” to generate likes for your Facebook pages, what do you get? http://www.technologyreview.com/view/530961/the-hidden-world-of-facebook-like-farms/

Facebook Ads for Authors: Learn how to use Facebook ads and build an email list at the same time. Also learn how to use “Audience Insights” to get to know your audience down to their income level: http://bit.ly/1BUu6b6

Goodreads

Facebook and Twitter are great but Goodreads is where the hard-core READERS hang.

Here’s a very basic video to watch on Marketing Your Book on Goodreads for Goodreads Authors: https://www.goodreads.com/videos/70533-marketing-your-book-on-goodreads-for-goodreads-authors

8 Ways Authors Can Use Goodreads to Promote Their Book: http://www.authormedia.com/how-to-promote-books-goodreads/

Marketing Your Book on Goodreads: http://www.smithpublicity.com/2014/08/marketing-book-goodreads/

The Simple Reason Why Goodreads Is So Valuable to Amazon: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/04/the-simple-reason-why-goodreads-is-so-valuable-to-amazon/274548/

Goodreads Cracked: Get a REVIEW AVALANCHE by tapping into the power of Goodreads AND build your list at the same time! http://www.alinkarutkowska.com/goodreads-cracked

General for Social Media

8 Visual Content Apps to Create Stunning Images and Videos: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/8-visual-content-apps/#more-68280

26 Creative Ways to Publish Social Media Updates: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-ideas-social-media-updates/

3 Myths about Social Media: http://outthinkgroup.com/tips/3-myths-and-2-truths-about-social-media-marketing-for-authors

PAID PROMOTION

Many paid promotional efforts don’t work but some do. Here they are:

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BookBub

Every author I know who has ever been selected by BookBub has reported great sales and earnings. But the selection process is quite a mystery. Here’s typical rejection letter shared with me courtesy of one of the authors in my network:

Thanks for your submission. Unfortunately, our editorial team has not selected this title for a BookBub promotion at this time.Due to limited space in the email, we’re only able to feature about 20% of the titles that get submitted to us. The editorial team reviews all the submissions that meet our minimum guidelines for a certain category and price point, and selects the titles within that group that they believe will perform best with our members. Other titles the editors reviewed were better fits for our readers’ current tastes.While this deal hasn’t been selected for a feature, here are some tips to make future submissions as competitive as possible:- Submit your deal at a lower price point- Submit other titles from your backlist- Re-submit your title in a few months, when it might be a better fit for our readers- Review additional tips here: https://www.bookbub.com/partners/submission-tipsPlease wait at least four weeks before resubmitting this title for consideration.Best regards,BookBub Partners Team

My advice to authors is: don’t give up. Increase the visibility of your books in other ways and resubmit.

Here’s some advice from an author who got rejected many times and finally made it: http://josephturkot.com/how-to-get-a-bookbub-promotion/

I recently got featured by BookBub. The results: my book hit #1 best-selling charts in its category on amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. I attribute this success to a strategic launch I scheduled for the book. It’s all described here: http://alinkarutkowska.com/100-review-book-launch-2/

What if not BookBub

If you feel like discounting your book and letting the world know about it for you, here’s where you can do it: http://www.trainingauthors.com/places-to-promote-99-cent-ebooks/ and http://www.trainingauthors.com/47-places-to-submit-your-free-kdp-promotion-for-your-kindle-ebook/

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Just remember to link to your other books and your sign-up form inside the discounted or free book!

SELF-PROMO WEBSITES

I know that most authors love shameless self-promotion. Here’s where you can do it (you have to do your own due diligence before registering, I’m just listing these for you. Source: Indie Author Group):

E Reader News Todayhttp://ereadernewstoday.com/ Bookbubhttps://www.bookbub.com Publisher's Weekly BookLife (currently in Beta)http://booklife.com/ Best Indie Books (price varies)http://bestindiebooks.com/ Indie Writers Unite Indie Authors International Smashwordshttps://www.smashwords.com/ Indiereaders - flat rate advertising to a 4500+ newsletter :)http://indiereaders.com Kindle Books Kindle Nation Dailyhttp://kindlenationdaily.com/ Kindle UK Reading Group Book Junkies Romance Novel Junkies Goodreadshttp://goodreads.com/ Indie Book Collective

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 Book Blogshttp://bookblogs.ning.com Book Gorillahttp://www.bookgorilla.com/ She Writeshttp://www.shewrites.com/ Connecting Authors & Reviewershttp://www.facebook.com/groups/245132875517181/  Book Bags and Cat Naps - (Thursday Trailer Triumph posts for trailers and Sample Sunday posts for excerpts, plus guest posts)http://bookbagsandcatnaps.com Orangeberry Bookshttp://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/ Indie Snippets  Indie Book Byteshttp://indiebookbytes.donnakfitch.com Kindle * - Just type Kindle and see the list Any BTS Site - (just type BTS and choose your genre)http://btsemag.com/ Awesome Ganghttps://www.facebook.com/ourawesomegang The Daily Bookwormhttp://thedailybookworm.com/  Fantasy & SciFi Rock My Worldhttps://www.facebook.com/fantasyscifi Indie Author Landhttp://www.indieauthorland.com/  Kobo Reviewshttp://evocalize.com/consumer/business/520e6ea22f18b/search Kobo Indie Writershttps://www.facebook.com/groups/333142976774844/ 

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 EbookSoda - $5.00http://www.ebooksoda.com/authors/ Julie's Book Review - Reviewers for Authors http://juliesbookreview.blogspot.com/ Book Candy Studios (Open Fridays Only)https://www.facebook.com/bookcandystudios #author #authors #books FB Group, open promotion on Fridays only  Book Haven https://www.facebook.com/BookHavenFans?fref=nf The Fussy Librarianhttps://www.facebook.com/TheFussyLibrarian Masquerade Crewhttp://masqueradecrew.blogspot.com/ Bargain Booksy $25.00http://bargainbooksy.com/sell-more-books/  Nook and Kindle Readershttps://www.facebook.com/groups/388497611179690/ Book Goodies  http://bookgoodies.com/ Booksends. Cost $10. http://booksends.com Booktastik: Cost $10. Buck Books: Cost none.  Pixel of Inkhttp://www.pixelofink.com/

BLOGGING

5 Elements of a “Perfect” Blog Post: http://thewritepractice.com/blog-post-elements/

Challenge: Let’s Get Serious About Blogging! http://goinswriter.com/blog-challenge/

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Seven Blogs Every Emerging Author Should Read! http://writerswin.com/seven-blogs-emerging-author/?utm_source=Where+Writers+Win+Blog+Subscribers&utm_campaign=8ce0ad7467-6_29_14_Update&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3ab37a1f6c-8ce0ad7467-53722117

Most Helpful Blogs for Authors: http://www.upauthors.com/most-helpful-blogs-for-authors/

BOOK AWARDS

My absolute favorite: Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest

Deadline April 1, 2016 (late deadline is June 1).You can win one of $35,000 in prizes just for entering and you get a chance to have your book made into a movie or TV show by Wind Dancer Films.All winners get a free certificate, medals, stickers and digital seals. They also get displayed at the International Miami Book Fair free of charge and there are many more perks!

Fee: $89 for Early Bird Registration (April 1); $99 Regular Registration Deadline (May 1); $109 Late Registration (June 1).

Of course there are many more book award contests but this is my absolute favorite! I participated in the previous years and I won. I went to the Miami Awards Ceremony, had an absolutely wonderful time and made invaluable connections with fellow authors, agents and business people.

And here's all the rest (you have to do your own due diligence before registering. I'm just listing these for you):

January 15, 2016 Foreword Reviews (INDIFAB BOOK OF THE YEAR): Publicity efforts will help readers discover fabulous books from the independent book industry. INDIEFAB annually honors more than 250 winners in 66 categories. By entering your book into the awards program, you will automatically receive a year long subscription to the quarterly Foreword Reviews. Winners will be featured in the Fall issue of Foreword Reviews.

Fee: $75 Early bird before September 1, 2016; $99 After September 1, 2016

January 21, 2016 Eric Hofer Awards: Grand prize $2,000. Category winner, runner-up, and honorable mention(s), Montaigne Medal for most thought-provoking book(s), da Vinci Eye for superior book cover(s), First Horizon for debut author(s), Individual

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Press Awards for Micro, Small and Academic presses, as well as self-published books.Fee: $55

January 31, 2016 Beverly Hills Book Awards: The Beverly Hills Book Award™ judges recognize winning books that demonstrate a wide scope of criteria that makes for an excellent overall presentation.Fee: $75

January 30, 2016 Nautilus Awards Book Awards: Their core mission remains to celebrate and honor books that support conscious living, green values, high-level wellness and spiritual growth.Fee: $185

February 12, 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: The top 70 books will be forwarded to a leading literary agent for review and possible presentation. Winners will receive an invitation to attend the Gala Awards Reception held at an outstanding location in Chicago during BEA and will also receive a cash prize, trophy and medals.Fee: $75 February 27, 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards: Conducted annually, the Independent Publisher Book Awards honor the year's best independently published titles from around the world. Each announced book will receive a gold, silver or bronze medal, a personalized certificate, and 20 foil seal.

Entry fees range from the early bird fee of $75 to $95 when you enter closer to the final deadline of February 27, 2016. Regional and ebook category entries are $55 when added to a national category entry.

March 1, 2016 (submissions open) SCBWI work-In-Progress Grant: You must be a current SCBWI member when your work is submitted and when the award is announced in September. You may not submit a work that is under contract. If the work becomes under contract before the award is announced, you will become ineligible. You may submit only one WIP grant category per year.

Your first year of membership in the SCBWI is $95. The annual renewal fee is $80.

March 2, 2016 Indie Reader's Discovery Awards: Prizes are: an IndieReader “All About the Book” feature, a sticker pronouncing your book an IndieReader Discovery Awards winner, an IRDA Winner designation in IndieReader’s new app.Fee: $150 per title, $ 50 additional entry

March 28, 2016 Parents' Choice Awards: The Parents' Choice Awards committees look for products that entertain and teach with flair, stimulate imagination and inspire

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creativity. Judges are interested in how a product helps a child grow in many ways: socially, intellectually, emotionally, ethically and physically. Products must be free of racial or gender bias. Above all, products must not extol violence. Fee: $100

March 31, 2016 The National Indie Excellence Book Awards: Winners and finalists can highlight their award on their marketing materials. They can download the seal to print on their books. Stickers will be available for purchase as well as certificates. Fee: $75

April 15, 2016 Literary Classics International Book Awards and Reviews: One gold and one silver award will be selected in each category for the International Book Award. Each book award honoree will receive an award certificate and 25 sample seals. Additional award seals will be made available for purchase.Fee: $95

April 25, 2016 San Francisco Book Festival: The grand prize for the 2016 San Francisco Book Festival winner is $1,500 cash appearance fee and a flight to San Francisco for the gala awards ceremony in May 2016. Exact date TBD. Fee: $75

April 30, 2016 International Book Awards: As an honored winner or finalist you will have the right to highlight your award on your book cover, website, and marketing material. Award stickers will be available for purchase for all winners and finalists in each category.Fee: $79

May 1, 2016 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest: details above this list.Fee: $89 for Early Bird Registration (April 1); $99 Regular Registration Deadline (May 1); $109 Late Registration (June 1)

May 1, 2016 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards: The Purple Dragonfly Book Awards are geared toward stories that appeal to children of all ages that inspire, inform, teach or entertain. A Purple Dragonfly Book Awards seal on your book's cover tells parents, grandparents, educators and caregivers they are giving children the very best in reading excellence.

Fee: $65

May 25, 2016 New York Book Festival: The grand prize for the New York Book Festival Author of the Year is a $1,500 appearance fee and a flight to New York for the June awards.

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Fee: $50

May 31, 2016 Best Indie Book Awards: Each winner will receive the Best Indie Book Award emblem to display on their website and book cover and winners will have their book featured on the sidebar of four websites for at least six months.

Fee: unknown

October 25, 2016 (TBC) Cybils Awards, (Children’s and Young Adult’s Literary Awards)

November 2016, Writer's Digest Book Awards: Exact date has yet to be announced. Possibility to win $8,000 in cash; national exposure for your work; the attention of prospective editors and publishers; a paid trip to the ever-popular Writer’s Digest Conference. Fee: $99

November 21, 2016 (TBC) Illumination Awards: Contest for Christian books. Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded in each category. Each medal-winning book receives a packet including the medal, a certificate, 20 foil award seals, and awards marketing material.

Early-bird entry fee is $75 per title, per category until the first early-bird deadline, $85 during the second early-bird period, and then $95 until the final deadline.

December 1, 2016 (TBC) Readers’ Views Literary Awards: Reader Views Literary Awards are open to all authors regardless of residency, however, the books must be published in the English language and targeted for the North American market. Fee: $85 to $105

December 31, 2016 (TBC) Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards: Given annually to the children's books published the preceding year that effectively promote the cause of peace, social justice, world community, and the equality of the sexes and all races as well as meeting conventional standards for excellence.

Fee: unknown

Ongoing The Mom’s Choice Awards (MCA) evaluates products and services created for children, families and educators. The organization is based in the United States and has reviewed thousands of entries from more than 55 countries.

Fee: $500

Ongoing Story Monsters, fee $85 (Children’s Literature)

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Ongoing Creative Child Awards, fee $75 (Children’s Literature)

Costa Book Awards No exact date yet for 2016 submission. The 2015 total prize fund was £60,000. Each of the category winners receives £5,000 and the overall winner receives a further £30,000. The Short Story Award winner receives £3,000, with the authors in second and third place receiving £1,500 and £500 respectively.

The Indie Spiritual Book Awards: No dates yet for 2016 submission but as of 2015 prizes, category winner will receive a TISBA 2015 Category Winner, a virtual sticker, a one-minute book trailer and a listing in the Winners’ Circle on the TISBA website. A review of each winning entry will be posted on the TISBA Review Blog.

As of 2015 fee to enter the first category for each book is $33 per book in the month of March. In April the initial fee is $44, and in May initial fee is $55.

USA Best Book Awards: No dates yet for 2016 submission, USA Book News covers books from all sections of the publishing industry — mainstream, independent and self-published.

BOOK REVIEWS

I love the power of Goodreads to get reviews (see the Social Media section) but here are some relevant links:

Getting Your Book Reviewed: Book Reviews for Author Websites: http://www.outboxonline.com/websites-for-authors/book-review-submission/ This is a list of where you can get your book reviewed!

Top 5 Paid Indie Book Review Services Compared: http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/2014/08/top-5-paid-indie-book-review-services-compared/

How to get more reviews! http://blog.writekidsbooks.org/2014/08/9-ways-reviews-are-sweeter-than.html?showComment=1408270239878#c2962471288577984166

Do not react to bad reviews. Everybody has a right to their own opinion.

Just for fun: Woman Leaves Bad Online Review, The Owner Finds Out And Responds http://themetapicture.com/woman-leaves-bad-online-review/

Authors can EXCHANGE REVIEWS on the Readers' Favorite platform. Go to the website, on the left-hand side under "Book Reviews" click on your category. Click on

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one of the books you'd like to review. Click on "email the author" and send them a message that you'd like to propose a review exchange.

BOOK FAIRS

Frankfurt Book Fair: E-Books, self-publishing changing the way people read: http://english.cntv.cn/2014/10/11/VIDE1412963303748176.shtml

Reaching Readers: Top Tips for Author Events: http://www.selfpublishingadvice.org/author-events/

FOREIGN RIGHTS

Explore foreign rights and new markets! Here's some good news for children's authors but this is valid for all: http://www.iamin.in/en/bhubaneswar/news/children’s-books-high-demand-ongoing-book-fairs-45607

Gain Exposure at Trade Shows: https://publishers.forewordreviews.com/trade-shows/?utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FinalCallforFrankfurtBookFair

BOOK LAUNCH

- How many books will you be launching? - How will you be launching them? - What will your build-up to launch day look like? - How will you motivate readers to buy your books? - What does your communication plan with readers look like?

The 4 Keys to Creating Powerful Launches: http://goinswriter.com/powerful-launches/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GoinsWriter+%28Goins%2C+Writer%3A+On+Writing%2C+Ideas%2C+and+Making+a+Difference%29

Start planning your next book launch even if you've only started writing your next book. Here are some great ideas: http://jareddees.com/book-launch-ideas/

100 Review Book Launch: how to launch your book with 100 reviews and build your list at the same time: http://alinkarutkowska.com/100-review-book-launch-2/

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OPTIMIZING YOUR BOOK FOR SALE

5 Tips on How to Identify Your Target Audience: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2013/06/13/identify-your-target-audience/

Kindle Spy: How to find your keywords that will maximize the probability of your book hitting the best-seller lists: http://alinkarutkowska.com/kindlespy

Kindle Samurai: A great tool that will save you hours of research and help you get the best keywords possible: http://alinkarutkowska.com/kindlesamurai

Kindle Samurai Video Tutorial: Here’s a video of myself selecting keywords for an upcoming release: http://alinkarutkowska.com/kindle-samurai-tutorial/

Find your 'Comparison Authors’! Research what they're doing to market their books and see if you can replicate their strategy!

Using NEW "Theme" key words for Amazon kindle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFjq1qGhwpM&feature=youtu.be

ISBN 101 For Self-Publishers: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/11/isbn-101-for-self-publishers/

Include a link to your mailing list inside your book!

The book jacket and cover of your book is your reader's first impression. Make it count! Here's a wonderful post by Dave Bricker, that will provide you with some very good information: http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/judging-book-cover-design-1/

PRICE

"E-books are highly price elastic. This means that when the price goes down, customers buy much more.[...]. For every copy an e-book would sell at $14.99, it would sell 1.74 copies if priced at $9.99. So, for example, if customers would buy 100,000 copies of a particular e-book at $14.99, then customers would buy 174,000 copies of that same e-book at $9.99. Total revenue at $14.99 would be $1,499,000. Total revenue at $9.99 is $1,738,000. The important thing to note here is that the lower price is good for all parties involved: the customer is paying 33% less and the author is getting a royalty check 16% larger and being read by an audience that's 74% larger. The pie is simply bigger.”: http://www.readersunited.com

Price your book wisely: http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/07/29/amazon-speaks-want-lower-ebook-prices-hachette/?

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utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDigitalReader+%28The+Digital+Reader%29#.U9tRN1bD9Ey

SELF-PUBLISHING

Next Time, I’ll Self-publish: http://indiereader.com/2013/04/next-time-ill-self-publish/

Self-Publishing Statistics – Who are the Top Earners? http://www.epublishabook.com/2012/05/30/self-publishing-statistics-who-are-the-top-earners/

This is not a statistically significant survey (we only have a sample of 72) but it' still fun to read: What Makes People Buy Self-Published Books? http://tarasparlingwrites.wordpress.com/2014/07/31/what-makes-people-buy-self-published-books/

One Size Does Not Fit All for Self-Publishing: http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/2014/08/one-size-does-not-fit-all-for-self-publishing/

What Works: Promo for Ebooks: http://jakonrath.blogspot.it/2011/05/what-works-promo-for-ebooks.html

Top 5 Marketing Tips for Indie Authors: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ak-turner/marketing-tips-for-indie-authors_b_6010956.html

TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING

25 Tips on How to Impress a Book Publisher: http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/09/29/25-tips-on-how-to-impress-a-book-publisher/

Query Letters The Worked! http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/23-literary-agent-query-letters-that-worked_b76306

AgentQuery.com: The internet's largest free database of literary agents

Agent Query Connect (free of charge) are a group of authors that give you real-time feedback on your hook, query, synopsis, etc., and are very helpful. Of course, you get out of it what you put in it, so it helps a lot to give feedback to the others seeking advice not only to learn how to structure your own query, but to give back to the community. http://agentqueryconnect.com/

If you're traditionally published, make yourself an easy author to work with: http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/agent-talk-7-ways-to-make-yourself-an-easy-author-to-work-with/?

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utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WritingAndIllustrating+%28Writing+and+Illustrating%29

How long does it take to get published? https://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-published/

PUBLICITY

You can use HARO to get more publicity! http://www.helpareporter.com

AUTHOR PLATFORM

While we’ve already covered many elements of an author platform these links explain what an author platform is:

Setting up an Author Platform: http://nicholasrossis.me/2014/06/02/setting-up-an-author-platform/

A Definition of Author Platform: http://janefriedman.com/2012/03/13/author-platform-definition/

OFFLINE PROMO

Always carry your business cards with you! You never know when someone asks about what your up to! Directing them to your website (and subscriber list) is the best thing you can do (other than selling them your book but people don't buy on the spot.)

Sign your books whenever you can! Readers love signed books.

Book signings: Think out of the box about WHERE you could do a book signing. You will gain readers you never would have otherwise!

Media kit: Get your Media Kit ready for book fairs and book signings! Include:- Professionally printed business cards with the book cover on one side and your contact information on the other side. I'd also include a head shot.- A sales sheet. List all your books and add a short bio and contact info. If you only

have one book, add some reviews. - Get a professional head shot for all your materials and use it across all your social

media.

Creating a Book’s Sell Sheet: http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2013/10/01/creating-a-books-sell-sheet/

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How to get into the brick and mortar stores: http://writerswin.com/five-keys-working-book-stores-youre-published/?utm_source=Where+Writers+Win+Blog+Subscribers&utm_campaign=14086b8c52-9_11_14_Update&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3ab37a1f6c-14086b8c52-53722117

MORE ON BOOK MARKETING (LISTS)

A really long but amazing post of how Tim Ferris does it: 12 Lessons Learned While Marketing “The 4-Hour Body” (http://fourhourworkweek.com/2011/03/10/12-lessons-learned-while-marketing-the-4-hour-body/)

Top 10 Book Marketing Sites ranked by traffic: http://www.goodbookmarketing.com/top-10-book-marketing-sites-ranked-by-traffic/

Four Ways to Attract Attention when you think nobody cares about your book: https://www.forewordreviews.com/blog/posts/nobody-cares-about-your-book-but-here-are-4-ways-to-attract-attention/?utm_source=ftw&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ftw-2014-09-18

Build Book Buzz, Top 10 book marketing posts from 2014: http://buildbookbuzz.com/blog/

Ten Tips For Entering Writing Contests Online (With Links): http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/2014/08/ten-tips-for-entering-writing-contests-online-with-links/

21 Harsh But Eye-Opening Writing Tips From Great Authors: http://thoughtcatalog.com/cody-delistraty/2013/09/21-harsh-but-eye-opening-writing-tips-from-great-authors/

The only ten books you’ll ever need on how to market a book: http://www.standoutbooks.com/how-to-market-a-book/#at_pco=smlrebv-1.0&at_si=53ec5cf2e335c4ab&at_ab=per-4&at_pos=4&at_tot=8

7 Bestseller Book Marketing Strategies For Fiction Writers: http://bestsellerlabs.com/7-bestseller-strategies-for-writers/

EVEN MORE ON BOOK MARKETING

Your email signature is powerful! We can all use: "[Name, Surname]; [Genre] Author; [Honors]

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Learn from the best! This introvert sure has plenty of great tips to share! http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2014/10/17/successful-self-publishing-2/

Tips for writers by Jackie Collins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJa8BqD5bMY

Replicate these simple but effective strategies this author used to make $40,000 in 10 days! http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,196814.0.html

What happens after you publish a book? http://nicholasrossis.me/2014/10/11/i-just-published-my-book-now-what/

Kindle Sales Rank Calculator: http://www.kdpcalculator.com/index.php

Write more than one book or more than one series! Repeat buyers are our best customers!

Print Books Outsold Ebooks In First Half Of 2014: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/06/ebooks-print-books-outsold_n_5940654.html

A Clever Twist on Video and Book Club Promo from Author Neil Gaiman: http://writerswin.com/clever-twist-video-book-club-promo-author-neil-gaiman/?utm_source=Where+Writers+Win+Blog+Subscribers&utm_campaign=374c9e0e86-9_15_14_Update&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3ab37a1f6c-374c9e0e86-53722117

The Deception of Bestseller Lists: http://speakermagazine.com/the-deception-of-bestseller-lists/

What Is An Ebook Worth? http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2014/08/12/what-is-an-e-book-worth/?et_mid=686535&rid=244497198

There’s (Probably Going To Be) An App For That: http://writerswin.com/theres-an-app-for-that/?utm_source=Where+Writers+Win+Blog+Subscribers&utm_campaign=10ab016f51-9-5_14_Update&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3ab37a1f6c-10ab016f51-53722117

THE WRITING OF YOUR BOOK

This section is at the back because I know that most of you want to market your current book. But for those of you who are thinking of publishing your next book, here are some useful links:

Hook your reader early - within the pages she will preview while checking out your book!The Secret Of How to Make Your Book Un-Put-Down-able: http://bestsellerlabs.com/how-to-make-your-book-un-put-down-able/

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Five Words to Eliminate from Your Writing: http://www.nextstepediting.com/five-words-to-eliminate-from-your-writing/

297 Flabby Words and Phrases That Rob Your Writing of All Its Power: http://boostblogtraffic.com/weak-writing/?inf_contact_key=278ddfae75c3fb8ecae3c95bc23fb0c60c9d705a6adad7bc9a29575f66357126

The Most Popular Words Used In Classic Books (INFOGRAPHIC): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/24/word-clouds-books_n_6030788.html

Writers need editors. But choosing the right editor for you can be difficult. Sandra Beckwith of Build Book Buzz, provides us with some tips on what to look for and what to ask when choosing an editor: http://buildbookbuzz.com/6-steps-for-vetting-your-vendors/

How to Overcome Writer’s Block: 14 Tricks That Work: http://goinswriter.com/how-to-overcome-writers-block/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GoinsWriter+%28Goins%2C+Writer%3A+On+Writing%2C+Ideas%2C+and+Making+a+Difference%29

Here is a terrific post that offers up different character prospectives and how they drive the plot forward or twist it. 7 Unreliable Narrators to Twist Your Next Plot: http://mandywallace.com/7-unreliable-narrators-to-twist-your-next-plot/

11 TIPS ON WRITING AUTHENTIC DIALECT: http://www.christinekohlerbooks.com/blog.htm?post=969606

What to Expect from Your Book Editor: http://editorsdesk.net/expect-book-editor/ Join or form a Critique Group.

Multiauthor boxed sets: What's making them so hot (and not)? http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2014/05/30/kathy-kulig-spice-box-popularity-of-boxed-sets/9700919/

INSPIRATIONAL

I Want What She's Got: The Disastrous Comparison Game: http://emmaddryden.blogspot.it/2014/10/i-want-what-shes-got-disastrous.html

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Advice from author Kathryn Craft for dealing with negatives: http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/09/you-did-me-wrong-right/

30 Indispensable Writing Tips From Famous Authors: http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/writing-advice-from-famous-authors#.dfmn4xD67

Writer's block? Marketing crisis? Take a shower! http://www.wired.com/2014/08/shower-thoughts/?mbid=synd_cnnstyle

You only need 1,000 True Fans to make a living! http://kk.org/thetechnium/2008/03/1000-true-fans/

Why don't authors compete? http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2014/08/end-of-summer-book-roundup.html

LIBRARYBUBIf you have an award-winning or best-selling book, apply for a feature at LibraryBub which connects indie authors with over 10,000 libraries: http://librarybub.com/authors/

NEXT STEPS

Subscribe to Author Marketing Club for even more top quality info on book marketing.

***

I offer courses and coaching on a variety of topics and I’m happy to help. Please see below:

Courses

Professional Self-Publishing: Learn how to PROFESSIONALLY self-publish your book by replicating my step-by-step methodology: http://alinkarutkowska.com/psp/Goodreads Cracked: Get a REVIEW AVALANCHE by tapping into the power of Goodreads AND build your list at the same time! http://www.alinkarutkowska.com/goodreads-cracked

100 Review Book Launch: Release your book with 100 reviews and build your list at the same time: http://alinkarutkowska.com/100-review-book-launch-2/

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Crowdfunding Author: Crowdfund your author career! It's a lot of work but you can raise significant funds not to worry about your budget for months or years. http://www.warriorforum.com/showthread.php?p=9614801

Facebook Ads for Authors: Learn how to use Facebook ads and build an email list at the same time: http://bit.ly/1BUu6b6

Coaching

I offer coaching on a wide variety of self-publishing and book marketing topics: http://alinkarutkowska.com/power-coaching/

Affiliates

You can make an additional income by promoting my top-notch courses as an affiliate. See http://alinkarutkowska.com/affiliate-center/

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