In order to sell books, an author must get his name out there for the public to see. There are a plethora of ideas for ways you can do that. One of those ways is by guest blogging. By guest blogging, you can get your name in front of people who either have not yet heard of you or who would only hear of you through your guest posts.

If guest blogging is an option you want to look into, here are some tips for you.

-          Fine a blog that attracts reader in your genre. For example, if you’ve written a cookbook, look for blogs that focus on cooking. The blog brings in people that enjoy food and cooking, giving you a greater chance of extra sales.

-          Find a blog with an already established reader base. Stay away from blogs that only have a few followers. There may be nothing wrong with the blog, but it won’t help your sales much if the blog only has eight readers. If you really like the blog, bookmark the site, keep checking back, and guest post when the list of followers has grown. In the meantime comment on posts so the blog owner recognizes your name.

-          Leave links where people can find you. This will help you get new followers and potential buyers. Link to yourself wherever possible – Facebook, Twitter, your blog, website, Pinterest, etc.

-          Multitask. If the blog allows it, use reprints when appropriate. You can also repurpose old articles and posts by re-writing them, which takes less time than creating brand new work. You don’t want to spend so much time guest posting that you don’t do any of your other writing.

Using these few tips when guest posting might possible help you increase sales of your books, which is after all, why you write in the first place.

One of the parts of being a writer that I don’t like is marketing. Selling your books doesn’t have to make you a pushy person, but for those of us who don’t like to talk about ourselves at all, it’s absolutely miserable. But, we should also make the most of every opportunity, especially if extroverts pushed their way into our lives.

That’s what happens to me. Many (many) times when I go out in public, people feel the need to talk to me. Keep in mind, these are people I have never laid eyes on before and I have not initiated conversation with. I have not even made eye contact with them until they spoke to me. I must have a sign of my forehead that reads, “Please, please, please talk to me!” One time while at the grocery store I learned one woman’s life story when all I really wanted was a box of brownies.

Another time, and this was the time I realized I had been missing out on prime opportunities, a little girl chatted with me about all kinds of things while her mother was shopping for… wait for it… books.

As soon as I got out to my car I kicked myself for not taking advantage of a potential opportunity. What I should have done was ask what kinds of books the mom liked to read.

I learned my lesson. Now, I always have bookmarks, postcards, or business cards on me. The next time someone feels the need to speak to me, a random stranger, I plan to go with it. Maybe I can work what I do into the conversation. Maybe I can plug my books a little bit. Maybe I can make a sale if I happen to have books in my car just waiting for readers.

The moral of the story: Seize the moment. Don’t let an opportunity to talk to others about your books pass you by. Be prepared and be ready.

Social media can be a very powerful marketing tool, or it can be an annoyance to people you are trying to reach. There’s a fine line. I admit that I joined a lot of groups hoping to find all sorts of buyers for my books. I probably annoyed at least some people with my posts begging people to purchase all of my books right now.

But then, there came that one person that annoyed me. This author began clogging up all my feeds with advertisements for books. It didn’t seem to matter which form of social media I was using, she followed me everywhere.                            

Instead of getting angry and sending that author a “knock it off” message, I figured it was wiser to learn from him.

·         Spread out my posts. This is two-fold. I spread my posts not only throughout the day, but also throughout social media. I don’t make posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. all on the same day. I’ve researched when is the best time to post on each site and use that information for my benefit.

·         Post varying links. I don’t like to post only about one book or even only about my books. I include links to both Amazon and Nook for my e-books. I use the link to my website for print copies. I post links to my two blogs as well. Changing things up will prevent potential customers from simply scrolling over the same link they know you’ve posted time and time again.

·         Post for others. I love it when someone retweets or shares one of my posts. I always return the favor, but I also do it for others just to be nice. (And hoping that they will reciprocate!) This goes back to mixing up the info and links you share.

·         Interact with people. You should never just post a link to your book and leave. Talk to people. Comment on their posts. Retweet, favorite, share, like their pages, etc. This is where you make friends out there in cyberspace who will later be willing to either buy your work or share with everyone they know and convince them to buy your work.

·         Be patient. Building up the following doesn’t happen overnight. You have to work at it.

I hope these tips help you with your social media campaigns. Remember the key as an author is to get your name and your titles out there in a positive light, not to annoy people so much that they delete you.

I recently had to edit a book that was poorly written. I mean, it was BAD. The problem wasn’t necessarily with the story itself; it was the words chosen to tell that story. This is not the first time I’ve come across this. Sometimes I think authors are trying to come off as sounding smart or funny, but all they really end up doing is sounding (you may want to skip over the next word) stupid.

Unless you’re working on a scholarly manifesto, use normal vocabulary. Don’t try to be someone you’re not when you write; readers can tell. Be yourself. And by all means, don’t use words incorrectly. The book I first mentioned used strange word after strange word. I had to look up their meanings, discovering he had use the word wrong. Word does have a dictionary/thesaurus that’s so easy to get to. Use it, and use it often.

When writing you want to use as few words as possible to get your point across. Make sure you choose those words wisely.

I am often asked about reviews for my books. Do they really help? In short the answer is yes, yes, yes! There are several ways reviews help an author.

1.       Shows that people have bought the book and read it.

2.       Shows credibility. It shows that there is some merit to your work and that you are actually working. Many authors have chosen to self-publish or work with a small, indie publisher. There are many reasons for that, but those authors need as much help as possible to get their book noticed.

3.       Help boost rankings. I noticed when someone posted a review of my book one day, my rankings on Amazon went up over 100,000 points. (Yes, many days I am at that level in the rankings, along with many other talented authors.) The higher an author's rankings, the more visible their book is. The more people that see that book, the more likely there are to be sales.

4.       Help potential buyers make a decision. Most reviews on Amazon are from honest people, simply wanting to give their honest opinion. Before I buy something I always read the reviews. Unfortunately, sometimes Christian fiction is a little sketchy. I don’t like swearing and sex in books I read. By looking through other people’s reviews, I can determine if it is a book I might enjoy or not. If there is sex in a book and other prudish people like me have already read it, they will be more than happy to let others know.

5.       Don’t limit your reviews to Amazon. Have readers post reviews wherever your book is sold. This reaches a wider expanse of customers.

If you are an author, don’t be afraid to ask your readers for reviews. I have found that most people don’t mind, but they often forget. Make it easy for them by posting a link directly to your book listing. A simple and general reminder isn't a bad thing. I often encourage people to post reviews of other authors' work as well, especially during free download periods.

Reviews have a purpose and they are extremely important to both the author and a prospective buyer.