I was recently at a conference where one of the other speakers, an author with her first book out, said she doesn’t blog. She said she put out a monthly newsletter, but she didn’t like blogging so she doesn’t do it. OMG, radical rebellion – she doesn’t blog! What happened to the rules? One must blog, […]
Lit Happens
G.I.V.E. — Four Questions to Define Your Social Media Presence
I go to a lot of author events, and both there and among aspiring authors, I hear the same question repeated often: Is social media worth the time involved? Personally, I think that depends on how you invest that time online. I’ve done a lot of things wrong over the years when it comes to […]
My Inspiration for Dare to Kiss
Baseball has always been a sport I’ve loved. I grew up collecting baseball cards, watching the Boston Red Sox whenever a game was on TV, and playing with the boys in the schoolyard. And still after many, many years, the love of the game is still imbedded me. So much so, that my home office […]
Enter the Siren’s Song Fan Art and Cosplay Contest!
YA fantasy author Mary Weber just released the explosive finale to her bestselling Storm Siren Trilogy, Siren’s Song (Thomas Nelson, March 1)–and now, readers can bring the world of the storm-summoning Elemental Nym to life (and win some really cool prizes!) by entering The Siren’s Song Fan Art & Cosplay Contest! What to do: Submit an original piece of fan art […]
JKS Celebrates 9 Books on the 2016 Beverly Hills Book Awards List
The International Beverly Hills Book Awards ® contest recognizes the best in fiction and non-fiction books across various genres, and JKS is proud to celebrate seven of our talented authors (nine books total!) who have made the list this year. The awards committee focuses on print books and considers cover and interior design, promotional text, […]
How Many Books Should I Print?
This morning, a lovely author from Greece and I spoke for over an hour. During this time, she asked many great questions. But it was the last question asked before she hung up that really struck me… “One last thing,” she said. “Is printing 5000 copies crazy?” “Well,” I replied, “it depends… what are you […]
What’s Old is New Again: Book Tours in the 21st Century
When I proposed going on the world’s longest book tour to my publisher, they kindly told me I was nuts. In fact, they convened a conference call to tell me so. My editor, publisher, marketing director, and publicist were all in on it. I remember wondering how I was going to differentiate voices from my […]
Saying “Everyone” Will Love Your Book is Actually Hurting Your Readership
There are three cringe-worthy statements when authors explain “who” will read their book: “My book will appeal to both men and women, ages 10—100. Everyone will love it!” “It’s the next [insert mega-selling international franchise here].” “My book is completely unique. There’s absolutely nothing like it out there, there never has been, and there never […]
What (Not) To Wear for a TV Interview
Have you ever watched an interview on television and couldn’t help but feel that something was drawing your attention away from the person’s message? Perhaps it was what they were wearing. People shouldn’t make judgments based on your appearance, but some will, even subconsciously. Certain colors, patterns and types of clothing can create unintentional distractions […]
How Much Is Enough Book Publicity?
I’m asked all the time: How much should I publicize my book? How much should I spend on book publicity? What is the most important thing to do to promote my book? Unfortunately, just like putting an incredible book together is messy and huge, there is no self-evident right or wrong path to book publicity. […]
