Enhance Your Brand with A+ Content

                                                © Linda Wilson 

                            Photo from Linda's latest book: Waddles the Duck: Hey, Wait for Me!                                                                                                      

@LinWilsonauthor

Once the basics for marketing your books are done, such as creating a website, exploring ways for people to discover you and your books, etc., that’s when the fun begins! 100 covers, https://100covers.com/, a company I’ve been associated with for years now, has announced a new service they are providing: creating A+ content for authors.

Tricky Quirks of the Trade

It was days before my first book, Secret in the Stars: An Abi Wunder Mystery, illustrated by Tiffany Tutti, would be published. Stars had been edited and the illustrations completed. However, the company I had worked with, known as a vanity press because I paid them for their services, turned out to be a scam. Needless to say, the company is now out of business. Word to the wise: Thanks to excellent advice in 10 Publishing Myths: Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed, by W. Terry Whalin: When considering a publishing company, Google: Publisher name + complaints. That’s how I found out what this vanity press company was up to. A private Facebook page had been set up so authors could tell their stories and help each other out. 

I was one of the lucky ones. I was able to retrieve the files for the text and interior and cover illustrations before the company went out of business. Not all the authors who used this press were so lucky. Some of them were unable to retrieve their files and therefore unable to publish the books this company had promised.

Discovery of a Multi-Faceted Company

After flailing around for a few days, I went to work. An author friend recommended I try a company called Formatted Books, https://formattedbooks.com/. Maybe they could help me. The rest is history.

Formatted Books took over my project. A sister company, 100 Covers, helped create the cover. And in 2020 a professionally-put-together Stars was published, a book I am very proud of.

Another sister company, 1000 Storybooks, https://1000storybooks.com/, edited and illustrated my picture book, Tall Boots, another book I’m very proud of.

Check these companies out. They offer extremely reasonable prices for their services. Secretly, I think they understand that self-published authors must pay for all their services. They offer reasonable rates to help us out.

100 Covers’ New Service: A+ Content

This post sounds like an ad for these companies. In a way, I’m doing just that. It’s because I could do all the services that they offer myself. I know many authors who do. But if you’re pressed for time like I am and have the funds, the services that these related companies offer are invaluable.

What is A+ Content? It is the “extra touch” you can add to your Amazon author page. A+ content can consist of your book cover, illustrations from your book, enticing text, and photos of children reading your books. A good example is the A+ content for You are an Amazing Girl, by Nadia Ross. Scroll down the page for one of the best displays of A+ content I found while researching what I wanted to do.

https://www.amazon.com/You-are-Amazing-Girl-Self-Confidence/dp/B09LB1QFP6/ref=sr_1_3_sspa 

For do-it-yourselfers, you can find information on how to create A+ content here: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/external/G202134820. 

I wish you the best of luck with your writing projects and all you do to inspire readers to learn about your books. If you have created A+ content for your books, please submit a comment and tell us about what you've experienced.

·        Linda Wilson lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is a classical pianist and loves to go to the gym. But what Linda loves most is to make up stories and connect with her readers. Visit Linda at https://www.lindawilsonauthor.com. Sign up for Linda’s quarterly giveaways. Choose your prize! 

Find Linda’s books at https://www.amazon.com/author/lindawilsonchildrensauthor.

Market Your Product

Market Your Product

As authorprenuers, we must market our products i.e., books, articles, and niche.  

Platform, Brand, and Website form the vehicle to make that happen. These, along with your mission statement tell your readers who you are and what you are about. Closely aligned they present a consistent message.

Your Platform is a useful necessity for all authors whether you write essays, articles, blogs or books, fiction or nonfiction. Brand is who you are. You are your brand, built by words, images and delivering as promised. Success depends upon visibility. We communicate with clarity and offer valuable information because Content is King.

Tips:

• Start building your writer Platform now without delay and maintain it to keep connecting with your clients; building a Platform takes time,

• Clearly show what you have to offer and what makes your work stand out,

• Develop an email list of subscribers to build your following, and offer subscribers free eBooks, articles, and newsletters

• Guest post on sites within your niche to reach additional readers, and invite those bloggers to contribute to your site,

• Social Media is a part of Platform, use it often,

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• Identify your target audience’s needs and suggest meaningful alternatives,

• Be the wealth of information that can work for their success with info that solves a problem,

• Qualify your work stating your connections and building expert status as an authority,

• Accept responsibility for ongoing marketing and promotion of your services,

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• Create or update an email signature to promote your website, book and products,

• Respond to comments, be reachable,

• Join organizations that will support your work,

• Promote, promote, promote with posts and news via your social media pages,

Links of interest:
Create a Strategy that Delivers Great Content: https://www.writersonthemove.com/2019/06/create-strategy-that-delivers-great.html

What does it take…Great Content: https://www.writersonthemove.com/2019/05/market-with-content.html

Write clear & concise, personable yet professional.
Know your reader.
Use quotes & antidotes whenever you can.

 
Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts. Visit her web-blog: https://deborahlynwriter.com/ 

Facebook at: Deborah Lyn Stanley

https://www.facebook.com/deborahlynwriter/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Branding Checkup

No matter what your business, branding is essential. Your name, your theme, your visuals. It's what sets you apart, so prospects, clients, your audience, fans, etc. can easily identify who you are and what you do.

Perhaps the most important part of your brand is you: your personality, expertise, and your niche. When you take the time to plan and create your elements, and add your authentic self in the mix, it's a recipe for branding success.

If you can't remember the last time you did a branding checkup, it's likely way overdue. You don't necessarily need to change or update anything. However, it never hurts to touch base with yourself, in case it's time for minor changes, a pivot, or a complete overhaul.

Your Brand Elements

Your brand is composed of numerous areas - some are tangible, while others are just part of your businesses model. 

Business Name: Your business name should be consistent with your blog name, podcast, and any other content you create to promote your business.

Mission Statement: Who you are plus what you do encompass your mission statement. Does your business still reflect your mission? Does your mission reflect your business? Or is it time to make adjustments?

Tagline: Your tagline is a simplified, catchy version of your mission simplified. Think of it as a touchstone for all of your potential business activities.

Logo: Whether your logo is an image or stylized text, it should be a reflection of your brand. A modern company vs tech vs financial services vs creative industry will all have different approaches to logo. 

Fonts: See notes on logo.

Colors: Like logos and fonts, your brand colors should be consistent ... and all go together. 

Imagery: Branded images range from your website and blog images to your social media backgrounds and post templates. Use the same type of image - for instance, all illustrations or all modern photographs - throughout. And don't forget to incorporate your logo, especially when it comes to social media headers and shareable blog posts.

When you evaluate your branding, remember consistency is key. You want all of your personas, links, social media accounts to connect to you and to each other. 

Follow this simple rule: "Be yourself - your brand - everywhere." And that's really all there is to it!

For more on Branding, read the #GoalChat recap on the topic.

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How important is branding? What other elements do you incorporate in your branding? And how do you set yourself apart? Please share in the comments.

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Debra Eckerling is a writer, editor and project catalyst, as well as founder of The D*E*B Method: Goal Setting Simplified and Write On Online, a live and online writers’ support group. Like the Write On Online Facebook Page and join the Facebook Group.  Debra is the author of Your Goal Guide, being released by Mango in January 2020, as well as Write On Blogging: 51 Tips to Create, Write & Promote Your Blog and Purple Pencil Adventures: Writing Prompts for Kids of All Ages. She is host of the #GoalChat Twitter Chat and the Guided Goals Podcast, and a speaker/moderator on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.

What Does It Take To Promote Your Writing?

What Does It Take To Promote Your Writing?

That’s a BIG question. What does it take? It takes attention to your Author Platform, Branding, Identifying your audience, an Author Website, and building a Connection with your readers. All this can get overwhelming, particularly when we just want to WRITE! But, we want to reach folks to read our stuff, so let’s get going.

Many writers are fully setup and operating in all these areas. We want to hear your “lessons learned”. Please comment.

Kimberly Grabas founder of YourWriterPlatform.com defines platform succinctly. Platform describes the ways you connect and engage with your ideal readership – the readers that are most receptive to your work. It also denotes your influence, visibility and authority.

Platform, established and maintained, is the action you take to promote your writing.

Branding is who you are and how you are known. We market ourselves through our branding.

You have a book in you. Write it and get it out.
But, who will buy your book, your story or your blog posts? We need to know who wants or needs our work and how to connect with them. This is our target market.

Your Author Website/Blog is your vehicle. Is it set up yet? Own it through WordPress. Select your own domain name, not a group name e.g. blogger. Host Gator is my host—consistently helpful and reasonably priced. WordPress.org is the go to place for website themes that work well.

Next, you need a path for the easy way to stay in touch with your readership. MailChimp, Aweber, and Convertkit are worth looking into. They are a subscription channel for connection with your team; delivering automatic post emails, announcements, course offers or a free gift.

More next time.
**Resources worth your time to check out:
Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s “The Frugal Book Promoter” https://howtodoitfrugally.com/the_frugal_book_promoter.htm 

Kimberly Grabas:  https://www.yourwriterplatform.com/

Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts.
Visit her web-blog: Deborah Lyn Stanley : MyWriter's Life .

Write clear & concise, personable yet professional.
Know your reader.
Use quotes & antidotes whenever you can.