1) Branding & Visuals - Get a professional to get you the best cover and a few associated brand images you can. It will pay off in the long run even if you have to pay.

2) Website - If you choose the right service you CAN do this yourself. Paying to build a website can get expensive - don't do it unless you really need to.

3) Contacts & Emails - Manage your data, and don't be afraid to send someone something ONCE, as long as it's easy for them to unsub. Wix allowed me to do that easily.

4) Social Strategy - Decide on your strategy and stick to it. Going wide is a lot more effort that being focused, but it's a choice I made. It depends on your target audience and who your niche is.

5) Keywords & Paid Ads - Know who you are selling to, and then find those people on social, and use the keywords and interests that your audience has to find them also.

I have more on my blog! https://www.theunravelling.online/post/marketing-tactics-examples

Much Love,
Will Gibson (I'm new here!)

1) Random Notes: Document your thoughts and ideas, quickly. Have something to hand you can capture them all. I use notes on my phone after dreams. And while I'm bored and daydreaming like on planes.

2) Turn Notes into Topics or Subjects: Focus on topics or subjects that you want to talk about and start making lists from your notes. These lists can help guide the next part of the process.

3) Themes: Make more lists, don't just rush to get the story moving. Focus on where the actions will happen, and what some of the actions or themes will be. I listed some locations I wanted to feature in my story based on places I know.

4) Characters: Focus on the DETAILS of your characters. What they look like, where they come from, what drives them. List it all out. Don't jump into writing yet.

5) Storyboard: Spend time listing your chapters, with a rough outline of what happens. Only when you are happy with this, can you start writing.

All of these 5 things are completed BEFORE i start to write a single sentence.

I have more tips on my blog including for editing (ugh!).

Thanks for reading,
Much love,
Will Gibson (I'm new here!)

https://www.theunravelling.online/post/let-s-talk-about-the-writing-process-5-top-tips-for-new-authors

How to get in your creative zone?

Take yourself on a date!

#1 is Jim Valvano's iconic quote - re: the famous NC State basketball coach's battle with cancer. "Don't give up. Don't ever give up." If it's your passion, it's your life, Keep writing.

# 2 -That said, realize that "Blank paper (or these days, a blank screen) is God's way of telling you it's not so easy to be God." (various quotes). It's hard freak'n work.

#3 - Read a lot in your book genre and others and take notes. Trust me, the good stuff will rub off. Also take some time each day to read a few pages of one of your books -- and enjoy what you've accomplished - you'll surprised how well your book compares,

#4 Once your story is far enough along, get some input from a person or two you trust, but don't let them write your story. A corollary: with very few exceptions, ignore any feedback that any family member ever tries to foist on you.

#5 Find a good time and place where your mind is alert and still - to do nothing but write -- maybe for a half hour or maybe a couple hours or more.

I've had great success in marketing my book by being a Podcast Guest. I used "podcastguests.com" to find programs I wanted to be on, as well as had hosts contact me. I've written several Newsletters on LinkedIn with tips for being a successful podcast guest. Go to LinkedIn & put: "m.k. mcdaniel podcast tips" in the Search bar. Good luck!

If your book is traditionally published, you may not have any idea how many units you've sold until you receive a royalty statement from your publisher. With some publishers, this may only be once or twice a year!

One of the most useful tools that I've found to monitor sales of my books are the Amazon sales estimator tools. There are plenty of links to different versions of these tools, just search for that term and you'll find one. These work by estimating your daily and monthly sales by using your book's ranking on Amazon. To find your book's ranking, navigate to the listing and scroll down to Product Details.

Since Kindle book sales are not reported by BookScan, these free estimator tools can give you some valuable information on how many Kindle and print books you're selling at any given time.

Troy Hollan - author of Clucked - A Quirky Nautical Tale of Adventure, Misadventure and Justice Served

If you're like me, marketing is the hardest thing to tackle, especially if you're an indie author/publisher. Like any job, there are elements you like more than others and some that you must do to get the work out there. Think of marketing as a job requirement. You don't have to do every interview or be connected on every social media outlet, pick one or two. Even soft marketing can make a world of difference for your book. All Author is a wonderful platform for those who are marketing shy (They did not plug me to say that, it's just how I feel). I feel fortunate to have found them. As your royalties expand, your marketing skills can expand with it. Through trial and error, you find what works, keep those tactics in your toolbox, and fine-tune what isn't working. Try not to get discouraged. Most people are not overnight successes. They worked for years in the background fine-tuning their skills and craft before getting noticed.

Write as two selves—your writer self and your reader self. Write what you would like to see written and trust your readers will follow. Come at the page with truth (or your characters' truths) and conviction. Write rich characters. Spend time considering the backstory that never makes it to the page. When they become live and in the 3D for you, they will become real for your readers. What I thought was my worst screenplay made it to fifth place in film competition out of five thousand entries. I can only attribute it to my 100% conviction to the characters in that story. Also, be your own editor. Put the work away and pull it out again and cut extraneous fluff and plot points that aren't quite working. Just doing these few things will create a world that readers can immerse themselves in.

Got writer's block? If you're in the middle of a project, sit quietly and consider your characters as if they were real people. Consider what's happening in their lives, what their surroundings are, their hopes and dreams and how what's happening will affect them. How they are feeling?
Now, sit down, put up a new document, and just start writing anything. It doesn't have to be brilliant, you can edit it later.

Carry around a notebook or laptop etc for when you have your next great idea.
Write each day if you can.
Make a plan before you start typing... in my experience this helps me get started.
Add new ideas is as you go - always happens to me after a while of writing the 1st draft.
Start writing your novel from any point, the middle, a random chapter or the end part even!

Never try to write the finished product the first time. I edited the 'Tales of the Magic Piano' no less than twenty times. Write down your ideas initially. Try not to repeat verbs in consecutive sentences. Follow a story board. Be careful as you can with your grammar. Be as artistic as you like. Don't let the rules of grammar prohibit the free flow of artistic expression.

When your done writing your first book. Set it aside then write another one. Then when your done with that one then you can go back and start editing one of them. Then when your done editing that one, start writing something new. Then edit your last book you've written. This way you will always have something to "work on" Do this and you will never run out of "Work"

1. Always include a sliver of truth to fiction, and you have the secret ingredient of relatability.
2. Start writing. Don't over think it.
3. Be honest, even about your darkest emotions. Express it through a character, and you'll find an amazing release.
4. Use actions rather than explanations. Readers want to live the moment with your characters.
5. Edit until the cows come home, once you have that all valuable first draft.

When people ask me how to start their first book, I always say pick up a pen or turn on your laptop.
It may seem obvious to the others who have written and published. However, we must all start somewhere to accomplish our dream of being a writer. It doesn't matter if your writing is awful, incoherent or dishevelled. The fact you have written it down means you are on your way. Never give up. Keep writing. When I started my first book, "For the Love of Murder: A Miscarriage of Justice!" it took me a little over nine years to complete because I kept giving in to indecision and self-doubt. My second novel took me exactly twelve months to complete and will be available on Amazon this week. The links will be provided here—the moral of my advice. Never give up, and keep writing.

There's no secret formula to follow, what works for one author may not work for another. Be prepared to spend hours on promotion until you find what works. Find a few promotional sites with longevity and a good reputation. Crave Books, Fussy Librarian, The Romance Studio, All Author are just a few that work for me.