Resources | Self-Publishing Review

The Truth About FTC Guidelines For Paid Book Reviews

A flurry of nervous blog posts about “the dangers of paid book reviews!” and “Google Penalties!” drove me to dig deeper into exactly what FTC guidelines mean for sites like SPR. Here’s the upshot of three months of advice and research.

I contacted the FTC, and spoke to an officer about paid book reviews. It is about time we all had it from the horse’s mouth.

Here’s the take-home:

The FTC Guidelines that the doom-n-gloom bloggers have been banging on about (with Matt Cutts of Google quotes akimbo PENALTIES! BOOKS BEING REMOVED! SHOCK! HORROR! SIX-FIGURE FINES! YIKES! END OF THE […]

Cate Baum2019-02-03T09:30:11+02:00February 19th, 2015|Categories: Resources|Tags: Book Promotion Articles|

Authors: Improve Your Twitter Messaging and Control

Social Media is crucial for people who are trying to break into writing. Today our focus is on Twitter and how you can improve your messaging and communications.

Twitter allows you to reach more people on a daily basis because of its global reach. Authors have known for a long time that word of mouth is still the most effective marketing tool for them to market and sell their books.

It is all about meeting, connecting and interacting with people whether they are readers, resources, support groups or other authors. Your followers can be a source of inspiration and encouragement […]

James Moushon2020-02-21T07:44:29+02:00February 16th, 2015|Categories: Member Blog, Resources|Tags: Social Media|

How to Choose Kindle Keywords

One of the more confusing aspects of publishing to KDP is selecting keywords. For many writers, finding that sweet spot for the right keywords has been the difference between sales and obscurity. Like Google SEO, there’s a bit of an art to it and it’s important to experiment if your sales are currently flat.

First, Amazon makes it somewhat easy. They list the keywords that you have to have in order to list in certain categories. For example, take a look at the Young Adult category. Some of the keywords are obvious but the “Angels & Demons” category needs the […]

Henry Baum2019-02-03T09:36:35+02:00February 12th, 2015|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: Amazon News and Tips, Book Promotion Articles|

What Are All These Social Networks For? A Quick Guide For Authors

When you want to publicize your website or book, where should you share it? How do you share it? What is the etiquette? How do you get people to buy your book?

Let’s get a quick rundown on each social network and what they are intended for.

Reddit

A listing service that is free to use, and vote up or down on links. Used by a lot of young “native digital kings” for being critical and snarky, but many people are curious and active on the site and it can be a good way to get links out there.

Best […]

Cate Baum2020-02-21T06:49:23+02:00January 31st, 2015|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: Social Media|

Self-Publishing Starter Kit

We get a lot of questions here from writers just beginning to self-publish who have little to no idea about the process. They’re all asking about the most basic nuts and bolts: how do I self-publish? We’ve gathered together the best services currently running (and have been running for a while) to publish a book quickly and professionally.

There’s still a fair bit of DIY involved with the services listed below, but you’ll have a more professional book and keep a larger share of the royalties.

So here’s a basic starter pack for the novice self-publisher who wants more of […]

Henry Baum2024-07-25T16:45:56+02:00January 28th, 2015|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: Book Cover Design Tips, Book Formatting Tips, Book Marketing Advice and Tips, Book Promotion Articles|

Ten Ways To Get Your Book “Review Ready”

As the owner and editor of Self-Publishing Review, I deal with hundreds of self-published and indie books every year. People ask me, “How do I get a good review?” Apart from actually writing a good book (snort) there are a few other things you can do to make sure you get your readers to invest and feel they can sing your praises on Amazon, Goodreads or Barnes and Noble.

1. Get a professional edit for your manuscript. This is 101 stuff, but still I see authors saying they are doing it themselves, or have let it loose on a friend. […]

Cate Baum2019-02-03T09:33:04+02:00January 23rd, 2015|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: Book Promotion Articles|

Five Ways To Sell More Books On Amazon

While there are other sales options open to you as an indie author, Amazon sales will feel like they count the most to most writers. Here are five quick ways to help you sell more books on Amazon.

Research Bestseller Keywords And Apply Them To Your Subtitle

Use the same keywords as bestsellers in your categories so that when customers search by keyword “Customers with Similar Searches Purchased” will then show your book in the search results for higher ranking but similar books.

As I have mentioned before, keywords on Google don’t really make sense in the same way […]

Cate Baum2019-02-03T09:35:17+02:00January 22nd, 2015|Categories: Features, Resources|Tags: Amazon News and Tips, Book Promotion Articles|

Selling Books To Hybrid Readers: How To Earn Money And Connect With Your Readers

You’ve written your book. It’s your best work and now it’s ready to go. One part of the business of publishing is choosing vendors. This can be tricky at first. Of course you want to earn some money, but you’ll also want to establish a healthy community of fans eager for your next book! Which vendor will help you with the second part? For authors who are publishing in both print books and ebooks, BitLit is an option. BitLit is a company with a bundling program made to support authors with selling their books and marketing them.