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Book Marketing can feel overwhelming. Here I offer practical, doable ideas to promote your books. 

Why Blogging Is More Important Than Ever For Authors

Why Blogging Is More Important Than Ever For Authors
by Fauzia Burke
Some authors groan at the thought of developing a long-term online marketing strategy for their books because it's yet another demand on their time. (Time they'd like to spend writing.) Extra time isn't something any of us have in ample supply so I totally understand. This is why I tell authors to select a few things that matter most to build their community and brand. For book authors in a competitive marketplace, the need to blog couldn't be higher. Despite ever-evolving social media, blogging remains a top priority for authors.

Let's take a closer look at some of the compelling reasons why you, as an author, need to blog.

Blogging is the foundation of your digital house. Consider your blog as the...

When a Publishing Expert Opens a Bookstore

When a Publishing Expert Opens a Bookstore
by Fauzia Burke
Lynn Rosen has viewed the book publishing business from every perspective. She has worked as an editor, literary agent, journalist, and author. I sat down with her to ask her about her latest and maybe bravest endeavor -- independent bookstore owner.

Q. Why did you decide to open an independent bookstore?

A. There were a number of influences. Taking the long view, I think my whole career has been building to this. In the years I've spent in the book publishing industry as an editor and a literary agent, the core of my work has been finding ways to bring authors and readers together. The bookstore is the place where that happens.

The precipitating factors were that a) our nearest bookstore, a Barnes & Noble,...

Busy Authors Guide to Online Marketing

Busy Authors Guide to Online Marketing
by Fauzia Burke
How do you market your book and still have time to write? It's a challenge a lot of authors face. The scope of needing a website and a social media plan to market your book can seem overwhelming. You are faced with a myriad of choices and not a lot of extra time. Like many things that first appear daunting, it's not so bad once you begin. Let me walk you through the steps of getting started with your online marketing.

Start now. You don't need a completed manuscript to start promoting your ideas, building your platform or creating buzz for your book. Once you have an idea for your book, you can start the conversation online. Finding your audience and...

How to Be Your Own Boss in Book Publishing

by Fauzia Burke
On March 26, 2015, I will be attending and speaking at the Exceptional Women in Publishing (EWIP) conference. If you are in the Bay Area, I hope to see you at this interesting conference for women in media and publishing. I will be joined by two amazing women entrepreneurs, Charlotte Abbott (Content and Media Strategist, Abbott Communications) and Jill Tomich (co-founder of  Slicebooks) We all run companies that specialize in digital marketing, publicity, strategy and content development. Our panel is called: How to Be Your Own Boss in Book Publishing. Lynn Rosen brought us all together, who recently did the bravest thing of all. She opened a bookstore a Elkins Park, Pa.

The topic has me thinking about the pros and cons...

10 Things I Know for Sure About Book Marketing

10 Things I Know for Sure About Book Marketing
by Fauzia Burke
I am often asked what I know for sure in the book publishing, book marketing, and digital marketing industry. While there isn’t one magical formula for every author and every book, there are some specific steps you can take to carve out your niche, build your brand and create a community. You can’t just do social media. You have to combine your social media efforts with social networking. Social media is what we create and upload. It is a one-to-many communication approach. Social networking is about interacting and listening and it is successful when it’s done peer-to-peer. Create content to share, but make sure you are creating conversations as well. You can’t only post, you have to comment, read, listen, share...

The Do's and Don’ts of Digital Marketing for Authors

The Do's and Don’ts of Digital Marketing for Authors
by Fauzia Burke
We all complain about social media because it takes so much time, but there is nothing we can do about it. It’s the way the world has changed and we have to adapt. Social media gives authors an unprecedented opportunity to build a brand and create community—especially with a plan for your digital marketing efforts. Here are some dos and don’ts as you create your digital marketing plan and embrace social media.

Don’t get attracted to the first shiny object.

I tend not to get attracted to the first shiny object online. I consider: Is it the right thing to do for my client? Will it be effective? Does it work? I like to look at it from every angle. Don’t do...

21 Ways to Give Back this Holiday Season

21 Ways to Give Back this Holiday Season
by Fauzia Burke
"Give yourself entirely to those around you. Be generous with your blessings. A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.”―Steve Maraboli

When you share small acts of kindness, you are giving back more than you might think. You spread cheer to someone else. You elevate your own mood. You inspire more giving. Giving can have a ripple effect. The recipient of your act of kindness benefits, and so do any witnesses. Oh, and you just may enjoy the feeling of giving so much that it turns into a giving spirit that lives on well past the holidays.

 

So here are some ideas: Call a friend you haven’t talked to all year. Spread good news about someone. Collect cans of food and...

How to Give Someone User Access to Your Google Analytics

How to Give Someone User Access to Your Google Analytics
by Fauzia Burke

If you outsource your website analytics or you want someone on your team to be able to access your Google Analytics, here are the steps you need to take: Step 1                                                                    Sign in to your Google Analytics account at google.com/analytics. Step 2 Click on the website Analytics profile you'd like to invite a new user to under the "Account Home" section. Step 3 Click the "Admin" button. Step 4 Click the "Users" tab under the "Profiles" section, and then click the "+ New User" button. Step 5 Enter the email address of the user you'd like to invite, and click the radio button next to either User or Administrator. A user can view analytics data, while an administrator can make edits to the account. Step 6 Click the Create User button to complete...

Your Website and Google Analytics 101

Your Website and Google Analytics 101
by Fauzia Burke
As an author, you need to have a website so your readers and community can learn about you. In order to know if your website is attracting traffic and is working for you, take advantage of free Google Analytics and connect your website. Google Analytics can tell you so much information even at a glance. If you are new to Google Analytics here's a little overview to help you get familiar with the data you can collect and review. Google Analytics 101 Number of visits

Your number of visits is the number of times someone comes to your site. If the same person comes back more than once, that’s tracked as two visits.

Unique Visitors

The number of new people coming to your site....

Why You Should Connect Your Site to Google Analytics

Why You Should Connect Your Site to Google Analytics
by Fauzia Burke
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Or, what isn’t tracked can’t be improved. If you have a website, you have to know if it’s working for you. It’s important to know what specifically is working well so you can do more of it. It’s great if your mom is visiting your website, not so great if only your mom is visiting your website. The easiest and most effective way to track your website progress, and discover what’s resonating with your visitors is connecting your site to Google Analytics with a little bit of tracking code. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of tracking your site’s Google Analytics.

Benefits of Google Analytics It’s free. Works well as...

Making My Case: Why Authors Need Websites

Making My Case: Why Authors Need Websites
by Fauzia Burke
I heard there's a rumor going around in book publishing that authors don't need websites. I kid you not, in 2014 I still hear people saying authors don't need a website. If it was a true rumor, many authors would exhale with relief. Who has the time to get a great website up, keep it updated with fresh content and still have coveted writing time? If you are an author, you may view getting your website up as a time-suck or annoyance, but that doesn't mean you don't need one. Authors without websites, your careers are like houses without foundations. Not convinced? Here are five reasons why you've got to get your author website up.

1. Your readers want to learn...

Staying Connected: 10 Digital Marketing Tips for Busy Authors

Staying Connected: 10 Digital Marketing Tips for Busy Authors
by Fauzia Burke

Hopefully you’ve read Getting Started and Keep Going, my first 20 digital marketing tips for authors. Now it’s about staying connected. Branding isn’t about building something and then walking away. Your brand is a relationship you have with your community and something to invest in continually. It may sound daunting to stay digitally connected all the time, but a little effort can go a long way. And as an author, you have the hard part covered—you have content of value to share. Here is wave three of my digital branding tips for authors. 1) Start a Facebook business page. where you can converse regularly with your audience and build a sense of community. Begin by sharing content of value....

Ask Yourself these 14 Questions to Expertly Market Your Book

Ask Yourself these 14 Questions to Expertly Market Your Book
by Fauzia Burke

There’s really never been a better time to be an author. There is a lot more competition than ever before, but there are also a lot more opportunities. For the first time in the history of publishing, authors have direct access to their readers. Our new world of direct access to readers requires authors to spend more time and effort to get the word out about their books, but with that investment there is great reward. Authors are building community, making a difference and finding great joy in the process.

I own a digital publicity and marketing firm specializing in creating awareness for books and authors and I often hear from authors who feel overwhelmed...

4 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude Everyday

4 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude Everyday
by Fauzia Burke
"I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness -- it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude." -- Brene Brown

Recently I read Brene Brown's book, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead, and it had quite an impact on me. In her book, she listed her 10 Guideposts of Wholehearted Living, and I decided to look into each one to make sure I'm living wholeheartedly. I found that I am lacking a little bit in many of her guideposts, but if there was one where I felt entirely confident it was number four: Cultivating Gratitude and Joy.

I know we are all busy and...

Social Media vs Social Networking

Social Media vs Social Networking
by Fauzia Burke
Although most of us use the terms interchangeably, there is a difference between social media and social networking. For me, understanding the distinctions was a big aha moment. To develop a comprehensive and effective digital marketing strategy, it is helpful (even crucial) to understand the differences. Social Media Social media is the media (content) that you upload -- whether that's a blog, video, slideshow, podcast, newsletter or an eBook. Consider social media as a one-to-many communication method. Although people can respond and comment, you own the content and have to produce (write/record/create) the media yourself.

Your social media goal and strategy: Decide if you want to connect with your audience in the form of a blog, video, newsletter, podcast or eBook. Blogs are...

How to End Every Day with Zero Emails

How to End Every Day with Zero Emails
by Fauzia Burke
Email has taken over our business day as well as nights and weekends. I made a promise to myself at the start of this year to end everyday with 0 emails in my in-box. At first I thought it was impossible, but as time went on I not only learned to manage email more efficiently, I took charge on my day and got a lot more done. So in case you are looking to free yourself from the in-box overload, here's how I do it:

Every email is not Important
 All my emails are important, or so I thought. But what I realized is that every email is not important. Many of them are just disruptive. I made a choice not to...

4 Ways to Create Compelling Content

4 Ways to Create Compelling Content
by Fauzia Burke
If your business blog is all about what you want to write about and what you want to market and sell, your blog, as they say, could be an epic fail. While it's great to generate regular content about your business and its niche, the driving factor for your content creation -- whether your blog or your newsletter content -- has to be centered around what your customers' want. To create compelling content your customers can't wait to devour, always ask yourself: Is this providing value to my customer base?

Here are 4 ways to ensure you are generating content that resonates with your target audience. Tune in to the social media channel. How do you find out what your customers want...

Cultivating Super Fans with eNewsletters

Cultivating Super Fans with eNewsletters
by Fauzia Burke
Social media is sexy, but the real power of your relationship with your fans is in email newsletters. The people on your mailing list are your "Super Fans." They are the ones who have given you permission to show up in their inbox. That invitation is very valuable.

Think about it, when was the last time you signed up for a newsletter. Probably not for a while. Once I asked an author that question and she said, "oh I don't do that." She's right we don't do that, unless we are Super Fans or the author/company is providing something of value.

Super Fans are the people who pre-order your books, are the first in line to buy your products, and recommend you...

6 Steps for Finding the Best PR Firm for You & Your Book

6 Steps for Finding the Best PR Firm for You & Your Book
by Fauzia Burke
By Fauzia Burke

Most authors know that a public relations effort for their book is essential for their success. In order to have a campaign to promote their book comprehensively, many look to augment their publisher's efforts by hiring a PR agency. But how do you choose the right PR firm for your book? Here are six steps to help make that choice easier:

Step 1: Needs and Goals

Before you begin your search, think about your PR goals. What is it that you want? Do you want to be on TV? Do you want reviews in newspapers? Or, do you want to build exposure online? Whom do you want to reach? Do you know your target demographic? How long do you want...

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