January 9, 2023
Blog
January 9, 2023
4 ways indie authors go wrong writing a bio
Every book needs an author bio. It lets readers know who you are and why you are uniquely qualified to write the book at hand. Readers expect this at the back of your book. And booksellers and other industry professionals expect it on your press releases and other marketing […]
January 9, 2023
4 ways indie authors go wrong writing a book description
Every book needs a description of its contents – that snappy teaser copy you traditionally see on the back cover. When done properly, it lures readers in, as well as signals what audience the book is targeting. And it’s invaluable on marketing materials, author websites and other promotional materials.
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December 6, 2022
I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie: Six Alternative Uses for Shelf Bending Novels
November 21, 2022
Why Your Novel’s Cover Art is Even More Important Than Ever
By Paul Goat Allen
As someone who has been in the self-publishing business for decades—from purchasing titles for a national book chain to reviewing thousands of self-published titles for Kirkus, BlueInk, etc. to interviewing countless self-published authors for various sites—I’ve seen cover art quality for self-published titles increase exponentially over the last few decades […]
November 9, 2022
The Ending is Everything! Is Your Novel’s Conclusion Strong Enough?
By Paul Goat Allen
Straight from the files of Stating the Obvious comes the next BlueInk blog about the monumental importance of a novel’s conclusion. It’s a no-brainer, right? Your novel needs a memorable ending in order to have any chance at commercial success.
But then why do so many novels have weak conclusions?
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July 20, 2022
5 Things to Do If You’ve Just Set Up Your Author Social Media
By Kim Littler
If you’ve clicked on this post then you’ve probably accepted that, like it or not, social media is a key element to any author’s book marketing process — and it’s here to stay. It’s great that you’re ready to start utilizing your online profiles, but you wouldn’t be […]
June 16, 2022
9 Features on KDP You Should Know About
By Amanda Miller
Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform has been an amazing tool for independently published authors to get their books into the world and hit a big market—not only swiftly but affordably. Not only is KDP’s platform easy to use, but it is ever-evolving with fresh, new developments for authors to take […]
March 14, 2022
From Tik Tok to old-fashioned swag, genre authors share their marketing secrets
BlueInk Review Staff
It’s not easy to write a book. And it’s even harder to sell it.
While authors know all about the mechanics of writing, they aren’t likely to be marketing experts. So how can they get the word out about their book efficiently and effectively
We asked five genre writers about their […]
March 14, 2022
7 Must-Have Tools for Your Book Marketing Toolkit
By Amanda Miller
Faced with the arduous task of marketing a book, you may conclude that writing it was the easy part! Most authors—both traditionally and independently published—eventually face a laundry list of marketing tasks, including devising an overall plan, creating marketing materials (such as bookmarks, postcards, and press releases), and finding ways to […]