The Big Bad Book Blog

Photo courtesy of Hubspot

We’ve written a great deal about building your platform and especially about the benefits of blogging and writing articles to demonstrate your expertise to your audience. Still, you’re always looking for more ways to drive traffic back to your online presence, and ultimately to the bookstore to buy your book.  Another excellent way to achieve this is by serving as a guest blogger.

A guest blogger is someone who does a single post for another individual or group’s blog. This can be a one-time deal or a recurring column, but either case allows you to tap into someone else’s audience. There are many great blogs out there for you to choose from. You can locate blogs related to your platform in a number of ways:

1. Go to the top magazines or associations in your topic. Chances are the editors of the magazine or leaders of the association have at least one blog (sometimes they have several—each one for a different beat).
2. Ask for referrals. Find out from your network what other blogs your audience is following.
3. Check out the competition. Other authors and experts in your field already have a line in with your audience. Grease the wheels by offering to swap guest posts.
4. Look at the blogroll of your favorite sites. Most times bloggers feature the blogs they follow on their tool bar. This is a great (and fast) way to locate additional blogs. You can use sites like Technorati (link) and Alexa (link) to evaluate which blogs have the most traffic so you can develop your strategy and start by focusing your time on the blogs with the largest audiences.

Once you’ve identified blogs related to your topic, you will want to craft a pitch. Before you contact the blogger, check to see if they have posted writer’s guidelines. If so, follow them to the letter. If not, send them a short pitch that includes a specific idea for a post topic and identifies exactly why that post would be of interest to their audience. Close with a short paragraph about your qualifications. Here’s an example of a typical pitch letter:

Dear blogger,

The world of publishing is changing fast. Many of your readers are trying to navigate this evolving landscape, but it can be overwhelming. I propose a post that looks at the pros and cons of each book publishing option available to authors, complete with a short checklist readers can use to identify which route is best for them.

I work at an independent publisher and write articles and white papers related to publishing. You can view samples of my work at www.bigbadbookblog.com.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Author

There are a few other things to consider when pitching a guest blog post:

1. Research the outlet beforehand to make sure it’s appropriate. Bloggers don’t want to get pitched by writers who are outside of their subject area and who don’t have anything to offer their readers.
2. Read some of the posts and make sure that you are providing something unique. If they’ve already done a post on the subject, craft a new angle or choose a different topic.
3. Be considerate of the blogger’s brand. They are building their platform and readership too. Don’t try to hone in on their turf.
4. Keep the self-promotion out of your post. Often you are allowed a short bio and a link back to your website or blog, so focus on creating value and leave the promotion out.

Above all, don’t be afraid to ask. Most bloggers work hard to fill their editorial calendar and are happy to have someone fill in (as long as the topic is relevant). Also, don’t be afraid to consider having someone guest post on your blog as well. They will bring their readers with them and will often add you to their own blogroll. In the realm of social media and blogging, paying it forward really does pay off.

If you have already written a book, or even if you are just considering writing one, you may have asked yourself what it is that publishers are looking for. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula a writer can follow for guaranteed publication. What works and doesn’t work varies by genre, publisher, and other factors outside of the writer’s control. Still, there are some basic elements every publisher considers when evaluating a potential project. Those elements are: content, market, competitive titles, and author platform. We will cover each element in basic terms for the purpose of this post, but we do provide greater details on each of categories in our free white paper “What Publishers Want.”

Content

Though certain elements vary between fiction and nonfiction, any book, no matter what the genre, must be compelling, marketable, and memorable.

Compelling: It must be a topic that people are interested in.

Marketable: There must be a significant number of people interested in the topic.

Memorable: The writing should be good and should stick with the reader.

Market

Publishing is a business. In order for publishers (and authors) to make money, they need to sell books. So, when publishers look at a project they ask themselves: What is the market for this book? Who would be interested in this topic? How many people constitute that segment of the population? How often do they buy books and for what reasons? You need to be able to answer those questions before you even start writing.

Competitive Titles

The next thing publishers consider is your competition. This is key for many reasons. First of all, it shows them who your market is and the size of your market’s demand. If books on your topic are doing well, they are more likely to consider your work. Second, publishers look at how your book differs from the competition. If you provide enhanced content, an innovative approach, new research, or a more user-friendly voice, then they will be more likely to consider looking at and possibly acquiring your book. However, if your book is too similar to an existing one (especially one that has done well), or if your content is weak or poorly executed in comparison, then a publisher will be less willing to consider your project.

Platform

We discussed this in great detail before, and we can’t stress enough how important it is when evaluating your potential success as an author. Publishers need to know that you have identified your audience, that you are speaking to the needs and wants of your audience, and that you are continually and actively engaged with them even before you have a book.

Understanding how your book measures up in terms of content, market, competitive titles, and platform is essential to your publishing efforts. Weakness in any area can be improved upon, but too many issues in one or more categories can seriously hinder your chances of being published.

The author headshot is an imperative part of your career as an author. Not only will it be featured onyour book jacket, but your publicist will also want to make use of the photo for press releases and other marketing events.  You’ve spent months (or years!) on the content in the book; now it’s time to package it up.

There is a plethora of different headshot styles floating around the shelves at Barnes & Noble. From seriously bohemian black and white shots to overly made-up portraits, it can definitely be daunting to decide which direction to go with your own headshots. That being said, the easiest rule to follow is: keep it simple.

No matter your genre, a clean, professionally done headshot is the perfect addition to your book cover or marketing package. Look up local photographers online, browse their portfolios, and pick one with obvious experience in headshot photography. Even if you are unsure of how to approach the session, an experienced photographer will be able to steer you in the right direction as far as posing and expressions go. The photographer will also be able to recommend a makeup artist who can ensure that your makeup looks natural and perfectly applied on camera. I’m talking to you, too, men; a shiny forehead or age-spotted nose can be easily fixed with some expertly applied concealer and powder. That being said, remember again to keep it simple. You want to look like you in your photo (you on your best day, of course). Bright lipstick can photograph as garish, and even a slight over-application of eye shadow will come across as raccoon eyes. Err on the side of “less is more”; if you need any touch-ups, the photographer can easily do that to your final prints.

As far as clothing goes, plain colors (rather than prints) in a business casual style are the way to go, but beware of anything too bright. If you’re thinking hot pink, choose a cool raspberry instead; you want your face, not your blouse, to be the center of attention. Take at least three changes of clothing; you’ll be surprised how different a color can look in a photograph. Women, feel free to add a little jewelry, just stick with smaller pieces that won’t look dated in five years. Also, make sure that you are against a plain, neutral background. Grays and taupes make for soothing, unobtrusive backdrops that go easily with any color (including black) that you may be wearing, and that’s why they remain the most commonly used backdrops by photographers.

The most important thing to remember is that this photograph is about you. Not your makeup, clothes, or accessories. Relax and be yourself at the session, and don’t be afraid to ask the photographer for advice! There will be hundreds of photos to choose from, so you are guaranteed to find a few that you love. Feel free to send over your favorites to your publicist for help in making the final decision, too, as he or she can give you an informed decision as to which photo is best suited to your needs.

So there you have it! Be yourself, keep it simple, and don’t be afraid to ask the professionals for advice. Investing in your headshot is an investment in your career as an author, and having a photo that reflects you and your professionalism speaks volumes for your credibility.

As an author, you’ve probably been told you should be blogging. Blogs are an excellent way to engage your audience and establish yourself as an authority figure. Still, many find the idea of blogging overwhelming and the actual process of writing blog posts almost unbearable. But with a little bit of planning, a few shortcuts, and some tips from the blogosphere, you can be posting and engaging with readers in no time. Here is our five-part series on blogging to help you get started:

Part One: To Blog or Not to Blog (why you should blog)

Part Two: A Blog Without a Cause (what to blog about)

Part Three: Taming the Blog Monster (managing your blog)

Part Four: The Blog Without a Name (promoting your blog)

Part Five: Blog Vital Signs (tracking your progress)

Now that you’ve set up your blog, developed your content, and shared your posts, you’re probably wondering why you’re doing this in the first place? Does it really help you sell books?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Blogs are one of the best ways to create a community of followers. Still, you want to know your time is worth it and that your efforts are working, so it’s best to track your blog statistics. Luckily, there are a couple of free tools out there that make it easy to do so.

Google Analytics:

This free tool from Google lets you track how many visitors come to your site, how they are finding you, and what content they are viewing most. This is a great way to see what’s working, what’s not, and how well you are doing.

Spredfast:

Spredfast is a social media dashboard that lets you post and manage multiple media channels from one portal. There are several packages available, but you will need to contact them directly for pricing as it varies on a case by case basis. The depth of reporting changes with each package, but even the basic package lets you see which users are sharing your posts, how many people are viewing them, and what your total engagement with your audience is like.

How do you use these stats?

1. Share impressive numbers with your publicist or publisher to show demand.
2. Identify which content people are interested in—or not interested in—so you can adjust new information to meet those needs.
3. Track how offline trends affect online trends.
4. Work with your publicist to improve your overall marketing strategy.

Check the stats frequently so you can easily see the correlation between trends and content and adjust accordingly. Above all, don’t get so caught up in numbers that you ignore what people are actually telling you. Comments, also, are a great way to track your progress and get ideas for new content and books.

As an author, you’ve probably been told you should be blogging. Blogs are an excellent way to engage your audience and establish yourself as an authority figure. Still, many find the idea of blogging overwhelming and the actual process of writing blog posts almost unbearable. But with a little bit of planning, a few shortcuts, and some tips from the blogosphere, you can be posting and engaging with readers in no time. Here is our five-part series on blogging to help you get started:

Part One: To Blog or Not to Blog (why you should blog)

Part Two: A Blog Without a Cause (what to blog about)

Part Three: Taming the Blog Monster (managing your blog)

Part Four: The Blog Without a Name (promoting your blog)

Part Five: Blog Vital Signs (tracking your progress)

In part four of our series, we will focus on ways to promote your blog. It’s not enough to just create a blog and upload content. All of your hard work means nothing if no one knows about it.

The best way to promote your blog is through social media. Every time you publish a new post, create aquick lead line,attach a link back to your blog,and then share it on your social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others. Post them on message boards and in discussions that will interest your target audience, and use relevant hashtags on Twitter to get your post in front of people who will be interested in the topic of your blog. Do this every single time you post. You may even want to post the link 2–3 times in the same media stream in order to capture different people as they view their news feed. Just don’t get too obnoxious with posting links—even it out with plenty of valuable content and personal interaction.

Here are a few more tips to get your blog out there and in front of readers:

1. Comment on other blogs that cover your topic. When you post the comment,  share a link back to your own blog along with your comment.
2. Offer up your posts for syndication to aggregators and other outlets in your genre. Just be sure to prequalify outlets and their practices so you can keep your brand intact.
3. Promote social bookmarking through such outlets as Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon, Social Poster, and more. Most blog services have a widget that will display a bookmarking toolbar for each post. If not, have your web designer embed this type of widget on your blog.

In our next and final post, we cover ways to track your blog’s progress and statistics.