Looking for tips on how to use Twitter? Well, you've come to the right place. Here are some links to quick tips and explanations for the very basics of the Twitterverse. You'll learn how to message people publicly and privately. You'll learn how to make lists of your favorite Tweeple.
Soon you'll be tweeting to your twits or tweeps, and RTing your favorites, DMing and using hash tags (no, that's not that bad thing that involves smoke!)
Twitter 101: How to send messages on Twitter
Twitter 101: What the heck is a hash tag?
Twitter 101: Creating Twitter Lists
Twitter 101: Using the new Retweet feature
If you follow me on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/cherylktardif), you'll become one of my Twalkers (Twitter stalkers...aka Twits or Tweeps or Tweeple) also learn about Twoogles, which would make you a Twoogler while you're Twoogling.
So, Tweers to you all! Have fun tweeting!
"I can help you!"
Cheryl Tardif has worked for over 25 years in advertising, promotions and sales, and spent nearly 2 years as a motivational speaker for a major international company. She is currently a bestselling novelist and 'shameless' promoter, and for 7 years she has shared her advice and techniques as a Book Marketing Coach.From the very basics to advanced marketing for fiction or non-fiction authors, Cheryl can show you what works and what doesn't work. Her last publisher called her a "marketing guru" and "whiz", although she prefers to think of what she does as teaching, or coaching. Cheryl becomes part of your team and will work with you to develop a plan. She'll share valuable tips and secret strategies that could bring you more sales and reviews. Her message: "Dare to Dream...and Dream BIG!"
Cheryl's novels have made Amazon's bestsellers lists in Canada and the US. Her novel Whale Song is currently in negotiations for a feature film. Cheryl speaks regularly at writers' conferences on the topics of book signings, online marketing, promotional ideas and using social networks to promote books--the 'write' way. Her articles on book promotion have appeared in various magazines and online writers' resources. She has been interviewed and profiled on TV and radio stations, and in newspapers and magazines.
For more information, please contact: cheryltardif@shaw.ca
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
NovelRank creator Mario Lurig dishes on Amazon sales rank, Kindle and more
Many author I know have used various Amazon sales rank tracking systems online so they can see how their books are selling on Amazon, so today I'm interviewing Mario Lurig, the creator of NovelRank. Mario, welcome to The Write Type! ~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
CKT: As the creator of NovelRank, please tell us what led to the creation of such a program.
ML: I'm a self-publishing author myself, and that means marketing my book is a one-man team. The problem was that Amazon sales info is delayed about 6 months from my publisher, Lulu. Therefore, it's hard to know what is working and what is not as not every purchase happens where you want it to happen. I tried other sales rank tracking websites, and was not satisfied with any of them.
I then remembered, "Oh wait, I can write code." So I started tracking sales rank on my own, then realized that other authors probably could use the same thing; I'm not the only author selling less than 15 copies a month. So, I've put in 200+ hours of work and NovelRank was released to the public.
CKT: Who uses NovelRank, and why?
ML: A few publishers, definitely a large collection of self-promoting authors, and I suppose for the same reasons I do: To get some feedback on how well your book is selling on Amazon without having to obsessively visit Amazon.com, trying to figure out if the book's sales rank has gone up or down, and what that means. Authors are busy enough!
CKT: How does NovelRank work? And why is it important to authors like me?
ML: It's a pretty simple concept: Every hour, get the sales rank of your book on all Amazon domains that carry the book that you choose to track. Then, based on trends and changes, estimate the number of sales that occur. Is it important to know the sales at any one moment? No, unless you are actively promoting it. The key to good marketing is good feedback, and that is what NovelRank provides for authors like you.
CKT: Can I only track my sales rank from Amazon.com?
ML: Other sites only track Amazon.com and some track Amazon.co.uk. NovelRank tracks all Amazon domains, including US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan.
CKT: I've used TitleZ in the past to track my sales ranks and at one time could track my Kindle sales rank too, but then TitleZ removed this feature. Can I use NovelRank to track Kindle editions of my work?
ML: Yes! It's a bit of a long story, but the quick version is that every site that exists to track sales rank uses Amazon's API (efficient way to get information from a service or site). Months ago, Amazon removed the ability to get any information about Kindle Edition books, and after some persistence from myself and a few others in their forums, they finally stated that this was deliberate and permanent. Everyone's source of information was lost, including NovelRank.
I wasn't satisfied with that option, so I found another way to get the information from Amazon that was 20% of the API's efficiency. Without this new method, it would have been only 4%, which just isn't a feasible amount to get the data in a timely manner. Now NovelRank allows you to add Kindle Edition books for tracking, and still get hourly results, including sales estimates, exclusively.
CKT: On TitleZ I could track a list of items and see them on one page. This was great for comparing ranks for my 3 novels. It was also useful if I wanted to track a comparative title and compare to one of mine. Can I track more than one item and compare their stats easily using NovelRank?
ML: You can definitely track more than one item, and you can even share the book's page with others without them needing to create an account, just share the URL of the page. However, this is the one place NovelRank lags behind others, the ability to have an account and track everything on one page. It's coming, let me be clear, but I opted to reduce the barrier to entry, because I really dislike having to login or make an account everywhere.
So, I made it really simple to add a book, track it, and share that with others or integrate it with your regular life with things like RSS feeds. I'll be keeping the spirit the same however, because you won't be creating an account, but simply logging in through one of 6 services you already have an account with, such as Google, LiveJournal, Facebook, and Twitter. Just like the current book details page, you will have an 'account' page accessible by URL so you won't need to login to see everything on one page, only to make changes to your settings or lists.
CKT: Are there any features (current or future) that really make NovelRank stand out?
ML: Kindle tracking is the standout feature right now, as nobody else supports it. Nobody.
CKT: Do you charge for this tracking service?
ML: I like to think that the second best thing about NovelRank is that there are no advertisements, never will be, and it has the best price: Free.
CKT: On the home page of NovelRank, you feature 3 lists? Tell us about them. Are there any others, and what do they track?
ML: It actually features about 10 lists, because every hour the 3 featured on the home page change, as they are randomly selected from all of the Top 10 lists available. It always shows Recent Additions on either Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, as the most popular Amazon domains, and then 2 other lists.
Most lists are obvious, showing books that were recently added, top sellers, top Lulu sellers, etc. However, my favorite lists are called Diamonds in the Rough, which represent books that have sold a copy recently, but have been on a dry streak in the last couple of days. In other words, books that are valuable enough to garner your attention and your dollars, but probably not top sellers.
CKT: Do you have anything else to add?
ML: Being an author is hard, even for those of us doing it part-time, but it's incredibly rewarding. If NovelRank can bring value to an author who is taking their book's sales and marketing into their own hands, it has succeeded. Like my book, NovelRank suffers from the same fate: I'm its biggest fan, and everything else is gravy.
Authors: you can now promote your book on NovelRank. Just send Mario a copy for his once a month book draw. http://www.novelrank.com/blog/donate-novel-authors-monthly-promotion-and-giveaway/
Thank you for dropping by The Write Type, Mario, and for sharing this valuable service. I've tried NovelRank and it's simple and easy. All the best in success with NovelRank.
CKT: As the creator of NovelRank, please tell us what led to the creation of such a program.
ML: I'm a self-publishing author myself, and that means marketing my book is a one-man team. The problem was that Amazon sales info is delayed about 6 months from my publisher, Lulu. Therefore, it's hard to know what is working and what is not as not every purchase happens where you want it to happen. I tried other sales rank tracking websites, and was not satisfied with any of them.
I then remembered, "Oh wait, I can write code." So I started tracking sales rank on my own, then realized that other authors probably could use the same thing; I'm not the only author selling less than 15 copies a month. So, I've put in 200+ hours of work and NovelRank was released to the public.
CKT: Who uses NovelRank, and why?
ML: A few publishers, definitely a large collection of self-promoting authors, and I suppose for the same reasons I do: To get some feedback on how well your book is selling on Amazon without having to obsessively visit Amazon.com, trying to figure out if the book's sales rank has gone up or down, and what that means. Authors are busy enough!
CKT: How does NovelRank work? And why is it important to authors like me?
ML: It's a pretty simple concept: Every hour, get the sales rank of your book on all Amazon domains that carry the book that you choose to track. Then, based on trends and changes, estimate the number of sales that occur. Is it important to know the sales at any one moment? No, unless you are actively promoting it. The key to good marketing is good feedback, and that is what NovelRank provides for authors like you.
CKT: Can I only track my sales rank from Amazon.com?
ML: Other sites only track Amazon.com and some track Amazon.co.uk. NovelRank tracks all Amazon domains, including US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan.
CKT: I've used TitleZ in the past to track my sales ranks and at one time could track my Kindle sales rank too, but then TitleZ removed this feature. Can I use NovelRank to track Kindle editions of my work?
ML: Yes! It's a bit of a long story, but the quick version is that every site that exists to track sales rank uses Amazon's API (efficient way to get information from a service or site). Months ago, Amazon removed the ability to get any information about Kindle Edition books, and after some persistence from myself and a few others in their forums, they finally stated that this was deliberate and permanent. Everyone's source of information was lost, including NovelRank.
I wasn't satisfied with that option, so I found another way to get the information from Amazon that was 20% of the API's efficiency. Without this new method, it would have been only 4%, which just isn't a feasible amount to get the data in a timely manner. Now NovelRank allows you to add Kindle Edition books for tracking, and still get hourly results, including sales estimates, exclusively.
CKT: On TitleZ I could track a list of items and see them on one page. This was great for comparing ranks for my 3 novels. It was also useful if I wanted to track a comparative title and compare to one of mine. Can I track more than one item and compare their stats easily using NovelRank?
ML: You can definitely track more than one item, and you can even share the book's page with others without them needing to create an account, just share the URL of the page. However, this is the one place NovelRank lags behind others, the ability to have an account and track everything on one page. It's coming, let me be clear, but I opted to reduce the barrier to entry, because I really dislike having to login or make an account everywhere.
So, I made it really simple to add a book, track it, and share that with others or integrate it with your regular life with things like RSS feeds. I'll be keeping the spirit the same however, because you won't be creating an account, but simply logging in through one of 6 services you already have an account with, such as Google, LiveJournal, Facebook, and Twitter. Just like the current book details page, you will have an 'account' page accessible by URL so you won't need to login to see everything on one page, only to make changes to your settings or lists.
CKT: Are there any features (current or future) that really make NovelRank stand out?
ML: Kindle tracking is the standout feature right now, as nobody else supports it. Nobody.
CKT: Do you charge for this tracking service?
ML: I like to think that the second best thing about NovelRank is that there are no advertisements, never will be, and it has the best price: Free.
CKT: On the home page of NovelRank, you feature 3 lists? Tell us about them. Are there any others, and what do they track?
ML: It actually features about 10 lists, because every hour the 3 featured on the home page change, as they are randomly selected from all of the Top 10 lists available. It always shows Recent Additions on either Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, as the most popular Amazon domains, and then 2 other lists.
Most lists are obvious, showing books that were recently added, top sellers, top Lulu sellers, etc. However, my favorite lists are called Diamonds in the Rough, which represent books that have sold a copy recently, but have been on a dry streak in the last couple of days. In other words, books that are valuable enough to garner your attention and your dollars, but probably not top sellers.
CKT: Do you have anything else to add?
ML: Being an author is hard, even for those of us doing it part-time, but it's incredibly rewarding. If NovelRank can bring value to an author who is taking their book's sales and marketing into their own hands, it has succeeded. Like my book, NovelRank suffers from the same fate: I'm its biggest fan, and everything else is gravy.
Authors: you can now promote your book on NovelRank. Just send Mario a copy for his once a month book draw. http://www.novelrank.com/blog/donate-novel-authors-monthly-promotion-and-giveaway/
Thank you for dropping by The Write Type, Mario, and for sharing this valuable service. I've tried NovelRank and it's simple and easy. All the best in success with NovelRank.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Authors: promote your books on NovelRank, Kobo, Kindle and litHouse
Authors: here are some great promotional links you may want to check out:
NOVELRANK:
If you haven't heard of NovelRank yet, it's because they're new. If you've used TitleZ in the past to track books and sales ranks of Amazon, you'll know Amazon recently removed Kindle version tracking. www.NovelRank.com is a similar tracking service and best of all it's free. While you can't compare book sales side by side (like TZ), there are extra stats I know you'll love--like the Twitter search and sales data. I really recommend you check it out. Also, check out Mario's blog for NovelRank. He'll promote you if you're willing to donate a book for one of his monthly draws. http://www.novelrank.com/blog/donate-novel-authors-monthly-promotion-and-giveaway/
KOBO:
Kobo is the new name for Shortcovers, an e-book retailer in Canada
KINDLE:
Authors in Canada
You must have an ISBN to sell your books at most online retailers, and in Canada
LITHOUSE:
If you offer writing, publishing or marketing services, you can promote your business by posting a free ad at www.lithouse.com
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Thursday, January 21, 2010
BISG Surveys Consumer E-Book Habits
Here's an interesting survey on consumer e-book habits. For authors thinking of pursuing e-book publishers or those who want to publish e-books on their own via sites like Amazon's Kindle or KoboBooks.com, you'll want to read this!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Create an Internet Identity - For Authors
Quick! Go to Google and do a vanity search. If you don't know what this means, it's simple. Type your name in the search bar. See how many direct hits to your site (or anything that pertains to you) come up. A few years ago, I did this and was quite depressed to see that I was nowhere to be found. In the internet world, I simply did not exist. Since then, I have learned a few tricks of the trade, and I am now deeply entrenched in the most popular search engines. What does this mean? It means that anyone, anywhere, can view information about my books and me. What this means to you is that if you are not at least 10 pages deep after a vanity search, you have a lot of work to do.
Your job as a published author is to "get known". The fact is, the more your name is out there in cyberspace and the more people who read about your exciting action-packed thriller or suspenseful murder mystery and the more people who see your name pop up when they search for ‘Canadian mystery authors’ or ‘American romance novels’, then the more potential customers you have reached. People buy more of what they know, what they frequently see. This is branding. Online, it is known as creating an internet identity.
Read my article: Create an Internet Identity - For Authors.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
Canadian suspense author
Your job as a published author is to "get known". The fact is, the more your name is out there in cyberspace and the more people who read about your exciting action-packed thriller or suspenseful murder mystery and the more people who see your name pop up when they search for ‘Canadian mystery authors’ or ‘American romance novels’, then the more potential customers you have reached. People buy more of what they know, what they frequently see. This is branding. Online, it is known as creating an internet identity.
Read my article: Create an Internet Identity - For Authors.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
Canadian suspense author
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Why doesn't every bookstore carry my books?
Is it true that once you're published by a traditional royalty-paying publisher your books will be in all the bookstores across Canada and the US?
The answer is...no. Many writers believe that this is the big advantage to being traditionally published. But it's a myth.
Since my first novel was published in 2003, I have often been asked why my novels are not in every bookstore across North America. There are a few reasons for this, actually, but one of the main reasons is that the book industry just doesn't work like that. Yes, you'll certainly see the top 25 or so bestsellers in every store. These are big name authors who have proven time and time again that their books sell by the truckloads, and the 1 or 2 breakout authors whose book flies off the shelf at record speeds may be among them.
Believe me--I would be quite happy (and possibly a bit manic) to see my novels in every bookstore. It is a partnership between so many divisions of the publishing industry that helps increase a book's availability. I know one thing for sure, there are thousands of authors whose books have less exposure than my novels.
If I want my books to sell, I have to do whatever I can to 'move' them off the shelves. I owe it to myself. Every author does.
In the years (okay, decades) that I've been researching the book industry, I've heard these statistics many times. And they're so true. I've heard how publishers in the US are publishing nearly 200,000 new titles a year. This sheds some light on why my 3 novels aren't on every bookstore shelf. Can you imagine the size the bookstore would have to be to accomplish shelving every title? But it is a common assumption with aspiring or newly published authors that their books will be everywhere, in every store automatically. That's just not the case.
Today's authors have to take on the role of marketing even more than ever if they want to succeed. You can't wait for the sales to happen; you have to go out and get them. Book signings are a plus. I love doing them, meeting people and talking to fans. But most authors, including me, can't afford to tour all across the country 2-3 times a year. And publishers certainly can't pay for all of their authors to do so either.
I was the first author from Kunati Books to hold a virtual book tour (VBT). For one month, I blogged, wrote articles, answered intervews, spoke on radio shows--I loved it. VBT's are becoming more popular every year, and I believe that's where author tours are heading. Even bestselling author Margaret Atwood knows the trials of traveling; she invented the LongPen, a device that signs books with the author in one city and readers in another. I've signed up for that too.
I embrace the marketing of my novels and I am excited to do so. With three novels published, I am constantly searching for new ways, new ideas, and the majority of them involve online marketing. From my own experience, I can say that being computer savvy is a huge advantage as more and more authors are turning to internet marketing. Authors experienced in web design, HTML code, navigating the internet, and those who blog regularly and update their websites routinely have a headstart. I believe in working smarter, not necessarily harder.
Selling books is a partnership between everyone involved--author, agent, publisher, distributor, booksellers...they each have their role, and the common one is to sell books. Today's authors have to be bold, daring, open to learning, open to selling, persistent, and driven. That's how you become one of the 2.1% of authors who sell more than 5000 copies.
Hire me as your personal Book Marketing Coach and learn how to get your books on more bookstore shelves, and even get better placement free.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention
The answer is...no. Many writers believe that this is the big advantage to being traditionally published. But it's a myth.
Since my first novel was published in 2003, I have often been asked why my novels are not in every bookstore across North America. There are a few reasons for this, actually, but one of the main reasons is that the book industry just doesn't work like that. Yes, you'll certainly see the top 25 or so bestsellers in every store. These are big name authors who have proven time and time again that their books sell by the truckloads, and the 1 or 2 breakout authors whose book flies off the shelf at record speeds may be among them.Believe me--I would be quite happy (and possibly a bit manic) to see my novels in every bookstore. It is a partnership between so many divisions of the publishing industry that helps increase a book's availability. I know one thing for sure, there are thousands of authors whose books have less exposure than my novels.
If I want my books to sell, I have to do whatever I can to 'move' them off the shelves. I owe it to myself. Every author does.
In the years (okay, decades) that I've been researching the book industry, I've heard these statistics many times. And they're so true. I've heard how publishers in the US are publishing nearly 200,000 new titles a year. This sheds some light on why my 3 novels aren't on every bookstore shelf. Can you imagine the size the bookstore would have to be to accomplish shelving every title? But it is a common assumption with aspiring or newly published authors that their books will be everywhere, in every store automatically. That's just not the case.
Today's authors have to take on the role of marketing even more than ever if they want to succeed. You can't wait for the sales to happen; you have to go out and get them. Book signings are a plus. I love doing them, meeting people and talking to fans. But most authors, including me, can't afford to tour all across the country 2-3 times a year. And publishers certainly can't pay for all of their authors to do so either.
I was the first author from Kunati Books to hold a virtual book tour (VBT). For one month, I blogged, wrote articles, answered intervews, spoke on radio shows--I loved it. VBT's are becoming more popular every year, and I believe that's where author tours are heading. Even bestselling author Margaret Atwood knows the trials of traveling; she invented the LongPen, a device that signs books with the author in one city and readers in another. I've signed up for that too.
I embrace the marketing of my novels and I am excited to do so. With three novels published, I am constantly searching for new ways, new ideas, and the majority of them involve online marketing. From my own experience, I can say that being computer savvy is a huge advantage as more and more authors are turning to internet marketing. Authors experienced in web design, HTML code, navigating the internet, and those who blog regularly and update their websites routinely have a headstart. I believe in working smarter, not necessarily harder.
Selling books is a partnership between everyone involved--author, agent, publisher, distributor, booksellers...they each have their role, and the common one is to sell books. Today's authors have to be bold, daring, open to learning, open to selling, persistent, and driven. That's how you become one of the 2.1% of authors who sell more than 5000 copies.
Hire me as your personal Book Marketing Coach and learn how to get your books on more bookstore shelves, and even get better placement free.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention
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