Category: self-publishing

Book Marketing Playbook: 6 Winning Moves from a Self-Publishing Pro

Need a book marketing playbook?

You know…a game plan to help you attract more readers, build authority, and generate book sales.

Ever thought about writing a book?

It’s never been easier to be an author. Write a book, self-publish, put it on Amazon and your writer website.

Sounds simple, right?

Here’s the problem. With books being published every day, it’s difficult for a new author to stand out.

The basics aren’t enough to get your book out there. And that means it’s up to you to create book marketing opportunities to boost exposure.

It’s the kind of problem I’ve helped thousands of writers and authors tackle over the last five-plus years.

Want to get your book in front of more readers?

Check out these winning moves from my book-marketing playbook.

The Truckload Strategy: 6 Heavy-Duty Marketing Tips to Sell Books

What if you could sell books by the truckload?

You know…your book gets listed on Amazon, orders pour in, you start making passive income.

Too hard? Too competitive? Marketing too expensive? That’s what a lot of freelance writers think. But that’s just because they haven’t learned The Truckload Strategy to sell books.

If you’re thinking about self-publishing a book, pitching a publisher, or your book is about to be released, there’s more to freelance success than just great writing.

You need to know how to sell books. And like it or not, selling books is more about strategy, tactics, and heavy-duty marketing than creative prose.

Want to write and sell books to boost your income as a freelancer?

It’s totally possible to sell a ton of books, even if you don’t have a massive audience.

Seriously. I’ve written 18 books. I teach self-publishing at New York University, and I’ve helped thousands of freelancers get published, sell books, and earn more.

Ready to sell books by the truckload? Here’s what you need to know.

How to Self Publish a Book That Earns $125K in a Single Night

Want to know how to self publish a book that earns big?

That’s the dream for a lot of freelancers. Right? Figure out how to self publish a book. List it on Amazon. And piles of money start rolling in.

Here’s the brutal truth about making money with your book…it usually doesn’t work like that.

There’s far too many writers with great ideas who think: “If I self-publish a book, lots of people will buy it.”

I wish it were that easy. If you want to learn how to self publish a book that earns big, a great idea and great writing are just the beginning.

You also need to a marketing plan that generates buzz, sells copies, and opens the door to more writing opportunities.

When I published my first book, I made a couple thousand dollars, and gained a small following of fans. And then something happened that helped me turn my book into a revenue-generating machine that earned $125K in one night.

Want to learn how to self publish a book that earns big? Let me pull back the curtain to show you how it’s done.

How to Write a Book When It Seems Like a Crazy Dream

Ever wonder how to write a book when you’re short on time?

Maybe you’ve still got a day job. Maybe you’re not a full-time writer, but it’s your dream.

So you write during slivers of precious free time, either before or after work.

How will you ever find the time to write a book?

Here’s a reality check…you won’t ever find the time. You’ll have to make time.

If you want to learn how to write a book, you must chisel out time for this from your already-packed schedule.

You may think: It’s no use. I’ve already tried. I’m way busier than you can imagine.

I get it. Really, I do. In fact, I’ve been there. Yet, I wrote the first 90 of my nearly 200 published books, while I still had a day job.

Dreaming about writing a book in your spare time? Here’s how it’s done:

End the Dry Spell: 7 Habits of a Fully-Booked Freelance Writer

Are you sick of those dry spells that make you go back to begging for work as a freelance writer?

It happens. One day you’re flush with work, cranking out copy, and making a decent income. And then you realize your freelance marketing efforts haven’t been all that great.

Projects come to an end. You get paid. And then you’re scrambling to find more clients that need a freelance writer.

Been there? Done that?

If you’re that kind of freelance writer, it can get exhausting. It’s kind of like trying to make your way across a desert without any water. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

If you want to be a fully-booked freelance writer, there’s a few things you can do to always have a steady stream of work. The marketing techniques I use as a freelance writer have helped me increase demand, raise my rates, find better clients, and make more money.

Ready to end the freelance-client drought once and for all? Here’s how:

Self-Publishing to Get More Freelance Clients: Use This Writer’s Strategy

Ever thought about self-publishing a book? With all the tools available now, it’s relatively easy to do. It might not be your ticket to fame and fortune, but self-publishing can be a great way to help you get more freelance clients.

I’ve been a freelance writer since 2007. When I transitioned to ghostwriting in 2014, I quickly learned that I needed a better marketing strategy. The problem with ghostwriting is that you can’t exactly tell anyone what you have written. This is especially true when you sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Has a prospect ever asked you for writing samples, but you don’t have anything in your portfolio to show off your skills?

That’s what happened to me. When a potential client would ask if I’d ever written a book, for example, my answer would be, “Yes, but I can’t tell you what I’ve written.”

Not exactly the response to turn a prospect into a client. That’s when I started to think about self-publishing. I decided to write books of my own, under my own name, simply to have something to show to help me find more clients.

Here’s the self-publishing strategy I developed to land more freelance work:

Freelance Writer Fairy Tales: Do You Believe These 3 Myths?

When you’re a freelance writer, it’s easy to go on for years clinging to magical thinking about how your career will work.

It’s like believing in fairy tales. Usually, when you grow up, you realize there is no enchanted frog or beast that turns into a prince.

But with a lot of writers, these myths persist for years and years, leading to lots of wasted time and low earnings.

What are the big fairy tales freelance writers tell themselves? Here are my top three:

How to Overcome Abuse and Become a Full-Time Writer

Do you ever let your personal “issues” hold you back when it comes to your writing career?

I have – after going through some very toxic relationships – and it nearly ruined both my career and my life. But I managed to come out on top – and I was able to become the well-paid writer I was meant to be. So, how’d I manage to overcome a legacy of toxic abuse and build a thriving writing career?

Would you be shocked if I told you that my “issues” literally became my content niche? They did – these days, I’m also a certified life coach who specializes in narcissistic abuse recovery.

So why am I writing about abuse? Why do I keep talking about it? Because I am a survivor myself – and because, quite honestly, the universe planted this particular niche in my front yard for a reason. These days, I make a pretty healthy living from my work – and yes, I’m writing every single day now. Here’s how it happened…

Launching an E-Book? A Peek at My $10K Earning Plan

I found out an interesting fact this past weekend: Amazon is ringing up close to $6 million in e-book sales every DAY.

It’s no wonder nearly every freelance writer I meet is either thinking about writing and launching an e-book, or has already published one.

My question to all of you e-book writers is: Why? What’s your goal?

Getting clarity on that is key to making your e-book journey a success.

Writers publish e-books for many reasons. For many of us, e-books are what marketers call a ‘tripwire’ product. It exists not to earn money so much as to start readers opening their wallets.

Then, you sell them the more lucrative and profitable thing later on. This is the kingdom of the 99-cent e-book.

Other authors are giving away their e-book free, in hopes of gaining ‘bestseller list’ credentials, and using that authority to get more speaking engagements or coaching students. Still others publish simply to say they’ve done it.

Then, there’s the big dream of many writers:

Make Your Failing Blog Earn With 3 Simple Questions

Most blogs are just…sitting there.

How do I know? Because I’ve been reviewing bunches of them as part of the coaching service I’m launching along with my upcoming e-book, Small Blog, Big Income.

At this point in the life of the blogosphere, I have to say I’m surprised. There’s no shortage of advice out there from mega-successful bloggers on how to build a blog-based business.

So what’s up?

I started asking these bloggers questions…and discovered a problem.

House built on a weak foundation

There are some very basic building blocks that should be in place when you launch a blog — and often, they’re missing.

We press ‘publish’ because we can, without thinking through where we’re headed. The result is incoherent, rambling blogs with no apparent focus…and vague dreams of quitting freelancing and earning from our blogs that don’t come true.

Stop Thief! A Pro Writer’s 5 Tips to Fight Plagiarism

How one writer took action to fight plagiarism after her e-book was stolen

It was an evening like any other… poking around on Amazon. But tonight was different. There, before me, in all its glory, was my new e-book with someone else’s name on it!

Thus began an emotional roller coaster of confusion, shock and anger. “Ojuola Infotech” had come to my website, downloaded my newly finished e-book, and put his name on Pricing Basics for Copywriters & Consultants: Meet Your Income Goals — Guaranteed!

Worse yet, it wasn’t just that my e-book was stolen. He stole my brand as well. CHRIS NOTES was now OJUOLA NOTES.

Did I see red? You know it. And it cost me emotional turmoil, enormous amounts of time, and lost income to do what I did next.

Namely… I went after him. But not before I got my e-book back… and my authorship.

I’ve been dealing with this professional tragedy for nearly five months, and I’m still not finished.

Because I don’t want you to suffer an experience like this, I’m going to give you my top five newly learned tips for protecting your work, so the Ojuolas of the world can’t hurt you.

The Key E-Book Marketing Step That Most Self-Publishers Miss

E-book marketing can be super-simple. You write a quick e-book in a Word document, upload it to Amazon, and presto! You've got a Kindle e-book for sale. The Kindle-only route is probably the most common one taken by new e-book writers. It seems so simple, yes? Next,...

« Older Entries

Next Entries »

Looking for writing courses & community support?

Our online community, Freelance Writers Den, was founded in 2011. Since then, we’ve helped 14,000+ writers connect with peers, improve their skills, and grow their freelance writing income.

Our lively community is stuffed with useful tools and career-building resources. Use our 24/7 forums to get your questions answered by pros. Tap our 300+ hours of self-study trainings to learn new skills.

The Den has live events and multi-week bootcamps where you can tap experts’ knowledge, an exclusive job board, accountability buddies, live chats, and more. Also, if you want feedback on your writer website, LinkedIn profile, or article draft, we’ve got you.

Visit the Freelance Writers Den site to see if we’re open for new members right now. Sign up on the waiting list if we’re not, and you’ll be first to join when we reopen (plus, you’ll get useful free resources in the meanwhile).