Authors today need a whole new attitude toward the all-important pitch. Until now, the author pitch was defined as a hard-sell verbal punch to persuade agents and editors to take on their book. It was typically brief, high-concept, often hyperbolic and was designed to convince the agent standing there that the book was fabulous and [...]

Every good book needs a great cover. It’s a powerful billboard for conveying the spirit and content of your book. An eye-catching cover can persuade readers to pick up and buy a book. But a jacket that’s confusing or boring or worse, can stop a potential buyer from giving that same book a second glance. [...]

The gold standard for success as an author is to make the New York Times Best Seller list. That’s the big brand banner that publishers, authors and readers want to see on the front cover. It shouts “Read Me! I’m certified!” How does an author accomplish this feat? What does it take for a book [...]

The author platform isn’t what it used to be. A new definition is emerging, based on the reality that in the 21st century, readers don’t depend on the Today Show or the feature pages of the New York Times to find a new book to read. Instead, they’re looking online and expecting to find a [...]

If you’re an author who isn’t active on Twitter, you’re making a huge mistake, say savvy book-marketing gurus. You’re missing out on a megaphone that can help blast out your message and attract new readers. Your readers are wondering: Where are you? “There’s a conversation going on right now on Twitter about your book, about [...]

“Something truly magical happened.” That’s how Amanda Hocking describes the impact book bloggers had on sales of her self-published paranormal romances. When she rolled out the first of nine books in March of last year, Hocking had no idea what to expect. Over the next couple of months, her Kindle sales amounted to around 600 [...]

What does a recipe for white cake have to do with selling a literary novel? A lot, as it turns out, in the case of The School of Essential Ingredients, the acclaimed debut novel by Erica Bauermeister, described in reviews as a seductively delicious tale of love, loss, and redemption. Identifying potential readers “I decided [...]

Picture this: An irate local author can’t find his latest title on the neighborhood bookstore shelf. So he slips into the storeroom, grabs his books from the back stock and heads straight for the store’s most exclusive patch of real estate – the front table – where he elbows aside the bestsellers and drops his [...]

Readers are fans. They love author appearances! What’s more, a successful author reading can spark sales and help build a following for a new book. Publishers know this, but unfortunately, the days of big budgets for glamorous book tours and star-spangled author events are now largely behind us. Author readings still a hot ticket Established [...]

A shopper who watches a video about a product is more likely to buy it. That’s why publishers and video producers are rushing to collaborate on low-cost video book trailers.  Publicists and marketing professionals believe these videos are the best new way to create the kind of buzz that attracts readers and sales. In the [...]