Demystifying BookFunnel: How Authors Can Make the Most of the E-Book Distribution Service
How Authors Can Make the Most of the E-Book Distribution Service Michael La Ronn For many authors, helping readers download e-books purchased directly onto their preferred reading app eats away from valuable writing and marketing time. With so many responsibilities in running a writing business, tech support is a low priority. That’s where a tool […]
Build Your Perfect AI Assistant with These ChatGPT Plug-Ins for Writers
Over the past year, we’ve seen artificial intelligence and generative language models explode in popularity and capability. ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, saw close to 1.7 billion visits to the site in October, according to Similarweb. Although the ethics of the programs remain hotly debated in many circles, including in the indie author community, many industries […]
From Bookshelf to Bookstore: Exploring Lulu.com’s Four Major Marketing Avenues
From Bookshelf to Bookstore: Exploring Lulu.com’s Four Major Marketing Avenues In the intricate tapestry of self-publishing, indie authors are constantly searching for ways to better control their income and their relationship with their readers. Lulu.com stands out not merely as another publishing platform but as a comprehensive solution to the dilemma. The platform supports a […]
An Inside Look at Formatting Software Options
Independent authors wear many hats: author, editor, cover designer, blurb writer, and more. Among all those responsibilities, however, one self-publishing task that often gets funneled to the back of the queue is the formatting of the book’s interior. While not as top-of-mind as the book cover or blurb, interior formatting is a crucial element that […]
Looking Ahead at … AI
Authors understand the power of a strong launch, but describing OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT simply as “strong” feels like an understatement. In the first five days after an early demo of the generative AI chatbot released in late November 2022, the site had already amassed more than one million users, according to Forbes. That surge […]
Cashing in on the BookTok Boom
Authors Can Still Clock Huge Sales Thanks to TikTok’s Reader Community In the past three years, TikTok, the wildly popular short-form video sharing platform, has become a powerful tool for authors to connect with bookish communities and establish their brand. Just as the platform itself has seen its popularity grow since the app became available […]
An Updated Look at Canva Pro Features that Give New Meaning to ‘Smart’ Design
Words may be most authors’ medium of choice, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t also testing our skills as visual artists from time to time. Whether it’s book covers or cover mock-ups, marketing material, giveaways, social media posts, or ads, authors—and indie authors especially—do a lot of graphic design. It’s not a problem for those […]
Hacking the Algorithms to Popular Social Media Sites
What Indie Authors Should Know to Ensure Their Posts Are Seen Until the late twentieth century, town criers were used to spread the word about local happenings. They stood in front of crowds, disseminating crucial information. Each author must now take up that role, but luckily, thanks to the internet, we don’t have to yell, […]
Ready for Proofreading? PerfectIt.
The Style-Checking Software Built for Editors Can Assist Authors Too In recent years, editing and proofreading software has evolved far past spelling and grammar checks. With new tools emerging and older tools continually upgrading their abilities, simply correcting misspelled words is no longer enough for an app or tool to keep up with the competition. […]
Data Driven: Optimize Your Author Website with Google Analytics 4
Your author website is gorgeous. I mean it. It is aesthetically pleasing, consistent with your branding, and customized to guide your readers on an effortless journey from discovery to superfan. But does it work? You’ve spent a lot of time, when you could have been writing, thinking about how to reach your readers, engage them, […]