This Week in the Blogs, December 29, 2018 – January 4, 2019

POSTED ON Jan 6, 2019

Shelley Sturgeon

Written by Shelley Sturgeon

Home > Blog > Self-Publishing, Social Media > This Week in the Blogs, December 29, 2018 – January 4, 2019

By Shelley Sturgeon

Happy New Year! The start of a new year, after the holiday decorations are put away, always seems full of promise and possibilities, almost like springtime.

Blogs for indie authors abound with posts looking back on 2018 filled with statistics and reviews, and looking forward with planning tips and forecasts for 2019. Did you meet your goals for last year? Are you psyched to accomplish great things with your writing and self-publishing projects this year? Be sure to check out our Articles archive for a massive collection of articles filed by topic that might help you meet your goals.

And, add these dates to your calendar:

  • Submit your blog posts to our Self-Publishing: Carnival of the Indies blog carnival by January 15th. All the information you need to know can be found here. Our Carnival of the Indies post will run on the last Sunday of the month.
     
  • Be sure to submit your e-book cover to us for our January e-Book Cover Design Awards by January 31st. January’s submissions will be presented in a post at the end of February. Submission information can be found here.

If you have any questions about the Carnival of the Indies or the e-Book Cover Design Awards, just click on the Contact page and fill in that form, or leave a comment below.

Mark Coker on Smashwords Blog
2019 Book Industry Predictions: The Butterflies Will Flap Their Wings
“If you’ve followed my posts here at the Smashwords Blog over the years, you know I don’t sugarcoat. I try to give you the unvarnished truth of what I’m seeing and hearing, and what it all means for the future of indie authors and publishers.”

Katrin Schumann on Jane Friedman
Your No. 1 Secret Weapon: Writing Communities
“Many of us find it hard to be put on the spot or to be the center of attention. Becoming part of a broad variety of writing communities helps with this. Here are the six of the communities I’ve tapped into over the years—all of which have supported me in significant ways on the road to publication.”

Dawn Reno Langley on Writer’s Digest
How to Calendarize Your Book Marketing Approach
“Whether you’re traditionally or self-published marketing your book, is difficult. Here’s what I know for sure, as Oprah says. You have to start promoting your book as early as possible, and you can’t stop after it’s published.”

Stephanie Chandler on Nonfiction Authors Association
50 Reasons to Contact the Media
“Reporters, editors, and producers for print publications, television, and radio are all seeking compelling stories to share with their audience. They need us as much as we need them! The trick is to pitch them an idea that they will deem newsworthy.”

Dan Wagstaff on The Casual Optimist
The Rest of the Best 2018
“Before we move on to new books for 2019, here are some of the better end-of-year lists that looked back at book cover design in 2018…”

Help Wanted

Joel is working with a colleague on a new marketing product for authors and can use some help.

  • Can you write clear informational copy?
  • Work cooperatively on a project?
  • Have time to put in over the next couple of months to see this to completion?

Hourly pay and a chance to learn while working, U.S. residents preferred. If you are seriously interested, please send an inquiry to Sharon Goldinger at [email protected] including any experience you have of this type of work.

Too Good to Miss

Carlyn Robertson on BookBub
The Best BookBub Ads of 2018
“In 2018, thousands of authors and book marketers used BookBub Ads, our self-serve display ads platform, to promote books to BookBub’s millions of readers. As the end of the year approaches, we wanted to share some of the most successful BookBub Ads campaigns of 2018!”

Craig Mod on Wired
The ‘Future Book’ Is Here, but It’s Not What We Expected
“Prognostications about how technology would affect the form of paper books have been with us for centuries.”

Victoria Strauss on Writer Beware
Army of Clones, Part 2: Twenty-One Publishing and Marketing “Services” to Beware Of
“Last January, I wrote a post about a new and rapidly-growing scam: Philippines-based publishing and “marketing” companies that have copied the Author Solutions business model, and are using it to rip off writers. In many cases, these enterprises are run and/or staffed by former AS call center employees.”
 
Photo: pixabay.com

Shelley Sturgeon

Written by
Shelley Sturgeon

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