This Week in the Blogs, April 1 – 7, 2017

by Shelley Sturgeon | Apr 9, 2017

By Shelley Sturgeon

We’re at that transitional time of the year when winter becomes spring. It’s easy to get impatient when one minute it appears that winter weather has left us, but then a cold wind blows and it feels like we’re back at square one.

Writing and self-publishing can be a bit like that, too. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, you’re dealing with something you didn’t anticipate or don’t understand and you feel like you’ve just taken a step back.

Our Sunday selection of articles can help to keep you informed on self-publishing issues, and be sure to check back here through the week, too.

And, if you haven’t already, consider following Joel on Twitter or sign up for his free PDF guide 10 Things You Need to Know About Self-Publishing for even more information, tips and opportunities.

Ron Vitale on Self Publishing Advice Center
How to Identify Your Reader Profile via Google Analytics
“How well do you know your readers? Understanding the demographic of those enjoying your self-published books is invaluable marketing information.”

Holly Brady on Holly Brady
What Makes a Good Book Cover?
“A great cover can be the secret sauce that gives a book the oomph it needs to get discovered. But how do you get there?”

Frances Caballo on Social Media Just For Writers
Blogs and Podcasts I Read and Listen to Every Week
“We all have our secret list of favorite blogs and podcasts we prefer. I base my preferences on whether or not I learn anything new and, especially in the case of podcasts, whether there’s an entertainment value.”

Sonja Yoerg on Writer Unboxed
Repeat After Me: “Goodreads Is My Friend”
“Most authors I know have a love-hate relationship with Goodreads. On the one hand, the social site boasts 55 million readers; ignoring it is like manufacturing Mickey Mouse ears and refusing to sell them at Disneyland. On the other hand—and you know what I’m going to say—are the reviews, demonstrably harsher than those on Amazon.”

Nate Hoffelder on The Digital Reader
Kindle Create Lets You Make a Kindle eBook From a Word File
“Amazon has launched a new tool that lets you make an ebook out of a Word file. … It is called Kindle Create, and was released this week for Windows and macOS.”

Self-Publishing News You Can Use

By Amy Collins

Writer’s Digest Self-Publishing Awards Deadline is May 1st

Whether you’re a professional writer, a part-time freelancer or a self-starting student, here’s your chance to enter the premier self-published competition exclusively for self-published books. Writer’s Digest hosts the 25th annual self-published competition–the Annual Self-Published Book Awards. This self-published competition, co-sponsored by Book Marketing Works, LLC spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors. The Grand Prize is $8,000 in cash, a feature article for the March/April 2018 issue of Writer’s Digest, a paid trip to the ever-popular Writer’s Digest Conference as well as being featured on the WD website.