The #1 Reason Your Book Marketing Efforts Fail on Facebook

Dee on Twitter Last month I asked a question on my Facebook profile: If you could give up one social media platform– Twitter or Facebook– what would it be? Most respondents chose Facebook, because they didn’t get it. Although the results weren’t shocking, they were problematic. Many of those responders were authors… African-American authors.  But in this “Relationships are Imperative for Survival” age, black authors need to get Twitter. They need to get it like two years ago… Social Media affords us (all writers) the opportunity to communicate with our readership about our stories.... 

3 Press Release Don’ts for Authors by Dee Stewart

As a literary business hybrid, I get to see the publishing industry in three dimensional terms. As a writer, I share the same pangs and long hours of marketing my latest writing project or literary event. As a publicist, I spend hours creating the best press release for my clients with hopes that it grabs my media friends attention. As a member of the press, I take great care in scrutinizing author requests to be featured in on my blog or magazine department or radio show in my charge. All three aspects of me require basic marketing acumen. All further require a brilliant press release(either on... 

You Get What You Don’t Pay For…by Dee Stewart

A few weeks ago I received an email from a Christian Fiction Blog (www.christianfiction.blogspot.com) subscriber that surprised me. He/she thanked me for my blog (it turned 5 this past July) and told me that she/he had printed many of my posts and put them in a notebook. For years he/she had been using my tips and it had proven successful for the author.  Although I was flattered by the knowledge that someone found a post or two helpful, he/she knocked the wind out of my sail. As great as I love to give great content to my readers, I also love to provide for my daughter. I wondered what value... 

Skype for Book Clubs by Dee Stewart

Summertime is one of the heaviest times of the year for book clubs to meet their favorite author. But the US economy’s recession has challenged the way authors meet their fans. Thank goodness for Web 2. 0 technology. With Voice Over Internet Protocol(VoIP) book clubs can hang out with their favorite author on the cheap and in the comfort of their own homes. Moreover using VoIP’s will greater the probability of an author meeting his/her scheduled book club, since challenges like flight delays, double bookings, etc.  VIPs give you and the author’s publicist more opportunities to... 

FAFR: The #1 Reason Why Your Newsletter Bores Readers by Dee Stewart

Yesterday I arrived in Orlando for the Faith and Fiction Retreat. This town was my childhood summer home. I learned how to ride a ten-speed bike very fast, that Michael Jackson was the best thing since hot peach_cobbler with a scoop of homemade ice cream drizzled on top, and how to kiss a sixteen-year-old Jamaican boy properly. I’m excited about this trip. I wonder what new things it will teach me outside of “Why bookclubs matter?” and will I get to meet Spud McKenzie(here’s here reportedly with Dominque Wilkins?) In week four of my upcoming summer marketing mastermind session... 

A Day in the Life of a Literary Publicist by Dee Stewart

Every day people follow me on Twitter with hopes to get a glimpse of my day. Why? For some odd reason some think that having a pr firm and being a publicist is glamorous and pays well(Ha!) And others, especially authors who may have been burnt by a lit pub think that this job is a no-brainer gig and that any one can do it, so they try to copy what I do to save from hiring a peer. Then there are those who are considering hiring a publicist to handle their personal or their client’s pr needs and wonder what about the outcomes and expectations that they could receive. Finally, there are lurkers... 

Secrets Fit for the Grave by Dee Stewart

When Books Come to Life Before I blogged I was a journalist. I reported about Christian apologetics and how it affected the Christian worldview. I featured entertainers who were Christian, but didn’t necessarily believe that their art and faith needed to mix. I wrote articles about people who overcome obstacles because of their faith. Sometimes I even wrote about my life: single parenting & dating, domestic violence, my heart condition, and my concerns about my daughter’s future. I’ve shared challenges, heartbreaks, and fears…some secrets. But not the juicy kind, the... 

The Life of My Books by Dee Stewart

If you don’t have time to read, click below and listen: Hi, I’m Dee and I need to share a secret. My books have a life of their own. Yes. It’s true and I can prove it. This month I’ve been reading Sherri Lewis’ The List. Sherri is an Essence Magazine Bestselling author of two novels, My Soul Cries Out and Dance into Destiny. She is also a good friend, so I had the privilege of reading the novel through all stages of publication. Little did she know or I for that matter that the novel began to become a part of my own life. Her novel, The List is about four successful... 

Are Authors Sabotaging Themselves? by Dee Stewart

Dwan Abrams signs a fan’s copy of Married Strangers at Waldenbooks, Greensboro, NC  Local authors, it seems, sometimes expect things of their local bookstore. They expect us to carry their books, to feature their books on a variety of applicable displays and to host events for them. In turn for this I get to carry their books, often treasures that thrill me to put in the hands of my customers; I get to design displays with their books in the hopes that more people will buy their books, and lastly, I have the pleasure of having a book release party for them or other celebration of their... 

10 Ways to Promote your Writing Through the Holidays by Dee Stewart

Presented by Dee Stewart We have a few more weeks before Christmas, Kwanzaa, Watch Night and New Years. Bookstores have geared up for holiday shoppers, so no instore events for you to grab at the last minute. Public libraries have geared up for holiday reading events, so no author readings for you to participate in at the last minute. So what do you do? Table selling your books until 2009 or do you take advantage of Holiday Cheer? I say take advantage. Here are 10 ways to do promote your writing through the holidays. Send via Email, Print or Share with Social Networks  Read More →