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Beta readers help authors find the problems in their books before it’s too late—the types of issues that can make the difference between bestsellers and poor sellers.

Even better, sending your book to several people for a beta reader round can help you solicit honest and critical feedback from multiple sources whom you trust. You want pointed feedback on your writing style, dialogue, pacing, plot, story arc, and character development—and on the readers’ satisfaction with the ending.

read more… http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/72322-making-the-most-of-beta-readers.html

A truly independent author does not rely on one product, one retailer, or one stream of income.|

Because what if that one stream dries up? 

That’s why I emphasize the importance of developing multiple streams of income for author-entrepreneurs. Direct sales from your website are one possibility, and although I personally choose to use selz.com, there are other options. 

In today’s article, Amy Young explains how authors can use Gumroad.

Like many of you, as a student of Joanna’s diversification philosophy, I agree with her.

Agreement, however, did not lead to immediate action and at first, I didn’t think I could diversify my income by creating products related to my book.

However, I was wrong, and if you remain on the lookout for multiple streams of income, you will find them.

Multiple Streams of Income

read more: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2017/04/22/gumroad/

Social media is a wonderful inexpensive traffic generator.|

But, before you waste your time doing things without reason, it’s a good idea to try to sit down and understand what it takes to use social media in this way.

Imagine a traffic generator that sends you, day after day, inexpensive but loyal and targeted traffic, where all you have to do is be social, engage, and share. If you want to be successful using social media as a way to bring in traffic then it’s important to separate messing around on social media to truly using it as a way to grow your website traffic.

Know Who You Want to Visit Your Website

read more: http://blogelina.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-using-social-media-to-grow-your-blog-traffic/

You write books for a reason, right?

So, what do you want to achieve with the launch of this particular book?

Is it to generate pre-orders, sales, or affiliate and partner sales?

Is it to hit bestseller lists and see your name trending along with the who’s who of the literary world?

Is it to increase visibility, extend your reach, drive traffic to your website, grow your platform, build your brand, or leverage your book as a business tool?

Is it to become the Steven King, John Grisham, or Nora Roberts of your genre? Perhaps it’s something more altruistic like making a difference, inspiring people, and changing lives for the better. These are all valid reasons to write and launch a book, but they’re not necessarily all relevant for this launch.

Before you begin defining specific goals and objectives, it’s crucial to reconcile how this launch fits into the bigger picture.

read more… http://bookmarketingtools.com/blog/how-to-set-clear-goals-and-objectives-for-your-book-launch/#