I stole this idea from Tim Ferris's The 4-Hour Workweek book. He has tested the title for his book this way, and I'm thinking of doing the same for the book of WRITING TIPS you asked me for, compiled from these daily posts (it's coming...it's coming).
The way to do it is simple.
Read MoreYour book is your product, and you've got to let people know it's coming just like the big studios let people know a new movie is coming by teasing them with a trailer.
Choose whatever strategy works for you, and read the Goodreads blog for great case studies and examples.
However, don't kill yourself or your bank account.
Do what you can, but start doing it at least 6 months in advance.
Read MoreYou can read this book yourself, The Bestseller Code, and draw your own conclusions (it's fascinating, and it'll give you a lot of "Aha!" moments).
You can also submit your manuscript to the book's authors for an analysis on how well your book will sell. Or not. Again, you decide how true or not true this is, or how useful or not useful.
Or, you can use my summary below as a quick guideline for your daily writing, as a lot of it makes perfect sense and follows what I've been teaching here about 12 Columns, scene blocking, and style (my comments are in the parenthesis):
Read MoreWe’re conditioned to be nice (women, especially) and to market our stuff to everyone everywhere (whatever that “stuff” is), and we often confuse “being nice" and “marketing” with chasing after people who are not interested in us or in our art.
This chasing includes posting stuff on social media to people who don’t care, advertising your stuff to people who don’t care, and marketing to people who don’t care.
Stop it. It’s a waste of your time.
Spend your time doing your work. Making your art. Writing your books.
Spend your time on perfecting your craft. Every day. Never ever stop, and never ever let anyone stop you or interrupt you.
Read MoreIf there is one bit of advice I can give you on making money as a writer online, it’s this:
Deliver value daily.
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