70 – 5 Quick, Easy, and Free Ways to Gain Visibility as a Writer
One day, my husband came home and announced, “We’ve earned a million dollars!”
In today’s episode, I’ll reveal what he really meant by that statement.
Whether you’re an aspiring author or a multi-published author (or, like me, you serve in a supportive role to authors), money is often tight. We learn to live frugally and spend cautiously and wisely.
While pinching pennies, we simultaneously struggle with guilt, because there’s a constant pressure to attend conferences, buy programs, invest in training, coaching, and equipment, and to buy books – lots and lots of books.
We’re not sure whom to trust or which tools of the trade we should invest in and how much they should cost.
We worry that our investments might not pay off if we don’t achieve our hoped-for goals.
When you launch a writing-related business or ministry, you are stepping into the unknown – stepping out in faith.
As a long-time business owner, I can assure you that you will make mistakes – expensive mistakes that result in little or no return on your investment.
You will also be delighted when some of your investments reap lifelong benefits you never expected.
Series Overview
In this series that kicks off today, I’ll acquaint you with investments you can make in your writing business.
In the next episode (episode 71), we’ll talk about three types of expenses you need to budget for:
- One-time expenses
- Annual expenses
- Monthly expenses
I’ll tell you about the tools I spend money on, how much I budget for them, and why I love these tools.
Then, I’ll do a series of crowd-sourced episodes where my listeners share their favorite tools. We’ll look at:
- Professional Development Tools
- Writing Aids
- Publishing Tools
- Project Management Tools
- Promotional Tools
- Productivity Tools
I want these episodes to be a safe place where you can learn about tools of the writing trade, try them out if you wish, and discover new tools that will make your job or ministry less stressful and more enjoyable.
5 Massive Action Steps to Do Today
We’re starting with five basic, free things all writers can do to:
- find great deals on tools for your business
- gain visibility
- interact with prospective readers and book buyers
- earn a little bonus income
Be sure to scroll to the end of the show notes, where you’ll find an infographic that features all five action steps. Please share it!
Action Step #1:
Subscribe to AppSumo.
Get hot deals on cool tools delivered to your inbox. Deals start as low as $40, and are often lifetime memberships to services you would normally pay monthly or annually for.
Process for Action Steps 2-5:
You’ll go through an almost identical process for each of these next four steps. You’ll need:
- updated author bio
- recent headshot
- website URL
- social media links
- links to your book(s), if applicable
- blog and or podcast feeds
To find your blog’s feed, tack on /feed to the end of your website URL, like this: https://bloggingbistro.com/feed
If you host your podcast on your website, add /feed/podcast to the end of the URL, like this: https://bloggingbistro.com/feed/podcast
This helpful article shows you how to find the RSS feed for various types of websites.
Action Step #2:
Set up an Amazon Associates affiliate account.
Share a custom link to qualifying books (including books you have published) and other products Amazon sells, and earn a commission when people purchase items through your link.
Action Step #3:
Join Amazon Author Central.
If you have published books that are available on Amazon, join Amazon Author Central and set up your Author Page (the link takes you to my Author Page).
Post your updated bio and headshot, add your books, add your blog feed and your podcast feed, and upload images and videos.
Amazon is giving you a free mini website just to promote your books. Why not use it?
Action Step #4:
If you’re looking for an alternative to Amazon, try Bookshop.org.
There’s a good article about Bookshop.org by my literary agent friend, Janet Grant, on The Books & Such blog.
Bookshop.org is a way for you to buy books online from a local bookseller. They dedicate most of their profits to supporting local, independent bookstores, authors, and publications that cover books.
Authors on Bookshop.org can become affiliates and earn 10% of every purchase made from their Bookshop.org sales – and a matching 10% will go to support independent bookstores.
To become an affiliate, you first must create a Bookshop.org account. On your profile page, add your bio, headshot, etc. (same as you did for your Amazon Author page). Once your profile is set up, create your free affiliate account. You can make book recommendation lists to promote books by authors you recommend.
Unlike Amazon, Bookshop.org features many books by and about people of color.
Word Nerd Moment
BIPOC – This relatively new acronym stands for Black, Indigenous, People of Color.
Example of a Bookshop.org page
Check out West Coast Christian Writers online bookstore. Their Bookshop.org page features books authored by faculty members at their conferences.
Action Step #5:
Create a Goodreads account and set up your Author Profile.
Just like you did with your Amazon Author page and Bookshop.org profile, you’ll upload your bio, headshot, books, blog or podcast feed, videos, and your favorite quotes. Here’s my Goodreads profile.
Goodreads offers a variety of ways for authors to connect with readers and to promote their books. If you are an author who uses Goodreads to your advantage, I’d love to hear from you and possibly feature you as a guest on the podcast. Contact me!
Share and Pin This Infographic
How to Keep Up With the Show
Click here to join my my email list and I’ll notify you about every episode. (When you subscribe, you’ll also get my free guide, Essential Resources for Running a Writing Business.)
Join The Professional Writer Podcast Community (private Facebook group), where we discuss what we’re learning, meet our guests, and encourage one another on our writing journeys.
If you know a writer who would be interested in The Professional Writer Podcast, please share this link with them:
https://bloggingbistro.com/podcast
Thank you!
Laura