Sunday, April 14, 2013

This Week on Books Direct - 14 April 2013


This Week on Books Direct - 14 April 2013

Here is a list of the articles you may have missed this week:

"Amazon is Now Beta Testing an Automated Cover Generator for Kindle eBooks" - Article by Nate Hoffelder for The Digital Reader.
The cover image for an eBook is important to its success, but it’s also a rather difficult skill to master. Not everyone has the artistic skills to design a good cover, but in the not too distant future that will no longer be a problem.




"Glipho: New Blogging Platform Worth A Look" - Article by Brian Feinblum for BookMarketingBuzzBlog.
A new blogging platform has launched: GLIPHO. The state-of-the-art publishing platform provides all necessary social sharing tools and a ready-made audience of like-minded bloggers and visitors to guarantee your voice gets heard.
Take a look, join up and list your link in the comments below.




Start broad, then work down to the specific. This is known as the ‘inverted pyramid’ approach. It first hooks the reader with the big picture, and then draws them deeper into the material.




"Yes, Fiction Writers Do Research" - Article by T. D. McKinnon for Indies Unlimited.
You have to know what you are writing about or risk being labelled unprofessional. Make sure you do the research.




"Improve Your Writing and Make a Few Bucks" - Article by Jim Devitt for Indies Unlimited.
If you are looking for an outlet to improve your blogging, or to show off what you know, there are a couple of platforms to do that, and possibly, earn some cash at the same time. Today we'll look at Yahoo Contributor Network.




"Ten Tips for Developing Your Writing Blog" – Article by Tony Riches for AHA Authors Helping Authors.
Your writing blog can become the beating heart of your author platform. Social media has its place, your author website is your "shop window", but your blog will help people understand why you write, what you stand for and who you really are. Here are Tony's ten top tips for anyone who wants to add value to their writing blog.




"5 Tips on How to Write a Novel Synopsis" - Article by Chuck Sambuchino for Writer Unboxed.
No one likes writing a synopsis, but synopses are a necessary part of the submission process. Chuck shares 5 basic tips on how to compose one.



"But I Don’t Want a Blog" - Article by Carolyn Steele for Indies Unlimited.
You can use WordPress for any sort of website, not just a blog. It’s not difficult and you instantly have access to the usefulness of widgets and plugins, plus the ability to edit whenever you please.



"Free Review Blogs" - Resource created by Carmen Stefanescu.
Check out the comprehensive list Carmen has created. I'm sure you'll agree she has provided us all with a wonderful resource. Books Direct blog is included in this list. Thanks, Carmen!




"Web Tips for Authors: The March Roundup" - A collection of articles by BookBaby.
Every week, BookBaby posts new web tips to help authors like you make the most of your online efforts — stuff like: growing your email list, how to effectively recycle popular content, crafting newsletters that convert to book sales, search engine optimization for beginners, and much more. In case you missed anything, here's the March roundup.




"How to Add a Link to an Image in Blogger" - Article by Clive Eaton for Marketing Tips 4 Authors.
Tutorial on how to add an image and link to your Blogger post.




There are articles and opinions circulating on the Internet that ask how gross we have to be in our writing to attract boy readers. In recent months, a number of books have been published that make use of toilet humor, gross words or situations, and certain sounds. Are dirty or questionable words funny? Of course they are. Are certain body parts, sounds, and functions funny? No question. But that is no excuse to use them in our writing, especially when children are the intended audience.



"How to Write a Blog Post" - Article by Stephen Hise for Indies Unlimited.
Following Stephen's simple steps will make it easier to write a blog post. (And have a laugh along the way.)