This blog is about adventures in publishing, and today we are looking at writing book proposals if you are pursuing the traditional publishing route.

Gary Smailes is the author of several history books for children published by Hachette, and also has a wide experience of the publishing industry working as a freelance writer, historian and researcher. He is part of the team at BubbleCow.co.uk which specialises in helping writers get published through copyediting manuscripts and helping with book proposals.

In this podcast you will learn:

• How BubbleCow is run by writers for writers. Some great lessons for making a living as a writer, start a business editing, helping other authors. The name BubbleCow is a brand that is memorable and is the main entry on Google for the search term. The big licking cow is a familiar sight on Twitter @bubblecow It is important to have a consistent face and image on the internet – being memorable is key in the market.

• The book proposal is basically the industry standard pitch to publishers and agents. You need to do one unless you are self-publishing. It’s the only way you will get noticed.

• The basic proposal consists of a cover letter, a synopsis and an extract – usually first 3 chapters.
• For fiction, finish the book before you pitch as you will be asked for the full manuscript if they like it. For non-fiction, most book proposals are done before writing the book – you pitch an idea.

• A good cover letter is basically a sales letter so don’t waste it. You’re trying to convince the agent /publisher that you understand the marketplace, that you fit in the list, that it is marketable and information about you the author, that you can support and promote the book. Make sure your writing ability and personality shines through as well.

• In the first paragraph, use an elevator pitch – a 1 line blurb that sells your book. Then brief summary of what the book is about.
• Then try to sell your book as it is still a product that has to sell to make money. Publishing is a business so your book needs to make a profit. Give 2/3 representative titles that reflect your book and give them an idea of what it is like.
• Include the word count.

• Talk about you as a writer, your experience and what you will bring to marketing. The industry is looking for new writers but you do need to mention marketing ideas or platform.
• It doesn’t have to be 1 page, but make sure it is to the point and succinct. It is important to have the skill of writing these letters as it is the way to get attention but you still have to have a stunning extract.
• Remember the industry is slow, and they are looking for novels that will come in a year-18 months time, not what is trendy right now.

• Be very careful to target who you send your proposal to, as publishers and agents deal with different genres. You need to convince them that your book fits with what they already publish and sell.

• You are pitching so your extract and your book needs to be as good as possible BEFORE it reaches an agent/publisher. It used to be industry standard to spend time with writers getting them to publishable quality. Now, it is expected that the book is the best it can be before it reaches the agent and publisher.

• The best time to approach a professional editor is when you have done everything you can to improve your book. After you have rewritten yourself and got feedback from first readers/critique groups etc. Professional editing will include a structural edit, a stylistic edit, and a copy edit for grammar and sentence structure. There will also be a proof-reading.

• Gary’s opinion on the changes in the publishing industry. He thinks it makes a difference if you have experienced the iPad as this is a game changer. The internet has changed the self-publishing industry as it can be worthwhile if you have an online platform.

You can find Gary at BubbleCow.co.uk where you can get help with copyediting and book proposals as well as a fantastic blog packed full of information for writers. You can find BubbleCow on Twitter @BubbleCow and also on Facebook/BubbleCow

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This is a pretty personal interview with the fantastic Clare Edwards from Change-Works. I asked Clare on the show to help me with some of my own issues around being an introvert, accepting criticism of work and negative feedback and also how to stay positive in the face of a huge task ahead. I’m in that mid-year slump right now, exhausted and busy with the day job and trying to finish the first draft of the novel as well as everything else.

This session really helped me, so I hope it helps you too!

Clare Edwards is the Principal of Change-Works, specialising in inspiring potential in people. She is an expert in managing the change process, as well as encouraging personal development and resilience.

In this podcast, you will learn:

• The difference between introverts and extroverts as personality types, and how this relates to natural preferences for being energised, or how to recharge our batteries. Introverts are energised towards our inner world, concepts and ideas. Extroverts are energised by being around people. So introverts need to have ‘alone time’ to re-energise. But that doesn’t mean introverts are shy, so they can still be speakers and run workshops etc.

• Creative people can live too much in the inner world which may hinder us from sharing with others. To get your message out there, you may have to explore the opposite world. We have all the elements of personality in us, but they are all on a sliding scale. Embrace the side we are least comfortable with, and this will help us become more successful. For me personally, phoning people for these podcasts is still difficult.

• Introverts prefer non-verbal communication – which is natural for writers. Introverts also prefer to reflect first before they speak. Understanding the way you are can really help with how you feel about the way you are.

• Speakers and performers are not necessarily extroverts. Introverts can succeed as speakers as they are passionate about their message, and choose their words carefully. Video with author Malcolm Gladwell “speaking is a medium to share your message effectively”.

• Be yourself. Look at your strengths and start within your comfort zone and then expand from there. Reflect on your values and opinions around marketing and selling. Come from the perspective of being in the spirit to serve. You might also work with someone else who has contrasting personality aspects – or at least learn from them. The internet also offers the opportunity for introverted authors to reach a huge audience.

• Speakers are generally shocking speakers, so it makes a huge difference when you are a good speaker. Example of Roddy Doyle at the Hay Festival whose great talk inspired many book sales.

• On protecting self-esteem and encouraging resilience in the face of criticism and rejection. The difference between Thinkers and Feelers in terms of head vs heart, objective vs subjective reactions. Aim is to de-personalise feedback and step into the role of the critic. If is not their aim to attack you personally, or to hurt you. Feedback is an opportunity to refine or improve your work. Stop before opening your mouth to defend yourself. What is the intent of the feedback?

• Take time between receiving feedback and responding to it. Victor Frankl “between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response, and in our response is our growth and our freedom“.

• Develop an attitude of persistence.  Every rejection takes you one step closer to ‘yes‘.  Look to your role models in terms of how much authors overcome to get to publication and an audience.

• On the successful mindset. What is the legacy that I want to leave? What will be my unique footprint when I move on? Use this to help us get on track. Before sleeping, what am I grateful for? Reflect and get perspective on your life. Look at where you are successful and get some balance.

• Stay present in this moment. It’s one step at a time. Look at the one thing you can do today to get to your goal. Don’t get depressed and self-pitying focusing on where you are not right now. Surround yourself with success and learn from people who have got there already. Look at the gift in the challenge and the journey on the way.

Thank you Clare. That was fantastic!

You can find Clare at her website Change-Works and also on Twitter @changeworks .

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Dan Poynter with Joanna Penn at NSAA Australia, May 2010

Dan Poynter started his self-publishing career in 1969 as a 1 man company with a book on parachuting and now has more than 120 books in multiple languages published across the world as well as staff, multiple products and an international speaking career. His “Self Publishing Manual” is one of the key books that self-published authors use to navigate the journey, and Dan is a legend in the self-publishing community.

In this podcast, you will learn:

• Why Dan started self-publishing. He had a technical book on parachuting, so he printed it and sold to people in his own industry.He’s seen no reason to change that approach. The main secrets are “Write what you love. Sell to your friends”.

• That rule works for non-fiction but fiction authors can also self-publish, as long as they promote. Focus on a certain area e.g. geographic, industry or sport. Example of fiction novel based on skydiving industry that sold well to that industry. Whatever you do, you have to promote your book.

• There never was a stigma of self-publishing within the book buying public. People don’t buy based on publishers, or even author name a lot of the time. Stop focusing on the publishing industry and focus on the end buyer and how they make a decision.

• Dan talks about the opportunities in digital publishing, including Smashwords where he published the latest version of “Self-Publishing Manual“. The future is online and ebooks, which Dan has been reading for years as a frequent traveller. He also comments on the Amazon Kindle 70% royalty change.  The future publishers are Amazon, Google, Apple - not NY publishing.

• Remember you are a content creator, so put your book into audiobook and ebook format. Reach people where they are consuming. Dan even has an iPhone app here.

• Although many people self-publish, many of them fail to make money. There are 4 steps to publishing: Create the book, Publish it, Distribute it and Promote it. Most people fail on the last step so no one ever knows about their book. Promotion is up to the author, whether they are ‘traditionally’ published or self-published.

• On being an introverted writer and still promoting and marketing. Look at the line of total introversion to total extroversion. Decide where you are and what type of person you are. Give yourself permission to market according to your personality type e.g. don’t do radio or TV if it is not for you, focus on online.

• Dan’s business model as author-entrepreneur. Based on “Write what you love. Sell to your friends”. Create books in multiple versions. Sell other products like digital downloads of special reports and other information. Think globally and sell to everyone in the world digitally.You could also consider speaking as an option if you enjoy that as many people enjoy getting information at seminars and live events. (I met Dan at National Speaker’s Association Australia)

You can find all Dan’s free information, as well as books and digital material at Para Publishing.

You can get the free Information Kits Dan mentioned here. Dan is also on twitter @DanPoynter

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This podcast is for people writing for children of all ages. I get so many questions in this area but I know little about it myself so here is a great interview to tell you lots of detail.

Fiona Ingram is the author of award-winning children’s book ‘The Secret of the Sacred Scarab‘ in the Chronicles of the Stone series. Fiona is a journalist and lives in South Africa. She is also a very entertaining and enthusiastic podcast guest!

In this podcast, you will learn:

• How Fiona progressed from making up stories as a child, to drama, mime and performance in grassroots theatre, through to journalism and finally to writing books for children.
• Her children’s books are based originally on a trip she went on to Egypt with 10 and 12 year old nephews. She then wanted to write down their story and this became the backbone of the Chronicles of the Stone.

• Children are really capable of digging into a fat book, if they are engaged. Just look at Harry Potter.
• Fiona’s tips for writing for children: Capture their imagination. Books can fascinate and grip children, but it should be what they want to read. Don’t talk down to them. Focus on telling the story.

• The ultimate site for children’s writing: The Purple Crayon. Immerse yourself in the world of children’s literature. Research your project and check out the competition. Great advice on this site. Highly recommended. JK Rowling is not the only author out there. Ask a child what they are reading for fun (not just reading at school).

• Your audience is very important. Think about age group and genre. Place yourself in the industry ‘timeline’. Children/middle grade/ YA. Ask librarians, teachers and bookstore people if you don’t want to ask kids. Think about perennial favorites and also popular books right now in the industry. What do they have that resonate?

• Keep in touch with the industry through newsletters and ezines. Check out Book2Book for starters and branch out from there.
• Kids books also sell by word of mouth. Parents have the money, but they buy based on the children’s desire.
• Fiona gives the example of speaking at a school, using her own book with bookmarks and games. Creating desire for the book in the kids led to the books being bought. Speaking in schools is basically marketing direct to kids.

• Marketing to parents’ can be done through bloggers, many of whom are parents themselves. Get reviews on the book review blogs. Before you even start, get your author platform going so you look like an authority. You have to package yourself and your book professionally before people will be interested. So build your author platform , then build relationships with book review bloggers.

• Try searching e.g. “Childrens books + travel”, or whatever your genre is. Go through Google and surf and you will find the right people. Great resources:  The Children’s Literature web guide, Childrens Book Biz News plus The Purple Crayon, Children’s writers and illustrators market, Society of Children’s Book writers and editors.

• Blog tours are fantastic to promote your book. Women on Writing helped. Here is the list of blogs that Fiona visited. Enter competitions as well. Any kind of press helps. You have to get out there. Recommends Penny Sansevieri, Author Marketing Experts – marketing creates exposure, and exposure sells books.

• On illustrators. Decide what you want and find examples of what you like. You need to have a starting place, not a blank page.

You can find out more or buy “Secret of the Sacred Scarab” here.

You can connect with Fiona at her main site here, or her blog, or on Twitter @FionaRobyn

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It’s great to see authors promoting their own books and then helping others do the same. It’s also fantastic to be in a community that supports each other. Aggie and I connected when I first joined Twitter in Feb 2009 and we have encouraged each other since then online, so it was great to finally speak to her!

Aggie Villanueva is a best-selling novelist, non-fiction author and critically acclaimed photographic artist as well as running popular blog, Visual Arts Junction. She has just launched the VAJ Buzz Club based on her own experience of promoting her book to #2 on Kindle in God’s Word category.

In this podcast, you will learn:

• How Aggie was published by Thomas Nelson back in the 1980s, then how she freelanced as well as organising writer’s conferences. She now runs Visual Arts Junction which is mainly for writers and it’s where Aggie shares her information on promotion that she has learned by doing.

• How publishing has changed since Aggie started writing. There are so many options these days, including blending the models like traditional publishing and self-publishing. Aggie used Lulu for print, Amazon DTP for Kindle and Smashwords for other ebooks.

• How Aggie got into the Top 10 for Kindle in 3 categories. Her top tip for Amazon and B&N for rankings – submit to all the categories you can. You have a better chance in a smaller category than in “Fiction” or generalist categories. Do’t overlook categorising it correctly (just as important as keywords and metatags on blogs).

• About the VAJ Buzz Club. It is group promotion, but NOT the “buy everyone’s books to become a bestseller” hyped view. It uses mostly social media to promote. For people who don’t want to do promotion themselves, Aggie also offers Promotion a la Carte. She is working on Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s launch right now.

• Developing a faithful following on social media. You can judge this by the amount of RTs – check out RetweetRank.com for your ranking. You can also use SocialOOmph to set up revolving tweets so they are automatically posted every few days. Check out Aggie’s post on this. Tweet appropriately. She also mentions Ping.fm as a way to synch your social networks (you don’t need to post everything multiple times!)

• Social media is about giving and about being useful. People will know if you are not sincere and generous. Hardcore marketers are noticed quickly! You make contacts, learn things and you can also sell, but only by building an audience that is interested in what else you are tweeting about. Aggie also mentions Hootsuite.com as a great resource for learning Twitter.

• Here is the SocialNomics video that has recently been re-released about the prevalence of social media.

• On Aggie’s creative art, and how she manages creativity (and sanity) in the midst of technology. Capturing a moment, make that moment come alive with the viewer. This is the same with writing.

For writers, go to VisualArtsJunction.com. Aggie’s photos are at CielosRojos.com

Facebook.com/AggieV or Twitter/VisualArtsAggie

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It’s great to learn from authors who have ‘made it’ in traditional publishing but who have got there through unconventional means.

Scott Sigler is the NY Times best-selling author of ‘Infected‘ and ‘Contagious‘ and his new book ‘Ancestor‘ is out on June 22 with Crown Publishing. Before being published, Scott podcasted his novels for free building up a huge fan base for his writing which attracted an agent and publisher. He still podcasts weekly now.

In this podcast, you will learn:

• How Scott’s writing and publishing career has unfolded. He spent 11-12 years trying to get published the traditional way, getting rejections at first and then publishers didn’t know which genre to put his books in. He discovered podcasting in 2005 and was one of the first people to put out a podcast novel. (Tee Morris also did this at the same time).

• On cross genre writing. Scott writes hard science horror but is also described as a thriller writer/ sci-fi. It is hard for publishers to put books in a genre if it is not obvious, but there is a place for multiple markets these days. Just be aware of author branding.

• Recommendations on becoming a NY Times bestselling author. Write every day, write the best story you can. Edit heavily so you produce the best work. Get your content out online and start building an audience. The days of ‘being discovered’ are gone. You need to build an audience and bring that audience to a publisher.

• Publishers and agents are picking up people with platforms and audiences already. Scott is with an agent who finds people online, he also represents Sh*t my Dad Says.

• How to balance writing and promotion. There is no balance! It is hard work to write and podcast every week but Scott is dedicated to building a fan base who spread the word about his writing. Scott’s writing schedule has been modified to ensure he has material to podcast weekly. When he started podcasting, he was working a full-time job but already had 4 complete novels ready to go. It is a reality that 99% of authors have to work very hard to make a writing career and make their book stand out. You have to be a full time writer AND a full-time marketer now.

• Podcasting is still the most effective method to get your writing out there, but it is also the most work. It establishes your personality and your brand as well as well as your writing. Audio connection is important for story in all cultures. It is extremely powerful and makes for lifelong fans, but it is a tremendous amount of work in terms of recording. You could also blog your book in text format. But you have to get it out there. Example David Wellington Monster Island.

• Self-publishing/podcasting will not compromise your publishing ambitions. The publishing industry is desperate for books that have proven sales so it will help you to get your work out there. (Scott’s book Ancestor was originally small press published and podcast before being picked up by Crown and re-released)

• On piracy vs obscurity. Stop worrying about it and get your work out there! It’s a cost/benefit ratio. Example given is Cory Doctorow who gives his work away for free. Obscurity is the enemy of book sales, not piracy. It’s a way to get fans. You are competing with video games, TV, movies and millions of other books in the entertainment industry. You have to get people trying out your stuff somehow.

• On Scott’s blended publishing model. Crown publishes Scott as a modern day horror/ thriller writer vs his other book The Rookie being “Star Wars meets Any Given Sunday meets The Godfather”. It didn’t fit the brand Crown have for him. So he put The Rookie out as a limited edition, self-published small print run and makes money in 2 different ways – through the trad published novels and the self-publishing. This may well be the model of publishing that people move to as if you have an audience, you can sell straight to them. (Clearly, you have to build an audience first!)

• Ancestor is a blockbuster movie in book format. A biotech company creates a creature that will provide organs to humans for transplantation. But instead of a docile herd animal, they create a 650 pound extraordinarily hungry predator! Ancestor is out in the US on June 22.

• Scott has also created an awesome book trailer that is just like a movie trailer. Trailers are a great way to get attention from readers but also can be a way to attract a movie deal itself. Visual culture and YouTube is so ingrained in culture that a book trailer can convert people who might not go to bookstores into buyers. Trailers are also ‘evergreen’ marketing and get views daily. This is so much better than print advertising so it is worth spending time and effort on.

All the Ancestor information is here, plus you can find out more about Scott as well as listen to some of his podcasts/audiobooks. Scott is also on Twitter @scottsigler

Here is the transcript in PDF format => Transcript Scott Sigler

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the award-winning author of several fiction books, as well as poetry and non-fiction works. She is best known for her Frugal Book Promoter series which we discuss in this podcast.

In this podcast, you will learn:

• How Carolyn started her creative writing journey after she got sick when she wrote the novel she always said she would write. How creative writing feeds her soul and is important to retain alongside business and marketing.

• Even with a background in corporate marketing, she found herself spending too much time and money on marketing her own book, so she learnt how to do it all herself and decided to help other authors promote books frugally.

• Frugal promotion is preferably free, which is why online promotion is so great. But it also includes being frugal with your time which can mean outsourcing or getting others to help. But in general you can do it yourself. Don’t make the mistake of spending thousands on a publicist when you can just DIY.

• Don’t give up too soon on a specific form of promotion e.g. blogging and social networking take longer than you might expect. You also need to promote your promotion. You need to have multiple promotional aspects that feed each other and tie together.

• Why speaking and teaching are great promotional activities but can also give you additional income. Join Toastmasters or a similar organisation to learn more about speaking. (More information on speaking here).

• Bartering your expertise for others is a good way to get technical help. You also need to embrace learning new technologies in order to compete in today’s marketplace. Keep learning in order to stay current and take advantage of the changes in technology. Carolyn also recommends MaAnna Stephenson’s Just the FAQs series.

• Carolyn’s Twitter tip: Be useful. Her new book “Frugal and Focussed Tweeting for Retailers” also has tips for authors (after all, we are all retailers trying to sell our books!) She has found that she can tie sales to specific tweets, which is much better than most marketing which is nebulous in it’s measurability.It is important to have some personal tweets so it is not all business.
• Networking and relationships are critical even in the online world. Marketing is caring, it’s about being useful for people.

• Always be aware of your brand as an author/writer/business-person. Make sure you only do things that promote your brand and enhance it, and also go in the direction you want your life to. Help others and this will help your brand. Remember your grass-roots supporters even if you are chasing eyeballs.

You can Carolyn at her main website How To Do It Frugally. You can find “The Frugal Book Promoter” book here. You can find The Frugal Book Editor here. Her blog is Sharing with Writers.

Carolyn is also on Twitter @frugalbookpromo

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A fantastic, eclectic interview including the use of novel writing software, becoming an author-entrepreneur as well as publishing from the mid-list and writing novels to sell.

Harriet Smart is the author of 4 historical novels and 1 contemporary novel. She is also the creative director of Anthemion Software which produces the Writer’s Cafe toolkit. Harriet holds an MA in TV screen-writing and lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

In this podcast, you will learn:

• About Harriet’s career as a mid-list author, and how the changes in publishing affected her (wait until the end of the podcast to see what she is up to now with her fiction). You need to know how to write a book into the market and how to sell your books. Knowing this at the beginning is a real bonus! It is important to know that selling your 5th book can be harder than selling your first.

• Knowing how to use the internet is so important these days for selling and promoting books. Example of Lee Jackson, who sold a lot of books but still “laid off” by his publisher, and then built his career back up with the internet. (Incidentally, he is giving away his latest novel for free, if you are into Victorian mysteries).

• How Harriet and her husband designed Writer’s Cafe software, based on her own experiences as a novelist. It was made to organise multiple strands of a plot as well as multiple characters. The core of the program is ‘Storylines’ which is like putting index cards into the various streams of the story.

• 

  Storylines example

• Writing a novel involves a lot of planning, and the program also borrows from screen-writing ideas of story development. Plotting is necessary for writing a novel more quickly.
• Other things in the software: Character questionnaires, collage and notebook areas for brainstorming and collecting random thoughts, ebook with fiction writing information, mind-mapping tool, writing practice etc. It is available on the PC, while Scrivener is only for the Mac at the moment.

• Using software is great for personalities who like to organise and use tools that can help their writing. Designing your novel is important in this market. If you want a book to sell, it needs to be planned and market driven, but you can still keep the creativity. If you have a good plan, you will probably have a good pitch, which is important if you want to sell your novel.

• How screen-writing adds to writing a novel in terms of structure and planning. Thinking in terms of a visual audience is important with popular novels that sell these days. People expect visual and fast paced stories in terms of popular fiction (not necessarily literary fiction).

• On being an author-entrepreneur and multiple streams of income. How portfolio careers are important for everyone these days. You do have to balance creativity with a business-head if you want to make any money. Harriet sells software as well as self-publishing her novels and backlist because there is more money in it this way. Ebooks represent a huge opportunity if people can find you. (yes, we mention JA Konrath’s Kindle sales!). Publishing just recognises what can sell these days. It is a business, so you can’t get published with just a “good book”. It is liberating to pursue your own writing goals. Harriet also mentioned new software Jutoh which helps people e-publish.
• Being entrepreneurial is also creative, it’s all about self-belief.

You can find Harriet at her website HarrietSmart.com or at her blog FictionWitch. You can also download a demo version of Writer’s Cafe here if you fancy trying it out. (Note: This is not an affiliate link. I approached Harriet for an interview after using the software and finding it useful!) You can also buy Harriet’s historical romance book on the Kindle here, the back-list is coming soon.

You can download the transcript in PDF format here => Transcription Harriet Smart

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Graham Storrs is the author of ‘Timesplash’, a fast paced science fiction novel as well as a number of other books. In this podcast, he discusses the experience of finally getting published after many years of writing.

Author Graham Storrs

In this podcast you will learn:

• How Graham went from research and R&D in computer intelligence in the UK, to moving to Australia for ebusiness and now writing in rural Queensland.
• About ‘Timesplash’, a sci-fi thriller about a sub-culture travelling back in time creating present day consequences. You can read more about the book at the Timesplash blog.
• On fast paced thrillers being more commercial than other genres Graham has written – space opera, sci-fi comedy set in Brisbane with an alien invasion.
• Graham has been writing for money and fun for years but has only recently considered commercial fiction. Publishers are looking to sell lots of books so it is an important consideration! He was put off by the numbers of rejections.

• Recognize what amateurs do when submitting to agents. Submit in the right format with the right book. It’s easier these days to find all this information out online so do your research and understand how the publishing industry works. It is a business.
• Graham won a place on the Queensland Writers Centre Hachette manuscript competition – this is open for submissions now to all Australian residents or citizens.
• Talk to people to understand the way in to publishing. Networking is incredibly important.
• Getting published is a matter of mindset. Change your mind to the publisher’s viewpoint and see your book with a business eye. This will make all the difference.

• Understand how the process works at a publisher. From understanding the slush pile, to agents, editors, to internal selling of the book. Decisions are made very quickly so if you have to do all you can to help them make a decision. Give them all the right triggers so they ask for more information. Describe your book in a few key, compelling sentences. Do the work for them to convince them it will make money for the publisher.

• Why blogging has helped Graham as a new author, to sell books and promote himself. He was advised to have a writing blog so audiences can find out more about the author, and to help publishers with marketing. It has to carry your brand and present an image of yourself to the world.
• Graham has used an online blog tour to promote ‘Timesplash’ as well as stacks of other marketing ideas. Here is an article he wrote on marketing tips for authors. It’s hard to know what works with marketing but you have to keep plugging away at it. He has also done a 24 hour non-stop Twitter tour when some people bought and read the book while the tour was happening.

• On selling online and how ebook sales can be a long term income producing stream. (For more on this, read JA Konrath’s blog). Your books can be put ‘above the fold’ so people can buy them whenever they come back to your blog.

You can find more about Timesplash here, and you can also find Graham on his blog here as well as on Twitter @graywave

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If you are new to blogging, try this Blogging Basics podcast with Joel Williams. If you are ready for some more advanced blogging tips, then this is the audio for you!

Paul Cunningham is the Blogging Teacher, providing articles, tips and tutorials to help bloggers overcome the many challenges they face in building a successful blog. He is also an IT professional and technical writer.

In this podcast, you will learn:

• What are the best things to be doing once you have got started with a basic blog with some content.
• Get your own hosted blog that is your brand and that you can control

• A professional site gives people a certain impression and if you take it seriously, you will also have a schedule of sorts for creating content. For example, people expect posts twice/3 x per week.
• Be deliberate about what you are doing. Pay attention to what is going on e.g. videos get loads of traffic or Tuesdays are the best for posting.
• Blog design is important. What does it say about you? Is it cluttered? Covered in ads? Recommended themes include Thesis (my affiliate link as this is what I use too). Try Woothemes as well or just Google ‘best free premium themes for wordpress’.

• Use your blog real estate to sell your books and products, not someone else’s
• Make sure people have an option to subscribe so they don’t need to remember to come back
• You can “train” Google to visit your site more often by posting regularly.

• Don’t use Adsense (blogger welfare!). You won’t make decent money unless you have a very strong niche site and it cheapens your brand as well as sending visitors elsewhere.
• More effective ways of making income from your blog include: your own books, training courses, speaking, seminars. These will build your brand and you can charge more for them.

• On the importance of having a free giveaway on the blog to build your list. You need to build relationships so you need a way to contact people. Paul and I both use Aweber for our mailing lists (affiliate link). It contains a confirmation step so people do not get spammed. Treat your list with respect, give them great value and they will be happy to buy once they know, trust and like you.
• If you have a list, it is evidence for your platform to publishers that you have people who follow you. Obviously, we all start with nothing and it builds over time.

• Don’t worry too much about RSS. Most people don’t get it so organise a mailing list as your primary sign up. Have it available but focus on email subscription to your primary list.
• Some tips for traffic generation. Go where your audience is. You can’t just blog in isolation. Guest blogging is a definite must for expanding your brand (and something I personally need to do more of!). Ideas include other blogs, forums, Amazon reviews and Twitter.

You can find Paul at The Blogger Teacher – and he has done a brilliant round up of our discussion here with all the links.

He is also on twitter @paulcunningham

If you are interested in learning more about blogging, I have just released a multimedia course “Blogging for Authors and Writers”. Click here for more details on how you can blog effectively as an author/writer.

Click here for the full transcript in PDF format

Or/ to read online, click Show right => show

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