April '24 Newsletter
Spring Into April
Spring is here! The cherry trees are in bloom, the crocuses and daffodils are out and the weather has warmed up. It’s a joyous time of year.
April is National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate the art of poetry and its profound impact on culture and society.
In honor of National Poetry Month, here is a short poem about April:
April whispers on the breeze,
Her voice among the budding trees,
A melody of renewed birth,
A tender touch upon the earth.
She paints the dawn with softer light,
Pushes back the edge of night.
With each day, her canvas grows,
A testament to the hope she sows.
The earth awakes from slumber deep,
As nature stirs from wintry sleep.
With every bud and blade, we reap,
In April's arms, our dreams we keep.
Also, April 22 is Earth Day, a global event aimed at raising awareness about environmental issues and promoting sustainability. It serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting our planet for future generations.
Perhaps this would be a good time for you to start that book you’ve always wanted to write. If you want any help with that, email me or give me a call . I have some great resources to help you get your book done quickly.
Maybe you’ve written a book but aren’t getting the results you want from it. I can help you with that as well. SkillBites has several different marketing packages to fit any budget.
In each newsletter, we provide tips to improve your ability to write and publish a successful book. For the past 3 months and for the next 4 months, I’ll be sharing tips on promoting your book. This month focuses on influencer marketing. When you collaborate with an influencer, your book will be exposed to many more people in your target audience. Read below to find out how to collaborate.
1. New Book Release
SkillBites will soon be publishing the first book of a trilogy by Norma Armon called Never Home: The Otherness of Immigrants. In this book, Armon invites you on an extraordinary journey alongside two fictional immigrants fleeing persecution. Through the intertwined stories of Ben and Goittie, Armon skillfully weaves a narrative of resilience and determination. Their experiences, from their origins in to their arduous voyages to the United States, mirror challenges faced by countless immigrants crossing borders in search of a new beginning.
Their journeys resonate with the universal immigrant experience as immigration officers deny them entry or alter their names upon arrival, symbolizing the struggle for assimilation they will face. This book offers an illuminating exploration of the courageous individuals who dared to cross oceans and deserts, driven by the pursuit of a better future in America: the land of opportunity.
Never Home pays homage to the untold stories of immigrants that have intricately shaped nations where immigrants and refugees seek a better life and a sense of belonging. It acknowledges the profound influence that immigrant voices have in shaping the fabric of our world. For those curious about those brave enough to have embarked on such remarkable journeys, Never Home beckons you to explore the rich tapestry of the immigrant experience.
2. SkillBites Podcast
Each month, we bring you an expert to help you get your book done, leverage your book, grow your business or improve your life. The shows are recorded, and you can listen to the recording by clicking here.
In this month’s episode, my guest is Sarah Boss, a certified Astrology Coach and Holistic Healer. She combines Astrology with different Holistic Healing modalities to help people successfully navigate major life transitions, empower themselves and manifest the life of their dreams. Sarah has studied diverse types of energy modalities around the world and has certifications and trainings in Western and Medical Astrology, Akashic Records Healing, Reiki, ICF Life Coaching, NLP, Intuitive Cards and Crystal Healing. Sarah has lived in China, France and Argentina and offers sessions in English, French and Spanish.
Sarah explained how astrology is a powerful tool for gaining more awareness around your inherent gifts and aligning your business with the energy of the cosmos. Understanding how to work with the cosmic cycle is especially important for an entrepreneur when creating a strategy for events such as launches. It provides you with an outline of the best periods during the year for taking action, along with times when it is necessary to incorporate balance, rest and integration.
Sarah offers an astrological cheat sheet listing the main dates this year for retrogrades and eclipses to enable writers and business people to plan the new projects and events for optimum timing, and work more efficiently. To obtain Sarah’s gift, email her at sarah@sarahboss.com.
To listen to this episode, click here. To read a blog post on the power of the moon cycles, click here. When you understand the energy of moon cycles, you can attune with greater ease to the ebbs and flows of life.
In last month’s episode, my guest was Kae Wagner, a seasoned business owner, bestselling author, speaker, and digital content creator. Kae talked about how to create an online micro-course or Educational Email Course that can increase your readership engagement.
Kae offered a sample Education Email Course called The Author’s Brand Visibility Course: Avoid the 5 Critical Mistakes that Authors make which result in slow book sales, sparse numbers of reviews, and readers not sharing your book. The course can be accessed for free by going to www.WeBuildAuthorbrands.com
Do you have expertise that you believe would benefit the SkillBites community of entrepreneurs and authors? If you would like to be the guest on the monthly SkillBites Show, contact me at judy@skillbites.net or 610-783-4519. If there is a topic you would like to hear on the podcast, let me know and I’ll look for an expert to cover that.
3. Obtain your own publishing account
If you have published your book through SkillBites’ publishing accounts or a different publisher’s accounts, you should consider setting up your own publishing accounts. For one, your publisher may not be around forever, and then you could lose your future royalties, not be able to order copies of your book at cost or make changes to your book’s content or meta data. For another, having your own account enables you to receive 100% of the royalties directly into your bank account, view your royalty reports whenever you want, change the price and make any other updates to the content or meta data.
During the month of April, SkillBites is offering a discounted fee of $200 (reduced from the regular fee of $300) to help authors set up their own KDP account and, if their book is currently in SkillBites’ KDP account, to transfer the book to their own account. I will also include a 15 minute zoom session with you to go over how to access and use your account. For authors who may have more than one book published in SkillBites’ KDP account, or who have their book also published in SkillBites’ IngramSpark publishing account, the fee would be an additional $50 for transferring each book beyond the first one, and $100 for the additional account setup on IngramSpark and transfer of one book. NOTE: when your book is transferred from the SkillBites KDP account to your own account, you will lose all of your reviews. Also, you will need a new ISBN and bar code, which means obtaining a revised cover (to replace the bar code on the back cover with a new bar code) and a new layout file and eBook file (to change the ISBN on the copyright page).
4. Tip of the Month: Strategies for marketing and promoting your book: Step 4 - Leverage Influencer Marketing
Last month, I delved into the third of 7 effective strategies for marketing and promoting your business book: building a mailing list. Having a mailing list of fans and readers allows authors to directly connect and engage with their readers, promote new releases, and nurture a loyal fan base.
This month looks at another key aspect of an author’s marketing strategy: leveraging influencer marketing. When you collaborate with influencers, you can greatly boost your reach, credibility, and sales. In this article, we will delve into the world of influencer marketing and discuss how authors can utilize it to their advantage.
To begin, let's clarify what influencer marketing is. Influencer marketing involves partnering with individuals who have a significant following and influence within a niche or industry. These influencers have built a loyal and engaged audience who trust their opinions and recommendations. By collaborating with influencers, authors can tap into their network and benefit from their reach and credibility.
The first step in leveraging influencer marketing is to identify the right influencers for your book. It is essential to choose influencers whose audience aligns with your target readers. Conduct thorough research and consider factors such as the influencer's niche, content, values, and engagement rates. Look for influencers who have a genuine interest in your genre or subject matter. This way, their recommendations will resonate more with their audience.
Once you have identified potential influencers, reach out to them with a well-crafted pitch. Make your pitch personalized and tailored to their interests. Highlight why you think their audience would enjoy your book and how it aligns with the influencer’s content. Offer a free copy of the book and provide any other incentives that might entice them to collaborate.
Collaboration opportunities can take various forms. Influencers can create content around your book, such as reviews, recommendation lists, or even interviews with you as the author. They can also host giveaways or contests featuring your book as a prize. Another effective strategy is to offer influencers affiliate links, which allow them to earn a commission for every book sold through their unique link.
Engagement and communication are crucial throughout the collaboration process. Stay in touch with the influencers, provide them with any necessary materials or information, and be responsive to their questions or suggestions. Develop a genuine relationship with the influencers, as this can result in long-term partnerships and ongoing promotion of your book.
In addition to collaborating with influencers, authors should also encourage user-generated content. Encourage your readers to share their thoughts, reviews, or photos with your book on social media. This creates a buzz around your book and acts as social proof, further enhancing its credibility. Moreover, engage with your audience by responding to their comments, thanking them for their support, and encouraging them to share your book with others.
Lastly, measure and evaluate the impact of your influencer marketing efforts. Use analytics tools to track the success of the collaborations, such as the number of book sales, website visits, or social media engagement. This data will help you assess the effectiveness of your influencer partnerships and make informed decisions for future marketing strategies.
In summary, influencer marketing can be a powerful tool for authors to enhance their book promotion efforts. By leveraging the influence and reach of key individuals in their target audience, authors can effectively expand their reach, build credibility, and ultimately increase book sales. Remember to choose influencers with an aligned audience, develop genuine relationships, encourage user-generated content, and evaluate the results. With proper execution, influencer marketing can become a valuable asset in an author's marketing arsenal.
Thanks for supporting SkillBites. If there is anything you think we ought to be doing better or anything we should be doing that we’re not, please let us know. We value your input.
Cordially,
