News for Authors

Leveraging Ebook Sales to Reach New Readers

by Jacky Bethea|October, 2024

So, you’ve been alerted that your ebook is on sale at a certain vendor.  Ebook sales can be great opportunities to hype your book and encourage potential readers to check it out. Before you take to your socials, here are a few tips to make sure the promotion is a success!

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Canva for Beginners: How to Get the Most Out of Free Options

by Zehra Kayi|August, 2024

In June, Author University hosted Canva experts Zehra Kayi and Heather Brown for a presentation on how authors can leverage Canva for their social media needs. Zehra Kayi shares six tips for the best ways a beginner can get the most out Canva’s free offerings. 

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How to Grow Your Newsletter Organically

by Stephanie Bowen|July, 2024

If you’ve started a newsletter, you may be wondering: How do I grow it from here? In this article, we offer several strategies for getting the word out organically and bringing in new subscribers without having to resort to paid advertising.

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Getting the Most Out of Leading Social Media Platforms

by Jacky Bethea|May, 2024

Whether you’re an Instagram pro or a TikTok novice, every author can benefit from the free in-app tools, resources, and analytics that social media platforms make available to their users. Read on for our best tips on how to use these offerings to level up your social media presence! Read more

Author U Videos on Demand: Reaching Readers with Newsletters & Short-Form Video Content

by The Author Newsletter Team |April, 2024

In March, the Author Portal team brought you Author University: Reaching More Readers with Newsletters & Video Platforms. The recordings are now available on demand on the Author Portal for your viewing pleasure.

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Finding a Social Media Freelancer (If You Want to Work with One)

by Jacky Bethea|April, 2024

At our last Author University virtual learning event, we had the pleasure of hosting Payton Mitchell, a freelance social media expert, to lend her advice on how to create great video content for social media. We heard from many of you that you were curious about working with a freelance expert, what that would entail, and how to find one. Here are some tips to help you decide if it would be the right move for you!

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How to Increase Social Media Engagement for Short-Form Video Content

by Jacky Bethea|March, 2024

Between Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, short-form video content is on a major hot streak. These platforms can offer the opportunity for instant virality, so creating content for them can be an attractive way to promote your book and connect with readers. If you have scrolled through these platforms, you may have encountered a video that had an interesting topic, but something about it wasn’t right. Maybe the audio sounded weird or you could barely make out words on the screen. Most viewers will scroll right past. It’s easy to overlook the technical aspects of making short-form videos, which can absolutely affect how your content performs in the algorithm. Here are some tips to help you compose your videos for ultimate success.

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Newsletters 101: How to Start Your Own Newsletter

by Stephanie Bowen|February, 2024

Thinking about starting a newsletter? As an author, you may have a lot to say beyond the content of your book, and an email newsletter can be a great medium for this. In this article, we cover the basics of creating and launching your own newsletter.

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How Authors Can Prevent Phishing Attacks

by Phil Stamper-Halpin|January, 2024

Across emails, texts, and social media, phishing attacks have skyrocketed over the last few years. As public figures, authors might be particularly vulnerable. Read on to learn how to protect yourself from scammers.

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An Introduction to Threads

by Jacky Bethea and Andrew Taets|January, 2024

In light of ongoing controversy and rapid changes at X (formerly Twitter), there has been a race in the social media market for the next big text-based platform. Threads appears to be Meta’s answer to the call. Launched in July of last year, the app has accumulated more than 100 million users. Since it is so new, there are a lot of questions around the app, how to use it, and what kind of content can be found there. Our friends at Meta have offered some of the first available pointers on how an author can optimize their experience on the app. Read on to learn more!

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