Tag Archives: pdf

New PDF: Social Media Marketing for Authors!

Last year, we devoted Mondays to marketing. In a past life, I worked in Internet marketing. In fact, sharing that marketing info grew into the biggest series I’ve ever done. This left me with a ton of material on marketing to convert (ever so slowly) into PDF format.

So let’s get started, right? Our first free marketing PDF is Social Media Marketing for Authors!

smm cover

Social media marketing is all the rage these days. Honestly, nobody really has it all figured out, but by starting with strategies and graduating to tactics, you can use social media to find new readers, connect with current readers and network with other authors.

This 30-page guide also covers:

  • Building a tribe of real friends and fans to help promote your books (without being too pushy!)
  • Fostering genuine relationships in social media
  • And of course, the major social networks:
    • Facebook!
    • Twitter!
    • Goodreads!
    • Pinterest!

Naturally, if we’re talking about a PDF on social media, we want to spread the word with . . . social media! So again, I’m using Pay With a Social Post. Note that this is not the same program I started with last time—I’ve had many fewer complaints and problems with this service.

DUE TO COMPLAINTS about the ads from the Pay With a Tweet service, I’m testing a different service, Pay with a Social Post. Let me know if you have any problems.

To get your Free PDF of Social Media Marketing for Authors, click on the logo of your favorite social media site right here:

twitter-bird-blue-on-white f_logo gplus

Really? That’s all?
Yep!

Do I have to use the button, or can I just post about it?
Using the button makes the whole thing automatic. I won’t be monitoring social networks for these mentions and then trying to hunt you down to send you the PDF. Plus, the automatic post generated with the button makes sure that other people can find this great, free information, too. It’s a gift we can all share!

Can I “pay” with a Facebook post?
Yes! You might want to edit the automatic message, which includes my Twitter handle. If you’ve already Liked my Facebook page, you might also be able to tag me!

To “pay” with a Facebook post, you MUST MUST MUST use the button for the automatic delivery to work!

I don’t do Facebook, Google+ or Twitter. Can I get the PDF?
You know what? Sure. Just email a friend about the offer (with a link to this page), and CC or BCC me: contest at jordanmccollum dot com. I’ll email the PDF directly to you as soon as I can.

Why are you doing this to meeeee?
Well, I hope it’s not too much to ask. I’ve given away free writing advice in blog series and PDFs for years now, and I’d love your help in letting more people know about this free info. If you find it valuable or even slightly interesting, why not share it with your friends?

Please share this useful, free advice and get your own copy today!

Social media heart collage by Kathleen Donovan

Power in Settings mini-series now in PDF!

We’re digging into the Secret Sauce writing series next week, but first, I wanted to share an oldie but a goodie. I was digging through my old series and found one I didn’t even remember: Power in settings.

settings coverFrom the (all new) introduction:

Whether your work is a locked room mystery, a small town drama or an epic fantasy, your setting plays a key role in your story. Your setting can set the emotional tone, add conflict and increase the tension of your work.

On the other hand, we’ve all read books bogged down with barrels of description, that somehow still doesn’t help us visualize the scene or the milieu.

Using setting effectively isn’t about purple prose or even pretty writing. It’s about making an impact on your reader: drawing them into the story, helping them see the characterization and mood, and keeping them reading.

In this short series on power in settings, we look at the different ways in which setting can apply to our stories, and things to contemplate as we incorporate the setting.

With Tension, Suspense & Surprise, I asked for a Tweet, Facebook post or Google+ post in return for the PDF. But since this series is on the short side, there are no hoops at all. (I would still appreciate you sharing the news about the Power in Settings PDF, of course!)

Ready?

Click here for the Writers’ Quick Guide to Power in Settings!

Picture by Lauren

Tension, Suspense & Surprise: Now in PDF!

If you’ve joined my newsletter, you already know that my popular blog series on writing, Tension, Suspense and Surprise is due out in PDF form this month. Well, Merry Christmas—it’s here!

Tension, Suspense and Surprise looks at how to draw your readers in and keep them reading with specific, powerful writing techniques—not gimmicks. No matter what your genre, these tools are vital for a compelling read. Tension, Suspense and Surprise is also tied for my longest series, with 35 PDF pages packed with information and ideas to make your stories better.

…. So, where is it, you ask?

This time around, I’m experimenting with something a little different. To get the FREE PDF version of Tension, Suspense and Surprise, all you have to do is “Pay” with a Tweet, Facebook share or Google+ post. Click the right button below and post to Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Then you’ll automatically get your free PDF!

DUE TO COMPLAINTS about the ads from the Pay With a Tweet service, I’m testing a different service, Pay with a Social Post. Let me know if you have any problems.

Really? That’s all?
Yep!

Do I have to use the button, or can I just post about it?
Using the button makes the whole thing automatic. I won’t be monitoring social networks for these mentions and then trying to hunt you down to send you the PDF. Plus, the automatic post generated with the button makes sure that other people can find this great, free information, too. It’s a Christmas gift we can all share!

Can I “pay” with a Facebook post?
Yes! You might want to edit the automatic message, which includes my Twitter handle. If you’ve already Liked my Facebook page, you might also be able to tag me!

To “pay” with a Facebook post, you MUST MUST MUST use the button for the automatic delivery to work!

I don’t do Facebook, Google+ Twitter. Can I get the PDF?
You know what? Sure. Just email a friend about the offer (with a link to this page), and CC or BCC me: contest at jordanmccollum dot com. I’ll email the PDF directly to you as soon as I can.

Why are you doing this to meeeee?
Well, I hope it’s not too much to ask. I’ve given away free writing advice in blog series and PDFs for years now, and I’d love your help in letting more people know about this free info. If you find it valuable or even slightly interesting, why not share it with your friends?

Please share this useful, free writing advice and get your own copy today!

Tracking your blog: Using Google Analytics

This entry is part 6 of 8 in the series Marketing: blogging

If you’re serious about blogging, it’s important to focus on your visitors. How much do you really know about your visitors? Do you know where they come from? Why they came to your site? How long they stayed? How many pages they looked at? How many came and immediately left?

Last week we looked at a very basic solution for finding this web analytic information: Blogger or WordPress.com’s built-in stats packages. There are many free web analytics packages out there. In my opinion, Google Analytics offers the most comprehensive solution. It may be a little overwhelming for someone just starting out, but it’s really not hard to find the most important numbers you need to be keeping track of. Click on the picture at right to enlarge it to see a sample of some of the important, but easy to read, reports that Google Analytics generates.

Before you say, “Oh, numbers; I can’t deal with numbers!” or “Oh, coding; I can’t deal with coding!”, let me tell you that these numbers are good to know—and very useful in growing your blog readership. And let me tell you that these numbers are easy to find, use and understand with a free web analytics package (software installed on your site that tracks what visitors do on your site)—no coding, just cut and paste.

Here’s some of the information you can see in a single report, from one of my actual sites (not this one, though):

This report is the dashboard, a customizable overview of several reports. There are dozens of more in-depth reports available in Google Analytics, and even I only scratch the surface of this awesome web analytics program. I have a basic overview of how to install Google Analytics in my free PDF The Quick Guide to Google Analytics for Bloggers. I originally wrote it in 2007, but updated it with newer, easier installation procedures today. Check it out!

Next week, we’ll take a look at some of my favorite reports, and how to put all this data to use.

New PDF: Character Arcs!

This entry is part 10 of 11 in the series character arcs

Yep, I have character arcs on the brain. It happens every time I finish a book and think about how I can better align the internal journey and external plot climaxes. (I think I have it for this last one. Still have to hammer out the details.)

Since we revisited character arcs last week, it seemed like the perfect time to compile the PDF of the series, including last week’s post. Even though I didn’t look back at the original series as I was writing the new post, I was surprised at how well the new material meshed, expanding on some topics I mention in passing.

So if you’re having trouble figuring out how to found, form or finish your character’s emotional journey, check out the PDF version of Character Arcs!

More free PDF writing guides.

Photo by Riccardo Romano

New PDF Guide: Emotion: it’s tough

This entry is part 14 of 14 in the series Emotion: it's tough

When I figured out which series were the tops in 2011, I suddenly realized how long it’s been since I put together one of my series into PDF format (hint: years). Plus, it’s my husband’s and my second anniversary of our first kiss. I wanted to celebrate, but I can’t really take you all to dinner. So I made you something instead. (Ten guesses what it is!)

I’m starting with the most popular of last year’s series: Emotion: it’s tough. Portraying emotion in fiction isn’t easy—but an emotional experience is exactly why readers buy and read books. Using that emotion makes your writing more powerful—when it’s done right.

Emotion might be a double black diamond ski slope, but it doesn’t have to be treacherous terrain in your writing. Hard work, perhaps always. But impossible? Nope!

So check out the free PDF version of the series Emotion: it’s tough!

More free PDF writing guides.

Photo by Peter Dutton

Free PDF guide for the Plot Thickens

This entry is part 21 of 24 in the series The plot thickens (Mwahahaha)

plotthickensOur blog series on plotting was well-timed to get us prepared for NaNo (even though I’m not participating).

Ready to review our whirlwind tour through the hows and whys of plotting, as well as several different methods? Good news—the free PDF of The Plot Thickens is ready!

I know several readers are doing NaNo, but many aren’t. Any votes on what we should look at next?