We will be regularly updating this page with downloads and links we’ve found that we think will be helpful for writers, publishing professionals, or anyone trying to market their work.
Publishing
How Rebecca Skloot began promoting her bestseller, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, years before publication (subscription to Wall Street Journal required)
Author Platform Lessons from #1 New York Times Bestseller Rebecca Skloot by Dan Blank
General Setup and Who Does What in a Publishing House by Barbara Greenberg and Julie Schroeder (PDF)
Timeline-for-Publishing-Success-2014 (from the 2014 Brooklyn Book Festival Workshop)
Commonly Used Terms in Publishing – from the AAP’s BookJobs.com
Best Practices for Product Metadata (2013) – from BISG (PDF)
Instructional Videos
THE YA TODAY: An Editor, Agent, and Blogger Discuss the Book, the Audience, the Crossover
A Presentation by Emilia Rhodes, Peter Knapp, Katiebabs, and Bridget Marmion
CAN I WRITE THAT WHILE THEY’RE STILL ALIVE?
A Presentation by Bridget Marmion, Boris Kachka, Elinor Lipman, and Jan F. Constantine
Editing
Kinds of editors and levels of edit–what every writer and editor should know (updated) – blog post by Pat McNees on Writers and Editors
Some Tips on Editing Your Manuscript (PDF) – from the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition
Publicity and Promotion
The Art of Publicity: How Indie Publicists Work With Writers by Tess Taylor on Poets & Writers
Seventeen New Book Release Marketing Examples – including Social Media Headers, Author Q&As, Giveaways, Book Excerpts and Peeks Behind the Scenes – from BookBub
A General Book Campaign Timeline by Sarah Russo (PDF)
Sample Author Questionnaire compliments of Bridget Marmion Book Marketing (.docx)
Sarah Russo on How to Promote Your Book (and Yourself) – from Omnivoracious.com
Marketing and Advertising
Brenda Novak on 9 Book Advertising Tactics I’ve Tried… And Which Ones Worked! – from BookBub
Self-Publishing
The Indie 50 – The 50 Best Sites for Indie and Self-Published Authors – from August Wainwright
Website
What’s More Important: Author Websites or Social Media? by Jane Friedman
A Step-by-Step Guide to Build Your Author Website by Jane Friedman
AUTHOR WEBSITE: EXAMPLES, TEMPLATES, AND HOW-TO BUILD ONE by Tim Grahl
Blogging
Revealed: 19 Things to Know Before You Start a Blog by Blog Tyrant
How to Start a Blog — Beginners Guide for 2016 by Jessica Knapp
Your Contacts List Is Your Most Important Social Network. Here’s How to Make It Better. David Pierce reviews CardHop, HiHello, and other apps that help you manage your contacts (Wall Street Journal – subscription required)
Why Email Marketing is King by Arthur Middleton Hughes (Harvard Business Review)
What Ten Studies Say About the Best Time to Send Email by Nathan Ellering
Ten Rock-Solid Reasons Why an Author Should Build an E-mail List by Joan Stewart
How to Build an Author Platform Through Email Lists by Joel Friedlander
BookBub
BookBub’s Guide to How to Run an Ad Campaign in BookBub’s Daily Email (PDF)
Book Metadata
Managing Metadata: Mastering Mountains of Minutiae by Mindy Klasky
Mastering Metadata: The Key to Marketing Your Books by Carla King
Web Metadata and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Why Voice Search Will Dominate SEO In 2019 – And How You Can Capitalize On It – Gabriel Shaoolian in Forbes
How to Optimize Your Meta-Titles, Descriptions and Keywords by Robin Burton
Seven Essential Content Marketing Lessons from Rand Fishkin’s Whiteboard Fridays by Michelle Lin
Social Media Platforms and Tools
Modern Authors Delve into Digital and Visual Storytelling – report by Stephanie Walden on Mashable on how several authors are using social media and blogging to reach readers
No Excuses! Why and How Authors Should Embrace Twitter by Paul Anthony Jones
Engaging Audiences through Twitter in 15 Minutes a Day by Kirsten Oliphant
Best Practices for Author Facebook Pages and Groups by Kirsten Oliphant
Facebook Blueprint: 50 free eLearning modules (videos) on best practices for creating Facebook Pages and Advertising Campaigns
The Pros and Cons of Using a Facebook Profile But Not an Official Page by Jane Friedman
How to Get Your Book Sales Moving with Facebook Ads. A Case Study by David Penny
ABCs of Authors on Instagram: Everything Your Account Should Have by Dara Beevas, Amy Quale and the writers at Wise Ink
15 Authors Running Fantastic Book Promotions on Instagram by Diana Urban
The Complete Instagram Hashtag Guide for Business by Michael Aynsley
Five Free Ways to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn by Alexandra Rynne
Snapchat
Do You Write for Young Adults or Millennials? Then Try Snapchat by Frances Caballo
How to Use Reddit to Market Your Books (Carefully) by Ricardo Fayet
Goodreads and Reading Communities
Do Goodreads Giveaways Work? By J. M. Ney-Grimm
Audio
Podcasts
20 Podcasts for Authors on Writing, Publishing, and Book Marketing – a curated report by Diana Urban on BookBub