New Software an Asset to Vlogging Indie Authors

If you do have a Youtube channel or video content on your blog, CamStudio software is offered by Sourceforge and is an awesome tool to include in your bag of tricks.  This is screen recording software that enables you to video the computer screen as you work.  This means you can explain some topic of formatting, uploading, or whatever you have to share as content improving the craft (and world) for all Indie authors.  It is not only awesome - it is FREE - although the founder and developer accept donations and plan to grow their venture.  As you might have guessed, I am recording a post on CamStudio for my channel and will post it here when done.  In the meantime, go to SourceForge (the people who brought OpenOffice to Indie authors, everywhere) or CamStudio.org if you have been looking for software like this!

Is NaNoWriMo a Terrible Way to Write a Book?

Maybe.  I don't know, but it has motivated hundreds of thousands of writers to actually become authors.  In otherwords, to not only write a book, but to market it, sell it, show up (somewhere!) about it, and maybe even read it out loud (with people in the room - gasp!).  If you are an introvert, their type of on-line marketing works to encourage even the most computer cubbied individual out into the cyber world with their own voice, writing, works, and even continue on to creating platforms and indie publishing.  Join up if you are extroverted, too.  There are always places for the socializing and friend listing to occur.  More NaNo's make friends within the month than even Facebook or Twitter.  Valuable peeps to know and work with along the way to published author are worth remembering, here, in this blog post and definitely at the end of this month when that (sometimes elusive) DONE button is to be pushed with the 50,000 words behind it.
Its not the worst way to write a novel.  Probably on a train.  Just guessing.

Author's Website - A Must for Self- and Indie Published Authors

Tips for Creating an Author's Website

When signing up with hosted websites such as Blogger, an author's website is more of a blog than a full service, e-commerce website. Authors who wish to sell books right on their website opt for buying a domain name and URL from a site like GoDaddy.  Since my books sell on Kindle for Amazon.com, I decided to publish a blog hosted by Blogger - Wordpress is another good option, and has even more features specific to helping an author succeed.

Hosts like Blogger and Wordpress can accommodate a purchased URL with a program where you buy your domain name in order to have a dotcom as your address even though your site is under the umbrella of the blog host's platform.  Its very inexpensive, only $10 per year and there are a few extra bells and whistles, at first, although the features of the blog remain virtually the same.  Its not the same as a full-service site, but you don't have to be your own web developer to own your dotcom URL.  An author's website is a necessary step in building a platform, so appearing to own the URL is, for some, a status symbol.  Authors who have built a platform on the web, already, probably went this extra step to help brand their name; or, they own their domain with web developer tool access.

Either way you decide to go, you'll need an author's website or blog with your name on it.  The next step is to decide what kind of SEO content you'll add to its pages, and the specific aspects to include to sell your book and provide information.

SEO Content Isn't the Same as Book Selling

As an author and writer, I keep two seperate blogsites which link to my Indie publishing blogsite. This helps me keep each purpose in its own package (I try to refrain from going off on tangents or mixing content up, this way).  Some authors like to keep it all on the same page - book selling and SEO content - however, understanding the difference between the two, first, helps you include both the salad and the entree in your website's content.

A blog with SEO content helps you sell books, moreover, it helps you create a platform.  You are a person, with a book, and a cart to checkout or buy the book.  This equals book sales. Prompts for finding your best SEO content can be questions like "Well, what else do you do?" or "Why does that matter to a reader who lands upon/looks for your site?" In other words, imagine a viewer of your page asking you, "How does this help me?"  Base the next prompt on what your content is about and ask if you can help: "I am trying to find a book market, (a sewing machine, a tomato cage, etc)."

As a self-published author, you will have more than one book. And, yes, probably more than one Facebook page or Google+ page as you go.  Marketing the places you sell your books, your books, and your social media sites is now involved in your marketing task.  All of these pages now must contain links to your events, online book tours, book festivals, signings, or launches, and links to buying your books.

A good rule of thumb for the self-publishing niche:

1. The author's site contains the information readers look up
2. The SEO content is the information authors look up.

How This Translates with Other SEO Content Subject Matter

Here are other ways of seeing this concept (or rule) played out on your author sites with your web content:

1. The author's site features your book covers, sample chapters, book signings, a raffle.
2. The SEO content is a fan page about your fictional characters with quotes, sign-ups for whatever fans of your characters like to read about, or is referenced by.

Another idea to illustrate the differences:

1. The author site features your photo, bio, press releases, and books about sewing.
2. The SEO content has sample fabric patterns used in the book, links to sewing community pages, articles about sewing techniques, and maybe a pattern download, or something.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.  Its really the content a person looks up who isn't looking exactly for your book - but can be reached by your book which offers the kind of entertainment, or