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It’s time to get serious…and up the Marketing!

Dec18
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For 16 years I’ve been publishing books. For the first 13 years I was crazy about writing and publishing, trying to acquire literary agents, working social media, you name it. At one point I had over 230K+ on google+, which went away, and over 35K on Twitter, which dwindled over the past few years.

I attribute a lot of this to the changing publishing environment. There’s so many free books out there that it’s very hard to build a base of fans that want (or even need) to buy anything. But I have decided that my novels are worth it. I’ve got 14 books so far in the field with more coming. They are across a host of genres, which I agree can make it hard for a reader to stick to all the books, but there are a few per genre and I’m itching to reach more people.

So, this is just a general announcement. I am getting serious. Look, being an author is hard because nowadays, you can’t just write. You also have to be a social media and marketing maven. It’s difficult to wear so many hats but I’m taking the challenge and seeing if I can increase my sales month over month. I’m on month two and have increased my book sales by $4 whole dollars so far from November to Mid December. LOL – don’t worry, I won’t spend it all in one place. But this is not a sprint – it’s a marathon.

So, I have now a dedicated Instagram author page (I’d really appreciate it if you could follow me there), dedicated twitter (x), dedicated Threads, dedicated TikTok and my facebook author page. In fact, come on over to my Linktr.ee and you can connect wherever and however you’d like!

Step 1. Build each of these up with content so that when people are searching they can find the books to read. Step 2. Build my newsletter – please feel free to join – I don’t post often (once every few months? And it will have freebies and new book launches. Step 3. My hope in 2024 is to host some book clubs, do a few book signings and finally see if I can get my novels with Ingram so I can get into bookstores. Step 3 is a lofty goal and will require a ton of legwork. So I’ll build Step 1 and Step 2 first and work on Step 3 into the New Year.

Look, if you don’t reach for the stars, you’ll never get your feet off the ground. 🙂 Love to hear your goals for 2024!

Replying to Comments with a Video on TikTok

Mar4

So someone writes a lovely comment on one of your TikTok posts. Or writes something that you feel the need to respond to with your own tiktok. There’s a very easy way to do this.

Step one, first, go to the tiktok in question and click on the comments. Then, find the comment that you want to respond to.

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Step Two: Then press your finger ON the comment and hold it down. Up will pop a list of options and the top one is “Reply with Video.” You will see a fresh tiktok pop up now with the comment on the screen. Simply press the big fat red button to start recording and it will stay there!

Easy Peasy. What are some tiktok obstacles you’re facing? Let me know and I’ll do some research to the best of my ability. Happy Posting!

Authors doing TikTok – Use the Inverted Filter

Feb15

I have joined a few author groups on TikTok that support each other by liking and commenting on posts, along with sharing tips and tricks to help each other gain exposure on this platform. After being on TikTok for a few months, I’ve learned a few things. Not that I have a huge following right now – I have all of 1795 followers, but I have learned some tricks authors should do. Tip for Today:

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USE THE INVERTED FILTER. I can’t tell you how many authors are doing these really amazing videos but don’t take that extra step to allow us to see their covers properly. When you do a tiktok, it shows the mirror image, which means your book cover is backwards. I’ve gone on and mentioned it to some authors that their video is great, but they should invert their video. Some have told me it’s “no big deal.” I beg to differ and think it’s really a bit lazy, if I may be so bold to say so. If someone can’t read your title, or read your name, how have you helped gain exposure for your work? All you have to do is use the “inverted filter” on TikTok. You do that, and you’re golden. We have to do everything in our power to make our work shine.

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@jera.bean has a great video that teaches us how to do this and I implore everyone to take a peek to make your videos better.

Click Here to view it: I’m going to be posting little tips and tricks that I think can help people. If you have any that you think would be helpful, please let me know! I love to learn!

Why in the World am I on TikTok?

Jan25

It seems like every few months there is a new form of social media technology to conquer. I made a deal with myself that I would never shy away from technology and have made a promise to at least get on and try to use whatever platform was now trending.

My goal is not to go viral. I mean, I’m lucky I can figure out the user face of each platform. I never figured out Tumblr. I couldn’t even get myself past the home page!

But I’m on Facebook, with an author page, too. I have two Instagram accounts, one for my “life” and the other about paleo-ish recipes I make. Then there’s snapchat, which I hardly ever use, unless I want to play with funny filters. Pinterest was big with me for a long time. I have so many boards, but now I only go on occasionally. Twitter and I have a love/hate relationship. I have over 29,000 followers but get very little engagement on there. What’s the point of that many followers if no one is responding?

If you’d like to follow me on any of the above platforms, check out my http://www.Linktr.ee/elysesalpeter and you’ll be able to get to all of them.
@elysesalpeter

When I’m in the zone and my video chat blings. #joblife #groupchat #cozyathome #myroutine #zoommeeting #teamsmeeting #fyp #work #workfromhome

♬ original sound – ElyseSalpeter

So now there’s tiktok. My daughter is pretty big on TikTok, having gotten verified a few months ago, so I thought why not learn how to make videos? I’ve done a few that I thought were good. (though my kids roll their eyes at me). My issue, as is my issue on every social media platform I do, is that I’m not focused on one thing. I love to write, to cook, to do triathlons, to travel, to be with family and friends. It’s like my writing. I don’t write in one genre, but five!

That said, I’ve made a few tiktoks that have gotten a few hundred views and hit 1K followers, which allows me to “Go Live.” I have made a decision that on Thursday nights, at 8 EST, I am going to do a horror read. That’s where I’ll chat with anyone that comes on and after a few minutes I’ll read a short flash fiction story from my short story horror collection, Ricket Row. I did it last Thursday and read AWAKE. I have to say, the two people that were there were kind! LOL! Hopefully I’ll get a larger audience this week. I’ll report.

What kind of social media do you focus on? Have you tried TikTok yet? Love to hear.

I Set No Goals for 2021, But the Universe Answered Anyway

Jan10

When 2020 ended, I was a little worried. Every single year I set goals. My friends and family will tell you that I’m constantly striving to do things, be it train for a sprint triathlon, or write and finish a book, or do a book event, go on a trip, learn something new, take a class… you get the idea.

But January 1st came and went and all I did was go for a walk and play on my phone. But then I had a conversation with one of my amazing aunts who said, “Just stop. Forget goals – forget about putting all that stress on yourself and just let the universe answer you.” I took that to heart… for a day, because the NEXT day two writer friends who I know but don’t speak to often, contacted me on IM’s. Those conversations morphed and took me in a brand new direction that two days before I hadn’t even thought about. It was like the universe really did have plans for me, just sitting off to the side and waiting to present itself until I was ready.

So what did I do? I decided to embrace the unknown. I’ve done twitter and google+ and FB and all those social media outlets for years. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to stop them, as they’re awesome for conversation and I’ve met some fantastic people. But the world is changing. New readers are jumping on other platforms. I have decided to learn tiktok better. I’ve decided to learn instagram reels and how to use them. I joined a private writing group that only days before I didn’t even know existed. So here is one of my TikToks where the well-know author Douglas Preston is actually promoting my book on his youtube channel. I just had to share. I’m going to try to mix the topics of my tiktoks up, between book promo posts, slice of life vignettes, food and exercising. Please feel free to follow me on tiktok here.

2021 is going to be all about doing things differently. Something new. I’m only a few days into it and going to just do things one day at a time and let the universe reach out to me to guide me. Step one will be to focus on my supernatural thriller Kelsey Porter series, starting with a “relaunch” of Book #1, THE HUNT FOR XANADU. It’s time I let Kelsey come forward again and reach new readers interested in a super sexy, brilliant woman who is more than she appears.

I’m also going to be doing a push for my YA Series, FLYING TO THE LIGHT and FLYING TO THE FIRE. I’d actually like to change the covers – I think that will really help the series get some more exposure.

Wish me luck on my journey folks, and I wish you luck on yours! Happy and safe 2021 and let me know what your plans are as well this year. I’d love to hear!