Showing posts with label Writers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writers. Show all posts

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Podcast Review Spotlight: Book Marketing Tips & Author Success from Penny Sansevieri and Amy Cornell

Today, I have something a little different to share! I've had the opportunity to explore a business and marketing podcast geared toward author success! Check out the Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast, learn about the hosts Penny Sansevieri and Amy Cornell and read my thoughts on the podcast and the advice.

 

 

Many of our posts contain affiliate links.
Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an
affiliate partner.  
 

About the Podcast

 

The Book Marketing Tips & Author Success Podcast is a game-changer for authors who want to
thrive in today’s publishing landscape.


Penny Sansevieri and Amy Cornell blend practical advice with deep industry insights, offering
something for both new and experienced authors. Authors can expect honest guidance—no
gimmicks, no pipe dreams—just straightforward strategies you can actually use. And because
this industry can be tough, we keep it light with a bit of humor along the way. If you’re ready to
level up your author career, we’ve got you covered, no detail left unaddressed.


The reviews to date speak for themselves, with a lot of authors raving about what they’re
learning and encouraging others to get on board!

 

Sansevieri and Cornell believe in education, and creating a more savvy publishing industry – one episode at a time.

 

My Review

 

The Podcast Provides Helpful, Real-World Information. The hosts bring their own personal experiences to the forefront in this podcast as they make actionable, realistic, focused suggestions for authors seeking marketing tips (and success!)  I first listened to the episode "How to Get Your Author Website to Rank on Google" and took some notes from the ideas and suggestions--but I really enjoyed hearing the hosts' input and reality checks offered throughout. While the hosts certainly cover the SEO, "keywords are key," "images," "meta descriptions," etc., they really add context to apply these suggestions for authors to use in meaningful ways. 

 

Expect Focus, Organized Content. The podcast presents the information in a very guided, focused, and organized fashion. There are some side conversations, but even those are relevant and valuable to an author seeking book marketing direction. 

 

Would I Recommend Book Marketing Tips & Author Success from Penny Sansevieri and Amy Cornell? I learned a lot from this episode and found several key takeaways that I had heard before but that took on greater significance as the hosts connected the points to an author's success journey. The hosts connect well, and the dialogue is conversational and educational, without sounding preachy or forced. If you are looking for a real-world podcast geared toward helping authors understand the many hats of book marketing and author success, this is an engaging podcast that I look forward to listening to. 


The Hosts



Listen to the Podcast Today!
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Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Self Help Book Review: Creating your First Novel by Hank Quense

Today, I have a wonderful self help book for new writers!  Check out Creating Your First Novel, read my thoughts on the book & enter the book tour giveaway at the end of this post!


Book Title:  Creating Your First Novel by Hank Quense
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction, 120 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction, Self Help, ​
Publisher:  Strange Worlds Publishing
Release date:  Oct 15, 2023
Content Rating:  G 

Many of our posts contain affiliate links.
Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an
affiliate partner. 

 

About the Book

​
Are you writing your first book? Or are you thinking about writing it?
Do you have any idea what you’re getting into?
No? Let’s talk about it.
Most aspiring authors concentrate on writing the book to the exclusion of all else. However, the reality is that creating a book is a long-term, multi-phase project and writing it is only one facet of the project.
The complete project involves five separate phases:
  • Planning the book
  • Writing the book
  • Publishing the book
  • Marketing the book
  • Author business issues
Unfortunately, planning and writing a book does nothing to prepare the author for the other phases of the project. The only commonality between the phases is that they are about a single book.
Another difficulty with the creative project is that almost all information on the process only discusses one phase of it.
Until now.
Creating Your First Novel covers all five phases.
It is written by an author who has gone through the project over two dozen times. Creating Your First Novel provides a road map to get you through the process without losing your sanity.
 
My Review

​

Creating Your First Novel by Hank Quense is Perfect for New Authors. Creating Your First Novel by Hank Quense is a comprehensive guide to creating a first novel loaded with encouragement and practical advice. The author breaks down the complex process of novel creation into manageable, bite-sized steps. This approach demystifies the writing process and makes it accessible to writers of all experience levels. From developing a compelling plot to crafting memorable characters, Quense provides a roadmap that is easy to follow and rich in insights.

 

Creating Your First Novel Blends Instruction Guide with Real-World Examples. The author's engaging writing style makes the learning experience enjoyable and accessible. Quense seamlessly blends instruction with real-world examples, drawing on his own experiences as a successful author to illustrate key concepts. This personal touch creates a connection between the reader and the material, fostering a sense of camaraderie and a shared passion for storytelling.


Would I recommend Creating Your First Novel by Hank Quense? Quense addresses common challenges and concerns budding authors face, offering practical solutions and words of encouragement. The book's upbeat tone is a constant reminder that the writing journey, though challenging, is ultimately rewarding. The author encourages readers to embrace their unique perspective and style. By doing so, he empowers writers to discover and hone their distinctive narrative voice, a crucial aspect of successful storytelling. Creating Your First Novel is a well-organized, well-presented self-help guide for new writers.


Buy the Book 
 Amazon
 
Meet the Author

Hank Quense has self-published his books for over 12 years. His non-fiction books cover fiction writing (Creating Stories), self-publishing (How to Self-publish and Market a Book, Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps), marketing (Book Marketing Fundamentals) and author business (Business Basics for Authors).

He also lectures on these subjects in schools, libraries and on webinars.

Hank recently started https://hankquense.podia.com/ The site provides solutions to pain points (problems) for fiction writers, self-publishing authors and authors who are trying to market their books.

Connect with the Author: ​Website ~ X ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads
Enter the Giveway




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Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Writer Self Help Book Review: Self-Publish a Book in 10 Steps by Hank Quense

This week, I have a couple of self help books for authors in our book review spotlight. Today, I have Self-Publish a Book in 10 Steps by Hank Quense.  Check out this nonfiction guide for self-publishers, learn about the author, read my thoughts on the book & enter the book tour giveaway at the end of this post. If you missed yesterday's review of Creating Stories, you can check that review out here!




Book Title:  Self-Publish a Book in 10 Steps: And Market It by Hank Quense
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction, 88 pages
Genre: Self Help ​
Publisher:  Strange Worlds Publishing
Release date:  Dec 1, 2021
Content Rating:  G 



About the Book
​
Self-publishing a book is difficult.

This book simplifies it by breaking down a self-publishing and marketing project into 10 steps. This step-by-step process will get your book published and initiate the pre-launch marketing.

Hank Quense has written and self-published over twenty books, both fiction and non-fiction. He is the author of the Author Blueprint Series of books. The Series concentrates on providing valuable guidance on fiction writing, self-publishing and book marketing. Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps is Book 6 in the series.

The book details such vital tasks as developing a compelling book description, building an author platform and getting book reviews to list a few.

Learn the ten-step process that will self-publish and market your book!
 
 
My Review

​

Perfect Resource for New Self Publishing Authors. Oddly enough, the opportunity to review this book arrived at the ideal time. I have been working through the early stages of a self-publishing plan for a nonfiction book that I've been writing pieces and parts of for some time. This self-publishing guide from Hank Quense is the perfect, easy-to-understand blueprint of helpful information for writers new to self-publishing. I love the author's teaching style as he writes each step of his 10-step process! This book covers some of the obvious--like needing cover art and writing a book blurb--but also some things that I still needed to fully consider, like sizing the book dimensions, packaging, and obtaining an ISBN. 

 

 

The Author Gives Well Organized, Easy to Understand Guidance to Readers. Quense dives into the self-publishing world in a very organized, concise manner that quickly packs a lot of information. Readers will learn about each step of the self-publishing process, from formatting to marketing. The author provides enough details to give the reader a decent understanding of the requirements of each step. Then, he provides very well-placed tips and suggestions from his experiences and preferences concerning each stage. I read the book from cover to cover and thoroughly plan to revisit it, step by step, when it's time for me to begin my own self-publishing process. While it may not be an all-inclusive guide to self-publication, it is undoubtedly a valuable resource as I move through each step!


 

Would I Recommend Self-Publish a Book in 10 Steps by Hank Quense? Self-publishing is much more detailed than simply uploading a manuscript and waiting for readers to buy a copy! This book is both eye-opening to the steps involved and reassuring that self-publication is within the reader's ability! This book's writing style and structure are easy to read and understand and vital to new self-publishers learning the process. I recommend this book to new writers interested in self-publishing, especially those seeking to launch their first novel from manuscript to marketed work. This book is going on my e-book shelf to reference step by step as I work through my first self-published piece.

 
 

Buy the Book
 
 
Interested in Creating a Fictional Story?
 

Book Title:  Creating Stories by Hank Quense
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction, 106 pages
Genre: Self Help, ​
Publisher:  Strange Worlds Publishing
Release date:  April 1, 2017
Content Rating:  G 

Many of our posts contain affiliate links.
Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an
affiliate partner.  


 
About the Book

​
Do you have a story in you?

Do you know how to write it or how to tell it? Creating Stories has the answers. Hank Quense, the author of more than twenty books, tells you how to do it. He believes that stories come from the melding of three elements: getting ideas, story design and story-telling. Ideas have to come from the author. Creating Stories covers the last two. The book concentrates on developing characters including such rarely discussed requirements such as a dominant reader emotion and the character's biography. Plots are also covered in depth and a number of graphics are included to illustrate complex points. Another topic discusses subplots and how to utilize them and how to nest them within the main plot. A separate chapter discusses the relationship between the plot and the emotional arcs. Other topics covered are: character arcs, scene design, point-of-view, writing voice.
 

Buy the Book

Amazon
Add to Goodreads


Read a Guest Post from the Author

Creating a story

 by Hank Quense


Creating a story is a complex undertaking, no matter what type of story it is. One of the basic issues aspiring story creators have to face is where to start and how to go about putting the story elements together. After all, the writer has to deal with character, plots, scenes, setting and more elements. In the beginning, to many newbies, the task is almost overwhelming. And this issue applies to all types of stories: short stories, novels, memoirs, scripts, screenplays and more. No matter what type of story it is, it must deal with the same elements just mentioned.

The basic question many writers face is: Should I start with the character development? Or maybe the plot? Maybe I should get a setting first? This predicament can lead to mental paralysis.

 

 PIAT.png



I’ve been writing stories since the last century and I’ve face up to to this issue and I’ve conquered it by developing a process I use whenever I’m creating a story. I call the process Putting It All Together and I wrote a book describing my process. In total, the process involves nine steps. These steps are depicted in the mind-map.


What may come as a shock is the fact that I don’t start writing the first draft until Step 9. Getting to that point can take quite a while and involves a lot of preliminary work. In the case of a novel or other type of long story, developing the initial steps in the process can actually take a few months.


The process is detailed at length in the book and it is free download on my site Writers & Authors Resource Center. You can grab your copy by following this link: https://hankquense.podia.com/putting-it-all-together

 


Meet the Author

Hank Quense has self-published his books for over 12 years. His non-fiction books cover fiction writing (Creating Stories), self-publishing (How to Self-publish and Market a Book, Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps), marketing (Book Marketing Fundamentals) and author business (Business Basics for Authors).

He also lectures on these subjects in schools, libraries and on webinars.

Hank recently started https://hankquense.podia.com/ The site provides solutions to pain points (problems) for fiction writers, self-publishing authors and authors who are trying to market their books.

Connect with the Author: ​Website ~ X ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads


Enter the Giveaway

CREATING STORIES Book Tour Giveaway

 




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Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Nonfiction Book Review: Creating Stories by Hank Quense

This week, I have a couple of self help books for authors in our book review spotlight. Today, I have Creating Stories by Hank Quense.  Check out this nonfiction guide for fiction writers, learn about the author, read my thoughts on the book & enter the book tour giveaway at the end of this post. Tomorrow, I will be sharing my thoughts on Hank Quense's Self-Publish a Book in 10 Steps!


Book Title:  Creating Stories by Hank Quense
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction, 106 pages
Genre: Self Help, ​
Publisher:  Strange Worlds Publishing
Release date:  April 1, 2017
Content Rating:  G 

Many of our posts contain affiliate links.
Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an
affiliate partner.  


 
About the Book

​
Do you have a story in you?

Do you know how to write it or how to tell it? Creating Stories has the answers. Hank Quense, the author of more than twenty books, tells you how to do it. He believes that stories come from the melding of three elements: getting ideas, story design and story-telling. Ideas have to come from the author. Creating Stories covers the last two. The book concentrates on developing characters including such rarely discussed requirements such as a dominant reader emotion and the character's biography. Plots are also covered in depth and a number of graphics are included to illustrate complex points. Another topic discusses subplots and how to utilize them and how to nest them within the main plot. A separate chapter discusses the relationship between the plot and the emotional arcs. Other topics covered are: character arcs, scene design, point-of-view, writing voice.
 
My Review

​

The Author Maps Out Creating Stories in a Very Useful, Well Organized Manner. This writing guide is packed with helpful information for fiction writers. While the material is more suited to new writers- or those still developing their writing voices and crafts- there are pieces within each section that could certainly serve to re-focus writers still seeking improvement tips and guidance. The author is very systematic and structured in his story creation style. Just as he offers tips and suggestions to readers, he provides examples and insights into his own writing processes, character, and story development. This book could be read section by section--but it will also prove helpful to use as a resource or reference guide while working through the writing of a fictional piece.  

 

Readers will Find an Easy to Understand Guide for Fiction Writing. I have taken creative writing courses and workshops in the past. This book really covers so many elements of the creative fiction writing process in such an easy-to-read, easy-to-apply method that it is a very valuable resource to writers. The examples and suggestions provided by the author come from experiences and time-developed insights. While educational, this book is also engaging and well-designed for readers to both enjoy and employ in their writing works.

 

Would I Recommend Creating Stories by Hank Quense? Anyone can tell a story. Not everyone can successfully engage a reader with a fictional story from start to finish. The elements taught by Quense in this self-help book offer authors much to consider as they bring their story from idea to written fruition. The format of this novel is handy to new writers, but plenty of experienced self-published writers could also benefit from the structured methods this author suggests. If you are interested in fiction writing, this book is one that you could reference repeatedly as you develop your voice and storytelling style.

 

Buy the Book

Amazon
Add to Goodreads

 

After Creating Your Story:


Book Title:  Self-Publish a Book in 10 Steps: And Market It by Hank Quense
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction, 88 pages
Genre: Self Help ​
Publisher:  Strange Worlds Publishing
Release date:  Dec 1, 2021
Content Rating:  G 



About the Book
​
Self-publishing a book is difficult.

This book simplifies it by breaking down a self-publishing and marketing project into 10 steps. This step-by-step process will get your book published and initiate the pre-launch marketing.

Hank Quense has written and self-published over twenty books, both fiction and non-fiction. He is the author of the Author Blueprint Series of books. The Series concentrates on providing valuable guidance on fiction writing, self-publishing and book marketing. Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps is Book 6 in the series.

The book details such vital tasks as developing a compelling book description, building an author platform and getting book reviews to list a few.

Learn the ten-step process that will self-publish and market your book!
 

Buy the Book
 
 

Meet the Author

Hank Quense has self-published his books for over 12 years. His non-fiction books cover fiction writing (Creating Stories), self-publishing (How to Self-publish and Market a Book, Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps), marketing (Book Marketing Fundamentals) and author business (Business Basics for Authors).

He also lectures on these subjects in schools, libraries and on webinars.

Hank recently started https://hankquense.podia.com/ The site provides solutions to pain points (problems) for fiction writers, self-publishing authors and authors who are trying to market their books.

Connect with the Author: ​Website ~ X ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads


Enter the Giveaway

CREATING STORIES Book Tour Giveaway

 




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Friday, December 23, 2022

Book Blitz Spotlight: The Broke Author's Directory for Book Reviews from The Author Support Group

Today, we have a nonfiction book for writers in our book blitz spotlight!  Check out The Broke Author's Directory for Book Reviews and learn about The Author Support Group in this book blitz feature!

 

Non-Fiction/Business

Date Published: 10-24-2022

Many of our posts contain affiliate links.
Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an
affiliate partner.  
 

About the Book

As authors, we all know how important it is to get reviews for your book. Reviews help spread the word about your book, and it increases your book’s visibility and online promotion. Yes, the struggle is real and, as authors, we’ve all been there. That’s why we’ve compiled this book. Now, the purpose of this book is not to make sales. That’s why there is no cost for this book. The purpose is to distribute and share the information with our fellow authors—authors that we hope find the information as useful as we have. We did not want to write a “how-to” for getting reviews, because we think most authors have heard all the possible ways. Instead, we wanted to compile a list of valuable resources for getting reviews. And these valuable resources are specifically for the broke author.


The sites you will find in this book have options that are COMPLETELY FREE. These sites may also offer additional paid options, but, of course, those are entirely optional.


So check out this list of free resources, and we hope you get reviews out of them like we have.


Sincerely,

The Author Support Group


About the Author(s) 

The Author Support Group is a small group of indie authors that have come together to share marketing and promotion ideas for little to no cost.

 

Buy the Book 

Get Your Copy


RABT Book Tours & PR
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Saturday, July 9, 2022

The Self Publishing Guru: Book Marketing Resources for New Authors Book Review

This morning, I wanted to share something for writers in our book review featured spot!  I recently had the opportunity to read and review The Self-Publishing Guru:  Book Marketing Resources for New Authors from the Book Marketing with a Bang! by The Book Marketer.  Learn about the book and check out my thoughts in this book review spotlight.

Many of our posts contain affiliate links.
Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an affiliate partner.  


About the Book


Do you want a career as a successful author?

You may have worked out how to get your book published for free and launch it on the world’s biggest retailer platforms — but you still need to make people buy it. Which is not always so easy! There are a million blog posts recommending the latest book marketing tips and tricks, but where do you start? How do you find the real book marketing secrets?

The Self-Publishing Guru is a list of must-have tools for new authors. As established authors, we offer you the benefit of our experience in sharing the most efficient and cost-effective resources to develop your author platform. Not everyone can afford a publicist and self-publishing on a budget is a reality for most new authors. We hope this free self-publishing guide will help you.

Start developing your self-publishing empire with this list of the most effective resources available to authors.

 

My Review

 

The Self Publishing Guru offers an Easy Use / Easy to Understand Guide for New Writers. With short chapters--the authors of this marketing guide for self-published authors hit the highlights of a wide range of marketing options, to-do tasks, and ideas. The guide, written in a very organized manner, recommends some tried and true resources and options and serves as a great starting point for new authors venturing into self-publishing and self-marketing. 

 

The Self Publishing Guru Covers a lot of Material in a Short Time. From finding virtual assistants for outsourcing tasks to finding book reviewers, connecting with potential readers via social media, newsletters, groups, and more--as well as learning about editing and design and podcasts--this book is a great launching point for your book marketing efforts. Each chapter is short, direct, and to the point--but really does offer some unique and beneficial ideas and resources.

 

Would I Recommend The Self Publishing Guru: Book Marketing Resources for New Authors? I loved the layout of this book and found myself making some notes, visiting some resources, and learning about some new things. The book highlights just a few resources relative to each chapter. Still, those few will allow new authors to explore options and ideas along with The Self Publishing Guru's recommendations. Some of the resources and links do generate affiliate income for the book creators. I would definitely recommend this book as a quick read to dive into the world of marketing for self-publishers. Readers will also find additional resources, courses, and suggestions for further learning toward the end of the book.  


Buy the Book

Amazon

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