Marketing Tips + Trends + Useful Stuff
Choosing a Book Title: How to Do it With Focus
We all know that a book’s title is important. Titles carry a lot of weight and can make or break your book sales. But choosing a book title can often turn into a rabbithole of research and overthinking, or worse, it can be done on a whim and you end up sticking with a...
Avoiding Book Cover Blunders and Dealing with Unexpected Outcomes
This past week, many news outlets were writing about JD Vance's latest memoir. But it wasn’t the kind of attention most authors want. Why? Well, in case you missed it, his book, which focuses on his return to faith and conversion to Catholicism, featured a Methodist...
How to Build Your Reader Audience Through Authenticity and Connection
If you’re wondering how you can build your reader audience in a world of increasing competition, algorithmic uncertainty and the growing presence of AI, you’re not alone. The thing is, there is no one magic trick to give you an advantage in the ever-shifting...
5 Things to Include on a Memoir Author’s Website
Although every writer needs to build a sense of trust with their audience, a memoir author’s website needs to build a sense of trust in who you are and your story because that story is centered on you. It needs to create a sense of intimacy to build connection and...
How to Write an Attention-Grabbing Book Description
An attention-grabbing book description compels readers to buy your book. But how do you write one? Well, luckily there’s a formula for that! Below, I’ll cover what you need to include (or not include), how it should be structured and how the words you chose can make a...
Why Professional Standards Matter in Self-Publishing
Professional standards matter in self-publishing for several reasons and the lack of them is harmful not only to your book and your reputation as a self-published author, but to the industry as a whole. It may seem snobbish to insist that this is the case, or it may...
6 Book Marketing Ideas for 2026 You May Not Have Tried Before
These six book marketing ideas for 2026 may not be new, but they’ve been tried and tested, and maybe you just haven’t tried them before. It’s not about revolutionary ideas and going viral because there is no one magic trick that will make you a best seller overnight....
What Makes a Compelling Website Book Page? A Guide for New Authors
As a new author, you'll want a compelling website Book page that draws in your audience and makes it easy for them to purchase your book. So, you’ll need to speak directly to your audience, entice and engage them, and convince them that your book is worth taking a...
Do Your Author Marketing Assets Need a Refresh?
When was the last time you checked in on your author marketing assets? Because they may need a refresh. Content and other assets can grow stale or dated over time, so it’s always a good idea to schedule a yearly reevaluation and update them as needed. And the new year...
Beta Readers: An Explainer
Beta readers can be an integral part of the publishing process because they potentially help polish your manuscript, offer insights into reader experiences and expectations, and even help you become better at your craft. But to get the most out of what they have to...
Your Book’s Metadata is its Key to Discoverability: How to Get it Right
Your book’s metadata is more than just the details you upload to IngramSpark or KDP, or the codes librarians and book sellers use to place or find your book. Metadata is also the key to your book being discovered by readers organically. Why? Because readers are...
Accessible Websites Offer Inclusion and Audience Growth
Did you know you could possibly be losing a huge portion of your audience simply because your content is not accessible? It’s true. Accessible websites offer not only inclusion, but audience growth. Recently, digital inclusion strategist, Belo Cipriani, and I...
Reader Reviews
We publish a weekly blog with marketing strategies, contests, checklists, insider secrets, and more. Here’s what readers are saying.
“Reading Jeniffer Thompson’s Author Branding Updates is like having a friend inside the marketing business telling it to you straight. Every issue is packed with practical strategies, key resources, and professional advice for authors and entrepreneurs of all experience levels. I learn something new in every issue!”
“Wow. Enjoyed reading these tips on simpler and varied content. It made me think more about what I post. I am putting together a chapbook of posts I wrote on coping in the year of the pandemic. I will use some of your ideas to promote it.”