Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: authors

  • CYBER SALE 2022 – The Annual Chanticleer Thank Goodness I’m a Rooster Sale!

    Time is Running Out — Don’t Miss Out on these Once-A-Year Deals!

    Chanticleer's Thank Goodness I'm a Rooster CYBER SALE

    ONLY CYBER SALE of the YEAR 

    CHANTICLEER says

    “THANK GOODNESS, I am a ROOSTER!” 

    CYBER SALE

    We can’t save the turkey,

    but we can save you $$$

    Check out these T.G.I.A.N.A.T. SPECIALS

    (Thank Goodness I am Not a Turkey)

    SALE PRICES ARE VALID Wednesday, November 23rd until midnight PST Wednesday, Nov 30th, 2022

    CYBER SALE – LIMITED TIME

    Check out these awesome sales!

    Chanticleer Editorial Book Review Package for $370

    Purchase the book review package now and you can redeem it anytime in the future.

    Use this code upon checkout to receive the discount the unprecedented discount of $100: BKRVWTGZANAT

    Audio Book Reviews are also eligible for Chanticleer’s only CYBER SALE of the YEAR!

    Our Book Review Package (Regularly $470) includes SEO, Meta-Data, Tagging, Social Media Promotion, and Publication in the Chanticleer Reviews Magazine. Don’t delay! Be one of the lucky few to get in on this incredible rate. 

    Click here to purchase a Chanticleer Book Review Package for only $370.

    Receive a $100 discount off CAC23 registration, The Chanticleer Authors Conference package that will take place LIVE and IN-PERSON from the Hotel Bellwether (April 27-30, 2023).  USE THIS CODE     CACTGZANAT23

    Note: This is our 11th Anniversary Conference and you do not want to miss out! 
    Seating is limited, so Register Today!

    a Wreath surrounds CAC 2023 for the Chanticleer Authors Conference

    Learn from the Best at CAC23

    Past Presenters include: Cathy Ace, Robert Dugoni, Chris Humphreys, Scott Steindorff, and other insightful and exciting presenters.

    Sessions on Fundraising for Authors, Audio Book Creation, Multi-Selling Platforms, Digital Marketing, Expanding Readership, Advanced Writing Craft and Content Creation, Social Media Efficacy, Increasing Sales on Amazon, SEO and Why Authors need Alphabet SOUP, BISAC Codes, and much more.

    Multichannel Marketing

    and the Business of Being a Writer

    The New Era of Content Creation in All Its Forms

    Take Your Writing Craft to the Next Level  

    Use this code upon checkout to receive this $100 discount – our deepest discount for the conference.  CACTGZANAT23

    Gift Cards? You betcha! 

     

    Click here for more info and checkout.

    Holiday Gift Cards for ANY AMOUNT 10% OFF

    Valid for any Chanticleer Product or Service

    Use this code upon checkout to receive the 10% discount: GCTGIANAT

    We will ship the gift card out in a wrapped gift box to anywhere in the USA or APO addresses — compliments of Chanticleer! 

    Click here for more info and to checkout.

    And REMEMBER, PAYPAL Offers 6 Months Same as Cash! 

    Don’t Delay! Take advantage of this Once A Year CYBER SALE!

    This sale ends firmly at midnight PST Wednesday, November 30, 2021. 

    As always, please contact us at info@ChantiReviews.com for any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

    We wish you and yours a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

    We are thankful for you, Dear Chanticleerians! 

    Be well. Stay safe. Keep on Writing Because We Need Good Books More Than Ever! 

    Kiffer, Sharon, David, Argus, Scott, and the Entire Chanticleer Team! 

  • Chanticleer Author Marketing Primer: Hashtag How-To

    Chanticleer Author Marketing Primer: Hashtag How-To

    Authors marketing their books on social media need know how to use hashtags. Hashtags are a fairly simple concept, an effort to index categories among posts, but for the newcomer to social media they can be intimidating. Even those who know about hashtags may not be aware of the intricate ways to maximize their benefits.

    Hashtag Types:

    • Organic/Topics
    • Promotion (brands, products, people, events, etc.)
    • Discussions/Issues
    • Activities (Day-of-the-Week/Themes)
    • Asides (humor, reflection of emotions, feelings, states of minds related to the post)

    Why do we use hashtags?

    There are many reasons to use hashtags, but keep in mind that our most important reason for using a hashtag is to enhance our exposure among people who don’t follow us. Even if you have one Twitter follower, using #amwriting has the effect of increasing your followers for that one post by showing it to anyone who is searching on that topic.

    If you are using a hashtag that is unique or has very little exposure–which you might do to create a branding effect, or spawn a new social activity (like #YouMightBeAWriterIf)–you would pair it with a hashtag with higher exposure to give your post better support.

    Basic Hashtag etiquette:

    • Don’t go overboard. Use two, maybe three. More than that will communicate “this is spam” to people.
    • Use clear and concise hashtags, generally. Long hashtags are not easy to read. So keep them to a minimum and know that if you do use one some eyes will slip past without comprehension.
    • Use hashtags that are relevant to your post and help people find the posts they want to find. Think of it like creating an index at the back of a cook book. If cream puffs were listed under #shrimp that would confuse and possibly upset a lot of people.

    Where to Place Hashtags

    Hashtags may be used on any social media, and are typically found within a post in an #organic fashion, or at the end of the post like an index word. Twitter is a platform where the hashtag is so endemic that it often becomes like punctuation, performing its function while remaining nearly invisible to readers, as long as it’s not overdone.

    Using a hashtag as part of a sentence is understood and accepted on Twitter, probably due to the character limit. But on Google+ and Facebook the hashtags are used less and can be intrusive in the middle of sentences. When in doubt on Facebook and Google+, add your hashtags to the end of your post, even on a separate ending line.

    If your hashtags sticks out like a sore thumb, it may communicate “this is spam”, especially on some platforms, and that may create a negative reaction to the post.

    How to vet a Hashtag

    Always run a search of the hashtag on Twitter or the platform you will be using, to make sure the other posts using it will be good company for your posts. You don’t want to accidentally use a hashtag that has a lot of inappropriate content under it–or worse, co-op a hashtag meant to promote an important social issue for your own self-promotion.

    Next use https://ritetag.com/hashtag-search to look up your hashtags to see how well they will serve as promotional tools. RiteTag will give ratings to guide you.

    These results will change over time, but here are a few examples of the different ratings that RiteTag uses to vet hashtags:

    #Free shows up as red with a “!” and a message “Don’t use this hashtag or you will get lost in the crowd”. The statistics show that people are tweeting over 5000 times an hour under that hashtag–lost in the crowd is right!

    #Writing shows up as green with a lightning bolt and the message “Use this hashtag to get seen now”. The statistics show it’s being used nearly 300 times an hour, but over 3.5 million people are seeing those posts. But keep in mind whats hot today could be gone tomorrow.

    #Pubtips shows up as blue with an hourglass and the message “use this to be seen over time”. The current stats don’t look very impressive, but the history shows that it has regular and consistent surges in activity.

    #Pubtip (I intentionally used this one to demonstrate how one little letter can make a difference) shows up grey with a crossed circle and the message “don’t use this, very few people are following it”. The stats are almost empty and the history shows very low usage.

    Enjoying these tips? Learn how to market and sell more books at our upcoming Chanticleer Authors Conference. #SeriousAuthors register for #CAC17

  • 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Authors to Improve Marketing and Book Sales

    10 New Year’s Resolutions for Authors to Improve Marketing and Book Sales

    What are your next moves?
    What are YOUR Next Moves in 2017?

    Five Free Action Items to Strengthen your Author Platform in 2017

    1. Spiff up point of sale information on Amazon Author Central – Read our handy how-to article on using Author Central.
    2. Create your author media kit – A page on your website which contains, at the very least, your official bio, both long and short versions written in third person, your official author image, nice and large, with a good quality resolution.
    3. Write your book club questions – Read our article on how to write your questions and pitch to book clubs, written by two of our speakers for the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference.
    4. Create an editorial calendar for 2017 – Plan your blog and social posts ahead so you never miss an important time sensitive topic. Make a spreadsheet to track holidays and days devoted to important social issues which you might want to post about such as: Banned Books Week, or Independent Bookstore Day, or Indie Author Day (celebrated by local public libraries).
    5. Make an appointment to meet with your local book store’s buyer – If your books are not on the shelf of your local book store, often all it takes is making an appointment with the right person. If your books are on their shelf already, it’s a good idea to touch base now and then, ask about special display opportunities and events you can get involved in.

    Five Ways to Invest in your Author Career Business in 2017

    1. Commission your professional head-shot – Have you been using an assortment of photos taken with your phone for your author photo? A professional photo will boost your confidence and give the impression to potential readers that you are serious about your craft. Show them they can expect your books to be worth the time and money you are asking them to invest, by making a little investment yourself.
    2. Hire a professional cover designer – Take a hard look at your book cover. A good cover can make or break your book sales. Don’t make the mistake of thinking any good artist can make a book cover. There are subtle and even subliminal cues for each genre that communicate to readers through your book cover. Read our article on the concepts professional designers use to create book covers that can mean the difference between hundreds or thousands of book sales per year. It is worth the investment.
    3. Improve your book with editing services – even if your book is already published. The digital age allows for tidying up those little typos and “orphans and widows.” The editorial process is an essential tool for authors. There are a range of services available and every one of them can help improve your book. A better book means more book sales. Satisfied readers will be create buzz, write reviews and become dedicated fans for future book sales. Investing in editing is not as simple as hiring an editor, most editors specialize in one specific type of editing. Read our article on the 5 different types of editing services to understand what you are getting when you hire your editor.
    4. Invest in your author website – If you don’t have an author website yet, you need to get one. If you have a website, when was the last time you refreshed it’s look and design? Website fashions come an go, keeping your site design fresh tells visitors that you are still “there” and they can expect fresh content if they come back often, or a response if they comment.
    5. LEARN – Professional development for authors is never ending. More information exists about writing than one person can probably absorb in a lifetime. You can read books, sign up for classes, get a coach, go out with publishing professionals for lunch or an after work drink to make connections and build relationships, and attend author conferences and stay in contact with those you meet. Make a professional development budget for 2017 to improve your craft as well as your business skills.

    What are your next moves? We’d love for you to share them with the Chanticleer Community of Authors!

    HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  • Gift Ideas for Writers from Chanticleer Reviews (and a special holiday discount!)

    Gift Ideas for Writers from Chanticleer Reviews (and a special holiday discount!)

    It’s that time of year, the annual dilemma of what gift to get your favorite author…or the annual dilemma of how to suggest to your family and friends what author-ly gifts you really want this year. Or maybe you are looking for something special to gift yourself this year? We are gonna make it easy–if you are the gifter then use this post as your guide, if you are the giftee, forward this post on to your family and friends as a not-so-subtle hint.

    Of course, the old stand by is a notebook and pen, but anyone whose been a writer for any length of time probably has a secret horde of pens and notebooks and other stationary fetishes, and may have had too call a moratorium on the acquisition of more writing implements. Once that happens, it is important to start getting creative. Though, let’s face it–creativity is a key component for giving a gift to a person whose whole life revolves around creativity!

    There are so many articles out there already–we really should start with a few of these great resources:

    And now we are adding to the already abundant repertoire on the subject (plus throwing in a few bonuses as our gift to gift givers!)

    1. An editorial book review

    Do you know an author who has published a book or will be publishing a book within the next year? One of the best tools for boosting the success of a book is having an honest and objective editorial book review (what is an editorial book review?). If the book is not published yet, quotes from an editorial review can be used for cover blurbs, and once the book is published it will lend a great deal of legitimacy that can help readers make the decision to buy the book. It is also an expense that, after paying for editing, cover design, printing, etc. an author may have a difficult time fitting into their budget. If the author in your life has a hard time buying it for themselves, why not buy it for them? (some of these gifts require uploading manuscripts, so if you don’t have access to that check out the gift cards in #6).

    2. A manuscript overview

    Is your favorite writer struggling with the first draft of their novel, or do they need a fresh set of professional eyes? A manuscript overview is one of the first steps of the editing process that publishing houses will use to make sure that the overall story and structure is sound. It’s an evaluation to give the author a sense of where they are strong and where they need work in their story, giving them a guide for how to tackle editing the book. It’s a step indie authors sometimes miss out on. Help out the author in your life by gifting them a manuscript overview.

    3. A Book Award

    Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just give a book award to the author in your life? Well, it doesn’t work that way, but we have the next best thing–a contest entry! It’s also a good low budget option if you started reading this article thinking of just buying a pen and some paper, and the prices on the first two options were way out of your league. Our Chanticleer International Writing Contests and Book Awards come with all kinds of goodies for winners, including a free review, a blue ribbon, digital badges, and even cash for the grand prize winners. The odds are better than a scratch and win ticket if the book is well written and well edited! Why not do something nice for the author in your life and enter their book into our writing competitions!

    4. An Author Conference

    The Chanticleer Author Conference is an exceptional gift idea for the author in your life. And it’s not your typical authors conference. This is the one for the author who knows everything there is to know about writing craft and now just needs to know how to sell their darned book. We teach actual business skills necessary for any author looking to build an audience and boost their success. And if they won one of our book awards, a ticket to our Awards Gala to walk up to the podium and accept their award is part of the conference package! Buy the author in your life some extra business skills with a ticket to the Chanticleer Authors Conference.

    Special Bonus Gift!

    Now through midnight on December 31, 2016, we are offering $50 off the current Early Bird rate for the Chanticleer Author Conference for a limited time. 

    Purchase your conference package with the code 50CAC1716 before December 31st.

    5. Promotional Stickers Stocking Stuffers

    If the author in your life already has an award or a book review from Chanticleer stuff their stocking with a new pack of “Award Winner” stickers to put on their books. Every little thing to make their book stand out on the bookstore shelf will increase book sales. We conveniently have an entire line up of stickers for every type of winner and reviewed book. Put your sticker order in soon! (sorry it might not get there in time for Christmas at this point…but just don’t put the stockings away when you take down the decorations…)

    6. Gift Cards from Chanticleer Reviews!

    A brand new feature that people have been asking for and we have finally created. Chanticleer Reviews now has gift cards! Order them for the author in your life today! Send us an email with the subject “Purchase a Chnticleer Gift Card” to chanticleer@chantireviews.com.

    Thanks for checking out our holiday gift ideas! We love helping authors boost their success. If you are thinking of buying one of these items for the author in your life and need help deciding. Please send us an email with the subject “Help me buy the perfect gift from Chanticleer!” to chanticleer@chantireviews.com.