branding Archives

  Have you ever considered changing genres? Or did you try but it turned into an utter non-starter? As I head into my next major genre leap, I asked some fellow jumpers five basic questions about their ideas, successes, and fu—, uh, hard lessons learned. The jumps Some say that writers’ brains are wild, entropy-driven vortices. Based on the jumps these folks have done, that is an accura…

Estimates vary, but some industry trackers suggest that 5,000–7,000 new books appear on Amazon every day, and a growing number are mass‑produced or algorithmically generated. For working authors, differentiation isn’t just about craft anymore; it’s about visibility, connection, and trust. Author‑entrepreneur Joanna Penn suggests we “double down on being human.” Here are strategies from NIN…

How to find the phrases that sell your books Anyone who’s paid attention to advertising and marketing can tell you that the right phrases and words get a reaction from consumers. And that definitely goes for the marketing of your books. So how can you find the phrases and words that work for you and sell your unique books to your unique audience? What’s the point of your marketing? Marketing is…

Gather savvy authors together and guess what we’re going to chat about? Writing craft, publishing, our latest manuscript woes, marketing techniques, and, yes, book covers. We asked NINC members what you wonder about when it comes to cover design, and you answered. You wanted to know about book cover strategies, tactics, and the use of AI (artificial intelligence). Even if you didn’t submit a sp…

In Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare writes this line from Juliet to Romeo: What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. Likewise, authors sometimes wish readers would judge our books purely based on prose, character, and plot. But let’s face it, readers are often swayed by an eye-catching book cover or a clever title. The reality is that there are mil…

After a recent interview with my author friend, she proudly shows me the covers for the next four books in her Christian romance series. My marketer’s eye immediately sees that the designs mimic each other too closely and aren’t distinguishable from one another. Their muddy color palette won’t pop against competitive titles, especially as a thumbnail online. Wanting to support her success, I pr…