TIPS & TRICKS FOR SUBMITTING TO BOOK AWARDS IN 5 EASY STEPS

Nov 19,2021 / By Katie Hennessey / No Comment

And the winner is . . .

Every author dreams of receiving recognition and praise for their book, and with award season just around the corner, you may be thinking, How can I submit my book to awards? Well, we’ve broken it down into 5 easy steps!

Step 1: Determine which awards your book is eligible for

This seems pretty straight forward . . . most awards have categories for all genres to enter, but in some cases awards will focus on a specific genre. This is particularly seen with children’s books. That isn’t the only restrictive factor; you will also need to be sure you are looking at awards that are open to self-published authors. Fear not—there are many! In some cases you may also find national awards that focus on the author’s country of residence. Be sure to always read the terms of eligibility for the award you are submitting to.

Taking all these factors into account, here is a great resource for finding self-published book awards www.writersunion.ca/self-published-book-awards

QUICK TIP: Not all awards come with a monetary prize. Whether you’re looking for fame and fortune or simply some recognition, keep this in mind when considering which awards you submit to.

Celebrating Tellwell authors in the media, award-winners, bestsellers, and more!

Oct 18,2021 / By Monica Martinez / No Comment

From book launches to rave reviews to bestsellers, Tellwell authors have done it again! We’re always thrilled to celebrate author success!

Immigration, Race and Survival:

From Trinidad to Canada: Living in Parallel Worlds

by Cecily Pouchet Alexander

Author of Immigration, Race and Survival Cecily Alexander was featured in The Caribbean Camera!

This memoir is a collection of many journals she has kept over the years. She uses journalling as a way of working through feelings and emotions and of learning from her experiences. She has had a career as a dietitian for over forty years. Her career has included academic writing, and she has one previous book publication: a book on nutrition and weight loss called “Just Eat Less: Easier said than done.” She has a master’s in business administration specializing in organizational behaviour in addition to her nutrition degree from the University of Guelph. She has taught at both the university and college levels. She lives in Southern Ontario.

Tips & Tricks

Navigating the World of Instagram Promoters

Sep 3,2021 / By Tellwell Publishing / No Comment

As we enter into the digital age, the key to success seems to be developing a strong online presence. By connecting with your audiences online, you have the potential to reach hundreds, even thousands, of potential readers with the click of a finger.

Picture this: you’ve just started your author Instagram profile! You’ve set up your Creator profile, you’re sharing fun and engaging content about your book, and you’re using a variety of hashtags to reach as many people as possible (#bookstagram and #indieauthor being some favourite of ours!). Suddenly, your direct messages are flooded with reviewers; all of them telling you how much they would love to read your book and how they can help you gain followers and awareness through their promoting – all for just one simple fee. But, who is a reviewer, and who is a “reviewer”? Who will actually deliver, and who is really just looking for an easy scam?

Don’t fret – we’re here to help!

Meet the Team

Marketing consultant Katie Hennessey on her role in educating and empowering authors in their book marketing efforts

Jan 29,2020 / By Monica Martinez / No Comment

1. Tell us about your role at Tellwell.

As a marketing consultant at Tellwell, I am an author’s final point of contact in the publication process. I work with authors on creating the best strategies to promote and market their book based on their goals, time and budget. It is my goal to help educate and teach authors about all the extraordinary resources available. Children’s books are my specialty!

2. What did you do beforehand?

I wore a few different hats prior to starting at Tellwell. After I graduated from the University of Victoria with a B.A., I worked in real estate, supporting agents with marketing and administrative duties. Real estate didn’t feel quite like the right fit, and I decided to go back to school to become an elementary school teacher. It was during this time that I became aware of an opening on Tellwell’s marketing team, and couldn’t resist the opportunity to become a part of an industry I feel so passionate about.

3. How would you describe your personality?

I like to describe myself as Miss Congeniality. I love helping others and am highly organized. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. I typically see most things with my rose-colored glasses on, always wanting to see the glass half full, rather than half empty.

Book Marketing Tips & Tricks

The secrets to forum marketing for authors – how to promote your book online

Jun 26,2019 / By Monica Martinez / No Comment

Tips on how to successfully promote your book in online forums

Online forums offer a huge opportunity for writers and poets to share their work, expertise, and advice with others as well as engage with readers and authors. Many online communities are dedicated to specific subjects where people go to seek information, share their experiences, opinions, and offer advice. These forums allow people to build community, engage and learn from each other on issues that are important to them.

By being active in a forum, you are positioning yourself as an expert and are allowing for your content and book to be discovered by people who are actively seeking information (or even books) on the topics related to your book.

Here are our tips on how to use forum marketing to generate awareness and buzz for your book:

1. FIND THE RIGHT FORUM. The key to forum marketing is finding the right community in your niche. You want to narrow your list to a handful of forums and then commit to being active on a few. Here are some tips on how to narrow your search:

· Look for forums that have at least 1,000 members and 10,000 posts

· Make sure the forum gets at least ten to fifteen new posts on a daily basis

· Ignore forums that are overrun by spam
· Avoid forums hosted by your direct competitors

Here are a few suggestions for you to check out:

· Writing Forums

· Published Authors Forum

· Canadian Forums and Canadian Content: for news and politics

. Maple Leaf Web: For all things Canadian
. Reddit: Find a subreddit for your genre or subject related to your book

Meet the Team

Meet Tellwell’s marketing director Monica Martinez and hear her book promotion advice

Dec 21,2018 / By Monica Martinez / No Comment

1. Tell us about your role at Tellwell.

As the head of marketing, my role is multi-faceted. I lead and manage Tellwell’s digital and content marketing, book marketing as well as work directly with authors. This means I create and optimize our ads, landing pages, value offerings, manage our social media accounts, blog, and newsletter. I also lead our wonderful book marketing department, where we help authors promote and market their books. I do work directly with clients as well. I really enjoy the variety in the role and working with my talented colleagues and authors.

2. What did you do beforehand?

I had a career as a journalist prior to Tellwell. I worked as a television reporter, video-journalist and anchor for CHEK News, CBC and Global News. I not only reported but also filmed and edited my own stories. Before that, I worked in various marketing roles in both the non-profit sector and the private sector.

3. How would you describe your personality?

I am a happy and positive person who is self-motivated. I believe attitude is everything, and being mindful of our thoughts and emotions is crucial. I’m extroverted and enjoy playing in the abstract.

4. What inspires you?

People who are living their optimal life, especially people who have overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve success.

5. What do you enjoy most about your role at Tellwell?

I enjoy the combination of creativity and analytics. I have a lot of opportunities to develop creative materials, write, and think outside the box, but I also enjoy studying the numbers to see what is working and what can be further optimized. I appreciate working in a startup environment where ideas quickly turn into action. I also enjoy working with authors and staying on top of trends in the publishing industry.

Guest Post

Learn about the self-publishing process from Tellwell author Frank Cardinale

Sep 26,2018 / By Monica Martinez / No Comment

By Frank Cardinale

Why did you chose to self-publish?

As a father of four young children and cyber security consultant with multiple projects on the go, I wanted to finish my book as soon as possible before it remained an idea on my computer for eternity. While one of the editors of my book recommended trying the traditional publishing route, I felt that it could delay it indefinitely if I were to get into a rejection and re-edit situation. Most importantly, as I feel strongly about the theme of the book and often found myself discussing it with other parents and students, I wanted to get it into their hands as soon as possible.

What inspired you to write your book?

When I became a parent, the concept of education became important again, wanting to give my children the best education possible. I wasn’t the best student and after a little reflection, something stood out. While I was receiving bad grades for messy handwriting and the inability to sit still for long periods of time, my teachers were bringing in their computers for me to fix, and asking me how to install programs and write scripts. I was being graded on my ability to write reports on books I had no interest in, but not on the ability to configure MS-DOS, RAM and hard drives. My report cards began making me feel incompetent, and worst of all, I began to believe I was.

As I believe many students go through this experience, I decided to write a story that highlights the issue and wrote Gift From Above. My goal with the book is to reach students or parents with children that are struggling with school, and highlight to them that the education system isn’t a good fit for everyone and that there are many ways we can still obtain a high-quality education.

Tips & Tricks

What is 49th shelf and how can you be using it?

Jun 26,2018 / By Tellwell Publishing / No Comment

In celebration of Canadian culture and talent, allow me to introduce you to 49^th Shelf – an online database designed to make it easier for readers to find Canadian books by Canadian authors.

Similar to Goodreads, those who sign up for a membership (which is free,) can populate a user profile and use the website to search for new book titles. 49^th Shelf features reading lists and new releases, and you can also search for books by author or by book title. Each book listing includes the cover, description, publisher and retail information and links that redirect to the outlets carrying the title for purchase.

While it isn’t necessary to become a member, joining the 49^th Shelf community allows you to contribute reviews, comments and book ratings, create and share reading lists and recommendations, and enter to win advance copies and new releases through their giveaways.

Tag Archives: tellwell marketing

Step 1: Determine which awards your book is eligible for

Tips on how to successfully promote your book in online forums