We're proud to congratulate our author, M.M. Cochran, on reaching the Amazon best seller list! Between the Ocean and the Stars, a dynamic coming-of-age mystery, reached the top 100 on Amazon's best seller list for Young Adult novels last week. ​

Praise for the book
"This was an amazing debut novel...that leaves you hooked from page one until the very end!...This is a must read novel for all book lovers." 
-Bookstagrammer @memyshelfandwine

"It kept me intrigued and turning the pages until the end." -Books, Cooks, Looks

"Cochran writes an emotional and gripping story of young love and how far we would go to achieve it." -Bookstagrammer @nurse_bookie

A new and dangerous psychological thriller from award-winning author, M.M. Cochran coming September 17, 2024 in print and e-book. This exciting new psychological thriller from award-winning author M.M. Cochran will keep you up at night. 

Also available from IngramElliott Publishing
Don't miss the author's debut young adult novel hailed as, "Heartbreaking, poignant, and emotional," and "an intense first love story." 

A finalist in the 17th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards, Between the Ocean and the Stars is a mystery romance where high winds and passion collide.

When Chicago journalist Jessica Knight is linked to a string of odd murders, she must navigate being under the watchful eye of the police––and the killer––while risking it all in a dangerous game to make up for the mistakes of her past. ​

M. M. Cochran is an award-winning journalist and fiction writer. She is the author of young adult mystery romance novel Between the Ocean and the Stars, which was named a finalist in the 2023 National Indie Excellence Awards. She lives in the foothills of South Carolina and can most commonly be found watching sunsets, making homemade lattes, or seeking out the next adventure. Keep up with M. M. Cochran on Instagram @m.m.cochran_writer.  

Guest blog post by contributor Sierra Osborne

What are book trailers?
Book trailers are essentially commercials for books, designed to pique your audiences’ interest and get them excited to read your story. They're short videos, usually around 30 seconds to 2 minutes long, that use a combination of visuals and audio to give you a taste of what to expect during the read.

Have you ever watched a movie trailer that persuaded you to buy a ticket to see the film? Or even purchase the movie itself? Imagine that same concept, but for your book.
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Here's what a book trailer typically does:

• Introduces the genre and tone of the book: Whether it's a thrilling mystery, a sweeping romance, or a hilarious comedy, the trailer will give you a sense of what you're in for.
• Highlights key plot points and characters: You'll get glimpses of the main characters and some of the challenges they'll face. But don't worry, they won't spoil the entire story!
• Hooks you with a compelling message: The trailer will leave you wanting more, eager to dive into the full book and see how the story unfolds.

How are they made?
An engaging trailer can leave a lasting impression on viewers, and the more effort you put into it, the more compelled your audience will be to read the book. Effective trailers can be shared across social media platforms, reaching potential readers who might not have otherwise come across the book.

Ultimately, the goal of a book trailer is to generate interest and lead to sales. Book trailers can boost sales by capturing the essence of the book, making the genre and tone clear, and enticing viewers to take action. Studies have shown that people are more likely to purchase a product after seeing a video about it. Trailers can be a powerful tool for authors to convert that interest into sales.

Book trailers can be made in a few different ways, depending on budget and desired complexity. Here's a breakdown of the general process:

1. Concept and Script: This is where you brainstorm and solidify the key message you want your trailer to convey. Write a script that outlines the visuals, narration (if any), and music to achieve that goal.

2. Gathering Assets: This involves collecting the visual and audio elements you'll use in the trailer. These can include:

• Filmed Scenes (Live-Action): For a more professional look, you can film short scenes with actors portraying characters or depicting key events.
• Stock Footage: Websites offer royalty-free video clips that you can use to represent certain settings, moods, or actions.
• Images: This could be book cover art, character portraits, or evocative images related to the story's themes.
• Text Overlays: Text on screen can be used to introduce key lines, chapter titles, or other elements.
• Music and Sound Effects: Music sets the mood and tone, while sound effects can add realism and impact.

3. Editing: The magic happens here! You'll use video editing software to assemble your clips, images, text, and audio into a cohesive and engaging sequence. There are many editing programs available, some with user-friendly interfaces suitable for beginners.

4. Polishing and Distribution: Once you're happy with your trailer, add any final touches like titles, credits, or calls to action. Then, export the video in a format suitable for online sharing on platforms like YouTube, social media, or your author website.

Alternative Approaches

• Animation: If you're comfortable with animation software or can hire an animator, you can create a more visually unique trailer using animation.
• Online Trailer Makers: There are online services that offer pre-made templates and tools specifically designed for creating book trailers. Check these out if you are a beginner on a budget.

The bottom line ... whatever your vision, bring it to life in whatever way you can! Your audience is waiting.

Your readers know you best by the words you’ve written and the stories you’ve created, but do they know your voice? For most people reading a book is simply just engaging in a story from the first to the last page, then putting the book to the side. However, there are some readers that are impacted beyond the pages and remember what they’ve experienced years later.

What if you could reach an audience before the book and after its ending?

About 30% of the world’s population are auditory communicators. They thrive in learning and discovering information through discussions, debates, and stories told verbally. A majority of this category indulge in audio books and podcasts, and of course this isn’t exclusive.

The growth of podcasts since COVID-19 has been consistently exponential. As an author you would be tapping into an expansive realm including politics, sports, and other hot topics, but you wouldn’t be the first.

Author John Green of the novel The Fault in Our Stars has a podcast where he talks about being a writer, the inspiration behind his story telling, and his crazy experiences after the novels’ success.

Having a podcast to describe your writing process and share with people the journey you took before and during would open up a lot of perspective and allow people beyond your readers to discover you and your talents.
​
The after would include the motivation for your books character building and plot development. Readers always want to know ‘what was this character’s inspiration?’ or ‘what led the author to have this happen?’ or ‘why did the author end the story here?’. Those common lingering questions and genuine curiosity could all be answered by you personally.

As mentioned before, answering readers questions would be a key success to your podcast. If you wrote a book in the eyes of the opposite gender, where did you draw your inspiration from? If a serious and impactful character in the book was killed off, why did you make that choice? Why did you choose to write in multiple POV’s? The list has potential to capture the attention of your readers, and other people that come across your podcast. 

Everyone wants to know more than what you presented on the pages, so think outside the book!

Another great suggestion is an author interview on your own podcast. You can have another person asking you these questions, or other questions of your choosing. There’s also the ability to have a discussion with your publisher in an interview, and what made them finalize the choice to choose you.
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Creating a community with other author’s that have podcasts can expand your reach. You can stay in the niche of your genre or be open to other possibilities. The other authors don’t need to have a podcast- just feature them on yours.

As much as you promote yourself and your book on social media, make it a point to promote the podcast as well.

Someone stumbling across your book may not be inclined to read it, but they may be interested in your podcast. Just simply listening to how passionate you are about your work may be the turning point for them.

Sierra Osborne is a writer, content creator, and avid reader. She's created podcasts, book trailers, and more. 

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Image by Tumisu from Pixabay
Image by Markus Winkler from Pixabay

Special IE author guest blog post
By M.M Cochran

Introducing your novel to the world comes with a handful of tasks that only the author can complete. For example: promoting it on social media, to the press, and word of mouth. I’ve been a published author for only a few months, but I had over a year to prepare for my book launch. Today, let’s discuss the ins and outs of creating a social presence for your novel, written from the fingertips of someone who has very recently done so.

​Build the hype
As soon as you find out you’re publishing your novel, spread the word. There are several steps to take to get the word out and give your book presence among your community, including these tactics: 
​

• Contact the local press to report on a community member signing a book contract
• Release the information on ALL social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc.)
• Tell your local church, school, or contact your old college who might share the news on their webpage

By announcing this exciting information, your novel will have a presence of its own among your community.

Social media: a whole different presence
The first thing I did when I signed my first publishing contract was share the news on social media. From there, I created excitement and started to build an audience who followed me along my journey, all the way to the moment I was holding my hardback in my hands. Moreover, my novel had an online presence––perhaps the most important there is. But how does this help a book launch? Let’s dive into this.

​By creating an online social presence, the book becomes familiar with your followers, whether you have an audience or not. Prepping for the book launch on social media will unconsciously build an audience among followers; by seeing content related to your book release every few days, it will become expected and desired.

When my book was about to release, I did a few things that my publisher said helped my number of sales, which included:

• Sharing quotes to tease readers
• Sharing fun facts about the book
• Posting aesthetic pictures of the book
• Writing posts about my publishing journey and how I felt about release
• Writing raw and honest posts about the hard parts of publishing and writing

My online presence grew from only hundreds of followers to almost 3,000 between the time I announced my book was under contract to the day of my launch. The experience was encouraging for a little author like myself, plus it impressed my publisher and sold more copies than I thought my homemade advertising could pull off.

What about online presence after the big launch?
Many authors have no problem spilling the hardest part about publishing, and to sum it all up, it’s marketing. Writers are writers, but they’re also content creators, master marketers, and multitaskers. All of this falls under the dreaded umbrella of selling your own book. While publishers have worldwide distribution and connections, in the end, they count on the author of their novel to sell that story better than anyone. I mean, who else is better to do the job?
 
With that being said, I want to share what I did to heighten my success after my book launch.  After my book released, I did a few things on social media such as:

• Expressed the success my book received in the first week
• Shared reviews of my book from online sources
• Had a social media manager design posts about my novel
• Constantly had something book related on my Instagram and Facebook stories
• Focused on keeping my pictures aesthetic and appealing to my teenage audience

​Staying consistent and enthusiastic about your novel brings attention to the story and the author. The more present the book is on social media, the more people will be enticed to read it.

When focusing on a book launch, don’t forget the little details like engaging with followers, responding to their feedback, and being overall active with them. There’s no better way to sell a book than to first build a relationship with the reader. In the end, make your book launch not only about your book but about everyone who is walking alongside you in your journey to publication, and at the end of the day, enjoy your moment in the spotlight!

Special IE author guest blog post
By M.M Cochran
 
Writers and social media don’t always mix very well. But authors and social media? That’s a must. I know, I know. . . writers of all kinds are typically reclusive when it comes to making private life public. All we ask of the world, with puppy dog eyes and hands in prayer position, is this: “Will you buy my book?”

Here’s a fact: the world just might do that––IF you put it out there for them to see. So, the nagging topic that seeps its way into every author’s life . . . “social media as a new author.” Let’s chat about it.

I’m M.M. Cochran, new author of my debut young adult novel Between the Ocean and the Stars, published by our very own IngramElliott. When I first signed my contract with them, they told me to prepare to do some heavy marketing on social media. And if you’re trying to promote your book, personality/brand is what’ll make you or break you. Seems crazy, right? But as a new author myself, I had to find a way to make myself known, and to tell you the truth, branding myself, which means also branding my book, is really quite fun.

New authors, Instagram is your best friend. (Raise your hand if you want to consider spending hours on Instagram “work”!). My tips and tricks for promoting my book is this:

• Stay active.
• Keep your audience engaged in your life.
• Do you go to coffee shops often? Share that on your story.
• Do you write a new chapter every day? Let your followers know that.

After all, your audience follows you for a reason, and that reason is because they’re interested in seeing your life as a writer. With a debut novel coming out, show them what the publishing process looks like, or the writing process, or the editing process.

My social media development started taking off when I announced on Instagram that I’d signed my first publishing contract. It’s been growing ever since. Here’s some quick tips and tricks that helped me get the ball rolling:

•  Posting consistent content that’s book/writing related
• Familiarizing my followers with my novel/book title/cover
• Staying engaged with my followers (comment and like their posts, respond to their DMs)
• Letting them know they can contact me with questions
• This is an important one: Keeping my page pretty
• Building a community of readers/writers/my fans that support me
• Having longer captions vs. one-liners
• Being honest. I.e., Reflecting the hardships of book writing 

 

​As we’ve discussed before, your author brand is crucial to your success as an author. A huge part of this brand is marketing. Your content, social media, and overall marketing strategy are all critical components of you and your book's presence to readers and potential fans. But sometimes it can seem like a lot to manage, right? What if we told you that you didn’t actually have to do it all on your own?

What is a virtual assistant and how can one help me as an author?
Having a virtual marketing assistant is useful on all fronts of the marketing side of your brand. A virtual marketing assistant can do things like reach out to book bloggers and influencers for reviews, create newsletters to go out to your readers, and create content and manage your social media. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t have a hand in the marketing side of things, but it will significantly alleviate the pressure on you to perform all marketing tasks on your own. 

Make a list of tasks you want help with
Ideally, once you hire a virtual assistant, you will create a list of tasks for him or her to perform. This list will, of course, vary from author to author. It’s important to know what tasks you want your virtual assistant to accomplish before you even search for one to ensure that you hire exactly who you’re looking for.

Some things to consider putting on the list could be:

1. Social media upkeep and social media content creation
2. Newsletters for your email list
3. Setting up virtual author events (or eventually, real life author events)
4. Reaching out to book bloggers for reviews; writing blog content
   
5. Keeping your Goodreads and Amazon author profiles fresh and up to date

A good way to determine what to have your virtual assistant work on is to make a list of things you either dislike or avoid and things that don’t really need your direct input. By doing this, it frees you up to work on the things that do need your direct input – like edits to your manuscripts, important meetings, and speaking engagements. A clear idea of what you want your virtual assistant to do makes it easier on both of you moving forward.

How to find a virtual assistant
So now that you have a general idea of what a virtual assistant is and how they can help you with the marketing side of your job, you might be wondering how to find one! There are several different ways to find a virtual assistant, but we’ll give you tips on some of the easiest ways.
 
Start with a simple Google search. Searching “Virtual Marketing Assistant United States” will yield different companies through which you can hire a virtual assistant. Of course, not every company will be a perfect fit, so you’ll need to set aside some time to look through the list of companies and search by the set of skills you’re looking for to find the perfect virtual assistant for you.

​A popular site to hire freelancers through is Upwork. If you visit their website, there is an option on the homepage to find a freelancer in the “Admin Support” field. You can then select the “Virtual/Administrative Assistance” option.

• Upwork gives you options to filter for “complex project,” “longer-term contract,” or “short term” – select whichever option feels like the best fit for what you’re looking for. For example, if you want someone to create a weekly newsletter, you’d likely want to select longer-term contract. If you just need someone to create a press kit for your most recent book release, short term might be a better selection.
• You’ll then need to select your estimated project duration and level of experience needed. Before getting results, Upwork will ask you to sign up to get free quotes.
• It’s free to sign up, and, once you do that, you’ll have access to Upwork’s candidates that match your requirements!
• Upwork will create a “job post” based on what you entered, and candidates can apply for your job, as well.

 
Another great way to find a virtual assistant or social media manager is through LinkedIn. You can search for local people in your network with expertise specifically in social media and marketing, content creation, or managing your schedule, if that's what you need. 

Belay services offers website and social media specific support as well. Learn more on their website about how to work with their assistants. 

Take the time up front for future success with your VA
Although it may take some extra time up front to sit down and come up with a game plan for hiring a virtual assistant, it will save you time in the long run. Hiring a virtual assistant is a great way to prevent yourself from burning out on the tasks you don’t enjoy as much about your job. If, after reading this, you’re interested but still unsure if a virtual assistant is the best option, remember that you can start small! Try hiring a virtual assistant for just one or two small tasks at first to ease yourself into it, and then go from there. There’s no exact formula for what your virtual assistant needs to do, so you have the freedom and liberty to craft it to what you need specifically. ​With a little research, patience, and open-mindedness, you may find exactly what you're looking for to help boost and maintain your author platform. 

Author Robin Elno's latest installment in the award-winning Clown William series enjoyed a successful virtual blog tour throughout February. IngramElliott Publishing partnered with Premier Virtual Author Book Tours for several stops at prominent book bloggers around the globe, including reviews, excerpts, and exclusive interviews with author Robin Elno. Thanks to our reviewers and fans everywhere for their tremendous support for Clown William and the Wind of Vengeance!

Enjoy the reviews below as well as two special author interviews hosted by International Book Promotion and Teddy Rose Book Reviews. 

The story is highly spectacular, with the author taking his time in matters of character development with his writing being so vivid and well researched. Elno paints a vivid landscape that transports the reader. For western fiction literature lovers, Clown Williams is an outstanding masterpiece which is not only worth your time but also deserves a place on your shelf. 
​​-Gud Readers review, Goodreads

Author Robin Elno is on tour! Robin's latest installment in the award-winning Clown William series will be touring review blogs from February 3 - 28. IngramElliott Publishing is very excited to be partnering with Premier Virtual Author Book Tours on several stops at prominent book bloggers around the globe. The tour features reviews, excerpts, and exclusive interviews with Rob

You can follow Robin's Tour Schedule and enter a giveaway at Virtual Author Book Tours. 

About the book
.A gunfighter with Tourette’s and a quick draw . . . Book three in the award-winning Clown William series finds William on the run. William blames Jesse Evans for starting this violent life and wants to pay him back, but first he must stop the bounty hunters on his trail and defeat his own internal tornado—before becoming a victim.

About the author
Robin Elno is a retired army colonel, semiretired psychiatrist, and full-time author. He lives in San Antonio, Texas, where he is an active member of the San Antonio Writers' Guild. Elno’s Clown William series was inspired by the work of neurologist Oliver Sacks, who wrote about the unusual speed and accuracy often displayed by people with Tourette’s syndrome. Intrigued by the idea that strengths can rise from differences, Elno created the unique and compelling character of William. Elno’s novels are often set against true historical backdrops like the Wild West.

We've talked much in our blog about the importance of social media and building an author platform through an online presence. As the leaves change color, consider changing your approach as well. It can be a challenge to make time to keep up online presences but as the leaves go on falling, the world of social media goes on spinning. We get feedback from partners all the time on how important it is that an author have a strong presence online when searched for. An author's social media platforms are used in marketing programs, book awards programs, blog tours and reviews, and even purchasers can find you if you put yourself out there where you can be found.

This fall, we encourage all authors to take a fresh look at their platforms by following three simple steps. 

Even if you are not a pro at this, what matters is that you stay active. It really is about connecting to other people which may include other authors, readers and fans, or groups that you are interested in.

A few pro tips

• Set aside a half hour each week to search for authors and books you enjoy. Follow them. 
• Scroll through your Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook feed and "like" or "heart" content in your feed from those you've followed.
• Review books on Goodreads and follow other members' and authors' reviews. 
• Follow your favorite authors on Goodreads and check your Goodreads feed once a week. 
• Join a Goodreads group that interests you. 
• ​Make sure your author photo is up to date across all sites.

Lastly, if you don't have the desire, interest, or time in doing all of this, search for and hire a virtual marketing assistant to help you do all these things . . . and it won't break the bank! You can specify marketing assistants or social media assistants and hire someone to help build your brand, keep your sites fresh, and work with you on connecting to followers. Search on LinkedIn or Google for people in your area (if you want someone local) or work with people around the globe offering their services. You can also find students at local colleges that may be interested in the job or just through people you know and already work with. Ask around!