Meet Mia Nichols, Social Media Specialist

Mia Nichols owns a small social media management business, Social Media by Mia. The business handles social media for all sorts of companies, with a specialty in social media for crafters and jewelry makers. Learn more by visiting http://socialmediabymia.com.

1. What made you decide to start a social media business?

I love social media. I love figuring out what works to get people engaged. So, it made since to put what I love to use.

2. How did you choose to specialize in working with businesses related to crafting and jewelry making?

I love doing crafts and making jewelry in my spare time. However, health issues and issues with my hands keep me from doing it very often. It made sense to me to put my two loves together to form a business.

3. What do you think makes for good, engaging content when it comes to social media posts?

A combination of things. Videos and quotes from other parts of the internet, photos and links to your products, and general commentary.

4. If someone is posting regularly but finding that people don't seem to be interacting much with their posts, what are some strategies you might recommend?

Set up a social media schedule. Figure out what types of posts you want to post on what days. Then stick to the schedule. Find out what times of day work best for posting based on who is engaging.

5. For people who are just starting out in their craft-related business, what are your top three pieces of advice?

1. Set up your social media accounts so people can find you.
2. If you can afford it, hire someone to do your social media for you, so you have more time to focus on what you love.
3. Just keep at it.

Thanks, Mia!

Meet J. New, Author

British author J. New writes crime thrillers with a dark side, short stories, and flash fiction with a twist. She draws on her interests in psychology, spirituality, and the metaphysical to weave tales that explore the darker side of human nature. Her writing is a mix of crime, thriller, murder-mystery, and suspense with a touch of the supernatural.

Her first novel, due out summer 2015, A Poisoned Mind, features protagonist Dr. Mary Gray, a criminal profiler and poisons expert with a secret past and an eerie gift. A child prodigy with an unhealthy upbringing, followed by an event in her twenties that would have catastrophic repercussions, Gray teeters on the brink of a mental breakdown whilst hunting a serial killer.

J. New's writer influences include Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Clive Barker. A staunch supporter of Indie-authors, she loves scouring bookstores, both physical and virtual for her next favorite writer. She currently lives with her partner and three rescue dogs, where she drinks too much coffee and is a slave to her keyboard.

Find J. New's Predator or Prey – Short Tales With A Twist, on Amazon and on Kobo

1. How did you first become interested in writing thrillers?

As a reader, I've always been interested in mysteries and thrillers, and probably half of my bookshelf is made up of that particular genre. When I made the decision to begin writing full-time, it was natural for me to create something that I loved and wanted to read myself. Writing something you are passionate about translates into much better words on the page, and consequently the readers and fans of your work have a much better experience.

That said, I'm not a great fan of pigeonholing an author's work into a particular genre. My work includes elements of suspense, drama, mystery, crime, psychology, and the supernatural, so trying to fit it into a particular box is almost impossible.

I've also penned a short story entitled "The Yellow Cottage" which is available FREE on my website for those who would like to become part of my reader group, and that isn't a thriller at all, but as with everything I write, it has a great twist. I've had some wonderful correspondence from readers about that one.

As an author, whilst I write because I love to, and have an almost visceral need to create, at the back of my mind, always, is the fact that I'm writing for my readers. Without my fans, (those that buy or download free everything I produce), I wouldn't be able to continue. So my responsibility and promise to them is to produce the best and highest quality work I can.

2. What do you most enjoy about the genre of flash fiction, and when writing the pieces in your recent collection, did you limit yourself to a specific number of words per story?

I absolutely love writing flash fiction. It's an incredibly disciplined way of working, and I love the challenge. It's also a great tool to help with the self-editing process for longer works. Surplus words have no place in this style of writing, so you have to make every word count. You'd be surprised how many ways there are of saying the same thing. Flash fiction is an art in itself, and requires you to produce a very short, but complete story in around 500 to 1000 words. Whilst it may sound simple, it's actually more difficult than you would think.

I also like to include twists in every story I write, regardless of length. With flash fiction you have room for just one, so you have to make it count. Many of those who have written to me after reading my latest collection have said they were wowed by the twists and didn't see them coming. That's the best feeling in the world for a writer, knowing that your work has achieved exactly what you wanted it to: that your reader has become emotionally involved in the story.

My latest collection Predator or Prey – Short Tales With A Twist, is a combination of flash fiction and short stories, with the shortest being 560 words and the longest around 1,600. It wasn't a conscious decision to limit myself in terms of words for each piece. I wrote what was best for each story, eliminating words I didn't need, and increasing the pace and suspense, so that the reader experience was the best it could be, and the integrity of story wasn't compromised.

3. Why did you choose to publish your work independently?

It's all about retaining artistic control. Contrary to what a lot of people think, being an independent author does not mean being an amateur. It means being a professional, who prefers to retain control of their work, in order to provide the highest quality for their readers. With the advent of self-publishing in recent years, it's become much easier to get your work into the marketplace, and many well-known, traditionally published authors are now choosing to independently publish their work, in order to reach and grow their audience. With e-readers and Kindles it now takes seconds for a customer to purchase and begin reading your book. That's incredibly exciting for authors and readers alike. And of course, one thing which is important to me is that retaining control means I have a direct link to my readers, which I love.

4. What are you working on now, and what future projects do you have planned?

I'm currently working on my debut novel, A Poisoned Mind, which is a murder-mystery thriller. When a young college student is found murdered in bizarre circumstances, Dr. Mary Gray, criminal profiler and poisons expert, is called in to consult on the case. It soon becomes apparent that this is not a one-off crime; there is a serial killer on the loose. When a second body is uncovered, it becomes a race against time to find the perpetrator before he strikes again. As the clock ticks down and her "gift" kicks in, Mary Gray teeters on the brink of a mental breakdown as the past she has tried to conceal collides with her present in spectacular fashion. It's based in the UK and is a pure joy to work on. I'm planning on releasing it in the summer this year.

Alongside that I'm currently planning out the first of a new series. It's a murder-mystery collection based in Victorian England, so sort of a Conan-Doyle meets steampunk, but with a thriller edge to it.

5. I like that your website includes a Writer Toolbox, resources for other Indie-authors. What are some of the resources that have been most important to you in your journey from writing to publishing?

I'm a huge advocate of indie-authors, and over the last couple of years I've been publishing, have learned a huge amount. It's important for me to be able to share with others what I've learned, especially those who are just starting out. Indie-authors aren't in competition for readers, the way it used to be in the traditionally published world. It's so much easier for people to get their hands on books now, and they are reading more than ever before.

In terms of resources I use and learn from regularly, the blog and training of author Nick Stephenson is one of the best. Another is the website of Joanna Penn, an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. Both Nick and Joanna are incredibly successful within their fields, and continue to provide up-to-date and immensely useful information about the industry.

For setting up your writer platform, then you need look no further than the site of Kimberley Grabas. Simply called Your Writer Platform, it provides everything you need to get up and running. Two of the most well-known indie-authors are Johnny B Truant and Sean Platt, and they produce the popular Self-Publishing Pod-cast, and are also the authors of Write, Publish, Repeat, one of the best writing craft books there is. There's much more on my website.

If you are a writer, then sign up for my Readers Group email--you'll get my free short story "The Yellow Cottage," and just drop me a line and let me know you're a writer. I periodically send resources and information which I find to be invaluable, covering everything from starting out, writing courses, marketing, software, and anything else I think will be useful to you in order to make your writing life easier.

If you sign up as a reader, then I'll send news of my releases, book recommendations, competitions, and freebies I've found. I only send it once or twice a month, but it's packed with great stuff for book lovers.

You can sign up for J. New's Readers Group and receive your FREE short story by clicking here. You can also connect with her on social media: Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Introducing Casa Couture Furniture Designs

Based in Chicago but selling its wares online to shoppers everywhere, Casa Couture Furniture Designs is a store that specializes in furniture pieces which are created from redesigned antiques. The founder and creator of Casa Couture is Julie Gathman who hand-selects antique pieces from markets and other locations around the midwest, and then she redesigns the pieces to create unique items.

If you are looking for one of a kind furniture, check out Casa Couture. I enjoyed the before and after page on the shop's website to get an inside perspective on how Julie creates her pieces. Many of the creations have a light-hearted feel and would definitely enliven a room! I found many brightly colored pieces which maintain the lines of the original piece while infusing it with new life.

To keep up with the latest pieces in the shop and to read more about Julie's creative process, follow Casa Couture on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr.

Kelly Le Brock Takes Action for National Hunger Action Month

Did you know that September is National Hunger Action Month? Actress and model Kelly Le Brock (I know you remember her in The Woman in Red and Weird Science) is busy with a project that both helps food banks across the country and helps families eat in a healthier way.

The project is a collaboration with foodtweeks™, a mobile app that you download for your Android or iPhone. The idea of the app is that it suggests tweaks to help you adjust your diet in little ways that add up to big reductions in calories. The cool part is that foodtweeks™ donates the same amount of calories you save to food banks across the US.

When you set up your free account and use the promo code KELLYLEBROCK, foodtweeks™ will double your donations. Kelly Le Brock is also doing some special social media campaigns where you can add even more to your donations. Check out her Pinterest page as well as Instagram. Kelly will be using hashtags such as #healthycooking and #foodtweeks4foodbanks and #hungeractionmonth. Keep an eye out on Facebook and Twitter as well.

Kelly will be doing public service announcements and other publicity throughout September to promote National Hunger Action Month and increase awareness of the needs of our food banks. In her off-screen life, Kelly has been a rancher for the past ten years and raises her own food for her family. She hopes to promote healthy eating choices through her work with foodtweeks™.

Meet Petra Ortiz, Author, Publisher, and Book Trailer Designer

Petra Ortiz is an author and publisher. She creates promotional videos, audio products, and book trailers that entice viewers to take action. She is always studying and working towards improving the value she provides to her clients.

Petra enjoys helping business owners, whether online or offline, gain more happy, loyal, and repeat customers by producing high quality video and audio creations. Find samples of Petra's book trailers on her website as well as on Pinterest.

Below is a slide from a video she produced for a client.

And here is a sample video in its entirety.

1. How did you get started making audio and video products?

Well as far as voice products are concerned--it's funny to me how that started. Ever since my first "job" at 14 yrs young, as an office assistant and all the jobs I've had since then, I've always been the one chosen to record a phone system's greeting message. Each time I asked why I was asked to do it, I'd always receive the SAME simple answer: "because you have a nice voice."

So, I decided I should learn how to record and edit my voice, because I was being asked more and more to read scripts for the videos I was ultimately producing for clients. I have recorded for radio shows, blog posts, promotional videos, book trailers--and am now being chosen for voice acting jobs as well (those are always fun). In my offer's description I mention that my voice works well for clients that are looking for an honest, sincere genuine and happy voice--not necessarily a "salesy" one.

As far as video products are concerned: I love videos; I search YouTube all the time to solve almost any problem I may have. My children learn from YouTube videos as well, and in fact I am starting a "Lego" channel for them soon, because they enjoy building Lego sets. I am so thankful that it is available.

One of the things I enjoy doing is helping other people learn how to do something--it can be anything. Because I love watching videos to learn, I figured I'd better learn how to make my own to teach others. I create videos to provide helpful information. When I look back on things that have happened in my life, and how I got myself out of things--then I shared the information with as many as I could, to help them avoid the same mistakes and mishaps...I understand now how that's basically why I do what I do.

I mostly make videos for myself about a free product or site that I really like and wish to advocate. Other times I am promoting things I love. I'm always happy to receive "thank you's" from viewers. Shortly after making videos for my own needs, I started getting requests to make them for others. And requests to voice the videos. And requests to create tutorial-style videos and so on and so forth. I rather enjoy doing this.

So when I first heard about outsourcing, and Fiverr, and began my search for the best illustrators there for my books--I decided and it seemed like a natural thing, to begin offering my services there too. Traditionally I created products for local clients, and now I can offer my services on a global scale--it's pretty cool! After all, they, like Amazon and other big companies, spend tons of money on generating traffic to the site. And anytime that a business owner can associate him/herself with a site that already spends big money for reliable steady huge traffic, that is a plus in my book.

2. As both an author and a video producer, what particular knowledge and skills do you bring to making book trailers?

For audio products, having a good microphone, a noise-free room or studio, and good audio editing software is essential. It takes time to learn how to use software properly, fully and more importantly efficiently. For making book trailers, understanding how to manipulate music and voice recordings is important.

For the video production, you will need the audio skills I mentioned, and also video editing skills. You will need to know how to use different platforms (and there are tons out there), not just the technical aspects of these platforms, but how to use them creatively, so that your clients will get great feedback on your work, and that increases the chances for more sales for the client, plus that the video will be shared with others. This means more "word of mouth" advertising for the author, working 24/7 in his/her favor. This also means more referrals for the video producer.

Having these skills, plus experience in writing scripts, generating traffic, and writing and publishing ebooks, paperbacks and audio books helps me to understand more what my client's needs and wants are. Which means I can help to create something enticing for him/her. And that is what this is all about: enticing the viewer/reader to get them to take action. (By the end of reading this entire post, are you ready to take action and create your next book trailer?)

3. How do book trailers help authors (in other words, why does an author need a book trailer)?

There are tons of books produced every year. Only a small percentage have book trailers produced for them. How many movies have no movie trailer?

How does a potential ticket buyer or book buyer know that a movie or book is available (aside from walking into a theatre or bookstore)?

By having book trailers "out there" on the web, an author has a way to entice potential readers to want to take a look at the book's listing--to "take action" as I mentioned. This allows the potential reader to decide to buy, download a sample, spread the word about the book in an easy way using sharing icons available at most video sharing sites.

And how much does it cost to have 24/7 access to a book trailer on a video sharing site? Nothing.

A book trailer allows the author to convey the tone and genre, or even make the potential reader's problem (for a non-fiction book) "blow up" in her/his face--and then show that potential reader that his/her book IS the solution.

Let me ask you: when you use a search engine to find out about a topic, do you readily notice--and then click-on-- the hits that have a video thumbnail image? Or do you bypass those and look through the other listings?

As an example, visit Google, Yahoo or Bing and type "dumbo octopus book" and look at how many video thumbnails are present. Why? Because Google "loves" Amazon, and Google owns YouTube. So naturally, Google will show more YouTube video thumbnails and more Amazon listings near the top and on the first page.

4. Your blog mentions resources to help authors and entrepreneurs promote their work with free and low-cost methods; how does video and audio content come into play? (In other words, how do you keep your content affordable for your clients?)

By educating prospective clients, it is an easier, and less costly process to have a book trailer produced. It saves time, because one is getting exactly what they want, and it saves money because projects don't have to be re-ordered, re-created, re-done...and at an inexpensive base price for a nice looking video, why not get several made?

In order to have a book trailer created, and preferably after that author or publisher has watched samples to get a feel for what he/she would like, it's very important to decide what to do and what to hire out for, when it comes to the following:

1. Is a voice over going to be utilized? Yes? Then you need a script for the voice over part (a book description helps, and reviews and testimonials help for this, too).

2. A script of the texts that the author wants displayed in the video. Some videos show texts, word for word, while others, show bits of sentences here and there. It all depends on what the content is, and what mood one wants to convey. Think "what type and what combination of items will create the most intrigue?"

3. Images and/or illustrations (or will it be a text heavy video, with just the book cover as the only image utilized?).

4. Music--very important! A video without music is boring, and most people will not sit through and watch it.

5. How much money is budgeted for this book trailer? Decide this at the beginning so there are no surprises later.

6. A portion of the audio book can be utilized as content for the "voice over," which also saves money.

7. A portion of the book can be utilized as content for the script to save money on copywriting.

So to keep things affordable:

A. The ebook I mention below will help tremendously, and it is short and to-the-point as far as how to find the best people to hire, and which items in particular to buy.

B. Using the book listing's description, and reviewer's subject lines and reviews will help craft an awesome script. Otherwise, it would be better to have a person write a compelling script for you, especially if the book description is just a block of text. By this I am referring to bolding, bulleting, spacing--as far as the book's listing page--to create more enticing slides.

C. The use of royalty-free, and attribution-free, stock images and or stock footage, and stock music will save money no doubt. If the free items are not to one's liking, there are sites I recommend all the time that either allow you to purchase individual items, or offer packages and subscriptions. I have music, images, and footage to use in my video productions, but always refer sites to people that would rather look and choose on their own. The only cost is one's time.

5. For someone with a low budget and a product to promote, what advice would you give?

I am currently writing a book, and creating a course on this very topic. Because most of my clients come to me not knowing exactly what they want--and not knowing what it all entails--I want to help them make the best decisions for their project, with their budget in mind. I want to make it simple to understand, and productive and highly successful for us both. Rather than spend hundreds to thousands for a book trailer, they can have several created at a fraction of the cost.

Video and audio content, whether it's on a blog post, an article, in a book sample, etc is always going to be more noticeable, and more enticing, than a page full of text. More importantly, viewers will retain more of that information, because of the way it's presented.

I recommend going with a book trailer that is only going to cost $5.00. In my instance, that would mean that I'd create an up to 2 minute video using an animated template, using just your book cover image, your script of messages to display, and creating a nice-looking "book slide" with a call to action for the end of the video, and adding music to it of course. After that one trailer, I'm certain that you will want to have more created, in various styles, to promote your book even more. Once a video is uploaded to video sharing sites, it is there to stay.

The next step for an author or publisher will be to promote it heavily, either by themselves or by outsourcing some marketing. I can recommend several people whose main goal is to get as many potential readers as possible to one's book or offer.

You should also embed the video onto blog posts, articles and "sales pages."

The next step is testing various affordable promotional efforts, namely using the right offers at Fiverr. Find out which ones are bringing forth not just more sales, but also more social shares, and comments and subscribers. What I call "testing and tweaking."

Then focus on those in particular with which to place more time energy and budget into--because you now know the outcome of your efforts.

I highly recommend utilizing sites like Fiverr, which allow one to purchase high quality products and services at amazingly low prices. It is important to understand beforehand how to do so, so that a person doesn't waste time or money, ending up with an inferior product and frustration. It is for that reason that I highly recommend this book, written by publisher and author A. Parra Pinto, editor of the South American publishing company EDICIONES DE LA PARRA: The Indie Author's Guide To Fiverr Resources: How to Write, Publish and Promote Your Book for Only $5! (Kindle Self-Publishing 101), available on Amazon.

I am one of the people he selected to interview, because he was happy with my work, and because he wanted to share the top resources he found on the site, not just for authors and publishers but also for entrepreneurs.

I use his ebook before I am going to undertake my own projects, to find the best people. I also refer clients to his books as well as refer them to sellers offers based on the vital tips included. Even if someone decides not to hire me, I can at least point them in the right direction and I very often do because that is just the way that I am.

Thanks, Petra!

Meet Laurie Cohen, Entrepreneur

Wife, mom, grandma, and entrepreneur, Laurie Cohen is the party-planning expert behind the Celebrationz4U family of websites: Birthday Party Kidz, Halloween Kidz, and For Bride and Baby. For craft ideas, party planning tips, deals on party supplies, recipes, and more, follow Laurie on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

1. Would you describe the Celebrationz4U network of websites and what the sites offer to readers?

In 2007, taking the cue from some of my friends and reaching back to find something I knew and could share, I developed my first website, ForBrideAndBaby.com. Within the pages of the site you will find some of the most unique ideas for weddings and babies that the web has to offer. With the success of For Bride and Baby, I felt the desire to expand my business to include a websites where my current--and hopefully, new!--subscribers can find all the information necessary to throw fabulous children's birthday parties, and I started BirthdayPartyKidz.com. In 2010, after seven grandchildren, I decided to start HalloweenKidz.com as a place to find Halloween costumes to match any theme, as well as fun costumes and accessories for kids to use year-round while playing dress-up.

2. How did you first become interested in the party supplies / party planning business?

I have been an entrepreneur for over 30 years. Twenty years ago, I was the owner of the Northbrook, Illinois-based Kreative Kids and Parties, Inc. where I taught music and imagination classes to local children ages two through five. I also created a music and imagination class that I performed at children’s birthday parties. Kids and their moms still run up to me on the street and tell me I sang at their parties or at their children's parties!

From those parties came a personalized entertainment service selecting and contracting over fifty entertainers for parties. Several years later, I opened a complete party goods store providing the party goods and goody bags for children's parties--and favors and centerpieces for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and other parties. Now on its third owner, Kreative Parties is still a prominent business in the Northern Chicago suburbs.

3. What are some of your personal favorite ideas for party themes?

I have three daughters, so I'm partial to princess parties. Little girls love to dress up as princesses and invite their friends to court. The classic princesses like Cinderella are still popular. Princess party supplies are abundant and you'll find everything from tiaras to thank you notes for all the princess parties. Now that I have three grandsons, I get to see some boys birthday party themes like the Avengers, Batman, Spiderman, trucks, and tractors. I'm not sure that I have a favorite!

I also love Halloween parties. They can be made colorful and fun without being scary, and who doesn't like candy?

4. What do you think are the special touches that make a good party into a great party?

That's an easy one! Planning for every detail of the party is vital. I've created a birthday party checklist to eliminate forgetting anything; the checklist is available at BirthdayPartyKidz.com. There's also a bridal shower checklist and Planning a Baby Shower Ebook available on ForBrideandBaby.com.

The best parties have contingency plans and a complete schedule of activities from the time the guests arrive until you hand them a party favor. For kids' birthday parties, I always recommend getting some extra help. For less than you think, you can have your babysitter or a local college student or high schooler come and help with the kids and the serving. It's a lifesaver.

In planning parties with my own kids, we always started with a theme. It was often a decision based on many days of serious discussions between my daughters--who had minds of their own--and me, wanting to make them very happy.

5. Do you have advice for ways to find bargains and keep costs down when it comes to buying party supplies?

My number one tip is that you have an at-home birthday party. It's warm and fuzzy, and even with a professional clown or magician, it costs less than the local "in" place. At-home parties are also perfect for bridal showers, baby showers, and most any celebration. Once again, with the money you save in hosting your party at home, you can always spend just a little extra and hire some outside help.

Thanks, Laurie!