Today I’d like to talk to those book reviewers about their side of the issue. I understand that they want to make money from their websites. I know how much time and money it can take to run a successful website or blog. I’ve spent nearly a decade in Web publishing, running dozens of websites and blogs over the years (and doing so successfully and profitably). And I don’t begrudge any Web publisher or blogger the right to earn for the work they do.

I even tested paid reviews as a revenue source myself quite a few years ago before they led to penalties. That was on a business blog where I was paid to review and analyze company websites, giving the owners tips for improvement. I’ve also run review-heavy websites tailored to independent artists, where I knew better than to charge (I ran a PR firm, and was well aware of the reputation hit my sites could take in that kind of niche).

So believe me. I understand the temptation of taking that easy way out. I also understand that there are better options out there from years of testing in a wide variety of niches — some directly related to the writers you target for reviews.

Here I’ll provide tips from my years of experience in Web publishing and testing revenue streams to hopefully give you some new website income ideas that won’t put your site’s rankings and reputation at risk.

How to Make Money Without Paid Reviews

Here are eleven examples of revenue streams you can use to make money from your website without charging for book reviews. I’ve personally used all but three of these on the blogs I’ve run over the years. And of those other three, two are being incorporated into a major rebranding and site merger in coming months (which will include All Indie Publishing), and the third is being tested for possible inclusion on that site.

Here are the revenue streams you might want to try:

1. PPC Advertisements – These are ads, usually run through a third party network like Google Adsense, where you’re paid every time someone clicks. How much you earn can vary greatly depending on your niche. For example, I have sites in niches where it’s common to be paid one to several dollars for every click. And I’ve run sites in niches that are lucky to see $.05 per click on the high end. This is probably a better option for nonfiction book reviewers where you’re more likely to talk about high earning niche topics.
2. PPM Advertisements – These ads are similar in that you’ll generally work with a third party ad network. But instead of being paid per click, you’re paid based on impressions (similar to pageviews). In other words, you’re paid based on your traffic numbers and the eyes you can put in front of the ads. This could be the best option for book review sites that already see significant traffic.
3. Private Ad Sales – These can be either traditional banner ads or text link ads (although you’ll want to use the nofollow attribute for text links if you don’t want to be penalized by Google). You’ll often make more money per ad with private ad sales, but they also take the most time to manage.
4. Affiliate Promotions – Affiliate ads can look similar to private ads in that they’re often text links or banners. The difference is that you join an affiliate program first — you go to the advertisers instead of the advertisers coming to buy space from you as the publisher. You promote a product or service as an affiliate, clicks and purchases are tracked from your affiliate links, and you’re paid per sale (or other action, like a service lead). For example, if you’re an Amazon affiliate, you might use those third party ads in your reviews for books you feature, which eliminates direct bias that’s assumed when an author pays you personally. Or you could feature other products and services your readers are interested in that don’t directly involve the book reviews. For example, you might post affiliate ads for an e-reader or audiobook subscription services.
5. Run a Classifieds-Style Ad System – I don’t think it’s any secret that many authors (especially self-published ones) are huge self-promoters. Sometimes they actually get more of a “spammer” reputation for the way they like to plaster their links everywhere. So why not give them somewhere where they’re welcome to promote their new books aggressively? Find a classifieds plugin for your blog platform or other content management system and run a separate area for author ads. You make money. Authors get to reach your audience. And you don’t have to sacrifice the credibility of your book reviews in the process.
6. Add a Paid Niche Directory to Your Website – If you focus on book reviews for a narrow niche or genre, you might be able to make money by adding a paid directory for your site. For example, if I were to do this on my horror writing blog (which I wouldn’t because it’s more of an author site), I’d create a directory of independent horror writers. You could make all listings fee-based. But I can tell you in the Web directory world this generally doesn’t work. You’ll want to add plenty of listings yourself first to make the directory valuable to visitors. Only then will people think it’s worth paying for inclusion. Another option is to offer free submissions but then charge a fee for featured placement at the top of each category.
7. Sell Information Products – One of the best ways to earn revenue from your own website or blog is to sell your own information products — like short reports or e-books (generally the short, non-fiction, how-to .pdf variety). You can whip these up in days to a few weeks, and they can actually sell for more than your full-length books in newer e-book formats. That’s because they’re designed to be more like mini-classes than traditional books. My first was put together and released over two days and it brought in thousands of dollars both in direct sales and new business. As a book reviewer, you have insight authors want. You read a lot of their competitors’ books. You know what rocks. You know what sucks. And you know what authors need to do if they want to improve their own book reviews. So write a short information product up as a guide on getting better book reviews. Sell it. Win-win.
8. Sell Tools – If you don’t want to publish reports or e-books, consider selling other tools like worksheets, templates, or “kits” of some kind. You can also sell apps and online services if you know a programmer or can contract one (like a book review submission app). As for more traditional tools, why not offer a tracking spreadsheet template, pitch letter templates to accompany review requests, or worksheets to help authors pinpoint common story issues you see as a reviewer?
9. Offer Online Courses or Webinars – You could even turn those information products or tools into events like online classes or live webinars. You can often charge more for these, although you might reach fewer buyers. A webinar would be a great way to line up live call-in interviews with authors in your specialty area and charge for access.
10. Provide a Premium Members-Only Area – Instead of offering downloadable products or events, you could simply put your best content behind a paywall in a members-only area. For example, if you don’t happen to focus on indie authors, you might have a premium writer’s market directory featuring traditional publishers. Again, look for blog or CMS plugins to manage paid member areas (I’m currently testing one called Premise for WordPress).
11. Offer Related Services – Other than offering your own products through your book review website, offering services is your next best bet. For some of you, it might even be your biggest money-maker. For example, you’d have your public book reviews where no payments change hands. They’re completely unbiased for the benefit of your readers. As your opinions become more respected, you could start charging authors for private evaluations (which of course they couldn’t publish as reviews). You’d basically offer consulting services that go a step or two beyond your typical unpaid book reviews. The book reviews themselves become a part of your writer platform and help build demand for the services.

Those are just the primary revenue streams that I’ve played with over the years (or am currently preparing to test). If you get creative, I’m sure you can come up with other ideas. And they don’t have to put your reputation at risk the way paid book reviews can.

Have other ideas for book reviewers about how they can make money to support their sites? Share them in the comments.

You can find a wide variety of Android apps for writers these days, including several that allow you to write on-the-go and be more productive about planning and writing your books. Today let’s look at some of these apps.

1. Catch Notes – Catch Notes is a great app for organizing your ideas. You might use it to jot down story ideas. You could use it to save bits of conversations you overhear to inspire dialogue. Or you might use it to store change notes during the editing process.
   
2. Cardboard Index Cards – Plot your story on your Android device using this index card app. There’s even an add-on for the app specifically for laying out novels. I used the index card method for outlining my nonfiction manuscript, and I would definitely consider using this app to do the same in the future. It would be much easier to shuffle cards around and keep my notes with me at all times.
3. Writer – This app is a simple distraction-free word processing app. You get the benefit of full-screen writing capability with the formatting options of a traditional word processor.
4. Lists for Writers – This is the only premium app on this list, and it’s one of my favorites. It’s the ultimate writer’s block beater. Need character name ideas? Clothing descriptions? Character traits? Plot ideas? The perfect action verb? There’s a list for that.
5. Swype – I consider Swype a must-have if you’ll be doing any writing on your phone. It’s a voice-to-text app, and the best I’ve come across. It’s from Nuance — the company behind Dragon, Naturally Speaking. Use Swype with your favorite Android word processor to take notes, write scenes on the road, or keep in touch with interview sources.

Interested in other options? Check out my picks for the best Android apps for writers and bloggers over at All Freelance Writing. Have a favorite app of your own that might benefit other indie authors and publishers? Share it in the comments.

Even more than that, I’m a strong believer in hiring an editor. I don’t care how many editors you’re friends with. Your friends have an incentive to take it easy on you (even if they say they won’t), and an editor’s job is to be completely objective.

What do you do when your baby is ready for the eyes of another? How do you choose the right editor for your books, stories, or e-books?

I’m currently narrowing down my own options for a short story series. Each story will be released individually online. When the entire series has been published, my plan is to release both a print book and e-book collection. That means I need an editor who not only can handle the horror genre effectively, but one I can count on for a good stretch of time.

I’ve narrowed it down to three editors, and they’re all qualified. I’m still trying to decide who to contact first. But I suspect I’ll start with the editor a close colleague recommended. That colleague is similar to me in that she wants an editor who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is.

That’s my issue with editors I’m friends with. They know I’m a no-BS, very blunt kind of gal, and that can be intimidating to some of them. I need someone who can get down and dirty with my work and meet me on my own level to call me out on any crap I might produce.

I trust this colleague’s judgment without question. So if her editor is available and willing, I’ll probably start there once I finish my own rewrites on the first story (in a week or two at most).

The other editors were ones I happened upon on my own. One I found through a search engine while looking for editors in the horror genre. The other was found in a directory of professional editors. Both are perfectly fine ways to find an editor of your own, but to me there’s no substitute for a personal referral.

What about you? How did you choose the editor for your indie published work? If you were looking for a new editor today, how would you go about finding one who is a good fit? Share your thoughts in the comments.

The view made me think about how this environment sometimes impacts my writing.

The view this morning outside my office window was gorgeous. And mornings like this put me in a relaxed state where I tend to get a lot of writing done. It’s quiet. It’s peaceful. It’s beautiful. You can’t go wrong.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the circumstances), that isn’t always the case. The woods aren’t always so lovely. Sometimes they’re downright scary, especially during storms when these monstrous trees sway so hard they look like toothpicks on the verge of snapping. We’ve had huge branches come crashing down. We’ve heard the wind howling through the trees some like some demonic creature was on the loose.

We also live at the end of our road on a cul-de-sac. That means there’s only one way out. Neighbors are close enough to see, but not close enough to hear you scream unless they’re hanging around outside. And we’ve been dealing with a seemingly crazy neighbor for over a year who almost randomly decides to terrorize us and other neighbors with extreme noise levels and gun-related harassment. As beautiful as it is, it can feel like a pretty scary place to live sometimes.

Normally that’s unfortunate. It’s not what we expected when we moved here. I was just looking forward to a quiet place to write and a place where we could be left alone.

But sometimes it’s the fearful elements that make it easier to write. That’s especially true when I’m working on my mystery novel or any work in the horror genre (like the short story series I’m working on now). My environment makes it possible for me to physically experience the same kinds of fear I sometimes write about. And while it’s not a pleasant feeling at the time, I feel like it gives my writing more authenticity.

In my case my environment affects my writing in different ways depending on how it makes me feel on any given day. This morning that means I have a quiet writing haven and I’ll have a productive day editing a children’s book manuscript and blogging. Later, as the sun goes down and the neighbors likely come around, that comfort will be gone. And I’ll use that time to finish the first draft of one of my horror short stories and a new chapter or two in the mystery novel.

How does your writing environment affect your work?

I’m doing that with my husband this weekend. We’re heading to a B&B called Sayre Mansion, about an hour from where we live. We stay in a gorgeous suite which was part of the house’s old library. And the back room of the suite still has that library vibe — a few lovely old chairs, a writing desk, and two huge built-in bookcases filled with books.

My hubby’s taking me this weekend as a birthday getaway because I’m in some serious need of unwinding time. And I plan to tuck myself away for several hours in the back room of the suite, writing away. I can’t wait.

I think all writers should have somewhere else to go when they need to isolate themselves or put themselves in more of a writing mood. It doesn’t have to be a hotel. It could even be free — your favorite corner at the local library or a spot under your favorite tree at a local park for example. It’s just about changing the scenery once in a while to make it easier to re-focus our energies on our books.

What about you? Do you have a place where you occasionally take a mini writer’s retreat? How often do you go there? Tell us about it in the comments.

Now that I’m moving forward with that first draft again (my own edits to the manuscript before sending it off to a pro), I’ve come across a serious problem. I targeted the wrong audience.

Well, technically I didn’t target the wrong audience so much as I targeted a smaller audience than I should have. I targeted freelance writers. But really the book applies to almost any kind of freelancer you can think of. And even the title seems to imply that, so I was concerned other freelancers would pick it up and be disappointed that the content was so heavily tailored to writers.

It’s a challenge and it means edits will take longer than planned, but here’s what I’m doing to fix this before the book is released:

• I’m editing most writer-specific language to apply more generally to freelancers. Specific case studies and examples may still focus on freelance writing. 
• I’m adding other examples to illustrate points using other types of freelancing.
• I’m going to conduct a series of interviews with a variety of freelancers about how they attract clients without direct pitches. These will be featured as sidebar-style extras.

I’ll also have to make some major adjustments in the early chapters where I talk about querying. While this kind of pitching is common in most freelancing specialties, the term “query” is most commonly used by writers. So I’ll need to clarify the intent better.

In addition to this target reader change, I still need to write one or two new chapters to cover information I feel deserves more attention, especially after cutting another chapter I wasn’t happy with in earlier edits.

While I have little interest in being an obsessive perfectionist, I think the extra time and edits will be worthwhile in this case. After all, they’ll open the book up to hundreds of thousands of additional possible readers over time, and they’ll enable me to use other elements of my platform (such as a small business site I own) to actively promote the book to that broader audience.

Have you ever written a manuscript only to realize you need to adjust your target readership? How did you handle the changes (or did you decide to stick with your original plan)? Tell me about it in the comments.

On one hand, when I see people asking the question of whether or not it’s okay for authors to do this, the answer’s clear. I want to scream “of course not!” But what makes me want to scream even more is the fact that this conversation is happening at all. That’s especially true when we’re talking about online reviews, which we often are.

I get that indie publishing is still new for most authors. But if you’re going to use the Web to publish or promote your books, have the basic sense to understand the arena you’re entering first. Paid reviews are an ancient topic in the Internet age. So let’s just boil it down to the basics in case you missed them:

• Paying for reviews is stupid from a marketing perspective. As an author the only feedback you should care about is honest feedback. And you’ll never know if you’re getting honest feedback when you pay for that feedback. Even if you don’t insist on a positive review, not all reviewers going to tell you what they really think. They’re too afraid of how you’ll react or they’re afraid others won’t pay them for the same. There are ethical paid reviewers out there. But you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference. And you can’t improve your product or your marketing strategy based on a bunch of bullshit.
• If you pay for reviews and you do insist that all published reviews are positive, you’re a pathetic unethical schmuck. Period. If you aren’t ready for honest feedback, you aren’t ready to publish.
• Not only are there strategic and ethical issues with paid reviews, but you can also have your ass handed to you by Google. They don’t like paid reviews. You can be penalized if you’re caught. (And you probably will be caught.) Again, this is old news. And if you’re an e-book author, this can be especially problematic. Not only can you lose search traffic to your author or book website (and therefore direct sales), but if people find you somewhere else like Amazon and they want to learn more about you before buying, they might be SOL when they search for you and can’t find your penalized website.

Seriously folks. It’s this simple. Question: “Should indie authors pay for book reviews?” Answer: “Hell no!” There. All settled.

Just in case you can’t tell: laziness and a lack of common sense are major pet peeves. There’s really no excuse for this to be such a big topic of discussion. Maybe authors in favor of this really did miss all of the hoopla about paid reviews just a few years back. Or maybe it’s just my hypersensitivity to, and no bullshit tolerance for, spin given my background. Either way, it’s not enough to write. You need to make sure you understand the business side of publishing if you want to go it alone. If you don’t get the problems with paid reviews, you haven’t done your homework.

My 2013 Writing and Publishing Goals

The bulk of my work on books and e-books this year will be on the writing and editing side (with several publication dates expected early the following year after professional editing and design work is completed).

• Finish drafting the first novel in my Murder Scripts mystery novel series, under my Aria Klein pen name.
• Finish the first draft of the second novel in that same mystery series.
• Finish drafting my first horror novel (largely being adapted from a rough screenplay format) under my A.J. Klein pen name.
• Create and release the first Murder Scripts game (an ancillary product tied to the mystery series).
• Draft the manuscripts for four short children’s books under my Poppy Andersen pen name.
• Choose an illustrator for those books (art is another passion of mine, so I might do it, but I don’t expect to have the time).
• Release at least three Query-Free Freelancer information product style e-books.
• Finish my next draft of The Query-Free Freelancer manuscript (print book).
• Choose a professional editor for The Query-Free Freelancer.
• Draft the first short story for a collection to be continued in 2014.

It will be a busy year on all fronts of my business. But that’s where planning comes in handy. I usually set lofty goals knowing that if I don’t push myself hard, nothing will get done. So chances are good some of these things will get bumped. But if I mapped things out reasonably well, most will be completed as planned. And that’s something I’m excited about. I’m determined to make this the best year ever for me professionally, and when I put my mind to something, very little can get in my way.

How about you? What are you working on in 2013? Are you hoping to self publish your first e-book? Draft your first novel? Publish a collection of poetry? Win a particular writing award? Tell us about it in the comments.

The idea is to offer content and motivational tools to keep authors focused during the hectic novel writing month. That content will be published every day Monday – Friday throughout the month of November.

Access the NaNoWriMo freebies here. 

Here are a few examples of giveaways currently available:

• Get Started Calendar
• Motivation Master Plan
• 50 Questions to Consider When Writing a Novel

You can find those and all other NaNoWriMo giveaways this month by visiting the list above. For all the indie authors out there whipping up novel drafts during NaNoWriMo, I wish you the best of luck!

Dava Stewart: Recently, I heard a well known writer talking about the often repeated phrase “there are no gatekeepers anymore.” He suggested that every reviewer on Goodreads or Amazon is a gatekeeper. What do you think? Has self publishing made it easier to be heard, or is it more difficult than ever? Or, is it just a different set of obstacles now?

Jennifer Mattern: This is a tough question, and it’s one I have mixed feelings about. Look. There’s a lot of crap out there right now. And that has the potential to hurt independent authors because some readers have a bias against them after one or more bad experiences. Then again, even major publishers release garbage on more than an occasional basis. That’s nothing new in publishing.

I think what the current environment does is provide a unique opportunity for independent authors and small presses to blur the lines — ignoring the gate and jumping the fence, if you will. And while I wouldn’t call reviewers on Goodreads and Amazon “gatekeepers,” if you screw around once you join the party, they sure have the ability to kick your ass out.

We’re slowly moving in a direction where readers are going to pay more attention to the author and less to the publishers. If you can build a name for yourself — your author brand — you’re going to sell books. But that’s no justification for publishing anything half-assed. So sure, it’s easier for authors to be heard. But it’s also easier for them to get lost in (or contribute to) the excessive noise.

The trick will be avoiding anyone or anything that promises to make self publishing cheap or easy while learning as much as they can about book marketing and PR. Fortunately those skills can be learned and many authors these days seem too lazy to bother. That means any author willing to put in the effort has an immediate edge. And they won’t have to rely on traditional gatekeepers to open any doors for them.

–

Again, you can read the full interview to find out more about my thoughts on things like my favorite indie author and the business side of independent publishing.