This week on the Localist, Pam Sanderson, Director of Account Development at Infomedia, joins Carrie to talk about everything you need to know about websites. Pam and Carrie dive in with where you should start when evaluating your website, and how to assess your goals. One of Pam’s best tips is to focus on your customers and your content first, and she gives you a road map to follow from there. Pam and Carrie then discuss the best ways to strike a balance between your users, good design, and Google’s algorithm (hint: consistent, quality content is a good place to start!). Content is truly king in the world of websites, and Pam and Carrie give great tips on how to create, utilize, and get the most out of your content. They wrap up the conversation with when to seek help with your website, and what you can expect if you work with a web developer.  Mentioned in this episode:  Carrie’s Ecommerce Webinar Signup Pam Sanderson Infomedia WordPress Drupal Wix SquareSpace Church Street Coffee and Books  One Quick Question Podcast  Pam on One Quick Question Infomedia’s Contact Form

Everybody Hates Self-Publishing

Make Your Website Better with Pam Sanderson

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen wraps up season one of Everybody Hates Self-Publishing. She talks about Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol was self-published), WordCamp US, her new job with the American Booksellers Association and her upcoming new podcast, Words with Carrie.

The Last Chapter: Season One Is Over!

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen talks to Annie B. Jones, owner of The Bookshelf bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia about how to host an innovative book signing and how to pitch a book signing for your self-published book to a bookstore successfully.

Meet the Bookseller: Author Events and the Art of the Successful Book Signing with Annie B. Jones of The Bookshelf

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen talks to Betsy Teter of Spartanburg, South Carolina’s Hub City Writers Project about small press publishing versus self-publishing, crowdfunding projects, book signings, book selling and more.

Meet the Small Press: Talking Writing, Publishing and Crowdfunding with Betsy Teter of Hub City Writers Project

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen explains what Shop Small Saturday is and how it can help you establish relationships with bookstores that can help you get your book onto shelves. She also talks about the Shop Small Saturday release of her self-published book, The Localist, and gives tips about hosting your own book signing.

Shop Small Saturday: #shopsmall, #optoutside and Get in Good with Independent Shopkeepers

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen talks to former Print Production Manager Leslie Johnson about getting your self-published book printed and understanding print terminology to get a better idea of how to manage the printing of your book.

Meet the Printer: Leslie Johnson on Color Correction, Book Binding and Converting Digital Files for Your Printer

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen talks to Little Professor bookseller and Nanowrimo winner Sara Glassman about how writing a draft for this year’s National Novel Writing Month could be a great first step to writing your book. They also talk about Little Professor’s recent move to a new building, decorating a bookstore for the holidays, and mistakes self-published authors often make when trying to get independent bookstores to carry their books.

Meet the Bookseller: Little Professor’s Sara Glassman Chats about Nanowrimo, Moving a Bookstore, and Self-Publishing Mistakes

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen talks about her own book tour which stretched from New Orleans to New York. She shares how she booked the signings, what she packed to take to signings, what discount she offered on her books, and which mistakes most self-published authors make that keep them from being able to schedule in-store signings.

Get a Book Signing: Localist Author Carrie Rollwagen Shares How to Schedule a Book Signing at an Independent Bookstore

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen talks to Katie Kelly about how to look great while traveling on a book tour, how to keep your skin looking its best and how to create a consistent look that will photograph well on your tour.

Meet the Beauty Expert: Rock Star Style, Korean Skin Care and Travel Beauty Tips with Katie Kelly

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen talks to the stylists behind Irrelephant blog — Joanna Ballentine and Molly Stilley — about how to prep for headshots, how to find a stylist, and which makeup and hair products are their favorites.

Meet the Stylists: Define Your Brand, Find Your Personal Style and Take Better Headshots with Irrelephant’s Molly Stilley and Joanna Ballentine

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen talks about why most independent booksellers dislike Amazon and why partnering with Amazon by publishing through CreateSpace isn’t the best idea for self publishers who hope to be found on bookstore shelves someday. She also reads an excerpt from her book, The Localist.

The Trouble with Amazon: What Self-Published Authors Need to Know about Amazon and Its Publishing Arm, CreateSpace

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen talks with former bookseller Michelle Phillips of Church Street Coffee & Books about how self-published authors often botch their bookstore pitches. They also talk about how to make the best of your book signing and tone down the awkwardness of a signing or meeting.

Meet the Bookseller: Book Signings, Book Covers and Awkward Self-Publishing Moments with Michelle Phillips

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen shares her experience as a website copywriter with tips for how to create an author website, including which pages your website should include, where to link your books for sales, and how to process payments.

Writing Your Author Website: Digital Copywriting, Book Sales and Affiliate Links

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen interviews photographer Kelly Cummings about how to design a social media campaign for your self-published book and book tour. We discuss how to use hashtags, how to deal with Instagram changes and how to spin a lackluster book signing into social media gold.

Meet the Instagrammer: Talking Book Marketing, Selfies and Hashtag Strategy with Photographer Kelly Cummings

In this episode, Carrie Rollwagen interviews Jonathan Walls, the web designer and developer who built the website for her book, The Localist. We talk about whether you should hire a web developer to design your author website or use a template, when to install Google Analytics, the pros and cons of WordPres and Squarespace, and which pages and functionality your book’s website will need.

Meet the Web Developer: Talking Author Websites with Jonathan Walls

Everybody Hates Self-Publishing explores the good, the bad and the ugly of creating and producing your own work. Self-published authors will find advice on writing, book marketing and getting your book in bookstores. Aspiring writers will learn about being an indie publisher: Being an entrepreneur, creating your own DIY publishing house and thriving as an indie publisher means connecting with readers, booksellers and librarians and competing in a market that favors traditional publishing. Host Carrie Rollwagen is author of the self-published book The Localist. She’s head of marketing at a web development company and is an advocate for entrepreneurs and frequent speaker on the topics of business and grassroots marketing.

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Everybody Hates Self-Publishing

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