Market

Our marketing services help thought leaders, nonprofits, and values-driven businesses identify and connect with the audience that needs their message. We specialize in helping clients brand themselves during career pivots where they’re launching a new venture or tapping into new markets. We’ll build a strategy that aligns with your goals, champions your experience, and propels your creative venture forward.

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Marketing Strategy

$495
Meet with Wise Ink’s marketing experts to strategize a comprehensive marketing plan for your book or business. These energizing marketing sessions are a great fit for first-time authors, seasoned publishing veterans looking to refresh their marketing strategy, speakers, nonprofit leaders, and consultants. Each marketing session includes a thorough review of existing marketing content, actionable feedback, personalized outreach strategies, and a one-hour meeting.
Two marketing sessions are included in Wise Ink’s publishing consulting services for current authors.
$425
Demystify social media and align your goals with practical (and sustainable!) execution strategies. The marketing department provides a personalized social media strategy with recommended platforms, 10+ hashtags for community building, personalized templates for graphics, Linktree set-up recommendations, and copy for consistent landing pages. A Wise Ink marketing specialist is available for social media execution upon request (see Strategy Execution below).
$750
Wise Ink will co-create the copy for your crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to offset the cost of your creative project. Includes a one-hour consultation, editing of up to three drafts of your campaign text in a Word document (including rewards and the video script), and outreach templates and strategies.
Video creation and campaign set-up on the crowdfunding platform of your choice are additional services available upon request. Wise Ink is not responsible for the success of the campaign.

Ongoing Support

$2,985
Optimizing metadata for a book’s Amazon listing is the most direct strategies for online discoverability and sales conversion. Wise Ink will craft comprehensive content to maximize online discoverability, apply strategies for bestseller status, and implement best practices for the title’s genre. This content is set up to take advantage of Amazon KDP’s newest marketing capabilities, including advertising and visual A+ Content.
Includes:
• E-book creation and upload
• In-depth research on expanded categories and keywords for Amazon SEO and advertising (up to 100 keywords)
• Enhanced book description
• A+ Content graphics
• Screen-grabs of book with bestseller status
An Amazon bestseller lands in the top 100 books in one of its categories. While bestseller status cannot be guaranteed, Wise Ink currently has a 100% success rate for authors becoming bestsellers on Amazon through this service.
This is our most popular marketing service, and spaces are limited; plan to book 6 - 8 weeks in advance.
$180
One of Amazon’s newest marketing capabilities, A+ Content are persuasive graphics created for the “From the Publisher” section of a book’s Amazon listing. These graphics are an additional opportunity to engage readers and give them more information as they consider buying your book. A Wise Ink designer will create up to five graphic assets that align with your book’s brand, mission, and readership.
One round of revisions is included.
Packages starting at $975.
Wise Ink provides web design services tailored to speakers, professionals, and indie authors using Squarespace, a website design platform. Squarespace websites are sleek, beautiful, and easy to update yourself on an ongoing basis after the initial design is complete.
Service options include copywriting, SquareSpace website design, resources on website marketing strategy, and proofreading.
Add-on options include strategic copywriting, SEO optimization, technical training, e-commerce set-up, and ongoing updates. Price does not include the purchase of a domain name or website hosting.
Packages starting at $1,375.
Wise Ink will review the website content on your existing website to incorporate the new products, services, and branding opportunities that come with publishing a book. This service pairs repurposed content and strategic copywriting for a streamlined website sitemap. Website design updates are available for SquareSpace websites.
$725
You don’t have to worry about how to create an ebook when you hire Wise Ink to convert your book. Includes the creation of an e-book EPUB format, metadata management, and upload into selected distribution channels (Amazon, Amazon KDP Select, Apple, and Barnes & Noble, & most leading e-book retailers).
Books with complex layouts—like coffee table books and book interiors with callouts, multiple fonts, and graphics / photos—are subject to an additional design cost, which will be estimated before work begins.
Packages starting at $2,500
Learning how to record an audiobook and edit it to industry standards can take months, which is why we make things simple. Partnering with a professional audiobook engineer simplifies the process and can help you make money on Audible and ACX.
Wise Ink’s team will facilitate the production and upload of a high-quality audiobook format for your book. Authors can choose between hiring a professional voice actor or receiving live direction for an author-narrated book. In-home recording equipment or studio options are available at request. Includes professional recording, editing, proofreading, and mastering.
Starting at $750
Our videographer will edit up to three minutes of pre-recorded video footage, choose a background song that fits the tone of the video, and review up to thirty photos for integration in the video.
Our clients use this service to make demo reels for speaking engagements, trailers for crowdfunding campaigns, and brand awareness videos for their website homepages.
Add ons include either on-site or in-home filming with lighting provided or outdoors. Mileage is included within a 35-mile radius.
*This service is available for clients in the Twin Cities metro area only.
Starting at $540
A Minneapolis-based photographer will curate up to a 60-minute photoshoot at a Minneapolis studio. This is a full-service photoshoot, with editing full-resolution images, a copyright release form, and chosen final images sent via download link for ease of use. Up to 3 outfit changes are encouraged.
For $540, the client can choose 3 favorite images to be professionally edited. For $650, 5 images are included. Additional images are $80 / image.
*This service is available for clients in the Twin Cities metro area only.
Starting at $800
A Minneapolis-based photographer will curate up to a 60-minute photoshoot, either outdoors or on location with lighting provided. This includes a headshot along with action shots that communicate the client’s brand, and is the best fit for branding initiatives (ex. website design, social media content, launching new services, etc.). This is a full-service photoshoot, with editing full-resolution images, a copyright release form, and chosen final images sent via download link for ease of use.
For $800, the client can choose 5 favorite images to be professionally edited. For $985, 8 images are included. Additional images are $80 / image. Mileage is included within a 20-mile radius. Clients can choose to add a second location for an additional 30-minutes and $150.
*This service is available for clients in the Twin Cities metro area only.

Online visibility

$975
Wise Ink will create a digital press kit for use in media outreach, speaking engagement / event booking, and partnership requests. A press kit pairs persuasive copywriting with engaging visual branding and helps professionalize author websites and any email communication with bookstores, event managers, and press. Includes one thirty-minute interview, along with a well-designed cover page, sell sheet, sample Q&A, and media assets. Optional press release and speaking sheet are available upon request.
Monthly packages starting at $1,915, with a three-month minimum.
A publicist will create a tailor-made publicity campaign to build your platform, extend your reach, and find your audience. This traditional publicity campaign focuses on media outreach and pitching for reviews, interviews, and features. Personalized influencer outreach and podcast pitching is also available upon request. Wise Ink publicists have secured national coverage at media outlets including The Washington Post, Vogue, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal.
Our packages start with a three-month minimum to allow your publicist time for research, pitching, and follow-up. This service targets earned media, so placements are not guaranteed.
Packages starting at $75 / hour.
You have a vision for a strong marketing strategy; we have the team to make it happen! Get an important marketing task off your to-do list or take the stress out of ongoing tasks like social media and newsletter management, advertising campaigns, blogging, and more.
This package is a great fit for authors who want assistance with a specific deliverable or goal, such as newsletter set-up, market research, reselle / podcast outreach, website updates, or social / e-mail campaigns during a Kickstarter campaign or launch month.

What is Amazon Optimization?

is Amazon Important for Authors?

While Wise Ink is not team Bezos, Amazon is the largest marketplace for books. There are a large percentage of readers who exclusively search for and buy books through Amazon. Focusing only on direct sales closes off a significant section of your target audience, especially in terms of discoverability. (And especially if your target audience are busy business professionals or parents who likely prefer the ease of Amazon shopping.) Even if an author doesn’t want to sell books on Amazon, a presence there—at least with an ebook—can have a legitimizing effect.

Can I self-publish on Amazon?

Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is both a distribution method AND a production method. Amazon Author Central is a platform that allows you to upload your book’s cover and interior files, write your book description, set your list price, and sell books online. Amazon KDP offers a print-on-demand service, which means that books are printed one at a time to fulfill orders. There is no warehouse stock, and the per-unit production cost is typically higher than offset printing (industrial print runs of 1,000+ copies). Amazon KDP is not the only print-on-demand service (IngramSpark is another popular option), each has their pros and cons. Print-on-demand is usually the best fit for paperback books with black-and-white interiors, as full-color projects are expensive to produce one at a time and aren’t as high quality as offset printed books. With any production method, the secret sauce is the quality of the book and marketing plan you have in place to promote it.

What Is an Amazon Bestseller?

Amazon has 16,000+ categories to classify books for readers. Typically, when people describe their books as “bestsellers,” they are referring to Amazon category bestsellers. Amazon has a bestseller list for the top 100 books in each category. This is refreshed hourly. Any time your book cracks the top 100 books in any given category—you will henceforth be an Amazon bestselling author! If you hit number one in one of your chosen categories, an orange banner will display on your Amazon listing saying #1 New Release in [Category] or #1 Best Seller in [Category]. Hitting the Amazon bestseller list is a great way to gain momentum and increase your discoverability.

Can I sell Ebooks on Amazon?

Authors typically don’t make back their publishing investment with ebooks in the same way they can with print books. However, many readers are format-loyal to ebooks, so ebooks don’t represent a “lost sale” of a print book—they often are an opportunity to reach new readers. There are also certain marketing opportunities that indie authors can access through ebook listings, including keyword-specific advertising, giveaways, A+ content, and direct access to buyer stats.

What is metadata?

Book metadata refers to all the information about a book that contributes to its online listing, including title, subtitle, description, endorsements, keywords, categories, list price, and more. All authors who want to have an online presence on major e-commerce platforms will need to write their metadata. “Optimizing metadata” means finding those words and phrases that your readers are likely to search and including them in your book’s listing, increasing the chances that your ideal reader will stumble across your book online without knowing you personally. For more information on metadata, check out this free Amazon Optimization MarketWise webinar.

Is Amazon Kindle Publishing Worth it?

There are many ways an author can work with Amazon to fit their needs. For new authors without a huge platform, Amazon can bring visibility and credibility to your work. Authors who wish to sell books on a commercial scale might find they are better served with a traditional print run that fulfills to Amazon through a distribution partner, which will allow you to get the best quality product at the lowest per-unit price while exploring other distribution avenues (like direct sales, bulk sales to organizations, and retailer distribution through gift shops and bookstores who typically do not stock print-on-demand titles). For books with a limited audience, print-on-demand through Amazon Kindle Direct publishing may be the best fit since it doesn’t require you to commit to a print run.

Client Websites