As writers, we know the benefits of social networking. It enables you to build a platform and develop relationships that will help you when you publish your book(s). Unfortunately, not everyone understands the purpose of social networking. They see it only as a way to (shamelessly) promote their books or service. They miss the meaning of SOCIAL.
I recently discovered that there’s a software that tells people with Twitter accounts when people aren’t following them back. And what do they do if you don’t immediately follow them back? They dump you faster than you can say, “Twitter.” Are we heartbroken? Nope, because these people obviously didn’t care about us to begin with. They only followed us to up their follower numbers. They are users. And notice how ‘user’ rhymes with ‘loser.’ Need I say more?
Now when someone follows me, I wait two weeks before checking out their profile. If it still says, “Follows You,” I follow the individual back. If it doesn’t, I move on.
What are some of the more annoying abuses of social networking that you’ve seen? What strategies have you used to counter poor social networking etiquette?
It doesn’t matter if your books are traditionally published or self-published (or both), you’re the main force responsible for marketing them. One of the best forms of marketing available is social media. But with so many different ones available, how do we know which will benefit us the most when promoting our books, and how do use them for maximum benefit?
In her book Social Media Just for Writers, Frances Caballo focuses on several popular social media sites*. She explains how each one works and the ins and outs of them, provides step-by-step instructions for setting them up (including screen shots so you know what she’s talking about), and shares tips for promoting your books through the individual sites. Her advice is sound and I liked that she’s against spamming. She warns you when certain activities are considered spamming. Some of this is subjective. There are a few things that she suggested that I prefer authors don’t do. For example, I’m tired of the countless number of Facebook or Goodreads event invites that land in my inbox. Most are deleted unread.
One thing I appreciated with this book is the easy to follow format. This is perfect if you are not technically inclined. Also, Frances includes lists of apps for each of the social media sites and explains the pros and cons of them. Until Social Media Just for Writers, I didn’t realize there were so many of them. For those of you who blog, there is a list of resources you can use for locating royalty free photos. This is very important if you don’t want to end up being sued by the owner of copyrighted material.
In addition to the chapters on social media, there is a chapter on offline promotion with some helpful suggestions. A glossary has also been included to make your life easier when figuring out the different terms associated with the different social media sites.
Overall, I loved this book and am thankful I had the opportunity to review it. I recommend it to everyone who is a writer, no matter where they are in the publication process. The sooner you get started being seen the better.
Have you read any social media how-to books created for writers? What forms of social networking do you enjoying using?
I’d like to thank Frances Caballo for sending me a copy of Social Media Just for Writers: The Best Online Marketing Tips for Selling Your Books for an unbiased review.
*The following are covered in the book: Facebook, Facebook author pages, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Picasso and Pinterest, and blogs. Unfortunately she doesn’t cover Tumblr, which is now popular with teens.
GIVEAWAY: If you are interested in winning a copy of the book and live in the USA, please let me know in the comments. And make sure you include your email address if it isn’t attached to your blog account.
When Justine Dell announced the release of her book, Recaptured Dreams, I asked if she could write about her experience working with a publicist. Something we all hope to get to do one day. Thanks, Justine, for sharing your insights with us.
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Right after my book was accepted at Omnific, before I even got my editorial letter, I was thrown into the waiting arms of my publicist, who I would learn would be my guide through the publishing process and would direct me into the world of getting the word out about my book.
Phew, I thought. No big deal. But then came the lists. I mean like LONG lists about things I needed to do--accounts I needed to set up (Shelfari, Feedburner, Goodreads, Library things, Twitter, Facebook author page, book page, a book website, a blog just to name a few). Because I had most of them, I flew through them. I was pretty well prepared in the social networking department, but I would feel sorry for anyone who wasn't. Thank goodness I was prepared for that!
Traci (that's my publicist!) also guided me through the process of developing my book trailer and cover. Omnific did all the hard work, mind you, but I did get the chance to put my two cents in! It was Traci who keep the communication between them and me open and happy! Traci also helped with my official book blurb, my author bio, my press release, etc. She's also helping with my online and on-sight book launch party.
As we got closer and closer to the publishing date, Traci and I started to work out the details for a blog tour. Now again, because I had such a strong social networking presence, I was able to set up over a month's worth of stops on my own with my own blogger friends. Traci set up book reviews by romance bloggers. Together, Traci and I decided to give away a free ebook at each stop (22 in all), and I designed the bookmarks and offered them up as another prize. Basically, it was a lot of brainstorming between Traci and I. I would have an idea, she would have one, and we'd put it together so it would work for *me*. Together we set up the blog tour, the reviews, the month long giveaway on my blog, Goodreads giveaway, etc. She's great. If I need something or have a question, she's right there.
The main idea is to get word out the about your book. And your publicist helps you arrange that. (And bloggers rules...remember that!)
What you need to expect from your publicist is someone who will help you organize yourself (if you're not organized, which thankfully I am!) and bounce around ideas that would work to market your book. In the beginning it's a lot of leg work, setting up those accounts and stuff, getting YOU, the author out into the world, and then it's time to get your book out there, too. The main thing you need to have ready is an open mind. No one formula works for every person, so you have to be thinking about things you would like to see. Did you write a book about aliens? Maybe you would have a twitter twitpic contest of the reader who comes up with the best costume #aliensrule. You see? Your imagination has just as much in this as your publisher. You work together.
Now even though I had a lot of connections and did some stuff on my own, it's important to point out that my publisher, Ominific can do a variety of things. It depends on the author. Sometimes they exclusively use book bloggers to get the word out. Sometimes the word gets out early and then people approach them. My publicist is a big proponent of giving the book away because for all the marketing, the best thing IS the book. Once people read it, you'll get fans. And word of mouth is a powerful thing. Omnific can set up twitter chats, twitter contest, conference appearances and all sorts of stuff. It really depends on your book...and you.
Working with a publicist is the most amazing thing there is. But it's also a lot of hard work :-)
Has anyone else worked with a publicist? Any words of wisdom you would like to share with us?
Unless you’ve been wandering lost in a desert for the past year, you are aware that the publishing industry is rapidly changing. With it, the number of self-published, small press, ebooks, and traditionally published books being published each week is dramatically growing. What does this mean? More people are trying to gain the reader’s attention. The same reader we want to check out our own new release.
Elana Johnson blogged last week on how we’re starting to suffer from a social media hangover. Promotional activities (blog tours, giveaways, interviews) that used to be effective are now turning people off. Some readers still enjoy them, but most don’t bother to read the posts. I don’t. Katie Mills also talked about this change. Based on comments from their posts and other places, as well as personal experience, this is what I’ve learned:
Covers are important. If your cover looks amateurish, no one (other than your mom) will be interested in your book. When you send the JPEG file to be used on another blog, make sure you send one of high resolution; otherwise, it will look blurry and amateurish.
A compelling title always tromps a dull one.
Make sure your blurb is tight and interesting. If your blurb is dull and vague, I’m not going to read your book. I’ve seen a number of self-published books lately with great covers and boring blurbs.
Don’t irritate people with your promotion. As we all know, this is a serious issue with Twitter and Facebook. If you want people to pay attention to your new release, then please avoid spamming. If you DM someone who just followed you back, you can guarantee they WON’T read your book (or blog) if you tell them to.
Use Goodreads wisely. Goodreads is a great way for people to find out about your book via word-of-mouth. Plus, fans of your books can check the site for the release date of your next novel. It’s also a good way to invite your “friends” to your book-release party. However, I often delete the announcements (unread) unless I’m excited about the book or the author is a friend of mine.
Word of mouth is your best promotion. Not long ago, a blogging friend mentioned Easy by Tammara Webber on her blog. We started talking about the book. Because of that, I bought it and read it right away (even though my TBR pile is out of control). I then told my CP, who also read it even though her TBR pile is as bad as mine. We both love the book and have told others about it.
Be selective with your blog tours. You are better off having your book reviewed on a major book blog (if possible) than swamp your blogging circle with a blog tour. According to the comments on Katie’s and Elana’s posts, most of us avoid reading posts that are part of a blog tour, especially when a number of the blogs we follow are part of the tour. The exception is if the topic is of interest to us. Then we stop to read it.
Keep your promotion small, unless you can spread it around so it’s not hitting the same people again and again. Every so often, subtly remind us about your book. I might not buy it right away, but the reminder later on might be all I need to pick the book up. This is more effective than over promotion, which tends to turn some people off a book.
If you’re going to do an interview, KEEP IT SHORT. Most of us don’t have time to read to a 750-word plus interview, unless it’s by our favorite author. Personally, all I care about is the book. Write a great story and I’m sold.
Make sure your book is professionally edited. Later next year, I plan to release a New Adult novel I’m currently working on, and plan to have the book professionally edited (that includes structural edits, line edits, and copy edits). Why? Because I want the word-of-mouth to be good. Need I say more?
Start working on your next project. The best promotion for your last book is your next one. I loved Easy so much, I had to read the first book in Tammara Webber’s Between the Lines series. I’ve already read the first two books and can’t wait to read the third one.
Remember the purpose of social networking. The key word here is social. This is your chance to make genuine friendships. Friendships that could eventually lead to positive word-of-mouth about your book.
How do you decide what books to read? Are there any forms of promotion that especially turns you off? Do you have any other suggestions for getting your book noticed?
If I were to ask you what your author brand is, could you tell me?
I’d heard the term before, but until I recently read social media guru Kristen Lamb’s blog, I hadn’t given mine much thought.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a brand is “an identifying marked burned on livestock or (especially in former times) criminals or slaves with a branding iron.”
Oh, wait! Sorry. Wrong definition. You don’t need to rush off to your local ranch and ask them to burn a symbol on your butt. I mean you can if you want, but it’s probably not recommended. And I’m not sure how effective it would be for selling your novel.
Anyway, after checking my old marketing textbook, I decided to skip on sharing its super dry definition. Instead, I consulted a number of great resources on author brands. And of course, they all had differing opinions as to what it means. But here’s the basic gist of them.
What’s in a Name?
The first thing you need to consider is your name. According to Kristen Lamb, this is your brand. Because of this, she recommends your name is in your blog’s URL. Mine is. Is yours? She also suggests your name is in the title of your blog. Okay, I fail on that point. And until I started writing this post, I didn’t realize my name wasn’t even on my blog. #majorbrandingfail. It’s now in my sidebar.
What’s Your Niche?
Shelli Johannes Wells talked about the author brand during WriteOnCon last year. The writer brand describes how people view you based on your books. Maybe you write YA paranormals. Great. But so do so many other YA writers. What differentiates your style from someone else’s?
For example, Kiersten White (Paranormalcy) writes humorous YA paranormals. When we pick up her books, that’s what we expect. Problem with this is what will happen if her next series is much darker? (btw I’d still buy it since I love dark paranormals).
Do you have a style you like to write in? Maybe humorous, dark, or suspenseful. If you blog, can you incorporate your style into your blog? Lisa and Laura Roecker are a perfect example of this. Their witty, entertaining voice captures the hearts of their blog followers. And you can expect the same from their novel, The Liar Society.
Who Are You?
Author Roni Loren explained that your book and genre are only part of your author brand. The real you is the other part. What does this mean?
Be yourself.
Of course if the real you is rude and obnoxious, then you might be headed for trouble. One hundred years ago it wouldn’t have been a big deal. Now thanks to social networking, it can be your ultimate doom, especially if editors discover this (and they will) before they offer you a contract.
Shelli Johannes Wells also covered this in more detail during WriteOnCon.
Obviously these three things aren’t as clear cut as they sound. What happens if you’re published in several different genres? When you say Stephenie Meyer, most people think of sparkling vampires. But she also wrote a successful adult science fiction novel (The Host). This is why a number of authors, such as Nora Roberts, write different genres under different pen names. Each one has a different author brand associated with it, but she’s still Nora Roberts.
Before you freak out at the thought of having more than one brand, Meg Cabot and Richelle Mead both write YA and adult novels, and each has only one brand.
So what about you, do you have an author brand? Is this something you’re considering, or are you going to wait to be published first?
I’m currently taking an online social media workshop through the YARWA. So far it’s been interesting. Last week we came up with keywords that describe us and what we write. We then used Google Adwords to determine the level of competition (low, medium, high) that uses the same word or phrase. I have no idea why we’re doing this. The relevance will be revealed this week (I hope).
While I was goofing around (aka procrastinating from what I was supposed to be doing), I searched for ‘Stina New Adult.’ The result showed my blog, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest accounts, and several guest posts I’ve done. That wasn’t a surprise. The surprise came when I scrolled down to the bottom of the second page. I’m not the only Stina who writes YA and NA. That’s right. There are two of us, but the other Stina lives in the US. I live in Canada. She writes paranormal stories. I write contemporary romances.
This discovery leads to an important point. Why is she buried on page two and I take up the majority of the first two pages (and beyond)? The reason is because I’m more active with social networking, or more specifically, because I blog. She showed up because her book is on Goodreads.
As an author, you want to be easily found if someone googles your name. If they can’t remember your full name, will they still be able to find you, or will you be buried somewhere where they are less likely to see you? While looking for you, they might discover another author and buy her book instead.
What are you doing to make sure your name appears at the top of the list if someone googles it?
Social networking is a wonderful thing. It enables us to make new friends, find beta readers and critique partners, keep up-to-date with new books and publishing news. But when misused, the outcome can be frustrating for all.
We all hate spam. Some authors believe that as long as they aren’t telling you to buy their book, they aren’t spamming. But what about the following?
Thanks to the sales of my book, my kids can now go to college.
My book is #17 on Amazon and still climbing.
I love it when fans write to tell me they adore my book.
When a dog is abducted by pirates . . . . [link to Amazon inserted here]
Translation: Buy my book Buy my book Buy my book Buy my book
Once in a while these tweets aren’t bad. Authors have to promote their books after all. But if someone checks out your profile and the majority of your tweets are like the above, the person might not follow you. One of my friends saw tweets similar to these by one author. She ended up unfollowing the author. Why? Because she felt the person was self-absorbed.
During WriteOnCon, agent and YA book blogger Pamela van Hylckama Vliegsaid, "1 out of 10 tweets should be self promo. No more!" Numerous people on the forum agreed with her. They unfollow authors who violate this unwritten rule. Remember, never underestimate the intelligence of your follower (like in the case of the above tweets). The moment you do, you've lost them.
For examples of authors who use Twitter wisely, check out: MaureenJohnson JohnGreen JaniceHardy
Is there anything that you’ve seen authors do on social network sites that irritates you?
When I first started writing fiction, I knew nothing about writing associations. Then one day I discovered an international organization called Society of Children’s BooksWriters & Illustrators (SCBWI). It didn’t take much convincing to get me to join. And four years later, I’m still a member.
Last year, one of my writing friends talked me into joining the Romance Writers of America (RWA). I’m glad I did. A short time later, I joined three of its chapters: YARWA (YA writers), Kiss of Death (suspense and mystery writers), and CaRWA (the chapter in my city). Of the three, KOD has been my favorite, as I’ll explain in a future post.
There are many benefits to joining writing associations (two I’ll be talking about next week), but because the memberships can be expensive, you want to make sure they meet your needs. I would love to join the International Thriller Inc, but after paying memberships for the above, I have to draw the line somewhere.
The best thing to do is figure out what you want in an organization.
Do you want to attend monthly meetings?
What are you looking for in a meeting? Some groups get together just to socialize. Others have educational sessions throughout the year dealing with craft, social networking, promotion, etc.
Are you interested in attending workshops and conferences?
How far are you willing to travel? If you are looking only for these things, and the organization doesn’t hold any in a location convenient to you, you might decide not to pursue a membership in that organization.
Are you looking for an online community, resources, etc?
If you notice one of your fellow bloggers belongs to the organization (because we love to advertise the fact), email the individual to see if she would be willing to talk to you. This way you can find out what the strengths and weaknesses are of the group. You might end up deciding to join a different organization instead. Are your favorite authors members of the group? That speaks volumes, too.
And don’t forget to include in the bio section of your query the organization(s) you are a member of. This shows agents and editors you’re serious about your writing career.
Other Major Writing Associations
International ThrillerWriters Inc
Horror WritersAssociation
Mystery Writers of America
Crime Writers ofCanada
Sisters in Crime
Christian WritersGuild
YALitChat.org
Are you a member of a writers association? What is the major benefit you’ve found to being a member? Are there any others not listed that you recommend?
<<<3
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . .
A membership to a writing organization, Three books for kickass characterizations, Tons of yummy chocolate, AquaNotes, so you can brainstorm in the shower, And Margie Lawson’s awesome lecture notes.
Remember in high school when your reputation meant everything? Maybe you had a reputation you didn’t know about or one you didn’t deserve. Like the teen everyone is calling a slut, because some guy spread a rumor that she’s easy (How can you tell I read Anna and the French Kiss this weekend???)
In high school, I was incredibly shy. If a guy spoke to me, I’d come close to fainting (sad, huh?). It wasn’t until I was in university that I discovered people thought I was cold and self-absorbed in high school (I think that’s what the guy told me, right before he ask me out on a date!!!!).
These days our reputation means everything to us writers. Thanks to social networking, you do something and the news of it spreads faster than a grass fire in a strong wind. And like what happened to me in high school, you might not even be aware your reputation is tanking. Last year I wrote a post about a nameless individual. It was amazing how many people knew who I was talking about. Not good news for that individual.
I’m currently in an online writing course that was the inspiration for my post on broken promises last week. Turns out, even beyond the class, the instructor has a bad reputation. Wish I had known about that. After what happened in her first course, I gave her a second chance. I thought she was going to improve. *tattoos naïve on forehead* She didn’t.
While some people don’t seem to give a damn about their reputation (or don’t try to do anything to improve it), there are some writers who do what they can to make the world a shiny place. They don’t do things to benefit themselves. They do it to benefit charities, teens, kids, or other writers. They love to pay it forward.
So, what can you do about your reputation? Now’s the time to determine how you want people to perceive you, then make sure you do what you need to do to gain (or maintain) that reputation. It’s a lot easier to build a good reputation than it is to repair a damaged one. Just ask Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Lindsay Lohan.
Which kind of reputation do you want? Have you given much thought to how other people perceive you?
(I wanted to list all the wonderful writers/authors/bloggers that deserved their awesome reputation, but that made for one very long post, I’m happy to say. But if you know someone you would love to mention, please do so in the comments). :)
Last week I conducted a survey to see how bloggers in our writing community feel about blog tours and to get an idea as to how effective they are.
Remember, you can’t generalize the findings to bloggers at large. Nor can you generalize the finding to readers, period. The other weakness of the survey is that if you write YA, it’s not going to tell you how effective blog tours are with teens.
Also, I only asked four questions. Some questions could be further expanded on based on your answer to the previous question. However, I wanted to keep the questionnaire short so more people would answer it.
What the survey will tell you is how the individuals who responded (fifty-five in total) felt about the topic. This is not a non-biased group, randomly selected off the street. These are individuals who are, most likely, committed to blogging as a form of social networking. Someone who checks out a few blogs as a lurker might not necessarily share the same view as those who participated in the survey.
Results
Of the individuals who check out blog tours (4% never check them out), 52% check out those held on their friends’ blogs, 31% check out the tour if the author is a friend of theirs, and 56% check them out occasionally (i.e. the bloggers and authors were not friends of the individual.) (note: more than one answer could be selected).
Of the individuals who hadn’t already planned to buy the book before the blog tour started, 64% ended up buying a book they saw showcased on a tour and 31% didn’t. The question was not applicable to 5% of those who answered the survey.
Of the individuals who hadn’t already planned to buy the book before the blog tour started, twenty-two bloggers checked out blog tours only held on their friends’ blog and/or if the author was a friend of theirs. Sixty-four percent of them (n=14) ended up buying a book showcased on a blog tour. Thirty-six percent (n=8) didn’t. The result didn’t change when you factored in the individuals who also followed blogs tours occasionally (in addition to the above two categories).
Of the twenty individuals who occasionally follow blog tours (i.e. the bloggers and authors were not friends of the individual), 80% (n=16) bought a book showcased on a tour.
Of the individuals sitting on the fence about buying a book before the blog tour started (twenty-three individuals), 74% ended up buying a book and 26% didn’t. Remember, the individuals who said ‘yes’ might have visited blog tours for fifteen different books, but only bought one of the books showcased.
Sixteen percent of those who answered the survey decided not to buy a book showcased on a blog tour even though they had planned to before the tour. Ouch on that one if you were the authors.
Because I don’t want to make this a super long post, part 3 will be next Wednesday.
If you’re looking to spice up your writing, check out today’s QueryTracker.net blog post on rhetorical devices. They’re my new best friend. You’ll be surprised at how many you already know.
And now for my guest blogger, Marie Rose Dufour. Drum roll please . . . .
<<<3
Contract! Yes! Whoo-hoo! Open the champagne, baby, because someone liked your work enough to offer you a contract. Week, months, and sometimes years of work is now going to be validated in print. My husband and I celebrated on the waterfront, toasting to my hard work for this book over.
Not! What I didn’t realize at the time was that writing the actual book was the easy part. The hard part came afterwards and it’s called promo, promo, promo. In this economy, more and more publishing houses are relying on the author to promote their own books.
So here are some tips on promoting your book:
• Create a budget (I know this sounds unreal but real advertising costs money. If you are a first time author, it’s all about getting your name out there.)
• Create a “promo folder” on your computer with a jpeg of your book cover, blurb, excerpt, head shot, and purchase links. (Having everything in one folder is a timesaving in case someone last minute asks you to blog, or interview you. You just pull up the file.)
• Make sure you are “social networking” (Facebook, My Space, Twitter). You want to use these for some free advertising.
• Design promotional items (A big thing in the romance circles right now is trading cards. I hear they are big at conferences. Think of these as your business cards.) (Yes. I love using these as bookmarks.)
• Arrange to do guest blogs! (Just what I’m doing now. And I’d like to thank Stina from the bottom of my heart for hosting me today.)
I hope someone finds these tips helpful. It was wonderful guest blogging here today. Please leave a comment and e-mail address and I will pick a person to win a copy of Fated Mates. Enjoy!
Book Blurb: We know that we are no longer alone in the universe. Descendants of Earthly ancestors have returned to find the other halves of themselves, their destined mates. Dragon, a scarred Serralian warrior drawn to the planet of his ancestors, never believed the Goddess had a mate for him but no matter what he believes, he’s unable to resist the pull of the planet deep within in soul.
Liz, a curvy teacher who escaped an abusive marriage three years earlier is afraid to take another chance on love. Tired of being a bystander in her own love life, she participates in an ancient ritual to identify Serralian mates. Taking that chance changes her life forever. Can these two people overcome their pasts to become each other’s true Fated Mates?
Author blurb: Marie Rose Dufour is a first time (and hopefully not the last time) author. She writes erotica for Secret Cravings Publishing. Her first book, Fated Mates was released last month. She lives in Rhode Island, USA with two very curious cats and a husband who swears he’s the inspiration for all of her heroes. Her book is available through her publisher and Amazon.
On Monday, I talked about creating your writing goals for 2013. Now, I’m going to show you how to turn them into your business plan. If you’re planning to make money with your writing, you need to start thinking of it as a business. And all successful businesses have business plans. When you create your goals, think about the following:
Product: This is your book.
What do you need to do to create a query-ready book? Figure this out for each story you plan to write next year.
Competition:
What’s going on in your genre?
Are you approaching the tail end of a trend?
Is your genre saturated and difficult to break into?
What are agents and editors saying? What are readers saying?
Is there a less saturated genre you love that you might want to focus on instead?
Of course, the only way you can answer these questions is by reading LOTS of books in your genre and following industry blogs, so . . . what are your reading goals for next year?
Human Resources:
This includes books and workshops to help you improve your writing craft and knowledge related to anything dealing with publishing (e.g. creating a website, social networking for authors, creating your author brand).
Start researching services (editors, cover designers, book formatters, website designers, etc) early in your planning process. If you spread it over a few months, it won’t be so daunting, and it will give you time to find the right person. This applies to researching agents, too.
Distribution:
If you’re querying next year, who are you planning to query (agents or editors)? How many queries are you planning to send out with each batch, and how often will you be sending them out? When are you planning to write your query and synopsis?
If you’re self publishing, research what you need to know to be successful. Some great resources to check out include: Smart Self-Publishing by Zoe Winters and Self-Publishing Attack by James Scott Bell.
Promotion/Marketing:
Are you planning to use Facebook? Twitter? Pinterest? Come up with goals that you can live with and that will enable you to have enough time to write.
How’s your website working for you? Do you have one?
What are your marketing plans for before, during, and after your book launch? You might not be releasing a book next year, but it wouldn’t hurt to start brainstorming ideas for the future. Some agents and publishers want to know your marketing plans before they sign you. Make your life easier and plan ahead.
Finances:
How much have you budgeted for your business next year? By planning ahead a year or two in advance, the costs can be spread over that time period, and it will feel less intimidating.
Obviously, someone who has a book launch next year (either via traditional or self publishing) will have a more extensive business plan verses someone who is writing her first novel. Also, you don’t have to write your plans for just one year. Most companies have a five-year plan. The beauty of your business plan is that it’s flexible. You can change the dates as need be, and add or delete goals as necessary.
Do you create goals every year? Have you created business plans for your writing career?
How many of you have followed back someone on Twitter, only for the individual to send you a Direct Message to tell you to buy his book? For me, this is an instant #promotionfail. Every time this happens, I de-follow the individual and it’s guaranteed I won’t buy the book.
I’m a member of a support group for writers. It’s an awesome group, except for one problem. One individual, prior to the launch of her novel, spammed the Facebook site with daily reminders to pre-order it. Instead of creating excitement (and potential sales), she annoyed a number of the members. One even suggested a better way to do this, so to avoid our inboxes being filled with spam. The writer chose to ignore this, and continued spamming the site.
So what’s a better way to get your book seen among the onslaught of others?
Support Other Authors
I love what Susan Kaye Quinn did last week. Her self-published book, Open Minds (which I’ve read and thought it was great), was launched yesterday. Instead of annoying everyone with her “Buy Me, Buy me” message, she put a post together promoting upcoming (or recently released) books. These books are either self-published or published through a small press. Other authors have done the same, thus increasing their likability factor ten-fold. There’s something appealing about supporting authors who give to the writing community by promoting other books and not just their own.
Form a Support Team
The online banding together of several authors to promote each other books* is another way to help you promote yours. Face it, promoting your book is a scary experience. Working together as a team helps to give you a boost of self-confidence, because you’re not going it alone. This concept has also become popular with traditionally published authors involved in book signing tours.
Having a bunch of blogging (or Facebook or Twitter) friends is an awesome way to go. They are usually more than happy to get the word out about your book. It’s one of the many benefits to social networking (as if you didn’t already know).
Widget Love
One of my favorite marketing approaches, when it comes to promoting books, is the countdown widget, which you and your blogging buddies proudly display. Due to a blogger who displayed the above widget on her site, I became excited to read Jessie Harrell's book (I’m such a cover girl). Since I tend to skip over blog tours, this is a great way to grab my attention (if you have an amazing cover and widget).
What things annoy you the most when someone is promoting her book? What do you love the most?
(*note: this isn’t necessarily the same as a group blog)
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Be sure to check out Susan Kaye Quinn’s book launch. A great way to see what works is by studying what others have done. :)
For many writers, once we’ve made the decision to pursue a writing career, we become so focused on finishing our book, we often don’t think about what comes afterwards. And with more options available to us than a few years ago, it’s important that we look at the big picture, no matter where we are in the pursuit of publication.
How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now! By L. Diane Wolfe is a thorough guide that will benefit writers, no matter where they are in the writing process. It covers everything you could possibility want to know about writing and beyond. In total, there are eighty-four chapters, each ranging between two to three pages. Topics cover all aspects of traditional and self publishing, social networking, marketing, and promotion. And with each topic, the book explains everything you need to know so that you can make the choices that are right for you and your project.
Chapters include:
Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing
Going the Traditional Route
Business Setup (i.e. what you need to know if you’re self publishing)
Developing a Website
The Media
Reviewers
Where to Send Review Copies
What to Expect From Reviews
Newsletters
Because each chapter is short, you won’t find the level of information that you might find in a book or online workshop focused on that specific topic (for example, writing newsletters). But it is a great resource for figuring out what you need to do to succeed. The book is also filled with links you can click on for additional information on various topics. This makes the book invaluable, regardless of which publishing route you choose.
Have you thought much about promotion, regardless of where you are on the publishing path? (and that includes those of you writing the first draft of your first novel).
Note: I’d like to thank L.Diane Wolfe’s publisher for providing me a copy of the book for the review.
Available February 5, 2012 Publishing/Marketing, 214 pages $14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2 $4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0 Available in all Ebook formats
Today is a real treat :) I have Marsha Ward here today to talk a little about herself, how she writes, why she writes, and if she's a pantser or a planner... How did you become interested in the Civil War? Author Robert Newton Peck once said that every historical writer has their favorite war. While his was the French and Indian War, mine turned out to be the Civil War. I don’t know what sparked my passion for it. It could have been reading some of historian Bruce Catton’s work, or Gone With the Wind, during high school. My interest certainly did not stem from a personal or family issue, since none of my relatives fought on either side. If they had, they’ve have been Union soldiers, and my characters fought for the South. That said, my current novels actually have post-Civil War settings, dealing with the aftermath of that great struggle, so they fit more in the classification of Western Migration novels, or Settling of the West. Very cool. Tell us about your novels. The Man from Shenandoahbegins as Carl Owen returns from the Civil War to find the family farm destroyed, his favorite brother dead, food scarce, and his father determined to leave the Shenandoah Valley to build a cattle empire in Colorado Territory. Crossing the continent, Carl falls in love with his brother's fiancée while set to wed another girl, but he might lose everything if the murderous outlaw Berto Acosta has his way. Carl battles a band of outlaws, a prairie fire, blizzards, a trackless waterless desert, and his own brother-all for the hand of feisty Ellen Bates. Ride to Ratoncontinues from there: after losing the heart of his fiancée to his brother, James Owen leaves home to make a new life for himself. The turbulent world of post-Civil War Colorado Territoryis fraught with danger and prejudice that increase his bitter loneliness as personal setbacks threaten to break him. Then James's journey brings him into contact with another wayfarer, beautiful young Amparo Garcés, who has come from Santa Fe to Colorado to marry a stranger. Through a twist of fate, their futures are changed forever when their lives are merged in a marriage of convenience. James and Amparo undertake a hazardous horseback trek over Raton Passto Santa Fe, battling their personal demons, a challenging language barrier, and winter's raging storms. My third novel, Trail of Storms, goes back to tell the tale of a peripheral character from the first novel. Jessie Bingham and her family flee post-Civil War Virginia after her sister suffers a brutal attack, and together endure a perilous trek to New Mexico Territory. When she hears her former sweetheart, James Owen, has taken a wife, Jessie accepts Ned Heizer’s marriage proposal on the condition they wait until journey’s end to wed. But then Jessie encounters James again... and he isn’t married now! Spinster’s Follyis the fourth book in the series, and tells Marie Owen’s story. Marie lives in a land that is long on rough characters and short on fitting suitors. Her desire to get married before she winds up a spinster propels her into making hasty decisions that drive her into the arms of a sweet-talking predator, landing her in unimaginable dangers. Wow, all of those books sound like they would be great reads. How much research was necessary to make your books so historically believable and where did you conduct most of your research? Did you visit the locations where you set your novels? I read 150 books to research my first novel. Some I bought, but most came from the library. Over the years that I’ve been writing the series, I have been able to do some on-the-ground research, and I recently took a trip back East to visit Civil War battlefields and other areas in preparation to write my next book. I’ve also been amassing books on the Civil War in the last year. Lots of books! In the earlier years, I conducted several interviews with people familiar with the areas I wanted to learn about. Photographs were also helpful, as were the state guides produced as WPA projects during the Great Depression. I’ve found several very good online sources for research on my later books. Are you a pantser or a planner when you write? I definitely write by the seat of my pants, once I have an idea for a story and know who my characters will be. I’m doing more planning now than I used to, though, so I don’t spend way too much time rewriting. However, I’ll never again write a complete synopsis early-on. That doesn’t work for me, because my brain then thinks I’ve already written the book. While I’m writing, I make various charts and spreadsheets to help me analyze the number of occurrances of different points-of-view, and events within scenes. This helps the revision process goes faster. I now use a great writing software program called yWriter5, which allows me to focus on one scene at a time. This is important, so that I don’t become daunted by the vastness of the project. A huge upside to using it is that the software is free! I'm a writer too, so I like to ask other writers. 'What's your writing schedule like?' Very fragmented. I’m easily distracted, but when I’m white-hot in the initial draft, I can write for up to eight hours, broken up by short breaks. This is only possible because I live alone. I wish I had a better schedule. Almost every writer I know wishes the same thing!
I know I do lol... actually, I wish my fingers and eyelids kept up with my brain lol. Have you held a "day job" in addition to your writing? Yes. Through the years I mothered my children, and then worked as a journalist, an educator, and in a retail store. I’ve also volunteered with several organizations, doing websites, newsletters, and a multitude of other chores.
Something I'm always curious about... How do you promote your books? I have a website and a couple of blogs, I’m active on Facebook and other social media venues, and I’m always looking for ways to let people know I’m an author, such as giving talks and networking with various groups. I find that word of mouth from enthusiastic readers drives the most sales, though.
Advice to anyone contemplating writing a Civil War novel? Do thorough research, keep accessible notes, then let the fingers loose.
Finally, How would you like to be remembered? As a kind person who could write a little. Thank you so much, Marsha, for being on my blog today... and HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!!!!!
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(I love that book cover!!) What exactly is Spinster's Folly? Marie Owen yearns for a loving husband, but Colorado Territory is long on rough characters and short on fitting suitors, so a future of spinsterhood seems more likely than wedded bliss. Her best friend says cowboy Bill Henry is a likely candidate, but Marie knows her class-conscious father would not allow such a pairing. When she challenges her father to find her a suitable husband before she becomes a spinster, he arranges a match with a neighbor's son. Then Marie discovers Tom Morgan would be an unloving, abusive mate and his mother holds a grudge against the Owen family. Marie's mounting despair at the prospect of being trapped in such a dismal marriage drives her into the arms of a sweet-talking predator, landing her in unimaginable dangers. This fourth book in the Owen Family Saga is infused with potent heart and intense grit.
Marsha Ward is an award-winning writer and editor who has published over 900 pieces of work, including three previous novels in the Owen Family Saga, numerous newspaper articles, and sections in books on the craft of writing. She is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, and American Night Writers Association. Born a while ago in the sleepy little town of Phoenix, Arizona, Marsha grew up with chickens, citrus trees, and lots of room to roam. She began telling stories at a very early age, regaling neighborhood chums with her tales as they snacked on her homemade sugar cookies and drank cold milk. Visiting her cousins on their ranch and listening to her father's stories of homesteading in Old Mexico and in the Tucson area reinforced Marsha's love of 19th Century Western history. After many years in the big city, Marsha now makes her home in a tiny hamlet under Central Arizona's magnificent Mogollon Rim. When she is not writing, she loves to spoil her grandchildren, travel, give talks, meet readers, and sign books. Here are links to my author pages at Smashwords and Amazon: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/marshaward http://www.amazon.com/Marsha-Ward/e/B003RB9P9Q/ And links to my Social Media sites: Website: http://marshaward.com Author Blog: http://marshaward.blogspot.com Character Blog: http://charactersinmarshashead.blogspot.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormarshaward Twitter: http://twitter.com/MarshaWard Online Book Release Event at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/333393153425853/
