Making Your Way as an Author

Since I have published my book I have had great pleasure in meeting other authors. I can honestly say I have found an amazing group people from around the world who all share something in common with me, and that’s the love of writing and story telling.

Another thing we have in common is marketing.

Where we may differ is as vast as the ocean…and that’s anything from simple differences like being traditionally, assisted or self-published, to formally trained in writing and journalism or a moonlighter with literary aspirations.

Although I have taken writing courses, which include all kinds of training and preparation from writing short stories, articles and novels to finding an agent or publisher, one thing lacking in these courses is anything and everything to do with marketing. Now don’t get me wrong, I love what I have learned, but I would have gladly taken an extra semester that included marketing.

So, here you are the published author…I guess you could compare that to being dropped into a canoe in the middle of the woods, paddle in hand. Note that I did not say “on or near” the water. That’s because you have to start paddling right where you are, to the nearest stream that might lead to a river or lake. Then what? You are still a long way from the ocean and paddling through gravel isn’t easy.

Once you hit water, you find yourself surrounded by others, paddling feverishly toward the next segment or body of water.

Every author knows all too well the amount of work they’ve invested in their manuscript. So why not make sure what your marketing has every chance of making it to the ocean? How? By making sure some simple principles have been followed.

1) Have your work edited, critiqued and revised.

2) Make sure your book cover is a good one…too often Indie authors have slapped whatever/however on their book. Now this is where countless Indie authors will pipe in telling me just how much time/effort/money went into their covers. My point here is that a few bad ones taint the pool, unfortunately labelling the lot.

3) If you are formatting your ebook on your own and do not have the money to have it done right, then ASK SOMEONE. There are other authors willing to help. Bad grammar is one thing, but getting author name and page number smack dab in the middle of your sentence is annoying.

By following these few tips you now have a quality product to promote.

Here are some things to consider while you’re promoting:

1) Develop your author platform and begin letting people know you’re out there. Pace yourself so that you can keep on top of your pages/sites. Doing too much too fast will show.

2) Join groups and cross market one another. I was told in a webinar that more than 10% self-promoting can turn people off of you. Host authors on your blog, do fun interviews and giveaways.

3) Look into Author Solutions, Writer’s Digest and similar places to keep up with the changing trends, get marketing tips and tools, (they offer free webinars). Get onboard with Goodreads (various groups), there are more threads than is humanly possible to follow from blog tours to reviews and cross-promoting.

4) Consider entering your work into contests. The recognition gained is priceless.

5) Participate in author presentations, book signings and book fairs to give yourself the chance to meet readers and become ‘real’ to them.

OK, so let’s say we’ve made it into a larger body of water…now what?

My best advice comes back to pacing yourself because aside from paying someone to handle your marketing, there’s no way out of it. You will have to roll up your sleeves and paddle your way along the current. Once you get a rhythm going enjoy yourself. Have fun meeting other authors, bloggers, and readers. I must say there are some great people out there and I am thrilled to have made some new friends.

 We are going to be talking with author M.J. Kane shortly, and not only will she be presenting her novel Butterfly Memoirs, but she has a few stories of her own to tell. So, stay tuned.

Author Platform

   The other day I came across someone who mentioned going into a bookstore and never giving a second thought to what was involved in the “from writer’s desk to bookstore shelf” process. I had never thought about it before, either.
    An enormous amount of work goes into writing a book, and unfortunately, even more work is required once you intend to market that book, (regardless of how the book is published).
    Do you remember, “If you build it, they will come”? As an author, the it does NOT refer to your book. Think about it…you wrote a book. Why haven’t people started knocking on your door, asking for a copy? Why haven’t bookstores called, sent letters or emails hoping they could have copies on their shelves? In reality, the it refers to your author platform. If you don’t get out there and tell the world about your product, no one will know and no one will buy. When a car company comes out with a new design, they shout it out to the world through television, newspaper, internet, radio, flyers, and any other way necessary to market their new product. They have the power and means to reach out to millions of people. What are you doing about your book?

    You need an author platform.

    Your author platform is just that, a ‘platform’, made to raise you above the others, to make you visible. Maintaining it will soon become a 20 hour/week job. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you need a media kit. You need to create an author and/or a book page on facebook. You should have a blog, a website, use twitter, (and LinkedIn if you are a professional writing non-fiction). Then there are press releases, radio and television, book signings and author presentations…to name a few.
 
     Now, keep this in mind…It is important to create a professional image. It is important to pace yourself so you can create and keep up with your posts and activities in a professional manner. Don’t over-promote yourself…( vary subjects on your blog/posts/tweets…promote others, talk about book related topics, review other books, have people participate in discussions, share what your working on, share personal snippits and anecdotes, but don’t keep throwing your book in peoples face daily…get creative, have fun, be real. You don’t want to be like that salesman who jumps on a customer before he door has even closed.) Don't be an annoying salesman...have fun being an author

The Media Kit

As promised, the Media Kit.

In all honesty, I did not know what this was. Now don’t get me wrong, I understood what it was supposed to be, without knowing exactly what it should be composed of. Within the space of a week I had heard about, saw one, followed a webinar on it and made my own. Since my book is now on a blog tour, this quickly became a great tool to have on hand. It kept me from having to repeat the same information over and over again, made sure I didn’t leave out any details, and in some cases, offered more info than requested.

OK, so here goes:

            -you should have a professional head shot, (link to the photo in high resolution),

            -your resume (especially if you write non-fiction),

            -your biography,

            -interview topics,

            -media appearances, (links)

            -a high resolution picture of your book,

            -the book blurb,

            -an excerpt from the book,

            -other people’s comments, reviews and recommendations,

            -the link to your book trailer,

            -contact info: email, facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, blog, web page, etc.

            -purchase links: Amazon, B&N, Chapters, etc.

Add to it as you see fit. The idea is to have an instant package that can be shipped off in a matter of seconds.

You will not regret the time spent on this. You end up with a professional tool that will quickly become indispensible.

Marketing and More Marketing

As a recently published author, I ran head on into the reality known as marketing. The more authors I meet, the more I realize that on some level we’re all in the same boat. It really doesn’t matter how your book was published, the reality is the same. YOU have to promote your book.

I had gone over some marketing points in earlier blogs, but this one sums it all up.

Marketing your book should start as soon as possible, even before the book has been published. Talk about it. Let your friends and family know. Ask them to spread the word as well, word of mouth is valuable. You should lay the groundwork in advance so people will be looking forward to its release.

Let’s break this down into simple steps:

- Define your target audience. This will permit you to prepare your marketing strategy. If you have written a YA novel, you might save yourself a lot of wasted energy promoting it in all the wrong places.

-Create an email for your author/book related business. You will appreciate this later on.

-Create a Goodreads account and include an author page. Take time to explore all offered groups and pages. I honestly think Goodreads is endless…I’m still discovering stuff.

-Use social media like facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Separate your book page from your personal page on facebook, keep it professional. You can also create a separate author page.

-Ask your friends on facebook to share the link to your book page at least once (no one likes to be harassed).

-Search for pages that would be helpful, such as publishers, fellow authors, book clubs etc. Join these book pages.

-Create an author and/or book website.

-List a book giveaway through Goodreads and on blogs or facebook, but not all at the same time.

-Let your local newspaper know they have a new author living in the area, or that their local author has yet another book on the market.

-Ask those who have read it to post a review...not as easy as it sounds ;o)

-Give (yes, give) your book to friends, to blogs or other websites that offer to post reviews (such as Great Minds Think Aloud). Yes I know authors have to pay for the books given, but in the end it will be worth it.

-Make a book trailer (video). Your computer probably has a program such as Windows Media Maker that you can use. You can go on book publishing sites or on YouTube and check them out to get some ideas. There are quite a few posted on the net. Pictures and music can be found on public domain sites if you don’t want to get out there and take pictures.

-Create a blog. Visit other blogs, share comments, information and good news. Post their (other authors) book link in exchange for them posting yours. Participate in a blog tour.

-Link everything together, so your trailer, website and facebook page can be found on Goodreads and the other way around. Write “Click Here to see…” next to your buttons, remember –not everyone is computer literate.

-Join local author groups, review groups and literary groups. If you wrote a sci-fi novel, join a sci-fi group as well. These often have fees, but in exchange they organize author signings, presentations and such.

-Go to your local library. If a citizen requests a book they will get it. Donate a book to a school library. Ask about doing an author presentation with the students; make up a quick giveaway…the best 500 word story gets a book. If the book is not school material, look into book clubs or reading clubs as well as community centers.

-Offer your book to local bookstores on consignment. Most of the bigger chains will have to go through the head office before being able to accept it.

-See if your local or community TV/radio station won’t give you a brief interview or at least share your good news. Offer to give a book away here too.

Time for a breath of air…

I suggest you do these one after another so that you can pace yourself. Once you create these pages or sites, it is your responsibility to maintain them. Watch your page stats and keep traffic flowing. Once you have one working, add a second one, then a third and so on. Keep a pace that works for you; better to have one great page than half a dozen bad ones. As for content, do you really want to just "copy-paste" the same stuff everywhere? If not, then you need to work at a pace that allows you to create stuff for each page.

-Most of all enjoy the process and don't forget to breathe. Go at your own rate because it can quickly become overwhelming...and remember, you are NOT alone!

On my next post I’ll talk about the Media Kit.

Pace Yourself

Writing a book takes a lot of time, and once you’ve moved into publishing and marketing, a good portion of your time will have to be put aside for this as well. If you have not made it to this step yet, you cannot imagine the hours you will have to put in to follow through on your marketing. So take heed.

By now you probably have some or all of the following; a facebook page (for your book), a blog, web page, author page on Goodreads, book trailer, calendar and email (again for your book). Once all these things have been established you have to tend to them. Statistics give you an overview of traffic on your pages, and you want to pay close attention to what’s going on here. It is important to generate traffic, keep interest and be visible. Most of all, you want to avoid flat lines and a drop in that precious traffic. This takes time. Time to plan, to produce and to follow up.

Before long, you might feel overwhelmed by all you have to do, for there are only 24 hours in a day. If you set aside a time every day to look through each of these pages so that you might deal with any pressing matters, but reserve a specific block of time for each, say on a ‘every other day’ basis, you might establish a good flow that won’t bog you down. Keep in mind that when it comes to marketing your book, the afore mentioned list is only part of what you will be doing. There should also be giveaways, book signings, blog tours, interviews and presentations…to name a few. All of these things take time and there isn’t really a way around them.

The more people who know about your book, the better chance it has of making its way through the literary jungle and into people’s homes.

Now that you’ve got the ball rolling, you might be thinking about writing another book. If you have managed to pace yourself, you should easily be able to adapt your schedule to allow time for the new creation without extending the block of time already in use. After all, we all have lives outside of our writing. Don’t we?

My advice is simple. Pace yourself, not just for you, but for everyone in your life as well.

Lost at Sea or Thrown to the Sharks

Admit it, neither one sounds like an ideal situation…yet it is a good analogy of what it feels like after you come down from the high of holding your book for the first time. Regardless of how your book came into print, if you don’t have a marketing plan, you’ll quickly find yourself lost at sea…holding your book.

Who knows about it? Well, you have certainly shared the news with friends and family. You might have asked them to do so as well. So, now what? How can you tell the world about the amazing creation in your hand? Were you simply planning on sharing your book with a small group, or were you hoping to awe the world?

If you have read my earlier post about marketing, and followed some of the suggestions, you should have a facebook page, a blog or website and maybe even a book trailer. Good, things are rolling. Now you need traffic. You need to reach out continue letting people know about the book. If you have the budget (but not the time), then hire a publicist or purchase a marketing package. Between time and money, time is the one thing you must invest (hence the publicist if you are too busy…and if your mom is free, get her to do it ;o)).

Go to local your library and offer them a book. Go back to your former school, and do the same. Give time for presentations in schools, bookstores and libraries. Join local author groups. (They often have activities that give you the chance to promote your book).

Local bookstores are often more open and have the ability to allow you and your book in their store, not like large chain operations where everything has to go through the head office. If you stop here, maybe 100, or even 500 people have now heard about you book, but if you think of it, it’s just a drop in the bucket.

If you haven’t already joined Goodreads, stop what you’re doing and get to it. Make an author page, set up a giveaway and join communities. You’ll be amazed at the boost in traffic. From here you are given the chance to meet more authors, get some visibility, have your book reviewed and more. The more reviews you can get, the better.

A word of advice, don’t be afraid to give a few books away. If it’s to friends, give it in exchange of a review and some word of mouth, or even a facebook post. Give some away for reviewing on blogs and other sites, and if they share it with friends, then good. You want the most people possible to read it, see it, and hear about it.

Oh, the shark analogy…trust me, if you can’t get it out there, your hard work will have been swallowed up as fast as a bit of fish at feeding time, and will be sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust.

Look up the Author Learning Center, Writer’s Digest and don’t be afraid to ask questions!

The promotional steps to climb when publishing your book

Wouldn't it be nice if we could find Boxing Day sales on agents, publishers and marketing packages?

The truth is, promoting your book takes a lot of time and energy, unless you have the resources to pay someone to do it for you.

Yes, of course there are many websites that offer help in this domaine, (often for a price), but that still leaves you with the work. So what are the steps involved? Here are a few, and in no particular order.

-Let your friends and family know

-Use social media, facebook, twitter, linkedin, etc.

-Create a book page on these sites and maybe an author page too. ( I am only on fb because the thought of managing more than one site (for now) still seems overwhelming. Do I really want to just "copy-paste" the same stuff everywhere?)

-Ask your friends on fb to share the link to your book page at least once (no one likes to be harassed)

-List a book giveaway

-Let your local newspaper know they have a new author living in the area

-Ask those who have read it to post a review...not as easy as it sounds ;o)

-Create a goodreads account and include an author page (you can list a giveaway here too)

-Make a book trailer (video) (Windows media has a good program, but unfortunately mine stopped working and I lost my video. Adobe pro is a little pricey but Roxio is reasonable and fun)

-Create a blog

-Link everything together, so your trailer, and fb page can be found on goodreads and the other way around

-Join local author groups, and ex. if you wrote a sci-fi novel, join a sci-fi group as well (these often have fees, though)

-Join book pages and such on social media sites

-Go to your local library, give a free book and ask about doing an author presentation

-Offer the same deal to your local, high-school library

-Most of all, enjoy the process and don't forget to breathe. Go at your own rate because it can quickl become overwhelming...and remember, you are NOT alone!

Happy New Year to one and all!

Marketing Your Book

It's Dec 22nd, and I still have lots of cooking to do before Christmas Eve, yet here I am, on my computer. As I have mentioned before, I thought writing the book was my job and contribution to the process. Although I decided to go with assisted publishing, for the simple reason that I could get my book out there faster, (a good 18 months faster) than traditional publishing, the marketing process landed in my lap as soon as the book was published. (I am told it would have been the same either way).

I was ecstatic to find my book offered in over 100 online bookstores, I would not have known where to begin or even how to do that on my own. I was offered all sorts of marketing options, and each one came with a price. That’s when I began to spend more and more time on internet, researching my marketing options. I created a facebook book page, offered a book giveaway, made a book trailer and now here I am, writing this blog.

I had no idea how to do any of these things before I sat down and tried. I still wonder what to do or say on my fb page, but the giveaway went well. After spending all week on the book trailer, the program crashed and refused to open. I spent another week learning to use a new program and remaking the trailer. I wasn’t able to manipulate the images in my slides as I had in the first video, nor could I access the slides to see what I had written on them. For now, I guess it’ll do. I am still learning and trying new things.

Although I graduated from the Institute of Children’s Literature, and was guided through the process of preparing my manuscript, queries, agents and publisher submissions, none of these touched on book marketing.

Will my book ‘make it’? I don’t know. I hope so, because I believe it’s a worthy novel. My offer to you, as a travel companion, on your journey through this scary and overwhelming world of writing and publishing, is to share my experience with you. I would like to share my questions with you as well. I found that having as many sources as possible is a life saver.

Enjoy this Holiday Season with your friends and family. I’ll be back soon enough.